It seems that 12-month addiction prevalence ranges from 15 to 61%, so it’s fair to say that addiction is one of the most typical mental health conditions. Back in 2011, almost 50% of the Americans dealt with addiction on some level during a year. Suffice to say, drug overdose killed more than 70,000 Americans in 2017.
What’s the best way to describe a rehab center?
With addiction being such a severe condition for so many Americans, it makes perfect sense for rehab centers to become a reliable treatment possibility for addicts.
Clinicians and professionals thinking about working in a rehab facility (no matter if it’s conventional and alternative) will face many challenges, but they can also help patients heal.
While in rehab, patients will have to work on many levels, improve their health and relationships, learn new coping skills, and do better for living a sober life. It's why professionals in rehab centers come from many domains. Life coaches, addiction coaches, therapists, alternative healers, mental health professionals, and certified peer professionals are some of the people working in rehab centers.
Dependence is a complex condition, and the possibilities for healing are numerous and various, which is why so many different jobs are needed
Is working in a rehab center different from other jobs?
Patients with addiction need to deal with challenges as the ones in outpatient treatment: control their impulses, solve family situations, deal with low self-esteem, manage their anger, or handle the job challenges.
Nine times out of ten, a crisis point is what make people get in rehab. It's difficult for one to admit he has a problem, and it's typically after a trauma (losing the job or breaking up from the partner) when they enroll in rehab. Don't forget the withdrawal symptoms and cravings, which can be challenging to handle.
Here’s what to expect from patients in rehab:
- Fight with strong emotions on the cause of the recent crisis and the difficulties in life
- Deal more with physical discomfort caused by withdrawal
- Need support for resisting while craving
- Please have a little to no control over their life and future
- Not benefit of family support
- Experience thoughts of suicide
- They need to develop better-coping skills and learn how to heal their mind, body, and soul.
How difficult is it to work in a rehab center?
Even if there are plenty of differences between conventional and alternative rehab centers, there are plenty of similarities too. Vicarious trauma, transference, feelings of inadequacy, and difficulties in providing emotional support for patients are some of the many aspects involved when working in rehab centers.
Anyone enrolling in rehab centers isn't dealing with their life very well. The addiction is the leading cause. Drugs alter the brain, and withdrawal symptoms can be impossible to bear. It’s common for people to feel frustrated, impulsive, and yet determined to heal.
Some patients lash at their counselors, whereas others feel like giving up. Helping the patients see the way is consuming, and not that easy to do. Fundamentally, the professionals (no matter their activity in the center) create strong and trusting relationships with their patients. It’s what helps the patient succeed.
The biggest challenge? Help the patient notice the value of the program!
It’s not a rule of thumb, but it’s common for addicts not to want to enroll in the rehab program on their own.
When you work in a rehab center, you have to support your patients and guide them as they build new life skills for dealing with challenges in life. However, you should only provide advice from your topic of expertise. Fundamentally, you're empathic and listen to them too.
Some patients also lack financial skills, which is why attorneys and financial advisers can work in rehab programs too.
Why would anyone choose to work in a rehab center?
The top leading cause of death amongst healthy young people in addiction. Addiction damages families to put public health at risk and alter the quality of the communities.
One decided to fight against substance addiction can help people survive and lower spending on health care. After all, there’s always hope for people getting back to their lives and the community.
Addiction does destroy lives, and there are adequate methods of treatment for everyone. People only need to find the best therapy for their addiction, though.
When you choose to work in a rehab center, you engage in a path career that will open new possibilities. It's common for clinicians to become administrators. Some continue their work and do research, ending up teaching in universities or colleges.
Should you be at the beginning of your career, working in a rehab center will give you access to various challenges. It's a fantastic experience that it's not easy to gain while working anywhere else.
It's beyond a doubt that it's emotionally demanding, especially since not all clients manage to survive or remain sober forever. It's why people working in rehab centers also need to take care of themselves, look for support from their family, and even go to therapy when the challenges drain them.
What are the downsides when working in rehab centers?
It's both rewarding and challenging for one to work in a rehab center. here are the most common risks for the professionals:
- Exhaustion and burnout
- Vicarious trauma caused by exposure to patient’s traumas
- Anxiety and worry when the patient completes the program
- Feeling of inadequacy and frustration when professionals fail on helping a client
It's not common for professionals to be physically hurt by their patients. Many people aren't aware of the pressure on patients. More often than not, patients cannot control their impulses, but it’s rare for a patient to:
- Stalk the professional in or after leaving the program
- Verbally abuse the counselors
- Attempt or assault a professional
- Try to damage one’s reputation by leaving negative online reviews or filing board complaints.
How to choose your rehab center as a professional?
Assuming you qualify, you should ask the people hiring some critical questions:
- Is there mental health support for the professionals too?
- How does the center protect the employees? Is there security? Is there a panic button?
- Do the new employees benefit from support and mentorship from the experienced clinicians within the center>
- Does the center screens outpatients with a history of violence? Does it take safety measures when admitting a patient of this kind?
- How long is the contract?
- What’s the work-life balance? Are there any programs for supporting the employees?
- What are the possibilities for advancing in the career?
