Filling a Void
By Rodney Tanaka, San Gabriel Valley Tribune, Calif.
Feb. 5–WEST COVINA — John K. Smith teaches at Mt. San Antonio College and also works at Doctors Hospital of West Covina.
But he recently added a third title to his credentials: published author.
Smith, 50, recently had a book published, “Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders: A Practitioner’s Guide.”
The book summarizes his specialty — treating patients who suffer from substance abuse problems and mental illness, and training students who want to become drug and alcohol counselors.
“The reward for me is feeling like I’m making a difference,” Smith said.
Smith has been working in the mental health and chemical dependency fields for nearly 30 years. He was initially trained in the mental health aspect of treatment, but realized that many of his clients were also suffering from substance abuse problems.
He started learning more about substance abuse problems and discovered that professionals were often not cross-trained to recognize and treat both disorders.
For example, traditional recovery programs for substance abuse often call for group sessions. But if the patient also has a social phobia, where they feel anxiety in groups, that method of treatment may not work, he said.
His book serves as a field training manual for professionals and students training to be substance abuse counselors.
“My hope is it fills a void in the field and is an addition to the field,” Smith said.
He field tested the book with many of his Mt. SAC students and he plans to do workshops based on the book, Smith said.
Smith gives his students hands-on practical experience, such as having them participate in modified group counseling sessions.
He also tells his students to take good care of themselves and set limits so the work doesn’t overwhelm them.
Smith’s work fits well with other aspects of treatment at the hospital, said James W. Rhoads, executive director of Pacifica Recovery Services, which contracts with Doctors Hospital to provide medical detox services primarily for people with addictions to pain or anxiety medication.
“He’s aware of all the different complications that come up in treatment and how to direct staff in how to solve them,” Rhoads said.
Smith has a master’s degree in social work, a doctorate in addictions and is a California licensed clinical social worker. This is his first published book.
Seeing a printed copy for the first time was exciting, he said.
“The best way to describe it is pure joy,” Smith said.
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