Treatment Experts Explain How a Recovering Addict Would be the Best Type of Therapist to those Recovering

As a point of statistical fact, many people who elect to devote their lives to helping people overcome addiction are recovering addicts themselves.

It’s not uncommon for those going through a good treatment program to focus their attention on becoming counselors for other addicts, especially once their outlook improves and they feel a desire to give back to their community. The recovering addict, who has been down the rocky and disruptive road of addiction and then up the long journey of recovery, imagines they are best-suited to understand where patients would be coming from. They’re not wrong! Or perhaps they did not have a good experience in treatment – they may find that they have a plan or approach that would have suited them better, and want to use a new approach to help others find their way back to productive and healthy living.

No matter the motivation that brings a recovering addict to the career path of helping others, the best plan for a recovering addict who is considering studying to become a therapist is to let their recovery stabilize for a while before taking any big leaps. So what about the addict who is considering treatment and may feel slightly uncomfortable with the thought of a recovering therapist? Possible fears of the “reformed” addict offering few and strict therapies, or imagined difficulties maintaining a professional relationship with someone who would disclose their recovery status are common causes for concern. While remaining professional, common wisdom advises most therapists to maintain minimal self-disclosure. There are certain therapeutic modalities which benefit from the type of relationship that can sustain give-and-take in the recovery process.

There has been a great deal of study on the benefits of a close therapist-client relationship. The bond that allows for the client to relax into the therapeutic process cannot be overstated. In particular, addiction recovery clients may benefit more than other groups from therapeutic disclosure, as the sense that they are understood at a deep and meaningful level becomes stronger when they realize their therapist has been through similar life experiences. In any case, the relationship between the client and the therapist cannot be based solely on the disclosure that “we have something in common!” The therapist must have credentials, experience and expertise to back up their approach to treatment. The potential disclosure of any recovery status should only solidify what’s an already well-established professional relationship. An experienced therapist can navigate this disclosure with clients in recovery to best suit their chances of real results and long term sobriety.

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Addiction recovery clients may benefit more than other groups from therapeutic disclosure, as the sense that they are understood at a deep and meaningful level becomes stronger when they realize their therapist has been through similar life experiences.

Distributed by Client Initiative

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Source: GetNews