John T. Ault, Ph.D.
Last updated: 5 April 2005
Areas to Address
Mission Statement
Professional Identity: “In my profession as a Substance Abuse Counselor …
Broad purpose: “I shall seek to bring together my personal experience, strength, and hope related to the disease of addiction, as well as my clinical training and formal education, to facilitate a safe and nurturing environment for individuals to begin the path of recovery from chemical dependency.”
Specific goals: “… no person will be denied his or her right to be treated with respect, know that they are valued, are worthy persons, and deserve to recover. I will model responsibility by continuing to work my own program in recovery. I will not idealize my job, my co-workers, or my clients. I will keep myself from setting unrealistic expectations of myself and others by taking a ‘daily inventory’. I will continue to use my ‘feeling journal’ to keep me from becoming cold and callused. I will ask for guidance and feedback from my supervisor and from my co-workers so that I can learn from my mistakes…”
Means, Anticipated Barriers to Success, and Solutions
Competence, professionalism, and avoiding burn out/counter-transference: “I will act in a way that is conducive to professional boundaries; I will control my own emotions and actions so as to be of maximum service to all clients, using the APA’s Professional and Ethical Code of Conduct as strict guidelines. I will stay current with treatment literature (read at least one article/week), review my professional relationship guidelines weekly so as to maintain perspective, attend continuing education training on substance abuse at least annually…”
Profession-Life Balance
Profession in context of life mission: “I will take care of myself in such a way that my personal life will not interfere with my professional responsibilities. I will do this by continuing to build and maintain my own emotional and spiritual support system to sustain a solid foundation. I will participate in my own recovery program, continuing to grow and change in all facets of my life…”
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