Addiction Recovery Experience

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During the month of June, I did my internship at the Council on Addiction Recovery Services, Inc. (CAReS) for my junior year Field Period. CAReS is a non-profit organization located in Cattaraugus County, New York, with offices in Olean, Salamanca, Machias, and Gowanda. Addiction Recovery services are provided for alcoholism/substance abuse, and compulsive gambling. Outpatient counseling, prevention education, and residential services are all provided through CAReS. I was located at the Olean office, and spent a day at the Gowanda office in counseling services. Completing my Field Period at CAReS I hoped to gain an understanding of services provided for addiction recovery in the clinical service aspect of an organization. I also hoped to learn …show more content…
I learned the basics of doing evaluations, observed individual sessions, and attended different groups. I also attended a two-day ethical training, completed a bulletin board project, and on Thursdays I went to case conferences in the afternoon. Evaluations are the first step of treatment after being referred. It consists of getting a complete history from the client to develop a substance abuse diagnosis. Clients psychiatric history, substance use history, trauma history, medical history, legal history, family, and relationship information are a few of things assessed to diagnose a client. The level of care needed is based off the severity of use, which is either mild, moderate, or severe. Group sessions are provided to the client for extra support to aid in recovery. Clients can learn new ways to cope through others. Also, clients can support and provide encouragement to one another. Groups can help clients realize that they are not alone by talking to others, reducing the feeling of isolation. Members can learn or relearn social skills to cope with everyday life instead of resorting to substance …show more content…
I would like to work with youth to break the cycle of addiction in their family or to help prevent them from starting to use. Also, would like to teach youth dealing with substance abuse in their family positive coping strategies and what are maladaptive coping strategies. Another way I would like to work with youth in this field is helping them find and identify positive supports outside family. Finally, if I was to go in this field working with youth, I would like to help them learn how to avoid risky situations that could lead to drug use or learn what to do if they are in that