Chemical Dependency Counselours

The job of chemical dependency counselors entails several tasks, such as managing individual, family and group counseling for patients in chemical dependency programs, acting as a liaison between patients, relatives and medical personnel, and tracking patient progress. Requirements typically include a bachelor's degree, local or national certification and from two to four years of experience. In general, chemical dependency counseling comes down to helping an individual overcome an addiction to various drugs or alcohol. Even though each particular case is different, a counselor will often work in a group setting, which helps to relieve the participants' anxiety as well as promote an environment of support and solidarity.

A similar tactic used very often by the chemical dependency counselor is to make friends and relatives part of the counseling. When this takes places, it is usually called an intervention. The purpose of an intervention is to make addicted individuals realize the extent of their problem, but it also seeks to involve the family in a long term basis, and not just a one time thing. This is important because many times family members are enablers for the patient. This type of approach is more often than not the family's own initiative, but it is still important to have a professional counselor take the reins and steer the intervention towards its desired destination.

Other than the proper levels of education, a chemical dependency counselor must have a few inherent skills, for instance public speaking and interpersonal communication abilities, as well as being intuitive and organized. Moreover, counselors must be highly patient and not get discouraged easily, due to the tendency of many recovering addicts to relapse. At the end of the process here in the state of California, the chemical dependency counselor will provide the patient with a California certification (Certification CD) as a reminder for the patient to stay sober; the most important part of the process is not just to overcome the addiction but more importantly the ability to stay sober for the rest of their lives.