Knowing How to Find and Hire the Best Addiction Counselor

Finding and hiring the best addiction counselor takes time and attention to detail. Addiction counselors deal with alcohol, drug and other addictions in an effort to aid people in living healthier, fuller lives. Addiction counseling can be done by social workers, psychiatrists or someone with an addiction counseling degree. Management of career help centers and educational programs for addicts in recovery may be managed by those in these positions as well. The person filling an addiction counselor position should have skills in the areas of education and management in addition to the area of treating addition.

An addiction counselor must have the minimum of a bachelor's degree. A program for treating addiction will require a minimum of a master's degree and a certain amount of experience be had. Courses in counseling for drugs and alcohol, social problems, management and principles of behavior modification, group counseling dynamics, counseling theories, interpersonal communication and addicted family intervention are all part of the basic education that counselors for addiction should possess.

Hiring an addiction counselor includes pre-determining needs in order to have the job description clearly state the education, skills and experience required. The addiction counselor salary should be clearly stated as well as whether or not the salary will be based on experience. Careful verification should be done of the items included in the resume. The verification of the addiction counseling degree, along with experience is only part of the process. The interview process should also determine if the person has the skills and attributes requires while you are in the process of finding and hiring the best addiction counselor.

The person filling the positions should have an understanding of the relapse rate among those addicted to drugs or alcohol to ensure that they are prepared for disappointment and will keep going even when patients relapse. The certifications for addition counselors varies by state so you will want to make sure that you find one that meets the requirements for your state if you are seeking one privately. The background and personality of the counselor will be determining factors in whether or not you can work with them effectively.

The patients themselves will determine which type of treatment facility they are in receiving counseling for their addiction. The type of facility will go a long way to determining the specific treatments and counseling options whether it is group or individual counseling provided to addicts. These differences will make the desired counselor qualifications vary from one job to the next.

Treatment centers, hospitals, halfway houses, colleges and other schools employ addiction counselors; the facility will affect addiction counselor salary. The specific facility will contribute to the qualifications that the potential counselor should possess. The ideal counselor for addiction will be comfortable working with a variety of age groups and psychological problems that are often associated with addiction. Empathy and understanding to allow seeing someone else's point of view without being judgmental is an important quality in those working with people suffering from addiction.

The best counselors for addiction will have an understanding of overall human nature that allows them to focus on the positive aspects in patients. Finding and hiring the best addiction counselor means that you want someone who will be able to interact with people from all walks of life. The age and economic level of addicts will vary meaning that the counselor should not be predisposed to believe that the problem of addiction only affects certain people or types of people. The best counselors for addiction will be highly educated in areas of not only addiction but the conditions associated with addiction so they can recognize them in the patients that they are treating.