Addiction can come in different levels and severity; some people may need to be institutionalized because they are at a point where they pose a threat to themselves and others. Some can still manage to control and limit their substance abuse with the help of an addiction counselor. Also, recovering addicts, really need to work with an addiction counselor so they can learn how to manage their emotions and thoughts without having to resort to drugs or alcohol. At whatever stage or level, the addiction is, there is a huge need for an addiction counselor, and finding the right one that you can honestly work with takes a lot of effort and patience. However, for some family members and loved ones who feel strongly that recovery and therapy should have a spiritual component, then searching for a Christian addiction counselor makes it doubly difficult.
If we think about how addiction counselors are trained and educated, they are more inclined to see addiction as a disease and that their primary approach to supporting their patients would be to treat their addiction as an illness. Substance abuse disorder is a medical and psychological term that is used to refer to addiction. As a disorder, the treatment approach is to cure the illness, and hence, counseling will be geared towards equipping the patient to be able to recover from addiction. A Christian addiction counselor will be trained in pastoral counseling which is very different from the psychological counseling approach in that there is always the reference to God, to one’s faith, and prayers. If you or your loved one would prefer a Christian addiction counselor, the only way to find them would be to look for churches that are involved in addiction recovery and rehabilitation work. If you are a regular churchgoer then it would not be as difficult, but if you have stopped going to church, this process might take a while before you can start therapy with a Christian addiction counselor.
What is a Christian Addiction Counselor?
A counselor is a professional that is trained in providing counseling to various groups of people with different personal problems and issues. They are schooled in the discipline of psychology and are certified to provide counseling services to individuals who might seek their services and help. Oftentimes, counselors use counseling techniques that they have learned in school or an intensive training or workshop, the choice of counseling theory and approach will depend on the personal inclinations of the counselor. As such, a Christian addiction counselor is someone who has been trained in pastoral counseling but with a specialization in addiction. This would mean that his or her educational background need not be in psychology, it can be in theology or religion and then he or she specialized in the delivery of pastoral counseling with an application in addiction. The counseling techniques and approaches that they employ are rooted in spirituality and faith-based theories rather than in psychoanalysis, existentialism, or social-cognitive theories. for the most part, the theories and techniques they follow can be called humanistic, in that they focus on the innate goodness of a human being. That being created in the image and likeness of God, the addict needs to be reminded that God does not judge him or her for being an addict and if they believe in the grace of God that they can be transformed from an addict to someone who can be a disciple of God. This tenet is at the heart of the counseling strategies of the Christian addiction counselor, it is an interplay of agency, faith, and God’s words. Not many counselors will live up to this belief and hence it will be difficult to find a faith-based counselor.
How to Find a Christian Addiction Counselor?
Finding a Christian addiction counselor takes a bit more effort since they are not the usual addiction counselors that are available to recovering addicts in most facilities and rehabilitation clinics. Christian addiction counselors are more likely to be working with church-organized addiction centers or support groups, they can also be found in group counseling sessions that meet in the church regularly, or they may be working in the church’s volunteer programs. If you know someone who works in the church, then you can ask if they could refer you to someone who practices addiction counseling and have a faith-based approach. If you do not know anybody in the church you can ask help from the pastor and since most pastors are trained in pastoral counseling, they might be able to help you with that or refer you to someone that has the training for it. Additionally, you can make an internet search on where you can find Christian addiction counselors in your area, there is a professional organization that might have a list of members which you can look over and find in your locality. Another way is to find a Christian rehab center near you and surely, they will have a Christian addiction counselor that you can work with.
When to Find a Christian Addiction Counselor?
At any point in your life that you have decided to reach out to others and ask for help in dealing with your addiction is the right time to find a Christian addiction counselor. They are trained to help you in your daily struggle with addiction, when you have gone through a rehabilitation program and you need help in your recovery period, or when you might feel that you are in danger of relapsing. Dealing with addiction and how it adversely affects all the other aspects of your life is not easy, and you cannot do it on your own. You may be questioning God or your faith why you lost control or lost your way, you may be embarrassed, and feeling guilty about all the things you did to sustain your addiction and in thinking about getting that fix or high now that you have been clean and stopped doing drugs, your Christian addiction counselor will be there for you in every step to help you transform your life for the better.
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