Comments on: Beyond 12 Steps

By: Irish

Irish — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 13:57:11 +0000

Thank you . Some research supports Pregabalin (Lyrica) . Also why not see a psychiatrist to rule out psychiatric disorder? Then if you want attend psychotherapy and also do AA. You don’t have to see them as competing approaches. Two caveats : it is rare to leave a US psychiatrist’s office without a diagnosis and I know a guy with Bipolar who was advised in AA to stop his lithium.

By: Ed and holding anm

Ed and holding anm — Sat, 02 Oct 2010 17:03:28 +0000

We appreciate the points you make, and I have been fully certified by NAADAC since 1989 and only began my graduate work in 1990. But the problem remains that most of these certification programs (I’m also certified in CA and Alaska) remain AA based and, let’s face it, AA and the 12 Steps are the least effective way to leave an alcohol problem behind.

Our further point is that it isn’t the learning that’s important, but the individual’s willingness to expand their views. You want a counselor who is at least conscientious and holding an advanced degree makes this far more likely. Today’s treatment program “professionals” include far too many zealots, con artists, and predators and avoiding them is very very diffficult.

By: Dave Zobel

Dave Zobel — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 15:35:28 +0000

Very clear and helpful. It’s gratifying to see an article for general consumption that is both well researched and clinically objective. I do have one point of disagreement. You suggest that one search out counselors with a minimum education level of Masters Degree. You leave out a wealth of knowledgable and skilled counselors that have earned national or international certifications. I realize that some “certification” programs are all over the map, but those with NAADAC or ICRC underwritten certifications meet high standards. I’ve been certified since 1988 and, frankly, didn’t learn much I didn’t already know in my masters program in counseling psychology.