What You Must Know About Drug Rehab Counselors

Drug rehab counselors are here to help you!

When you first enter into a drug rehab program the most important relationship you will make is that between yourself and your drug rehab counselor. Not only do you have to feel comfortable with your drug rehab counselor but you must also be accepting and willing to work together on your addiction treatment. The experience that you have with your drug counselor is directly correlated to your successful completion of drug treatment.

So how do you know what to look for in a drug counselor? How do you know (before entering into drug rehab) that you will get along with your counselor and that you will have a positive experience in drug rehab? Having an excellent drug rehab counselor is like growing up with an excellent teacher…the benefits that you experience and the behavior changes that are learned are carried on throughout the rest of your life. Here’s a look at some key points that you can consider when choosing a drug rehab counselor to work with you.

Every Drug Counselor is Different and Every Addiction Is Different

Just as no two treatments or therapies for a cancer will work the same, a good drug rehab counselor understands that the same is true for drug treatment. The best drug rehab counselors will have a style of treatment but they should never force that style onto you. Good drug rehab counselors will guide you along the way and incorporate some of their ideas while allowing you to heal in your own way and if their treatment philosophy does not work with you and cannot be worked out then they will help you to find a more suitable drug rehab counselor that can help you. It’s all about getting the most that you can out of the treatment and care being offered to you and your drug rehab counselor just wants to help you in any way that they can.

Good Drug Rehab Counselors are Not Buddies

While you must be trusting of your drug rehab counselor you should not look at them as a buddy. The relationship between you and your drug counselor will be tough at times, they may be tough or hard on you to get certain things done or to change certain behaviors and this might upset you but in the long run they are doing everything that they can to help you. Don’t get mad at your drug rehab counselor for providing you with the needed push to get closer to health and sobriety. It is at these points when you may find great breakthroughs in your own addiction recovery and this is what the drug rehab counselor is trying to do.

Specialization is Key

Drug rehab counselors are not a dime a dozen. They should each be specialized in the specific type of counseling and treatment that they are providing. For instance, if you are a woman with a substance abuse problem then you should be treated by a drug rehab counselor that specializes in women’s addiction counseling. Likewise, teens should be counseled by drug rehab counselors who specialize in teen counseling and not adult counseling.

Get the Most Out of Your Drug Rehab Counseling Sessions

If you find that after the first few sessions of addiction counseling you are now only spending 20-30 minutes with your counselor than you may want to rethink the benefits that you are actually receiving from your counseling sessions. Most counseling sessions should last very close to an hour and anything less than 45 minutes from start to finish can be considered lacking quality. Your initial sessions with your drug rehab counselor may run a bit long such as up to 2 hours but subsequent counseling sessions should still run about an hour for the most benefits.

Your Counselor Should “Know” You

Over time you should realize that your counselor is paying very close attention to the things that you tell them. Even things that you may feel are old news will be later brought up during the addiction treatment process. You should notice that your drug rehab counselor understands you or at least seems to remember the things you tell them. Granted they will be taking notes the entire time during each counseling session they will hold much of this information in their memory banks to help you with your addiction treatment over time.