Being a drugs counsellor...

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Being a drugs counsellor…

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January 16, 2008 at 12:13 pm

#676343
1

process

@process

Member
does anyone do it? know how to go about getting qualified etc? ive been thinking i might like to become one after councilling a few of my mates obviously im not so naive to think that this instantly qualifies me, but im just interested. Also throughout my life. I have dropped out of various different courses hobbies etc cause i dont find parts interesting, but the one thing i have stuck at since being 17 is drugs (lol). I know that sounds bad, but i dont just mean the taking of them. im really interested in why we do them and what motivates people etc etc.

Anyone got any advice?

Thanks.
January 16, 2008 at 12:17 pm

#735109
1

mudstomper

@mudstomper

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djprocess wrote:

does anyone do it? know how to go about getting qualified etc? ive been thinking i might like to become one after councilling a few of my mates obviously im not so naive to think that this instantly qualifies me, but im just interested. Also throughout my life. I have dropped out of various different courses hobbies etc cause i dont find parts interesting, but the one thing i have stuck at since being 17 is drugs (lol). I know that sounds bad, but i dont just mean the taking of them. im really interested in why we do them and what motivates people etc etc.

Anyone got any advice?

Thanks.

A freiend of mine was under a drug order to avoid jail, as she went through it she picked up a lot of help in terms of training etc from her local rehab centre, she’s now fully qualified and acts as a outreach worker. I think it was a mixture of hands on training and short course, ask the local drop in centre and good luck if you go for it, be nice to see more counsilors that have experienced drugs in reality rather than just from a book raaa
January 16, 2008 at 12:55 pm

#735099
[deleted]

@[deleted]

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i was going to do that as a voluntry job but coz of probation and comunity service they can fuck right off i’m not doing nothing voluntary in the comunity anymore. i used teach homeless people how to use computors voluntary they can fuck off too.
January 16, 2008 at 1:42 pm

#735117
1

MisterDuck

@misterduck

Member
MrAHC wrote:

i was going to do that as a voluntry job but coz of probation and comunity service they can fuck right off i’m not doing nothing voluntary in the comunity anymore. i used teach homeless people how to use computors voluntary they can fuck off too.

why’s that?

you seem cheerful today mate… miserable lancashire bastard! 😉 only jokin, hows tricks?
January 16, 2008 at 1:54 pm

#735100
[deleted]

@[deleted]

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boothy wrote:

why’s that?

you seem cheerful today mate… miserable lancashire bastard! 😉 only jokin, hows tricks?

I cant be a volunteer with certain organisations as i’m on propation also i think probation and comunity service are a bunch of cunts. They have me doing shity work thats suposed to bennifit the comunity that is an absalute waste of time when my skills could be used to realy benafit the comunity in real ways. So for every 1 hour I do in ‘comunity’ service I’ll not do voluntary work for 5 hours in other areas as protest. So this week the homeless are going to loose 20 hours of my time… In fact i probbly wont be doing any volunteer work for the next 3 years at the end of this….
January 16, 2008 at 2:47 pm

#735112
1

Raj

@raj

Member
I trained as a nightline counsellor and then expanded my counselling to include drugs. I was working in the clubs anyway and I used to make sure the drugs info made it into public display areas whenever possible. Plus it meant I could answer safety questions better when they were asked.

I carried on doing this [have never actually been paid for this work] and combine it with First Aid [originally taught to me by an ex-army medic] as in my experience the two often go hand in hand.

There are counselling courses but for me the best training was shadowing the work and seeing how others dealt with it. It means I have no pieces of paper but as I dont get paid I have never needed them.
January 16, 2008 at 3:26 pm

#735119
1

SD

@sd

Member
When I was clean I went and did a diploma in counselling and psychotherapy, you need to do 3 years b4 you can practise as a counsellor. I also did a saturday couse in drugs awareness (where i found myself teaching the tutors most of the course lol)

You also need experience in the field, best to volunteer while your training, in fact most courses include a voluntary placement at a counselling service.

Hope this helps…

Go for it!
January 16, 2008 at 3:27 pm

#735110
1

process

@process

Member
Raj wrote:

I trained as a nightline counsellor and then expanded my counselling to include drugs. I was working in the clubs anyway and I used to make sure the drugs info made it into public display areas whenever possible. Plus it meant I could answer safety questions better when they were asked.

I carried on doing this [have never actually been paid for this work] and combine it with First Aid [originally taught to me by an ex-army medic] as in my experience the two often go hand in hand.

There are counselling courses but for me the best training was shadowing the work and seeing how others dealt with it. It means I have no pieces of paper but as I dont get paid I have never needed them.

thats the thing id want to do it as my main job instead of the shitty brain numbing work im doing at the mo. Any courses would have to be part time/night courses… I used to be a lifeguard about 10yrs ago, fucking hell i didnt like saying that! (feeling old at 26 thats not good!) so i used to have quite a good knowledge of first aid.
January 16, 2008 at 6:23 pm

#735103
1

globalloon

@globalloon

Member
there are lots of routes

you don’t have to be a qualified counsellor to be a drugs worker

you could go down the route of a degree which would mean you progress further in a drugs service, but if it’s face to face work, get some experience working with ‘challenging’ client groups (paid or voluntary) and look out for training courses in stuff like motivational interviewing, drugs awareness, harm reduction… many of these types of courses are 1 or 2 days. contact your local DAAT or drop in service to see what courses are available and whether you can volunteer with them
January 18, 2008 at 1:14 am

#735123
1

wingman

@wingman

Member
djprocess wrote:

does anyone do it? know how to go about getting qualified etc? ive been thinking i might like to become one after councilling a few of my mates obviously im not so naive to think that this instantly qualifies me, but im just interested. Also throughout my life. I have dropped out of various different courses hobbies etc cause i dont find parts interesting, but the one thing i have stuck at since being 17 is drugs (lol). I know that sounds bad, but i dont just mean the taking of them. im really interested in why we do them and what motivates people etc etc.

Anyone got any advice?

Thanks. i think your right the best person to talk to has got to
be some one that has been down the same road. i think they can know
what your dealing with.its hard talking to a person thats never been in that
dark place.or good place.go for it.
January 18, 2008 at 1:27 am

#735104
1

globalloon

@globalloon

Member
wingman wrote:

i think your right the best person to talk to has got to
be some one that has been down the same road. i think they can know
what your dealing with.its hard talking to a person thats never been in that
dark place.or good place.go for it.

that’s bollocks really. if some has the communication skills and detailed knowledge of the subject they can be the best.
January 18, 2008 at 10:28 am

#735111
1

process

@process

Member
I cant do a degree or anything like as ive tried to do 3(!) before and it hasnt really happened, that may because i havent really been interested in them, but just done them because i felt like i had to tho. Also ive got a full time job so it’d have to be parttime/weekend courses. Ill let people know what happens.

Thanks.
January 18, 2008 at 12:38 pm

#735113
1

Raj

@raj

Member
Why not go and volunteer with the samaritans for a bit and see what general counselling is like? It is free to do that and you would get training from them in exchange for some voluntary work.
January 18, 2008 at 12:58 pm

#735102
6

General Lighting

@general-lighting

Moderator
Staff
@process – considering where you work they may even support you! When I worked for a Whitehall department they were actively encouraging some people to volunteer, even giving a few hours of taxpayer-funded time to the groups (providing it didn’t impact too badly on business needs).

OK its clearly also a “fluffy” way of Whitehall subtly getting info (as you would be expected to write a short paper or minute about what it was like and this would go in your local newsletter (and thus into a registered file!)) – but then again both organisations can benefit if done correctly..
January 20, 2008 at 8:36 pm

#735108
1

quietRIOT

@quietriot

Member
globalloon wrote:

that’s bollocks really. if some has the communication skills and detailed knowledge of the subject they can be the best.

no i disagree the guys right someone who has been thru the same and come out of it wiser is going to be far better to advise and help a drug addict than some text book trained councillor…
dj process
i think if you want a change in direction you should go for it …enroll in a night time course at college (fits in with work) good luck x
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