Substance abuse counseling can be a rewarding career choice, helping others to heal from addiction. At Sober College, we can help you complete the educational units required to earn counselor certification and, because all of our instructors are current or former counselors, we also can provide you with a few tips to make dealing with on-the-job stress a bit easier.
Addiction counselors often deal with high-stress situations and they need to prioritize self-care to avoid burnout and maintain their own mental and physical health. Here are ten self-care tips for substance abuse counselors:
1. Create Boundaries
Learn to set and maintain professional boundaries with clients. This includes setting specific working hours and not overextending yourself emotionally or physically. When your work day is done, unwind on the drive home by listening to soothing music or a favorite podcast.
2. Regular Exercise
Incorporate regular physical activity into your routine. Exercise not only boosts your physical health, but it can also reduce stress and improve your mood. This is advice you’ll probably want to pass along to your patients, as well. Regular exercise is highly recommended for anyone battling addiction as well as any co-occurring mental health issues, such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder.
3. Balanced Diet
Eating a balanced, nutritious diet fuels your body and mind, enabling you to perform better in your professional responsibilities. This is another tip you can pass on to your clients, as establishing a balanced diet is an important part of the recovery process.
4. Mindfulness & Meditation
Practices like yoga, mindfulness, or meditation can help reduce stress and improve mental clarity. These techniques can also improve emotional regulation, which is particularly beneficial in a counseling context. There are many helpful apps that you can use for meditation and relaxation, and we recommend beginning and ending your day with a bit of mindfulness.
5. Sufficient Rest
Ensure that you are getting enough sleep every night. Adequate rest promotes positive mental health and improves your ability to provide the best possible care for your clients. Inadequate sleep can affect all areas of your life, especially your physical health, so do your best to create a relaxing nighttime routine that allows you plenty of time for sleep.
6. Regular Check-Ins
Regularly check in with yourself about how you’re feeling and coping. Self-awareness can be the first step towards identifying and addressing potential issues of burnout or secondary traumatic stress. An easy way to do this would be to start journaling and keep a few quick notes each day about your mood and physical condition.
7. Peer Support
Cultivate supportive relationships with colleagues and peers. They can provide an understanding ear, advice, and mutual encouragement.
8. Seek Professional Development
Regularly engage in professional supervision to help process work-related stress and challenges, and to continually develop your skills and practice. You will be required to complete a certain number of Continuing Education (CE) units in order to renew your credentials, but these classes and workshops provide you with the latest strategies and techniques, which can renew your enthusiasm for your career.
9. Hobbies and Interests
Make time for hobbies and interests outside of work. Having leisure activities can help you relax and detach from work-related stressors. It also can help to always have something in the works to look forward to, whether it be a night out with friends, a hike or perhaps a trip to a local museum.
10. Seek Counseling
Don’t be afraid to seek counseling or therapy for yourself. It can provide a safe space to process your emotions and remind you what it’s like to be in the client’s seat, which can enhance your empathy and understanding. As health professionals, you will be encouraging your clients to seek counseling once they leave your facility, but don’t forget to take this advice, as well.
Remember, it’s not selfish to take care of your own needs. You’ll be a more effective certified addiction counselor to your clients if you’re also taking care of your own physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
How To Become A Substance Abuse Counselor
While addiction counselor jobs certainly can be stressful, it’s truly a rewarding field where you help people every day. As millions of Americans suffer from substance use disorders, the Bureau of Labor Statistics lists addiction specialists as a field that is expanding far faster than the national average, which means there are many job opportunities.
Additionally, this is a job that does not require a master’s degree or even a bachelor’s degree. In order to become a certified drug and alcohol counselor (CADC) all you need is a high school diploma or the equivalent.
Your first step is to complete your educational units, and at Sober College of Addiction Studies, you can complete your education and your required practicum units in just six months. We offer a CCAPP-approved, NAADAC-approved and IC&RC-approved curriculum. Our program is entirely online, and, because we offer rolling admissions, you can get started at any time.
Once you complete our program, you will need to pass the IC&RC exam and complete your supervised work experience hours. Requirements for these supervised hours vary based on the level of CADC certification you wish to earn. Some states require more hours than others and also may use a different term for CADC, such as Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ADC).
In general, a CADC-I will need 3,000 hours of supervised work experience, although, with an associate’s degree in behavioral science or an allied mental health profession, this drops to 2,080 hours. A CADC-II will need 6,000 hours, regardless of any college degree. A CADC-III needs 4,000 hours but also must have a bachelor’s degree.
Keep in mind, this work experience is paid, and you will gain clinical experience and work as an alcohol and substance abuse counselor, albeit under a supervisor. You will handle all of the typical tasks of certified addiction counselors, including abuse counseling, case management, etc.
Get Started At Sober College!
If you are interested in substance abuse counseling and would like to enroll in our addiction studies program, simply click on the Get Started tab on our homepage and select Enroll. If you have any questions, select the Speak With Someone option and an admissions specialist will be in touch with you as soon as possible.
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