Rehab Counselors: Vital Support for Substance Abuse Recovery - Research Paper

Introduction

Rehabilitation Counselors are of paramount importance in society, especially with the current increase of substance abuse among people in the nation. Substance abuse counselors provide a support system for people recovering from substance use issues and other behavioral challenges. A trust relationship must be built with clients to provide the necessary support, resources, and guidance that the patients need to achieve their primary goal of addiction recovery. Addictions may be long-term or shorter e depending on the period of substance abuse. Thus, the counselors must be able to help addicts deal with both crises of medical intervention and recovery. The role and importance of rehabilitation counselors is an essential topic concerning substance because various settings like Colleges, elementary schools, insurance companies, on-profit rehabilitations, private and state need counselors. The roles must clearly be defined hence need more knowledge and understanding as to why the counselors are essential.

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Substance abuse is an essential topic in the current word, and it refers to the harmful use of substances like alcohol for pleasure purposes. Addiction arises, and sometimes they harm an individual. Drug abuse is one of the most significant challenges facing the world today, especially among the youth population. Cases of drug and alcohol abuse have increased significantly, thus calling concern to the parents, government as well as Non-governmental organizations. Young people are growing up in an environment that tolerates substance abuse, and addiction cases arise. In developed countries, drug use among the youth population is increasing and relies on the perception of leisure culture. For vulnerable youths, especially in developing nations, they perceive drugs to be a form of relieving pressures due to the challenges they face in life. The perfect example applies to the United Kingdom, whereby statistics indicate that in the year 2000, two-thirds of young men aged 20-24 years drank hazardously as well as one-third of the female population aged 16-19 years. Substance abuse is significant to a social worker since it creates awareness of the potential of drug use by clients who may seek help for depression but conceal substance addiction. Counseling and therapy are required to help victims overcome relapse and recover from addiction.

Counselors perform various duties in a rehabilitation center. They include:

Creation of Therapeutic Relationship a With Patients

The patient's decision to seek treatment for addiction is tough, and this requires a lot of trust between the counselor and the patients. It requires the counselor to create trust and a strong bond with the client to achieve their overall objective. The client needs to be allowed to feel vulnerable in the event of sorting out their problems hence need to corporate with the counselor through therapeutic sessions. Patients need to view their counselors as trustworthy and thus feel comfortable to freely speak out their issues during various sessions. Counselors must create a therapeutic alliance through ensuring that the clients are keen thought the sessions, ensuring patients are aware that you have an interest of their wellbeing and by making patients know you can empathize with their challenges and thus need to come up with a solution mechanism (Etherington, 2015). The creation of a conducive environment for patients is critical as this ensures discussion of their encounters hence help in finding solutions to recovery.

Encourage Patient Recovery of Substance Abuse

Many clients of substance abuse fail to be aware of their patterns of violence, and this creates a challenge of recovering from addiction. The counselor has to play through motivation, although the counselor has little control over change. A counselor must develop some attributes that enable him or her to assure that there is hope for recovery to the patient. For instance, friendliness, respect, empathy, and genuineness (Etherington, 2015). The counselor has to listen, teach, and provide proper guidance on how to overcome the addiction problem.

Guidance Provision to Family Members

Families are very critical in the journey of recovery of their patients. Counselor interactions with family members and friends are an aspect that is taken into consideration by the counselors. Family members may choose to ignore or participate in the problem as they need their family members to recover. Hence during therapy sessions, the information should be given to family members on how to deal with the addicted person (Raper, Jr. & Morgan, 2010). Counselors ensure family members meditate during the therapy duration. The supportive family understands why you undertake therapy and thus help addict members to be accountable. Substance abuse counselors help the family to be aware of the exercise and provide hope for recovery

Treatment Plan in Consultation With Other Professionals and Support Group

A rehabilitation counselor has a significant role to play, especially who patients who not only have addiction problems but also various health problems. The counselor can refer them to professionals like Doctors upon knowing their problem. A variety of resources is available to patients recovering from addiction, and rehabilitation counselors refer clients to programs that can benefit them combined with counseling. Programs are implemented at the community levels, and through clients attending the meeting s, they come into contact with members who have had the same challenges (Sussman, Haug & Joynes, 2017). It enables clients to share their history and seek knowledge and wisdom towards their journey of recovery. For example, some clients have health problems like high blood pressure and Asthma and require doctor intervention.

Creation of Relapse Prevention Plan

Relapse causes have been experienced with patients related to substance abuse. Prevention of Relapse requires the patient to be strong enough through actions than just word of mouth. The rehabilitation counselor plays a significant role as he prepares a plan on account of patient experience, signs, and ways in which the client can adopt to manage the relapse, specific lifestyle that the client can prioritize for their overall wellbeing.

The Role of a Rehabilitation Counselor Is Vital in Society Due to the Following Reasons

High Demand for Addiction treatment

In the current world, high cases of substance abuse are reported, especially among the youth population. As people abuse drugs, they reach a point whereby they need treatment, and this necessitates a counselor. Many environmental settings require a counselor, and this makes the role necessary in the community.

Opioid Crisis

The Misuse of and addiction of opioids is predominant in the United States, which is a severe crisis that affects the health sector and, thus, overall economic wellbeing of the state. To respond to the mess, it needs counselors who will help in the treatment and recovery process of various individuals.

NASW code of ethics is crucial in the fieldwork. The ethics guide professionals by providing efficient guidance concerning professional conduct while executing their roles and duties. Ethics applies to the topic in various ways.

For instance, the primary mission of a social worker is to enhance human wellbeing and help meet the basic needs of all people, with particular attention to requirements and empowerment of people who are vulnerable, oppressed and living in poverty. It relates to the topic, especially concerning the roles of a counselor, whereby the counselor needs to ensure that the wellbeing of an addict is achieved. The mission goes hand in hand with core values that the social worker must meet, which include service delivery, social justice, dignity, and worth of a person and integrity. It applies to the topic in such a way that when the counselor executes his roles and duties must ensure the creation of a therapeutic relationship with the client. The counselor creates trustworthiness hence the importance of the human connection is enhanced.

A social worker has a role to play by ensuring that fundamental values, ethical principles, and standards are adhered to during the execution of their duties. The principles include:

Help people in need and address social problems. A rehabilitation counselor is a social worker and has to provide service to other people who are in demand in society. It's through the use of knowledge, skills, and values that they address social problems that exist in the state. Social workers are encouraged to volunteer, which applies to the counselors who sometimes volunteer to deliver services to vulnerable youth addicted to drugs in society.

Social Workers Challenge Social injustice. A social worker aims to pursue change, especially among the vulnerable groups of people. Social workers strive to ensure access to services and resources, equality of available opportunities for all (Levy, 2008). This applies to the counselor, whereby he or she must ensure change to the client through recovery and, in some instances, refers clients to available programs in the community that can help towards the journey of healing.

Social workers respect the inherent dignity and worth of the person. Social workers have must treat people with care and respect above all mind cultural and ethnic diversity. The counselors do meet clients from all ethnic backgrounds and must ensure that attention is accorded to them despite your racial origin.

Social Workers recognize the central importance of human relationships. That applies relationship among people through interactions, and hence the social workers must ensure that they strengthen relationships restore and maintain the wellbeing of individuals in the society. It refers to the counselor as they must provide a continued good relationship with the client with the family member.

Social workers behave in a trustworthy manner since he or she must practice the mission values and ethical standards and act honestly to promote the principles. It relates to the rehabilitation counselor in such a way that the counselor needs to be trusted by the patient when expressing problems.

Social workers practice within their areas of competence and develop and enhance their professional expertise. Social workers tend to advance their knowledge and skills, and this is through further education and training programs. Likewise, rehabilitation counselors attend training and programs that contribute to power and knowledge expertise in executing their roles and duties.

Substance abuse is a problem that is being experienced in the globe, and it leads to addiction to people, especially the young population. Rehabilitation is of paramount importance to ensure that the victims achieve recovery hence the need for rehabilitation counselors in the rehabs who plays a significant role in ensuring that patients receive counseling treatment and recovery. Ethical values, principles, and standards must be adhered to by all social workers to ensure proper service delivery.

Reference

Etherington, M. (2015). The Roles and Functions of the Rehabilitation Counselor. Physical Therapy, 50(9), 1419-1419. DOI: 10.1093/ptj/50.9.1419a

Levy, C. (2008). NASW Code of Ethics. Social Work, 30(5), 451-452. DOI: 10.1093/sw/30.5.451

Raper, Jr., J., & Morgan, L. (2010). Substance Use, Abuse, Addiction, and Rehabilitation. Advances In Alcohol & Substance Abuse, 9(3-4), 121-131. DOI: 10.1300/j251v09n03_09

Sussman, M., Haug, M., & Joynes, V. (2017). The Modern Model of Rehabilitation Counselor Roles. Journal Of Applied Rehabilitation Counseling, 1(3), 6-14. DOI: 10.1...