Since denial is often part of the disease of addiction, counselors often work with clients who – at least initially – don’t think they have a problem and don’t need to be there. So, it’s important to “try to meet them where they are ‘at,’ and try not to push it and not ‘b.s.’ them.There has to be a part of them that wants to get better.”
Helping the client see clearly “I experienced this with a client just the other day,” Fulton notes. “She did not want to be here, insisted she doesn’t have a problem, and thought it was only due to stupidity on her part that she got ‘caught’ driving under the influence. So, I just brought some things to her attention, pointed out that she didn’t just ‘make a mistake.’ I noticed that when she filled out the intake questionnaire, one of her answers was ‘I need to change.’ So that gave us something to work with.” “Many of the clients we see don’t recognize that the life they have been living isn’t quote-unquote ‘normal.’They are so entrenched in that way of living they don’t realize that their life doesn’t have to be chaos.” Fulton says the quality care provided at All Joshua begins with founder Rev. Mike Robinson. “What I noticed when I first came here is that
Mike Robinson really has a heart, he knows the clients, and they recognize that. He pays attention to what they say and actually listens to what is happening in their lives. He’s not just focused on their addiction.That’s what I try to do too. It’s important not to just focus on the addiction, because the addiction becomes so intertwined with other parts of their lives.” Fulton is planning to enroll in the University of Baltimore to finish her credits to earn LCPC and LADC certification, to continue helping people break free of addiction and start new lives.
“The addiction becomes so intertwined with other parts of their lives.” – Paige FulTON 21
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