West Slope Recovery Case Study

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I began my work experience at West Slope Recovery and eventually obtained a paid position at Westcare, Inc. Both of these work environments are alcohol and drug treatment programs and my role was as a counselor. West Slope Recovery is an all-male residential program located in Placerville, CA. A residential treatment program is a live-in health care facility that provides counseling/therapy for substance abuse, mental health illnesses, and other behavioral concerns. Westcare, Inc. is a foundation that provided a broad continuum of care for those with behavioral and mental health needs. Westcare has many different contracts, the contract I work under is with California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Folsom State Prison. Some of …show more content…
However, the skills one must acquire if they expect to remain long-term in this field is objectivity, flexibility, and the ability to delivery feedback regarding a person’s behaviors in a manner that is not condescending or insulting however yet firm and clear so the individual can understand. These skills are necessary to working in this field because of the precarious nature of the individuals. In a lot of different ways application of school and work experience can overflow into this career. The ability to effectively time manage, professionalism, understanding of different personality types and how to interact, but mostly school has prepared me to be able to communicate at a much higher level than before. What I have learned over the course of this semester is that just because an individual desires change does not necessarily change overnight these changes require time and everyone works towards their goals at their own pace. I need to continue to appreciate the fact that some learn faster than others and differently than others being flexible to learn myself is going to be the best role modeling behavior I can show these individuals when it comes to change. I have learned that I need to meet people where they are at in their journey to be an effective guide. Another dexterity that is essential for me is to separate the behavior from the individual which (for me at this time) requires relinquishing a certain amount of empathy. This allows me to hear traumatic stories cope with other challenging behavior and at the end of the day leave my work at work. There is still much I need to learn and through my mistakes and the guidance of others I will continue to remain teachable; however if there ever comes a time when I cannot put my ego aside and I