Substance-abuse counselors provide the necessary support for those recovering from compulsive drug and alcohol consumption, eating disorders, gambling addictions and other behavioral issues. Counselors are able to aid their patients with the essential judgment-free guidance and helpful resources that they will need on their road to recovery by establishing a trusting and secure relationship with them. The counselors in this field will help addicts with long-term addiction management issues, along with crisis management techniques. This could range from medical intervention, all the way to supporting them in managing their own long-term recovery.

The first task that a therapist would tackle is to create a therapeutic alliance with their patients. It is not easy for anyone to seek treatment for their addiction, and so, it would require a great amount of formed trust between patients and their counselors. This therapeutic alliance will allow patients to be vulnerable with their counselors and divulge sensitive information about their lives. Counselors must reassure their patients that they have their best interest at heart, and that they will help them get through their issues with immediate action.

It is difficult for a lot of patients to recover from such struggles as alcohol and drug addiction, due to their inability to recognize their own patterns and reasons behind this abuse. When in recovery, the patient will show a lot of resistance to change; the counselor cannot force a patient to transform. The rules of the counseling community dictate that the counselor should find different and better ways to communicate the benefit of counseling to their patient. The counselor will have to adapt the style of the patient to be able to enhance their motivation towards recovery—their role goes far beyond just teaching, offering advice, and listening.

One of the most important roles of a counselor is devising a relapse prevention plan with the client. A large percentage of people who suffer from substance abuse tend to relax once the sessions are over. Between 40 and 60 percent of people relapse into the addiction they started with. This is typically due to feelings of loneliness and/or helplessness. This does not, however, mean that the treatment failed. Rather, it is indicative of the counselors need to create a better method of confronting their client

This is why therapists at Luxor Care Centers are so hailed for their work with the patients. They understand the risk of patient relapse and understand that the prevention of this is more than saying just ‘no’. The counselors at Luxor Care Center are well trained and equipped with the right tools to make sure they keep the occurrence of relapse at a minimum count.

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