A Cautionary Tale for Treaters in Human Services – What Lies Beyond our Expertise
- Brainz Magazine
- Sep 26
- 5 min read
Updated: Sep 29
For nearly 14 years, I've helped individuals navigate the complex landscape of addiction in order to achieve recovery. Nicknamed "The Casual Counselor", my approach is unconventional but undeniably effective.
In the field in which I work, that of a licensed counselor, I know what I’m good at, and I know what I ain’t. When confronted with situations with the population I serve, I keep a small circle of other treaters I trust implicitly, those who have much more training and expertise than I do, and the impressive credentials to go along with, the letters that follow their names. MD, LICSW, MSW, LMHC, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Board Certified. Whatever these are, people who have gone much further than I did in their education as therapists know a lot of things about how to help people that I do not. I know my limitations.
As a therapist, what I am good at is this. Creating a space in which clients and families feel safe opening up and telling me about their problems. It’s an energetic thing, but it’s also an aesthetic thing, carefully curated by me, as I never want to be the “expert” who is intimidating to a person who is seeking my help. It’s what earned me my nickname, “The Casual Counselor”. That’s the aesthetic part. When you sit in my office, you’ll never feel any modicum of a helper who has power. I create a level playing field, and I always remind my clients that they are the true experts in the room. They’re the ones living with whatever their difficulties are that compelled them to reach out to me in the first place. I’m just there to assist. Provide guidance, education, love, kindness, support, and above all else, unbridled autonomy in how the client wants to design their recovery.
I’m also very good at facilitating groups. My clinical director, in her cheeky and complimentary way, once told an intern, “Wanna know why everyone at the clinic loves Josh’s groups the most? It’s because he believes his own BS.” Not that I was selling anything false in the themes or education, I was presenting it as a story of the confidence with which I delivered it, and an innate ability to gently lead from behind, and make sure everyone is accounted for, feels seen, and feels heard. It’s just something that comes natural.
I love what I do. This work. I look forward to coming in every day. No two days are the same. I get to meet some of the most beautiful souls on God’s green earth. I get to witness people learn how to help themselves become healthier versions of themselves, invigorated with a sense of self-belief, self-confidence, self-efficacy, strength, and hope. I orient my clients in the direction of solutions. If you look for problems in this life, you’re going to find them. The same is true of solutions.
Solution-Focused care. That’s what I’m good at. That’s my approach. My “sweet spot”.
So, I love what I do, but I sometimes simultaneously cannot stand the industry in which I work. The field of human services. The reason is this, for as much as it can be a story of beautiful and inspiring collaboration, it can also be a cutthroat venue of helpers who are legends in their own minds, bordering on sociopathy, they fancy themselves to be the smartest person in the room. Any room. And they’ve no interest in collaboration with other helpers who aren’t “on their level”, or close to it. We, the less credentialed treaters in the field, are often viewed by these so-called experts with disdain, incredulity, and disregard. It’s unfortunate, because I know for a fact that many of those individuals have knowledge and expertise that, if they were willing to do it, they could share it with me, in the spirit of collaboration, and teach me a thing or two about a thing or two, helping me become a more well-rounded therapist.
They’ve somehow forgotten that we’re all on the same tribe, and though I never ask them directly, my question for them is, “When did you lose your humanity amidst all of your great knowledge and wisdom in your area of expertise?” These are the treaters that my clients have encountered, and within moments, they knew, “I do not want to share anything about anything with this person, no matter what title they hold.” They’re intimidating. They look down upon those whom they perceive to be “out of their league”, and they have a knack for transmitting a very obvious energy of disdain and eye-rolling in the direction of those who they consider a part from, rather than a part of the same team. A team that wants to help people heal from their hurt.
This article is not intended to be an attack on the people who work in human services, as I believe in my heart of hearts that most of them, not all, but most, got into this work for the right reasons. To help people. To learn the tools and techniques and modalities and medications and resources and on and on and on that might be of life-saving value, in a job that often has life and death consequences. I believe them to be well-intended. I also see clearly that, somewhere along the way, in the midst of climbing the mountain of their hard-earned degrees, they found themselves in a lonely place at the summit, looking down at everyone below.
Call it a cautionary tale. For what lies beyond our expertise is the very real possibility of losing what made us inspired to take on the challenges we face with our clients on a day-to-day basis in the first place. That thing is love. Humanness. Kindness. Equanimity. Upholding that ol’ golden rule, treating others in the way we wish to be treated. And despite the shame that many clients feel in the early stages of care, they all want to be treated with love, kindness, respect, and decency.
What is good treatment? It’s simple, really. It’s a story of knowing our limitations and keeping a trusted circle of people who retain their decency as helpers, but it’s also knowing how to create a space that feels safe for those we serve. A level playing field. One that never gives us the motivation to “flex” our hard-won expertise and wield power over the vulnerable population who seek our support to improve their lives.
I sleep easily at night knowing that I’m good at doing that. I might not have a master's degree or a medical license, shit, I never even finished my BA, but I’ve always been able to meet my clients where they’re at. In a place of hope, and with our eyes trained on looking for the solutions to life’s myriad problems, that place that teaches us that we can overcome any adversity that we’re faced with in this life, a place that we face together.
Remember, in this field, in this industry, in this life, we’re all in it together. When we collaborate, there’s nothing that we cannot achieve. When we turn it into a competition, that’s a place where seeds of dissent, conflict, and distrust are planted, and the fruit they bear is simply rotten. None among us can heal in the rot. Healing happens in hope.
Read more from Joshua Bennett-Johnson
Joshua Bennett-Johnson, Licensed Addictions Therapist
After working for 7 years in an amazing clinic, I launched into private practice in 2018. I love my job. I can say that without reservation. Watching people rebuild their lives is something that is worth more than any dollar amount.
