The choices that people make at an early age can have a lasting impact on one’s life. My childhood experiences have had an impact on my path to become a drugs and alcohol counselor. Ever since I was young, I have always empathized with people and wanted to impact their lives. I recall myself at a young age being overly drawn to people that were suffering and wanted to offer my assistance. I often sympathized with people that displayed any form of suffering that ranged from being homeless, disability, and sickness. I remember asking my parents frequently why God would create people and allow them to suffer through disability. As I grew up, I understood that many people experienced a wide range of suffering that varied from physical, emotional, spiritual, to financial challenges. I saw the suffering that people who were addicted to alcohol and drugs went through and decided to be of assistance and chose to become a drug and alcohol counselor.
I have been practicing as a drug and alcohol counselor for the past three years and my interest in being a counselor has been affirmed through different experiences. I have worked with clients that come from different backgrounds. I currently work in a methadone clinic where I assist clients that have various needs. The different needs can include counseling two times a month, approving an increase or decrease in the dosage changes when asked by the client, and signing referrals for housing assistance. One of the most fulfilling things about my practice is having new clients and watch the transformation that they experience in therapy. I enjoy watching the transformation that happens from the first time to a year later when they become a new person. Even though my work can be overwhelming at times, it is usually gratifying to see the changes in the behaviors of the clients and their lives when they experience internal change.
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My current job as an alcohol and drug counselor has also made me discover that I want to work in a prison and to lead and guide those individuals to realize success. The reason why I have focused on this group is that most of them are treated like an outcast and no one really cares about their wellbeing. Some are usually abandoned by their families and experience challenges when integrating back to the society. The recidivism rate in the United States is also high showing that many prisoners never actually experience rehabilitation. I want to be involved in their lives and their path of self-discovery. My experience in counseling has taught me that it is a powerful experience to watch someone transform. I want to give people hope and inspire people that they can go out and make a difference in the world.
My goal is thus to graduate successfully from MSW Social Work and work in a prison facility. I have understood that counseling is a form of treatment. Even though it can be a difficult process that works differently from one person to another, I know that the process is worthwhile. I hope to gain more skills about the counseling process, different counseling theories, ethics, and to learn more about myself, my values, and what will be required for me to be the best counselor that I can be. I hope to integrate my past experiences as a drug and alcohol counselor so as to understand why I experienced previous challenges with clients and learn how to solve them. As a future counselor in a correction facility, I know that I will be making a difference in people’s lives, their lives, and the country at large.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis will be stated as follows: counseling incarcerated individuals will promote their integration to society and reduce their recidivism rate. For this hypothesis, the independent variable is the group of incarcerated individuals that go through counseling and dependent variable is the recidivism rate and the integration back to society.
