The Hazards of AAS' Counseling for Pay

AT A RECENT meeting, two AA members who work as counselors in VA hospitals reported that more than fifty VA hospitals have employed AAs in this capacity. There are similar programs for employees in other Federal and state organizations; treatment facilities are multiplying, and AA members are being employed in these. Some have done an excellent job; they have increased immeasurably the effectiveness of the organization by which they have been employed, as well as the strength in numbers and vitality of AA in the area. Others, perhaps through their initial enthusiasm for AA and the thrill of success in one or two Twelfth Step experiences, have sought and found employment as full-time, paid "AA counselors" with no qualification for the work other than their membership in AA, and have been unable to live with the frustrations, stresses, and responsibilities of work for which they have no specific training.