Addiction recovery counselors provide tremendous support to people struggling with addiction and other behavioral issues. They build trust with their patients and offer them the right assistance, resources, and guidance helpful for their addiction recovery. They help the addicts with immediate medical intervention and long-term addiction management issues. Read this blog to know more about the role of a counselor in addiction recovery.
- Create a therapeutic alliance with patients- Seeking addiction recovery treatment may not be an easy decision for you. Therefore, your counselor must create strong therapeutic alliances with you. Therapeutic alliances are essential for addiction recovery and allow you to build trust and be comfortable with your counselor while discussing your hardships.
Your counselor should make you feel comfortable to help you share your problems during sessions. You should feel more relaxed after every session and the desire to revisit your counselor. Your counselor can develop strong therapeutic alliances by:
- Ensuring you that they are interested in your well being
- Being attentive
- Empathizing with your problems
- Understanding and talking about the primary issues
- Meet family members to provide guidance- Your loved ones may find it challenging to address your addiction problem. They may choose to ignore the problem, worrying that the confrontation may push you away from them. However, their support plays a crucial role in your addiction recovery as they help you keep accountable. Your family must know how to handle your addiction during therapy treatment.
Counselors can help your family in several ways, like providing them with family therapy sessions and connecting with a support group. They can make your family understand the recovery journey and offer them support for the road ahead.
- Refer patients to an outside support group- Several resources are available outside for those recovering from addiction. Your counselor can refer you to these resources, which will give you additional support during your recovery.
Support groups are beneficial as they allow you to surround yourself with individuals who face similar struggles and share stories of addiction and recovery in a non-judgmental environment.
- Help patients develop a relapse prevention plan- You may relapse at some point during recovery. However, it would not mean that the treatment has failed. Instead, it would indicate that your counselor needs to change your treatment plan or approach to help you.
Counselors can ensure you are well-equipped to avoid relapse in the future. They should formulate a relapse prevention plan for you which must include:
- A detailed account of your experience with addiction
- Warning signs and how can you can manage them
- List of people who can be your support
- Emergency relapse plan
- Specific lifestyle changes to improve your well-being
About Steps Recovery Centers
The right counselor can make your addiction recovery a lot easier. If you are also looking for a counselor who can help you fight your addiction, get in touch with Steps Recovery Centers. We are a rehab and recovery center with a team of experienced and trained counselors. We are known for our top ratings and the excellent reputation amongst our clients. For more information about us, contact us at 801-800-8142.