Addiction Rehab Thousand Islands All About Addiction Counseling | Page 5

The Role of the Addiction Counsellor in
Recovery
 Form an Alliance
 The bond between a patient and their counsellor is known as the therapeutic alliance. If the
alliance is a strong one, the patient will be more likely to continue down the path to recovery.
Alliances can be made stronger if the counsellor is able to show genuine interest in the patient’s
well being. They will be strengthened when the patient sees how attentive the counsellor is
towards them during sessions.
 Encourage the Patient
 Addiction counsellors understand how difficult recovering from addiction can be. They also
realize that many patients might not be convinced that counselling could help them. The role
they play also involved motivating a patient to continue treatment.
 Help the Patients Plan for Relapse
 An addiction counsellor will also have planned for such situations. They will work with the
patient to ensure that relapses don’t happen. Even if they can’t prevent it, they will work
towards bringing the patient back on track once it happens.
 Guide the Family Members
 Another important aspect of addiction counselling is guiding the friends and family of the
patient. If they are to recover, the patients are going to need all the help they can get. It won’t
do, if the patient is inadvertently exposed to temptations through their daily interactions with
their loved ones.