Substance Abuse Counselors help their clients understand and manage the use of substances. They do this by providing counseling, therapy, and support groups for clients. The top skills for this position are excellent communication skills, education in addiction counseling or psychology, problem-solving abilities, stress management skills, and strong critical thinking skills. Substance abuse counselors typically need counseling degrees, but experience can be helpful.
The Best Substance Abuse Counselor Resume Samples
These are some examples of accomplishments we have handpicked from real Substance Abuse Counselor resumes for your reference.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- I provided substance abuse counseling to individuals incarcerated at Travis State Jail.
- I facilitated groups, facilitated individual sessions, and did required paperwork.
- I worked within time limits and produced outcomes that protected the company’s contract.
- Achieved comprehensive knowledge of child abuse, neglect, and physical and sexual violence as a result of personal experience with a friend’s molestation.
- Negotiated immunity from prosecution for committing acts of drug use and possession from an undercover police officer.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Create and Revise treatment plans in counseling sessions based on the offender’s progress and needs.
- Consult with offenders when developing short and long-term treatment plan goals and objectives.
- Counsel offenders to help them understand and overcome personal, social, and behavioral problems.
- Lead supportive group discussions and education sessions with alcohol and drug offenders four (4) hours daily.
- Deprived of constitutional rights by the FBI after an undercover mission.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Interview and assess the patient’s in the medical department to determine eligibility for participation in the Program.
- Performs monitoring, coordinating, and/or linkage of services for patients who are in the infirmary clinic and are undergoing or have completed substance abuse detoxification.
- Provides patients with crisis management and coordinates services from referrals with The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, Medical Department, and referring patients that need help with SSI and those who are homeless.
- Collaborate with attorneys, courts, and parole/probation officers regarding substance abuse treatment programs for patients.
- Successfully completed numerous drug rehabilitation programs as a result of community service work through volunteering in crisis centers, while being incarcerated in Texas.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Provide counseling and case management to Opiates Dependent individuals, monitor caseload for maintaining a better quality of life.
- Individual and group counseling, 12 core functions of the recovery process.
- Update patient’s chart and progress weekly, monthly, and annually.
- This position also entails supervision for LCDC to make sure counselors’ charts are kept updated as required by the organization, state, and federal regulations.
- Experienced firsthand the impact that racism has on our society when working as an outreach counselor at various schools in New Orleans to inner-city youth.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Provide substance abuse counseling to offenders in a correctional rehabilitation program.
- Interview, screen, and assess offenders for service needs, develop and implement an individualized treatment plan.
- Prepare correspondence, reports, and other documents; and maintains offender records and reports pertaining to services provided and offender progress.
- Conducted one-on-one, group, and family counseling assignments for clients in recovery from drugs or alcohol.
- Shared personal growth experiences with clients by offering them opportunities to reflect on their goals, hopes, and fears in life.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Provide direct services to clients and manage caseload including intakes, group counseling, and crisis prevention and management.
- Complete required documentation efficiently and on time, including Mental Health Treatment Plans, treatment plan reviews, biopsychosocial, certification forms, weekly summaries, and discharge documentation.
- Contribute to weekly treatment team staffing, collaborating with colleagues to ensure the strongest treatment plan for each patient.
- Lead emergency crisis counseling, implement behavior management systems and consistently adhere to code of ethics, mental health laws, and regulations.
- Discussed the manner in which the client could maintain an active lifestyle despite adverse personal or environmental circumstances.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Responsible for inmates’ intakes, assessments, individualized treatment plans for drug/alcohol recovery, treatment plan reviews, parole/probation pre-staffings, staffings, judge’s reports, behavioral contracts/alternative treatment plans, discharge summaries/ continuum of care, and file auditing.
- Teach to a class of 60 plus inmates about orientation, relapse prevention, cognitive intervention, thinking errors, internal/external triggers, life skills, encounter groups, group processing, addiction offender cycles, and the successful transition into a recovery-based lifestyle free of crime.
- Head of Orientation Department, includes phasing up inmates based on completion of HIV/AIDS education, program rules, and the Gateway philosophy.
- Utilized various forms of evidence-based methods and resulted in high levels of client engagement for their recovery process.
- Developed a private counseling practice that has grown over the past two years since assistants have been hired to assist with meetings/workshops.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Provides a comprehensive evaluation from a battery of valid measurement tools to assess the recovery needs and the re-offense risk of DWI offenders.
- Participates in the Individual Treatment Plan based on the severity and characteristics of the offender as determined by the comprehensive assessment, review of collateral information, and the Clinical interview.
- Maintains offender records and other records regarding services provided to include workload statistics, and compiles data, and submits reports and related documentation as appropriate.
- Provides liaison to participants of training programs, workshops, and seminars.
- Assisted the homeless, elderly, and families in gathering information for case management to secure proper community assistance.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Provided direct rehabilitative services to persons who have a substance use disorder and require residential supervision.
- Implemented and monitored individual and group structured goal plans.
- Observe and document client behavior on a daily and weekly basis and communicate observations to the managing supervisor.
- Participated in treatment team consultations and attend weekly staff meetings.
- Facilitated case assessments for homeless people and drug addicts who required social services.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Processed clinical case records, and psychosocial, individual, and group progress notes.
- Attended weekly supervision and case conference meetings to assess the progress of the client’s development.
- Adhere to policies indicative of the standards of confidentiality and safety of the clients.
- Directed clients to educational programs and career counseling opportunities as part of a joint program between the City of Los Angeles and the community college system.
- Aided in securing job placements by motivating clients to utilize their skills, experience, and educational training valued by local businesses.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Performed intakes, assessments, and evaluations to assess client needs and determine goals for treatment.
- Coordinated care with psychiatrists, medical doctors, social workers, and insurance companies to collaborate on treatment goals/discharge plans and to advocate for clients.
- Coordinated the process of transitioning clients from detoxification/residential to outpatient treatment.
- Provided case management services to monitor and follow up with client progress in the treatment program.
- Organized individualized treatment plans to address substance abuse issues among individuals; developed education modules designed to prevent the recurrence of substance abuse problems.
Substance Abuse Counselor
- Provide group treatment to clients in accordance with facilitation protocol as trained.
- Perform intake assessments and complete all required documentation for services.
- Develop, implement, and revise individual treatment plans for assigned clients in established time frames.
- Refer clients to appropriate services in the community as necessary and document referrals and outcomes.
- Stated/represented the client in legal court proceedings by arguing for the inclusion of the client as a legitimate user of alcohol and drugs after developing an innovative program in treatment and rehabilitation.
How to Become a Successful Substance Abuse Counselor?
- The educational requirements for this position have risen over the years, and a bachelor’s in some kind of counseling or humanities will be your first step in almost any area you want to work. After that, you will need a master’s with an emphasis in counseling and addictions rehabilitation, which will allow you to get your license.
- The core of this job from the beginning will be compassion and good listening skills, as your patients will frequently be in pain or ashamed of their predicament and what it may have already done to them. Being open and free of judgment as you listen to their concerns will go a long way to helping.
- Taking careful and organized notes for each patient can help you look for patterns in their behavior that may help inspire a breakthrough, but confidentiality with those notes is just as important as them being organized. Patients will always want privacy, as others may not even realize they’re addicted.
Being attentive to the needs of your patients is as important as tending to your own. This position can be stressful to even the most well-versed of counselors, so knowing how to step back and take care of your own health will help you work at top efficiency and make your patients feel more at ease around you.
Wrap Up
With all the stresses of our modern world, many people can feel like they’re losing control and seek out substances like alcohol or drugs for comfort and they can become addicted in the process and need help. A substance abuse counselor is there to help them overcome the addiction and get their life back to a healthy place.
Hope these samples gave you an idea of what your resume should look like and some tips on how to make sure that your resume stands out from the rest.
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