Being a registerd substance disorder counsellor is a demanding job that requires empathy, patience, compassion and a desire to help people, not a job everybody is cut out for.  Since there are many different types of people, and a lot of them, counsellors are people in high demand and have very stressful jobs dealing with tough situations every day.

Substance abuse counsellors offer addicts a platform from which they obtain the strategies to fight their addiction.

Counsellors see people in both group and one-on-one therapy sessions, each designed specifically based on the individual needs and situation of the person.

These sessions are always challenging for a counsellor because they cannot predict what comes up in these sessions and sometimes a crisis may come up that needs a quick intervention.

The counsellors are required to be sympathetic, non-judgemental and supportive no matter what situation they find themselves in.

A difficulty that drug abuse counsellors have to deal with is death.

The severe effect of substance use disorders, combined with homelessness, mental illness and AIDs, is unfortunately common in these situations.

Counsellors have to be in control of their own emotions in order to deal with this, and they need to overcome feelings of anger, frustration and even friendships that can undermine a counsellor-patient relationship.

This makes this a very challenging job and counsellors have been known to burn-out because of the pressure.

Counsellors work closely with other professions including psychologists, social workers, lawyers and welfare agents to provide all round care and support for people with substance use disorders.

They also work with the families and those close to the person in need, helping them understand and deal with the situations that have led to their substance problem.

Many counsellors also involve themselves in community outreach programs aimed at bringing awareness to the public and educating them about addiction prevention. It is not an easy job and requires a special kind of person to deal with the sensitive situations of substance abusers. It can be a stressful and a high-demanding job.

More about addiction recovery counsellors here.

If you need private individual counselling in Cape Town visit TraumaTreatment.co.za