>> In a clinical perspective meaning when I'm looking for addiction counselors,
I'm definitely looking for somebody who either has a really, really good significant amount
of experience in directly working in the addiction field.
So they've worked -- they've done a lot of direct care.
They've run group therapy.
They provide a lot of education.
They have a really good understanding of addiction treatment.
Addiction is such a specific field within the counseling umbrella,
you know within that umbrella that it's really important to have people
who really understand the specific population.
And or -- so in addition to experience, or instead of experience somebody who has a lot
of education, who has a minimum of a Master's degree in a counseling field
and who is either licensed as a therapist in the District or is close
to being licensed in the District.
>> And what is that?
>> I think it takes somebody who is really committed
to understanding what it means to be an addictive person.
Somebody who's willing to see past the behaviors of addiction through that
into the person who's usually hurting and in a lot of pain.
So however you do that.
Some people do that through humor.
Some people do through that frank, direct communication.
Some people are able to kind of sit and tolerate a lot of emotionally.
Everybody has different personality types but I really do think it takes a commitment
to stepping out of yourself and being willing to step into the shoes of somebody else.
So --