What does a drug and alcohol counsellor do?

Drug and alcohol counsellors are trained in understanding and identifying the drivers of your drug and alcohol use problems.  They help you become aware of your conscious and unconscious beliefs and behaviours that drive your dependence.  They are also expert at formulating strategies to overcome your dependency or addiction that work.

Typically, you come in for an initial session where you explain your situation to the therapist. During this initial session, the counsellor listens to your situation, so they can understand what is causing your problem. Once they have finished the initial work up they will explain a strategy that will help you overcome your problems. They will then discuss with you any questions you may have about the strategy.  Once you’ve had your questions answered, If, you like the plan they will usually help you begin implementing it immediately.

Between each session you will be given homework.  You’ll be given the principles, skills and strategies to apply so you can start to get yourself back in charge of your life by overcoming your problem.  In each session you’ll be help to understand what is causing your problems and you’ll be given skills and strategies to overcome them.  Your job is to apply, what you learn in low, medium and high risk situations so you can learn greater and greater levels of control.

About Jim O’Connor

Jim O’Connor is a Clinical Psychotherapist, Executive Coach, Director of Jim O’Connor Professional Development and Executive Coaching and Clear Day Consulting. With more than a decade of experience working with senior executives from some of Australia’s and the world’s leading companies, Jim brings strong expertise in personal effectiveness, interpersonal psychology, team building, leadership development and relationship psychology.

His work combines clinical insight, executive coaching and positive psychology to help individuals, professionals and leaders understand their behaviour, manage stress, build confidence, authority, and presence, communicate more effectively and build healthier personal and professional relationships. Jim has also lectured in Clinical Neurology at university level, delivered professional development programs and coached executives across a wide range of workplace settings, helping executives and other business professionals meet the challenges they face every day with more confidence and certainty.

As a writer and educator, Jim focuses on developing business professionals, personal and interpersonal effectiveness, using positive coaching psychology to help executives and business professionals manage, stress, mood and pressure, build leadership skills, improve team development strategies, and increase personal effectiveness and practical mental wellbeing strategies. His writing is clear, grounded and action-focused, helping readers understand complex emotional and behavioural patterns in a way that feels practical and approachable.

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jim@jimoconnor.com.au

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