As We Wrap Things Up At This Office…

Several of you, either in e-mails or calls, have expressed concern over the follow-up sessions and what happens when we close up shop at the end of October. Basically, nothing. We will continue to provide the 12 weeks of follow-up for as long as that takes and former clients will also have access to me in the coming years.

Yes, there will be changes in the program which will be described on the website beginning November 1 (I hope I can scribble fast enough and Tanya, our webmaster, can modify equally rapidly).

At this time Mary Ellen and I are sorting out details of the transition, changing roles, and the other myriad details that change after 15 years entails.

But don’t worry about shortened or curtailed services for those of you taking advantage of these final weeks of service. That won’t happen. You can sign up with the same confidence that some 500+ clients have shown over the years and as are reflected in the sample letters I’ve included these past 2 weeks.

Additionally, You’re Welcome!

To all of you who wrote and thanked me for not interrupting the Newsletters while we reorganize and reconfigure the practice, you are welcome. I hadn’t realized how many of you appreciate the weekly dose of reminders, or, as one former client write, seeing how I am managing to creatively cover the same dozen topics from a different perspective. Truthfully, when I sit down at 6:00 a.m. on Monday morning to write the next one, I’m equally curious about how I’m going to manage it.

But as Hemingway noted, “Writing is largely a matter of application – applying the seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.” So I am again in my chair and words do seem to be appearing on the screen.

Yesterday I Had A Caller…

As often happens, people call to chat a bit and, frequently, haven’t actually read anything on the website (as evidenced by those requesting the times we host AA and Alanon meetings).

Yesterday’s caller, however, just wanted the nickel tour, or elevator speech, of just what we do and why. So, for those of you who haven’t been here, and haven’t looked at the program foundation and process, here that slightly more the 5 cent tour that I provided to her.

We provide research-based services, not initiation into a cult. We see the excessive use of alcohol for what it is, a symptom – not a disease.
Starting from there, we help you sort out what you are self-medicating. Typically this includes loneliness, boredom, depression, anxiety, unbalanced relationships, trauma, and any of a number of other conditions unique to you. It’s also rarely one condition but rather a mosaic, some issues larger than others. These need to be prioritized and addressed by actually fixing whatever motivates your escape into the bottle.

“Fixing” usually means acquiring or improving various coping skills including CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy), assertiveness training, permission giving, deprogramming for 12 Step mythology (all those thing “everyone knows” that aren’t true – which is most of what everyone believes about alcohol abuse and alcoholism), and factors like diet and exercise. Habit breaking and reformation are also big considerations.

All of this is done privately and confidentially without labels, stigma, shame, or confrontation.

Imagine that.

When we were sitting around nearly 15 years ago looking for a name we came up with “Your Empowering Solutions” (Y.E.S.) both as an antidote to AA’s powerlessness and to Nancy Reagan’s “Just say no.” You aren’t powerless, you just need to find and exercise your power. And you don’t say “no”, you say yes to “getting a grip and getting a life” as one client succinctly phrased it.

So here we are with a few weeks left for you to take advantage of this unique package and prepare for the best holiday season you and your loved ones have enjoyed in many a long year.

We hope to hear from you. Soon!
(310) 541-6350