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Addiction Counselor Mock Interview

Question 14 of 30 for our Addiction Counselor Mock Interview

Addiction Counselor was updated by on June 8th, 2017. Learn more here.

Question 14 of 30

Is there a type of patient or specific diagnosis that you find it more difficult to treat?

"When a patient doesn't take responsibility to start making changes that are constructive in their life, I feel the difficulty. I do my best to empower them because ultimately they are the ones who can change their own lives. If they choose not to do the work, treatment is a whole lot harder."

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How to Answer: Is there a type of patient or specific diagnosis that you find it more difficult to treat?

Advice and answer examples written specifically for an Addiction Counselor job interview.

  • 14. Is there a type of patient or specific diagnosis that you find it more difficult to treat?

      How to Answer

      Behavioral issues and dual diagnosis, like a bipolar alcoholic, can make treatment extremely difficult. What can make treatment even more difficult are those who don't cooperate or follow through with the plan of care. Tell the interviewer about a particular situation or patient. Be sure to respect patient confidentiality when sharing any examples.

      Written by Heather Douglass on December 22nd, 2018

      Entry Level

      "I believe any counselor will tell you, no matter what the diagnosis, if a client is not really ready to face his addiction and become active in a treatment plan, providing care is difficult. Clients make a choice daily whether or not to participate in their addiction or to be proactive in their recovery."

      Written by Rachelle Enns

      Answer Example

      "When a patient doesn't take responsibility to start making changes that are constructive in their life, I feel the difficulty. I do my best to empower them because ultimately they are the ones who can change their own lives. If they choose not to do the work, treatment is a whole lot harder."

      Written by Heather Douglass on December 22nd, 2018

      Experienced

      "I have come across some difficult patients in my career as a counselor. I would say the most challenging patients are those who do not follow their treatment plan yet tell me that they are. It's hard to work around dishonesty so I gently remind these patients that the only person they are hurting is themselves."

      Written by Rachelle Enns

      Anonymous Interview Answers with Professional Feedback

      Anonymous Answer

      "I've worked with clients whose focus is on helping other people in treatment which is a noble gesture, however in the meantime they aren't focusing on themselves enough to gain insight into their addiction which makes treatment very difficult if not impossible."

      Kristine's Feedback

      Great start. To enhance your answer, talk about what you do in these challenging situations. I added the start of a final sentence for you to complete.
      "I've worked with clients whose focus is on helping other people in treatment. It's a noble gesture; however, in the meantime, they often don't focus on themselves enough to gain insight into their addiction, which makes treatment very difficult, if not impossible. In these situations, I do my best to..."

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