Drug & Alcohol Counseling Techniques

Counseling clients with drug and alcohol addictions can be a challenge. Fortunately, there are certain techniques that can boost your chances of success. You must use techniques that are directly aimed at breaking down the client's denial, making him take responsibility for the problem and teaching him how to take power over his life. You should also encourage him to build up a health support system, which can make counseling more effective.

Responsibility

• Use cognitive techniques to help the client take responsibility for her addiction and actions. Many drug and alcohol abusers get into a victim mindset and focus on justifying their actions. Redirect your clients to focus on their behaviors, not the reasons behind them, and the results and affects of those behaviors. Don't let them shift the blame to others. Instead, guide them through making plans on how to do their own damage control.

Empowerment

• Help clients find ways to take power over their actions. Drug and alcohol abusers become reactors. They automatically give in to the craving for the substance of their choice. They must learn how to turn the reaction into a choice. Cognitively, you can teach them to use a thought stopping technique. When they start to feel a craving, they use a mental image like a giant red stop sign as a signal to pause and interrupt the automatic reaction. Then they can choose an alternative; you can help them develop a list of these alternative during your counseling sessions.

Vulnerabilities

• Help clients identify their most vulnerable times. Drug and alcohol use often happens when a client is hungry, angry, tired or lonely. Help him identify his personal triggers and create a plan to fight them as soon as he recognizes them.

Support

• Encourage the client to develop a strong outside support system. Counseling typically happens only once or twice a week. Clients can run into difficulty in between appointments. Relying on a support system can help them through those vulnerable times. One of the most common supportive resources is Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous and other 12-step groups for drug and alcohol abusers. Provide your client with appropriate resources and encourage her to get a sponsor if she enter a 12-step program. This will give her support at any time she needs it in between counseling visits.