Today I want to talk to you about a question I’m frequently asked by students, usually newer students, and that is; what is it like to be an addiction counselor? The answer is, it is always about what it means to help someone suffering with an addiction making their first step in recovery. In many settings when working with people, change is very slow and may even be hard to detect, leaving the counselor wondering if their work has any value. Addiction counseling is very different because when a person moves from active addiction and takes even the small steps towards recovery the change is dramatic. From the very beginning of moving towards recovery to sustaining change, what the person begins to experience is transformational. Being a part of that change is what is so meaningful and fulfilling for the addiction counselor.
Another important aspect in becoming an addiction counselor is that you get to shape and choose your own niche in the addiction treatment field. There is a wide range of services in the treatment continuum from detox to inpatient/residential to a range of outpatient settings. Which type of treatment setting fits you is up to you to explore and find out. More important than the type of treatment, is the population of people, who you will work with in that setting. In this field once you get your CAC, you can decide if you want to work with adolescents or adults; in the criminal justice system or the medical world; in school based programs; social services; in business HR departments; mental health centers; or in private practice. There is a wide range of addiction treatment modalities and specialized treatment to serve specific populations needs.
Finally, the addiction field is dynamic and changing with new research and new treatments emerging every day. Just in my lifetime and my career, over the past 40 years, core addiction treatment approaches like relapse prevention, women specific treatment, co-occurring disorder treatment, trauma informed care, mindfulness meditation and motivational interviewing have all been developed and applied to greatly improve the effectiveness of treatment. I can’t even imagine what changes there will be in the future as we learn more about how the brain works and much more about the processes of the chronic brain disease of addiction. The more we learn about addiction the more effective treatment becomes.
In conclusion, when I’m asked what is it like being an addiction counselor, my answer is that it is a career, not a job. It is a career where you decide the direction you go in, the type of setting you want to work in and the population of people you want to work with. None of this happens overnight. Most people start anywhere they can get hired. As everyone finds out, you have pay to your dues before you take the next step in your career. That’s normal and as long as you keep taking those steps to define your niche, you will have a long, meaningful and rewarding career as an addiction counselor.
This is a profession where you will learn and grow and change as you help the people you’re working with do the same thing. So I want to encourage anyone who’s thinking of becoming a CAC to explore the many faceted addiction treatment field.
Michael Connelly
Michael Connelly founded the Odyssey Training Center in July 4,1999. As a person in recovery himself, Michael is passionate about his work. Odyssey has trained more CAC students than any other organization in Colorado and continues to be a leader in professional level addiction training. Michael welcomes your questions about addiction counseling or the CAC certification; mconnelly@odysseycenter.com www.odysseycenter.com