Rehabilitation Counseling With Alcoholics

The rehabilitation counselor can interface with alcoholism in two ways: alcoholism in the late stages as a disability per se; and a certain portion of the physically and/or mentally disabled population in fact suffers from dual disabilities that include alcoholism. Because many counselors outside the specialty of alcoholism can be unfamiliar with symptom progression and can easily feel frustrated and overwhelmed when dealing with alcoholics, this paper intends to provide information that helps counselors work with alcoholism more confidently and more comfortably. The paper presents an overview of the field, including some comment on etiology, the disabling aspects of alcoholism, a summarizing description of the treatment delivery system, and some useful treatment interventions. Also included is a resource page for further investigation.