Today we’d like to introduce you to Doug Paulson.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I am a person in long-term recovery. That means I have not used drugs or alcohol since January 10, 1997. After struggling with an addiction for nearly 25 years, I found myself in treatment. Three years later, I found myself unemployed as I was not the same person the company I was working for had hired. At 40 years old I went back to school to be a substance use disorder counselor. There was someone there to help me when I needed it and I wanted to be there for others, like me, who were struggling.
From 2004 to 2021 I worked at multiple agencies as a men’s counselor, women’s counselor, for the State of MN, for a Drug Court, and as a Program Director for two agencies. In September of 2021, the agency I worked for closed due to the inability to find professional staff, something that many smaller communities find problematic. After some soul searching, I decided to open my own private practice in Alexandria, MN, providing outpatient substance use disorder treatment services to those in need in this community.
I call my business Unity Recovery as I understand well, recovery from addiction cannot be done alone. The people I work with are my family as I try to instill this sense of unity within my group. I love what I do as just as there were people there to help me, I can now be that person to help those in need. I truly am paying it forward.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back, would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There are not many Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LADC) providing services in private practice in MN. The ability to do so was passed in 2017. Therefore, there are not many with experience that could offer advice or direction. There were a lot of applications, and the process took 6 months.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I provide assessments, individual counseling and group counseling to individuals that are struggling with drug or alcohol abuse. While not the only person in recovery himself that is now licensed to provide services, I’m certainly in the minority.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Being a person in recovery, then working in the addiction field, has its challenges. Transference, or the recall of uncomfortable feelings from your own past while listening to someone’s story, can and does occur. Continuing to stay mentally, emotionally and spiritually healthy, as well as implementing healthy boundaries are a must.
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