Why I Want to Be a Substance Abuse Counsellor: Essay

Need help with assignments?

Our qualified writers can create original, plagiarism-free papers in any format you choose (APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, etc.)

Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.

Click Here To Order Now

The American School Counselor Associations (ASCA) purpose is to support school counselors in their efforts to help aid students in their academic endeavors, this includes future goals such as career planning and higher education. It also means providing the students an outlet to discuss their social and emotional expansion so that they may do the utmost best in their education and be prepared for the future. ASCAs membership is diverse, made up of practicing school counselors, counseling and guidance Directors, supervisors, and other administrators in counselor educators. Also included as members are those engaged in activities that have an impact on students success and well-being at school, work, and at home Minkoff & Terres, 1985, p. 426). There are numerous professional development opportunities offered by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) such as site-based training, districtwide training, coaching, webinar series, ASCA U specialist training, and annual conferences.

The membership benefits of being a part of the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) include but are not limited to discounted publications, liability insurance, free resources, and an extensive online community. However, school counselor trainees expressed frustration when they learn about the benefits of the ASCA framework but receive supervision in a school counseling setting that is not yet fully transformed into a developmental model (Studer & Oberman, 2006, p. 82). My future career goals are to focus my efforts on aiding both children’s and adolescents mental health and stability. My point of concentration on my future prospects has led to a slight intertwinement with the American School Counselor Association (ASCA). Although I do not wish to be a school counselor, I know my work will involve working with children and/or adolescents, which may involve an educational setting similar to that where a school counselor would normally reside.

The National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) was originally known as the National Association of Alcoholism Counselors and Trainers (NAACT) which originated in 1972. In 1982 it became the National Association for Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (NAADAC), until 2001 when it became known as what it is today; the National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC). The purpose of this organization is to guide and encourage those in both addiction counseling and similar addiction concentration-related careers to succeed through ethics, education, support, and understanding. Benefits that come with being a member of the National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) circulate around education, advocacy, professional identity, and professional services. The opportunities provided for long-term professional growth include but are not limited to having access to the NAADAC career center as well as reduced liability and resources.

The demands placed on the substance abuse counselor today or four more difficult than they were in the past (Mustaine, West & Wyrick, 2003, p. 106). In my future counseling prospects, I know the possibility of encountering youths who have previously combatted substance addictions or are currently doing so. Adaptation to the National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) would be beneficial despite the difficulties that would ensue if it meant finding superior aid for my client, It takes a separate set of skills where the specifics of methods used derive from the substance addiction itself. These increased demands, together with the consistent failure of the field to maintain positive treatment outcomes, give rise to questions regarding the appropriateness of substance abuse counselor preparation requirements. Clearly, there is a duality in training expectations of counselors and substance abuse counselors (Mustaine, West & Wyrick, 2003, p. 106).

The American Counseling Associations (ACA) purpose is to give aid to those cultivating the profession of counseling and be a supporter of the profession itself. Ensuring the ethical standards to protect those using such counseling services, including individuals of wide-ranging cultures. Some of the benefits of being a member of the American Counseling Association (ACA) or liability insurance, business solutions, and education. The opportunities for professional growth that come from this organization are specific to the different types of counseling such as; agent counselors, clinical professional counselors, career counselors, school counselors, and counselor educators. The problem of characterizing the professional counselor is made even more difficult because of variations in specializations, theoretical orientation, and post-degree professional development (Bradley, Sexton & Smith, 2005, p. 488).

The overlapping services provided by these professions (e.g., cancel, social work, applied psychology, and marriage and family therapy) can create confusion and blare the professional boundaries and identities as well as problems with purity in regard to status, access, and earnings (Sangganjanavanich & Reynolds, 2015, p. 48). In my efforts to become a counselor, it is common to be associated with the American Counseling Association (ACA) as it is the common base crown for nearly, if not every type of counseling, giving specific declaration to this profession. Counselors assist others entering the profession by serving as counselor educators or supervisors. In those roles, counselors model of values they are teaching as they interact with students, namely, justice, equality, competence, and caring (Ponton & Duba, 2009, p. 120). This can be seen as either a reward or a challenge for joining this counseling organization, depending on an individuals point of view. Personally, I would see this as a benefit I would be able to give back to what I have been taught and put forth that knowledge to the next generation and observe from a new perspective.

References

    1. Bradley, L. J., Sexton, T. L., & Smith, H. B. (2005). The American Counseling Association Practice Research Network (aca-prn): a new research tool. Journal of Counseling & Development, 83(4), 488488.
    2. Enos, G. (2017). Naadac members seek broader skill sets, and wider recognition via credentialing. Alcoholism & Drug Abuse Weekly, 29(38), 16. https://doi.org/10.1002/adaw.31722.
    3. Minkoff, H. B., & Terres, C. K. (1985). Asca perspectives: past, present, and future. Journal of Counseling & Development, 63(7), 424427. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.1556-6676.1985.tb02824.x.
    4. Mustaine, B. L., West, P. L., & Wyrick, B. K. (2003). Substance abuse counselor certification requirements: Is it time for a change? Journal of Addictions & Offender Counseling, 23(2), 99107. https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1874.2003.tb00174.x.
    5. Ponton, R. F., & Duba, J. D. (2009). The aca code of ethics: articulating counselings professional covenant. Journal of Counseling & Development, 87(1), 117121.
    6. Sangganjanavanich, V. F., & Reynolds, C. A. (Eds.). (2015). Introduction to professional counseling. Counseling and professional identity in the 21st century. Sage Publications Inc.
    7. Studer, J. R., & Oberman, A. (2006). The use of the as a national model® in supervision. Professional School Counseling, 10(1), 8287.

Need help with assignments?

Our qualified writers can create original, plagiarism-free papers in any format you choose (APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago, etc.)

Order from us for quality, customized work in due time of your choice.

Click Here To Order Now