The ripple effect of a person’s substance abuse and/or drug addiction/alcoholism is significant. Its impact is felt in the family, the workplace, throughout society (e.g., incarceration at great costs to communities of nonviolent offenders who break the law while under the influence of alcohol), in the classroom, in custody battles during a divorce, in domestic violence situations, in arrests for DUIs, in the political arena — just about everywhere. Lisa Frederiksen consults with individuals, families and groups, such as those listed below, to explain and to help them use the new body of brain and addiction-related research and study findings that are shattering how we view and treat substance abuse and alcoholism and drug addiction related issues.
- Informational Consulting Sessions with Families and Individuals, with or without the drug addict/alcoholic present, to help them better
understand the science behind the chronic, often relapsing brain disease of addiction (whether to drugs or alcohol), what “causes” it, what it does to the brain, what treatment can and cannot do, as well as the science behind what a loved one’s drinking does to a family member’s neural circuitry. The typical two-hour session concludes with what the individual or family can and cannot do to help the person with the drinking problem and to help themselves whether or not the substance abuse is stopped or the addiction is treated. Click on brochure cover to the right to open a PDF to read more>>>>>> - Families also find working with Lisa and Caroll Fowler, MFT, to draft effective Continuing Care Plans, to be an extremely valuable resource to the success of integrating the alcoholic/drug addict back into the family after a residential treatment stay, which in turn contributes to the ongoing recovery of all concerned. For families in which substance abuse is acknowledged as a problem, but the person with the problem is not convinced it’s addiction, Lisa and Carol can help the family create an effective Living Arrangement Agreement. Click here and scroll down to “Living Arrangement Agreements” for more details.
- Treatment Centers to develop and/or enhance their client and family education programs to incorporate this research, including website content, brochures and handbooks, as well as family programs, clinician training and lectures for family members and their loved ones in treatment. Her consulting work on Continuing Care Plans and Recovery Coaching Services is also relevant in her work with treatment centers.
- Family Law Attorneys, Domestic Violence Professionals, and Medical Professionals, and the like to help them understand alcohol’s impact on the brain; how this specifically influences their interactions with their clients/patients; and what they can do with the research to insure better outcomes through their exchanges. Lisa is an approved provider of the Substance Abuse/Mental Illness MCLE requirement for the CA Bar Association.
- Schools (Teachers and Administrators) to identify/develop effective substance misuse and Secondhand Drinking/Drugging (SHDD) prevention/education/intervention programs for all grades — taught through a different approach — that of “Exploring the Power of the Brain!” This method helps students also understand the power of the brain (their brain) to deal with other issues, including: bullying, harassment, violence, the emotional roller-coaster of puberty, stress, some mental health conditions, suicide, unintended crime and the like. With students (especially middle school through college), Lisa’s programs also incorporate debunking the myths associated with substance abuse.
- Businesses on how to use their Employee Wellness and HR Policy Manuals/Orientation Programs as informational/educational opportunities to prevent and intervene with substance abuse issues — not only for the person abusing the substance but for those experiencing Secondhand Drinking/Drugging (SHDD). Typical programs/policies focus on how substance use is handled in the workplace and at company functions or the procedure to follow if treatment is sought. Lisa’s work focuses on education as a method of prevention, which in turn improves company moral and bottom line. (Read Don Schwerzler, Family Business Experts’ Guest Post, Substance Misuse Can Unravel a Family Business, and his interviews with her on her book, If You Loved Me, You’d Stop! and Loved One in Treatment? Now What! by clicking here).
- Public Policy Makers to develop policies and legislation to incorporate this new research and these science-based answers in DUI education programs, Drug Courts, juvenile detention centers and the like.
- Others…
Please note that Lisa Frederiksen is not a licensed psychologist, psychiatrist nor MFT. She does not treat nor provide therapy or clinical diagnoses. She is a researcher, writer, speaker and consultant, and most recently the author of her seventh and eighth books, If You Loved Me, You’d Stop! What You Really Need To Know When Your Loved One Drinks Too Much and Loved One In Treatment? Now What! Lisa’s consulting work is framed by her 40+ years personal experience with family members and friends’ alcohol abuse and alcoholism, study of the most current brain and addition-related research, and her training/workshops/presentations for groups, including: Stanford Medical School students, Ft. Irwin National Training Center troops and personnel, County of Santa Clara Department of Alcohol & Drug Services, State Bar of California, and the National Alliance of Mental Illness (NAMI) Santa Clara. In 2008, Lisa founded BreakingTheCycles.com and continues to write a blog of the same name.
Please use the CONTACT US feature to arrange Lisa’s consulting services.
