The Lived Experiences of Addiction Counselors and Applications for Building Resiliency

As addiction counselors suffer from Burnout (BO) and Compassion Fatigue (CF), turnover rates increase and subsequently, there are fewer addiction counselors available to provide care for those experiencing addiction. A qualitative transcendental phenomenological study was conducted to interview addiction counselors believed to be resilient to BO and CF. All nine participants held the Master Addiction Counselor (MAC) certification awarded by the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCC AP) and worked in addiction counseling for five years minimum. Previous studies show only 58% of addiction counselors remain in the field for five or more years and 29% maintain their current job for 5 or more years (therefore resiliency in this sample was inferred). Identified themes relating to resiliency factors were gleaned and implications were explored.