3 Qualities That Addiction Therapists Need

Young woman speaks with a therapist.

Source: Highwaystarz-Photography/iStockphoto

The mental health and addiction crisis spurred by the pandemic means that quality clinical treatment is more important than ever and, in some cases, could mean the difference between life and death. In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that lethal drug overdoses soared by approximately 30 percent in 2020 compared to the previous year. Equally worrying, research from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) shows that there has been a persistent lack of people seeking treatment. In 2019, over 21 million people in the U.S. aged 12 and over required past-year addiction treatment, but just a fraction of these individuals—around 4 million Americans—received support.

In general, but especially considering the current climate, therapists must be prepared to meet the unique needs of each client. Counseling and education are essential for motivating clients to better understand the roots of their substance use disorder, cultivate greater self-awareness, and begin practicing healthy habits that become the foundation for long-term sobriety.

While not every clinician may be a strong fit for every patient, there are several key characteristics that therapists should have in common to build the strongest therapeutic relationships possible and allow clients to achieve their personal vision of success.

Empathetic

Empathy and shared understanding form the basis of any healthy therapeutic relationship. While compassion should be a given among therapists, outside forces can unknowingly cloud their ability to connect.

Personal biases and challenges such as compassion fatigue can slant a counselor’s communication ability, but a good therapist knows to clear their mind of distractions at the start of each session, including putting their internal biases aside. They not only understand that their client, as a person, is separate from their addiction but are able to guide the individual past self-limiting beliefs as well, providing positive reassurance using a strengths-based approach.

At the end of the day, therapists should be able to connect with their clients. Empathy is crucial for building a therapeutic alliance, earning clients’ trust, and helping them derive the most value from their sessions.

Adaptable

Therapists tend to be knowledgeable about multiple treatment modalities. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Motivational Interviewing (MI) are just some of the tools often utilized by addiction counselors to help clients process their emotions and set attainable goals. While these practices are evidence-based and provide additional structure to therapy sessions, understanding modalities such as these is only the first step in meeting a client’s needs.

The clinician needs to know how to pivot in the face of circumstances that are always in flux. This is not so much about being able to decide what type of therapy they are doing in a session as it is about having the agility and knowledge to switch as necessary from one to another. There are certain practices that benefit different situations. So, a therapist should be able to listen to the meaning behind clients’ words and body language, recognize changes in clients, and adjust their style accordingly.

Resilient

Addiction counselors know that because substance use disorder is a chronic disease of the brain, relapse—or recurrence—is not an inevitability but does come with the territory. Rates of recurrence for substance use disorder are estimated to be between 40 and 60 percent. While clinicians are trained to spot the traditional signs of a recurrence, sometimes a client they are working with may begin using drugs or alcohol again without any prior warning.

When this happens, therapists, like their clients, may feel temporarily discouraged. However, counselors should know that this setback should not be a cause for ongoing feelings of defeat and is often unrelated to their skill set as a professional, so they should not take the situation personally. Therapists must be resilient, patient, and prepared to adapt their client’s wellness plan, as their client relies on the additional support even more in the face of such adversity.