RSS FEED IDEMS: Counselor Magazine (Columns)
- Sobriety and Maturity Is There a Connection?
You’re in a restaurant, and a child at the next table (they’re always at the next table) begins to act up. He wants what he wants — and he wants it now. He is the center of his universe. He is being a child. That’s his job.
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:16:48 +0000
- Coming to Terms and Accepting Who I Am
“I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity.” — Edgar Allan Poe
I always thought my bouts of depression were situational. Reflecting on
those dark and emotionally painful periods, I realized my depression
oftentimes seemed triggered by financial hardships. There was the time
I was ordered to pay $10,000 in additional child support; or when I had
to refinance my condominium; and the multiple times I overspent at
Christmas or during summer vacations.
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:14:49 +0000
- Do Certain People Prefer Certain Drugs?
As long I as I have been in this field, I have heard claims that
certain types of people seem to like certain types of drugs. You hear
this in staff meetings, workshops, books, and even at coffee after
12-Step meetings. But, is any of it true? And, what does this mean for
treatment?
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:11:05 +0000
- Get the Facts Straight
There was big news on July 16. A news story circulated by the
Associated Press (AP) was widely published. The story: one of every 12
full-time workers in the United States acknowledged using illegal drugs
at least once in the previous month. A clinical psychologist was quoted
in the story as saying that this finding was “very worrisome” because
there are too few treatment programs to assist those with dependence on
drugs. At that point, I said, “huh?” The story is not about people with
addiction or people with dependence, but is rather simply about use.
Let’s look at one such person:
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:04:11 +0000
- Buzz Words in Practice (And those that should be)
In today’s parlance, there are certain key buzzwords one must learn to practice, and to receive funding for one’s organization.
For example, if you asked the average counselor what is their model of
therapy, almost everyone will say they use cognitive-behavior therapy
(CBT) techniques. CBT is the current poster child in counseling,
regardless of whether a clinician truly understands or practices CBT,
in much the same way as decades ago the “Minnesota Model” (or the
Hazelden Model) of counseling was the gold standard for addiction
counseling. Humans are mimetic, we’re hero worshippers, which means we
need to find models to follow, which is probably a good thing. Remember
a decade ago, we all “wanted to be like Mike.”
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 15:01:12 +0000
- Bringing Our Lives Into Balance
This column expands on a theme I developed in a recent column titled,
“From Doing to Being,” which addressed the importance of helping your
clients free themselves from their obsessive-compulsive tendencies as
part and parcel of a holistic approach to recovery.
Fri, 04 Jan 2008 13:33:02 +0000
- More on Defining Alcoholism
For several months, this column focused on the difficulties experienced
at Wikipedia with respect to the public entry there on alcoholism. I
spoke of the debates among participants and contributors to Wikipedia
regarding not only content of the entry but even the basics of
definition. A good deal of bandwidth was taken with discussion as to
what the very first line of the entry would be. How can one easily
reduce “alcoholism” to a single sentence that comfortably fits into the
paradigm for physicians, sociologists, clinicians, and the lay-public?
Fri, 05 Oct 2007 19:45:39 +0000
- Treatment Variables Than Can Add or Detract from Outcome
Research from two articles that address the matching hypothesis (i.e., therapists should match their interventions and strategies to a particular client) provide information that could help clinicians obtain better treatment outcomes.
Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:50:03 +0000
- Internet Sexual Addiction
This intake checklist is a screening device designed to be administered
in a written form to clients awaiting their first interview.
Alternately, it can be administered verbally during the initial
interview. Although no cut-off scores have been specified for the
checklist, in general, the higher the number of statements endorsed by
the client, the more likely that the client has concerns about
excessive use of the Internet to meet his/her sexual needs.
Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:47:40 +0000
- From Doing to Being
As an addiction professional, you are aware that many, if not most,
clients with alcohol and/or drug dependency also are heavily caught up
in obsessive-compulsive tendencies.
This column addresses this issue, from the perspective of enhancing
one’s overall quality of recovery. As always, please feel free to share
this with any clients or colleagues who might benefit from the message.
Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:43:03 +0000
- The Supervisor's Role with Compassion Fatigue
One of the most requested topics for me to present on these days is
care of the caregiver — how to overcome compassion fatigue. The topics
of clinical supervision and compassion fatigue are related, as the
supervisor plays a critical, supportive role with supervises.
Fri, 05 Oct 2007 14:40:33 +0000
- Untangling the Web: Sex, Porn and Fantasy Obsession in the Internet age
Although Untangling the Web: Sex, Porn, and Fantasy Obsession in the
Internet Age by Robert Weiss and Jennifer Schneider is a self help book
for those struggling with issues related to Internet sexual activity,
it also gives the practitioner a glimpse into the world of person’s
whose lives have spiraled of control because of their addiction to
Internet porn, and their sexual practices both online and off.
Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:58:17 +0000
- Enneagram Personality System
The Enneagram personality system lends itself to any addiction
treatment model or approach. Notwithstanding uniqueness, it offers
consistent insight into neurotic habits, inherent strengths and
spirituality, providing a valuable resource for growth and recovery.
Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:38:16 +0000
- To Report, or Not Report
Every week you have the opportunity to see Mr. Smith, a young man with
alcoholism. He isn’t quite ready to enter treatment but clearly is
starting to show the signs. His wife is working with you to present a
united front, and even his employer is on board. You suspect that
within the next few months, Mr. Smith will be able to start getting
better. In the meantime, each time you see him in the late afternoon,
the smell of alcohol is on his breath. He acknowledges having a few
beers with lunch; you are relatively certain that “a few” is at least
three or four. His tolerance is high, however, Mr. Smith walks into
your office without difficulty, meets with you, and then walks out to
his car in the parking lot.
Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:35:00 +0000
- More Handy Research Snippets
This column focuses on five items that can be applied in your everyday
treatment: two smoking and drinking; relapse factors; Alcoholics
Anonymous (AA) attendance; and the effectiveness of workshop attendance
for addiction counselors.
Tue, 07 Aug 2007 15:30:29 +0000
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