A paycheck is nice. Every Friday the envelope appears on my desk Then off it goes to the bank.
But working with addicts at times has a reward that is beyond a paycheck. In fact if one does this job for money he soon will become disillusioned and suffer from burnout. At least that's been my experience.
I bring this up because today I get a call from a therapist who once worked for us. He's moved on to another program to a better job.
He asks if I recall a client we had with us a few years ago. And of course I did because the guy always wanted to do the program his way. Constantly in trouble. Relapsing. Denying he had a problem. Blaming everything on everyone else. Stealing. We finally discharged him because he was making no progress.
Anyway, this therapist tells me that the man now has a job. He's back with his family. He's raising a child. And he's been clean for some time.
So why is that rewarding? Well, I find it rewarding because I like to think that we have some kind of influence on clients - even those who don't succeed right away. Sometimes addicts have to go to two or three other programs before getting it. The message finally soaks in.
And it's rewarding to think he might have learned something from his time with us that's helping him be successful today. That's the way I look at it.
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