Addiction Counselor (formerly known as Substance Abuse Counselor)

• Assessment: An addiction counselor assesses your mental and physical health and your SUD. Through discussions, they determine the severity of the addiction, your readiness for change and if you have other mental health conditions (dual diagnosis). They look for potential challenges that may affect your treatment and other needs and opportunities.
• Treatment planning: Addiction counselors develop personalized plans to address each substance use disorder. Treatment plans may involve medical care (like medication and hospital management), therapy, rehab programs, support groups and more. Counselors often create treatment plans in coordination with other healthcare providers. They tailor each plan to match your needs and goals.
• Referrals: An addiction counselor acts as a bridge between you and outside resources that may be necessary for your treatment plan. For example, a counselor might refer you to a support group, medical care or job placement services.
• Intervention: A counselor may have to intervene in crises when someone is endangering their life or the lives of others. They also intervene in noncrisis situations by encouraging a person with an addiction to get help. Friends and family members often request noncrisis interventions.
• Counseling: Addiction counselors often provide counseling (psychotherapy, or “talk therapy”) for individuals or groups of people with SUD. They may also provide therapy for family members and friends of people with SUD.
• Education: Addiction counselors may teach family members and friends about SUDs. They learn ways to support their loved one throughout treatment. Addiction counselors may also put together outreach programs for communities to help people identify the signs of addiction and other problematic behaviors.
• Case management documentation: Documentation is essential to helping addiction counselors, other healthcare providers, people receiving care and families track the progress of treatment. In some cases, addiction counselors may need to provide updates and progress reports to law enforcement or court systems.

Helping people with SUDs takes a lot of coordination with other experts. Addiction counselors often work with the following providers to develop treatment plans: VSports注册入口.

• Psychologists.
• Psychiatrists.
• Social workers.
• Primary care physicians.
• Registered nurses.

Addiction counselors may also work with specific populations, like teenagers, veterans or people with disabilities.

V体育安卓版 - Where do addiction counselors work?

Addiction counselors can work in many different settings VSports在线直播. A few examples include:.

• Rehab facilities: There are several types of rehabilitation centers. Some centers are residential, where you live at the facility for around-the-clock care. Others are outpatient, meaning that you come to the facility but then go home after treatment each day. In addition, rehab centers can have a particular focus, like a religious or nature focus.
• Hospitals: Hospitals often have special units to monitor and care for people going through substance withdrawal (detoxification). They usually have other related treatment services as well, so addiction counselors may work in hospitals.
• Private practices: Some addiction counselors may have their own space to help people. These settings are mainly for people with mild SUDs or behavioral addictions and for those who have already gone through most of their treatment plans. It’s also a place where family members and friends can receive counseling.
• Corrections facilities: Addiction counselors can provide care, support and education for people in a prison setting.