ADDICTION STUDIES 4
More often than not, some individuals have a problem with changing aparticular behavior, which many people view as being an addictivebehavior. This is one of the primary reasons why counselors choose toconvince a client to change into their perspective. There arenumerous behaviors such as alcohol intake, drug use or gambling,which are considered as being addictive. When counselors are facedwith such clients who are unable to initiate change by themselves,they are compelled to convince the client to change their behavior.The counselor comes up with his perspective which he or she convincesthe client to follow to change his behavior.
Another reason as to why counselors prefer using this option ofbehavior change is because it is a quicker solution. Research hasindicated that clients take enormous time before they can initiate achange of behavior. Therefore, the time they take before takingaction causes them to undergo addiction challenges. It is essentialto note that most of the addiction clients wait until they hit bottombefore they can change (Miller, Forcehimes & Zweben, 2011).Changes that are initiated by the counselor are guided and thereforethey take a short time to be implemented. Additionally, clients aresaid to be unaware of the need for change and they need guidance anddirection. This necessitates the first option by counselors.
It is common practice in counseling to allow the client to realizethe need for change. It is unnecessary for the counselor to convincethe client to adopt his perspective. The relationship between theclient and the counselor should be friendly. The approach discussedabove will make the counselor dominant over the client this willdefinitely compromise the friendly relationship between them. Whenthe client feels the domination, he or she might not take the advicegiven by the counselor.
There are a number of ways through which counselors can empowertheir addiction clients who feel demoralized to change theirbehavior. It is the duty of the counselors to empower their clients,rather than trying to fix their problems. One of the techniques thatcounselors can use to empower their addiction clients is being honestwith them. The counselor must be open with the client and must tellthe client every aspect of the addiction. This includes the effectsof the addiction and why change is important (Miller, Forcehimes &Zweben, 2011). This allows the client to be open with the counselorsince there is trust between the two. The trust means that the clientcan take whatever the counselor says and implement it as a form ofself empowerment.
Secondly, the counselor must use the technique of providing variousoptions to the client. For instance, there is a need to provide theclient with a number of addiction recovery options. This means thatthe client can choose the option that best fits him and that he willbe willing to implement. This also helps in that it eliminates theaspect of domination by the counselor over the client. When thecounselor provides various options, it implies that he or she is notjudging the decisions that the client has taken (Miller, Forcehimes &Zweben, 2011). This enhances the trust between the two and thereforeleads to empowerment. It is essential to note that once the client isopen to counseling, he will be forced to take the work an extra mileand make the necessary changes.
Reference
Miller, W. R., Forcehimes, A., & Zweben, A. (2011).  What isaddiction? Treating addiction: A guide forprofessionals. New York: Guilford Press.