Addictions - Including Substances, Vocational Assessment Counsellors

While some people can use prescription or recreational drugs with no negative effects, many others become addicted and face dramatic health and lifestyle problems as a result. Substance addictions negatively affect relationships, home, school or work, leaving the person feeling ashamed, helpless and isolated.

Physical symptoms of substance abuse and addiction are varied depending on the drug of choice, but the symptoms of the addiction itself are similar. People who are addicted to substances may neglect their responsibilities, take potentially dangerous risks and get into trouble with the law. As their drug use spirals out of control, they will lose interest in activities that used to be enjoyable and continue to take drugs despite knowing the harm it causes.

Substance addicts tend to build up a tolerance to their drug of choice, and get angry when they can't get more of it. Withdrawal symptoms are highly probable when an addict goes without it for too long. Depression, nausea, insomnia, sweating, restlessness, anxiety and shaking are all common withdrawal symptoms.

Psychotherapy can help you to overcome substance addiction by focusing on correcting maladaptive behaviors. Substance abuse is usually a coping mechanism against emotionally overwhelming past events or memories. Substances are often used to provide instant gratification instead of facing certain issues.

Therapists are equipped to help clients deal with addiction recovery through empowerment and helping them set simple short term targets. The first target is sobriety, followed by empowering the client with adaptive skills and finding new coping strategies that deal with the issues that caused the addiction. Substance addiction can be ended, allowing the person to live a healthy, productive life.

If you need a counsellor or psychologist to help you address the effects of substance addiction, you can search the directory below to find a professional with the approach best suited to your situation.

Vocational assessments can help you learn a lot about yourself and your career choices. People who have been successful in their careers, but lack the sense of fulfillment use the results on their psychometric tests as an indicator to implement changes necessary to become happy in their fields. One sign of a lack of fulfillment is when someone has had several jobs, but has not yet found their feet in a specific niche.

If you are looking for a career transition, or if you are a school leaver who wants to start out on the right track, vocational assessments can help you make the right decisions. Mothers who want to re-enter the workforce after taking a break to raise children, might find that their priorities have changed, and that they might flourish in a new field.

No matter where you find yourself, a psychologist or counsellor with training in psycho-diagnostic counselling, vocational assessment and career guidance can help you make the right decisions. He or she will use psycho-diagnostic tools and assessments to test your intellectual abilities, aptitude, personality profiling and emotional functioning to help you find the best career in which you can succeed and be fulfilled.

Vocational assessments can be done for people of different ages, as counsellors can use specific tests to assess school readiness, scholastic ability, sensorimotor ability and personality profiling for young children too. Career guidance for adolescents can help them choose the best subjects to fulfill their career goals, while vocational guidance can help them choose the right careers from the start.

If you are looking for a counsellor or psychologist who does vocational assessments and counselling, you may want to search the directory to find a professional whose approach will suit you best.