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Research into the treatment of substance abuse problems remains scarce in Finland, especially in view of the high volumes of treatment provided. Studies of substance abuse counsellors are scarcer still; they can be counted on the fingers of one hand. This project set out to explore the personality traits and social interaction skills of substance abuse counsellors. The first aim was to group counsellors on the basis of their personality traits and interaction skills. We then proceeded to investigate whether counsellors' gender, personal experiences of recovery, or attitudes to direct client control were associated with those traits and skills. The subjects (n=162) were recruited from 17 substance abuse units. Personality traits were examined using the five-factor PK5 personality test and interaction skills with a vignette task. The results showed that substance abuse counsellors can be meaningfully categorized on the basis of their personality traits and interaction skills. These also showed an association with the counsellor's gender, personal experiences of recovery and attitudes to direct client control. Although this was a relatively extensive study comprising a number of units, the results cannot be generalized to all substance abuse counsellors because outpatient units were excluded. The project's most important objective was to open up new perspectives and to inspire debate and discussion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]