Working as a rehabilitation counselor can be challenging, especially when you are helping those who have become addicted to drugs and alcohol. When you are working as a rehab counselor in any area, there are a few things that you may never forget upon working with patients who are in dire need of assistance. Understanding what to remember while you are on the job and even after you are done working as a counselor can help you to communicate even better to anyone you meet that may be in need.
Social Communication Skills
Social communication skills is key to remember when you are working as a rehab counselor, especially as not all patients may be open or willing to discuss the addictions or dependencies they have developed. Social communication skills take time to fully master, and require an understanding of the human condition and emotions that patients feel while experiencing withdrawal symptoms of any kind. Knowing how to gauge body language while getting to know your patients can also benefit you when you want to get a visual read on the moods of those you are working with individually.
Build Trust
Building trust is another essential key factor that cannot be forgotten when you are working as a rehab counselor. Rehab counselors must earn the trust of those who are patients of the rehab facility in order to receive open communication and honesty from the individuals themselves during both group and one on one counseling sessions. Building trust can be done by avoiding judgment when you are informed of any situation or incident that a patient decides to share in addition to avoiding telling other patients or any individuals of matters that patients have shared with you in confidence.
When you build trust between you and your patients, you will also keep a more positive reputation when it comes to having individual and group therapy sessions. The more trust you have from patients, the easier it will be to communicate with them.
Never Over-Promise
Avoiding over-promising is another rule that rehab counselors never forget whether they are currently active in working or even retired. Over-promising patients within a rehab facility that you will assist them with follow up treatments or assistance can have a negative impact, especially if you are unable to deliver. Do not promise patients that they will break their habits or addictions overnight or even within your own set time estimation. As all patients work towards living a happier, healthier, drug-free life at their own pace, there is no way to properly set a time when they will feel completely free from their addictions or dependencies. Instead, simply building trust and assisting your patients throughout the entire process of breaking their drug addictions is ideal, as it will not put them under additional pressure to live drug-free by a certain date.
It is also important to avoid promising relief to individuals who are seeking rehabilitation for any reason. Although rehab facilities have the capability of turning a patient’s entire life around, it is not guaranteed and it may not work for individuals who are simply not willing to commit to living a healthier lifestyle for themselves and loved ones. Keeping boundaries between your professionalism and over-promising results is essential regardless of the type of rehab facility you are working in.

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About the author: Victor Reynolds is a substance abuse counselor who has also written about top-rated online rehab counseling degrees.