At Victory Recovery Partners, a network of seven addiction/recovery centers on Long Island, New York, we recognize that our behavioral health counselors must have specific traits, allowing them to put their patients in the best-possible position for a successful recovery. We have several types of counselors, including Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselors (CASAC), social workers, and mental health counselors. We ensure that all of our counselors exhibit the following key traits when working with their patients:
1. Being a good listener. Our counselors must be good listeners, as this is a key part of their role when working with patients. Along with being a good listener, the counselors must have a good attention span with the ability to focus on what the patients are saying. By being a good listener, our patients recognize that our counselors truly care about the success and wellbeing of the patients.
2. Understanding a Patient’s Story. Our behavioral health counselors must show empathy towards their patients. This is crucial, as patients will be sharing very sensitive and personal information about their addictions and substance use. Our counselors realize that it is certainly not easy for patients to simply “open up” and talk about their struggles with drugs and alcohol. Patients typically meet with the same counselor on an on-going basis. As the patients begin to feel more comfortable around their counselors, the patients feel that they can be more open about their history and substance use issues.
3. Thinking Quickly is Key. Our counselors, especially in the one-on-one counseling sessions, must be able to think quickly, while providing the most effective responses and solutions. For example, in a session, a patient may ask a question about substance use, or they may share a personal story that may make them emotional. Our counselors are experienced and trained with the ability to quickly and calmly respond to their patients in a professional and caring manner.
4. Recognizing that the road to recovery will have bumps along the way. This is important because sometimes there may be unexpected events causing a patient to relapse during their recovery journey. While the patient may feel like this relapse is a setback, it is crucial that our counselors keep their patients motivated and determined to continue with the recovery process.
5. Knowing that each patient is unique. Our counselors must recognize that no two patients are the same. While there may be some overlapping in terms of the treatment methods used by our counselors, each patient has their own unique situation and story that requires a customized “plan-of-action" from the counselor. Each patient has their own unique personality and background, which means that what helps one patient recover may or may not be as effective in helping another patient to recover. Over time, our counselors begin to learn more about the unique backgrounds, struggles, and personal battles that their patients face. This allows our counselors to develop a treatment plan that will put patients in the best-possible position to recover.
Victory Recovery Partners is a network of seven addiction/recovery centers on Long Island, New York. We provide total care under one roof, including behavioral health, medication-assisted treatment, psychiatric, and wellness services. Our behavioral health counselors must exhibit certain traits, as described above, to ensure that our patients receive the best and most effective care. For more information on Victory Recovery Partners, visit our website www.victoryrp.com
