What do you think? Do you have to do something or be something in order to help someone? Can a single person be an effective marriage counselor? Can you help kids with substance abuse if you've never done drugs yourself? I am very interested in what you think so please comment!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Do You Have To Do It To Help Somebody Get Through It?
Today at work I was having a conversation with a coworker. He was saying that he wanted to be a substance abuse counselor someday in the future. He went on to say that he didn't think someone could be effective at helping kids overcome substance abuse if they hadn't done drugs themselves. He went on to say that he thought the best Licence Substance Abuse Counselors (LISAC) he'd ever seen help kids were the ones who were the worst drug addicts when they were younger. I listened to him explain and shared a few of my thoughts.
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3 comments:
It helps to understand if you've been through it, but you don't need to really understand to be able to help.
I think people tend to listen more to a person who has felt what they are going through and who can empathize, not just sympathize. I agree that a person who has not done drugs can also help though. For instance, a person who may have lived through a parent's addiction to drugs coud be a vital tool as well and offer amazing insight for the person who is struggling with their own addictions. In the end, I feel if the "counselor" has experience in the issue, they can better help those struggling versus someone who doesn't have that said experience. Just my to cents...great, thought-provoking question!
That's an interesting point of view. I actually think it more depends on the individual receiving the treatment/therapy. If they trust the person that hasn't walked through their shoes to be able to help them out. Everyone has to trust their counselor for it to be effective. I think even someone that hasn't done drugs but has known of others that have and the affect on their life would be valuable along with someone that has never done drugs.
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