Men Leave Treatment Because of Their Codependency!

     I am writing to propose some level of cooperation between professionals writing about and treating codependency and the professionals staffs of treatment centers in order to improve retention and ultimately long-term recovery for clients by providing some missing pieces for families whose lives are being ravaged by the co morbid diseases of addiction and codependency. Here is a quote taken directly from the back cover of our book written by Dr. Joseph Moons, C.P., Retreat Director, Holy Name Retreat Center , Houston, Texas;

“There is a need for this book for codependent men. In my association with the many men and women who attend 12-step retreats at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center, the codependent men have the greatest fear and the least knowledge or understanding of their relationship with the addicted person in their life.  As the man in the family, they are supposed to have the answers and they don’t. This book begins to give some answers.”

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WHO AND WHAT IS MYTHERAPYJOURNAL.COM ??? I would like to invite your patients and you to use MyTherapyJournal.com, the only therapy-oriented online journaling tool. You should consider this online service, as we continue to sign up new treatment centers who are providing this innovative service to their patients. I would like to share how the scientific proven benefits of journaling can be a great benefit to set you apart from other treatment centers, as well a provide an impactful tool to your patients/clients. PLEASE TAKE A TOUR AT: www.mytherapyjournal.com/take_a_tour 3 key benefits for patients: 1. My Journal Entries - Patients create their personal Journal and start writing daily feelings, thoughts, dreams and hopes in a customized and password-protected journal. 2. My Progress Questions and Progress Graph - Patients visualize their progress with a user-friendly, personalized graph and start tracking their journey. Patients select from pre-set progress questions relating to distinctive categories or simply create their own in collaboration with the therapist in less than 5 minutes. 3. Affordable and secure online service based on the principles of cognitive behavioral therapy, which is revolutionizing therapy via the online medium. Awards to date: To date, MyTherapyJournal has won several entrepreneurial competitions and articles have been published in Forbes, Daily Business Review, Psychology Today, CNN, Miami Herald, and more. Additionally, the American Psychological Association (APA) gave permission for MyTherapyJournal to launch at their prestigious annual conference back in 2007. Members to date: Today, MyTherapyJournal counts over 2,500 members including therapists, clinics, treatment centers, soldiers, health organizations, and individuals seeking self-help. To name a few clients, MyTherapyJournal is the exclusive provider of online journaling for the Williamsville Wellness Center, non-gambler.com, among others. 3 distinctive ways to buy memberships: 1) Treatment Centers: You can provide the patient/client with a membership upon arrival. Upon completion of program patient/client has the option to extend membership at their own expense. Clinicians have been using this tool for keeping track of matters related to their sessions with patients as well. 2) Individual Membership purchased by Therapist for Patient/Client: You can buy individual memberships for patients/clients. You can offer this service as part of your consultancy fees and treatment costs. This option allows you to create a username and password for your patient/client and thus have full access. It also allows you to be able to use our tool during sessions from your own office. For some lower functioning clients or for people of lesser means, this would ensure that the value of our services would ensue. 3) Individual Membership purchased by Patient/Client: You can recommend to a patient/client to buy an individual membership on their own at standard membership pricing starting as low as $7.95 per month - At this point, a patient/client has the option to provide you with full access to their information or not. The patient/client can grant you full access by simply sharing his or her username and password with you, at which point you will be able to view and change anything you want (e.g. create a new category for the patient/client to track). Why Journal? The Science of Journaling Over the last 20 years, the journal has been empirically shown to make therapy more effective and to diminish symptoms of depression, anxiety, panic, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress, and many other disorders, even for those who aren't seeing a mental health practitioner. Likewise, its demonstrated benefits include better physical health (i.e. blood pressure, immune functioning) and an overall improved mood. Why is My Therapy Journal .com the #1 Source for Online Journaling? MTJ is the first-ever, therapy-oriented online journaling tool. It provides the most private and secure venue available for both individuals and organizations who wish to not only journal, but also track progress of personally set goals using graphing software based on cognitive behavioral therapy. It presents you a journal that talks back and promises to aid anyone desiring to grow. What Are The Benefits of Journaling?: Journaling has been scientifically proven to provide a host of health benefits including: decreasing the symptoms of asthma, arthritis, and other health conditions; improving cognitive functioning; strengthening the immune system, preventing a host of illnesses; counteracting many of the negative effects of stress. Furthermore, anyone who journals will tell you that it "just feels good." I'll bet you write (or word process) daily. Journaling (or keeping letters or diaries) is an ancient tradition, one that dates back to at least 10th century Japan. Successful people throughout history have kept journals. Presidents have maintained them for posterity; other famous figures for their own purposes. Oscar Wilde, 19th century playwright, said: "I never travel without my diary. One should always have something sensational to read on the train." Who is Using Our Online Journaling and Progress Graph Tool? MTJ Is For... HEALTH PROVIDERS: Treatment Centers = Some of these include university and college psychological centers of both large and small institutions. Centers dedicated to specific populations such as people with HIV+ and AIDS, people with disabilities, LGTBQ individuals, survivors of trauma or abuse, and/or members of AA, NA, Al-Anon, Alateen, etc. Hospitals and Health Clinics = Some of these include clinics for people recovering from an addiction such as heroine, alcohol, gambling, sex, or even overspending. Hospital departments dealing with everything from trauma, chronic illness, and chronic pain to treatment adherence, post-operation recovery, and grief due to loss of a loved one. Insurance Organizations = Insurance companies utilize our tool as part of health packages. These sometimes accompany treatment with mental health or medical professionals, and sometimes they don't. It also helps clients keep track of how effective different treatments have been over a long period of time. Mental Health Providers = Both the journaling and progress tracking components of MTJ are invaluable tools for mental health providers. It not only allows for the provider to have observable results of the treatment at hand, but it also allows the treatment to remain ongoing through the week, even in the provider's absence. Psychodynamically-oriented therapists use MTJ for the journaling component of it whereas CBT-oriented therapists use it for the progress tracking graph. Psychiatrists use it to help clients track symptoms and how certain medications might be affection these. Life coaches appear to utilize both the journaling and graphing components with their clients. Family and couple therapists also do this, and find themselves tailoring the graphing questions so that all members in the family track the same behavior and/or emotion simultaneously. Military = The number of American and Canadian troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is enormous, and the population of them with PTSD is as well. Both the journaling's ability to allow for clients to create chronological narratives of their experience and the emotions associated with them, and the progress graph's ability to have them observe themselves objectively, prove to be invaluable components of treatment and re-adjustment into civilian life. Health Research Institutions = Pharmaceutical companies aiming at having their medications tested by human participants use MTJ as a simple, and cost-effective way of tracking the results of their medication on any target symptom or population. Data is collected by each participant's self-report and is delivered already graphed and mapped out chronologically. Participants also use the other benefits of MTJ and feel empowered by their ability to track their own reactions to the new medication. INDIVIDUALS: One group of people who are using MTJ are individuals who simply love journaling and having their journals communicate with them. Adolescents, college students, stay-home parents, young professionals, insightful adults, and techno-savvy grandparents. Basically, anyone who is self-curious, who feels relief in expressing themselves through writing, and/or who enjoys seeing concrete evidence of their progress via our Progress Graph. Another group of people are those undergoing painful, confusing, difficult, and/or daunting times in their lives. It also for people living with the reality of having emotional, physical, mental, and/or cognitive difficulties. This is everyone who suffers from depression, anxiety, panic, substance abuse, post-traumatic stress, obsessive-compulsions, mania, panic, and/or who has symptoms of any mental disorder. Some of these individuals are receiving some service from a mental health provider, and some are not. For some people, MTJ compliments their work with a professional, and for others, seeking professional help is something they are not at all interested in. Finally, another group of individuals are those who fall in both the above groups, in some way or another. We believe most of our clients are in this third group. Life is usually ever-changing, and our states of being are too. Anyone who is uncomfortable with the idea that a written journal might be ever found by their parents, siblings, housemates, roommates, boyfriend/girlfriend, colleges or strangers. About the Team: Alexis Saccoman - Chief Psychology Consultant and Co-founder A graduate of Brown University, Alexis is a clinical psychology trainee pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology (Psy.D.) at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco. Alexis has a Masters degree in clinical psychology and holds a private practice in the San Francisco Bay Area. Through his professional and volunteer activities, he has clinical and hospital experience working with groups including adolescents and geriatric inpatients, children with pervasive developmental disorders, HIV+ terminal patients, first-year college students, and families. He has also served as a trilingual medical interpreter and court mediator. He is currently in practicum with a caseload of ten clients (ages 18-50) - all endorsing Axis I diagnoses - of diverse ethnic, S.E.S., and LGTB backgrounds. With his dual passion for psychology and facilitating people's potential for growth, he especially enjoys his role as a mentor to younger generations. Rodolfo Saccoman - CEO and Co-founder A graduate of the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration, with an MBA degree from University of Miami. Rodolfo has dedicated his career at understanding people's dreams and developing proven online presences to embrace user's needs and wants. Like his brother Alexis, he has lived in five countries and developed a keen appreciation and respect for different cultures and human kind's search for peace and compassion. Both brothers recognize the importance and potential of communication in helping people attain their goals and live happier lives. Noel Elman - Chief Scientist and Co-founder Currently pursuing post-doctoral studies at MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Noel earned a Bachelor of Science and Master's of Science in electrical engineering at Cornell University and has a Ph.D. from Tel Aviv University. His research focuses on the development of implantable Bio-MOEMS (Biological and Micro-Opto-Electro-Mechanical-Systems) devices for drug-delivery systems and cancer monitoring. A scientist, he is also a fervent believer in exploring your inner-self to achieve well-being. I CAN OFFER YOU SPECIALS BESIDES WHAT IS ON THE WEBSITE! ASK ME HOW!?! For any and all questions please contact me at: Tim Nicola Sales Manager MyTherapyJournal.com Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Direct: 561-860-3073

ADDICTION & THE THIRST FOR WHOLENESS

By Robert Mittiga

(Program Director GATS Counselling & Treatment Services)

At one time or another, most of us feel some degree of emptiness, loneliness, inadequacy, idealism, or spiritual longing.   We recognize the discontent, the desire to escape pain, and the tendency to seek answers in activities, substances, or relationships. This sense of restlessness and the spiritual longing is familiar to many of us. Over the many years of treating addiction and co-dependency I have heard many people talk about a non-specific hunger for something that seems to be missing in their lives.   They describe a gnawing emptiness within that is never filled.   This insistent stirring from within is so intense that it can, at times, be painful.  It seems to originate at one’s very core, and for some of us, it feels even stronger than our sexual drive or our hunger for food.  

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Drug Rehab, Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center

ARC, West Los Angeles  California NOTE: Researching alcohol and drug treatment centers is usually a difficult process. The very nature of the need for research is often in itself an emotionally charged experience. Despite this difficulty, one important fact must be recognized. In 2003 NIDA sponsored research teams determined that there were 120,000 preventable deaths directly related to alcoholism and substance abuse. This fact is compelling. It helps us to understand the gravity of the alcohol and drug situation. If you or someone you know is in need of treatment for a developing alcohol or drug problem call 877 415 HOPE today. ARC is committed to providing help for those who need it. ARC Offers Effective Clinical Care & Onsite Medical Detoxification Services ARC, located in the heart of Southern California, is a private drug treatment center providing comprehensive clinical care and onsite medical detoxification services for individuals needing alcohol and drug rehab including treatment for prescription drug addiction and substance abuse. Our mission is to restore clients and their loved ones to a healthier, happier state of being. In order to accomplish this the ARC drug treatment center focuses on providing clinical support for the underlying issues that have contributed to the addictive process. We utilize onsite physicians, psychiatrists, psychologists, licensed professionals, certified substance abuse counselors and experiential therapists so that each client can receive an array of alcohol and drug treatment services with the capability of addressing both their addiction issues and any co-occurring conditions that might hinder sustained addiction recovery.  Additionally, the ARC family program helps loved ones understand the nature of complex addiction issues and begins the process of resolution and healing from the damage endured during active addiction. Our treatment philosophy focuses on eliminating our client's negative forms of self expression while nurturing and revitalizing their individual strengths. We create personalized treatment plans and provide a continuum of support beyond Primary Care through a continuity of residential services in Phase 2 (Continuing Care) and Phase 3 (Extended Care). The ARC alcohol and drug treatment center is built upon the desire to help people. Our well-appointed facilities are designed to preserve client confidentiality and personal dignity during a difficult time. Beneath the California sunshine our healing surroundings encourage clients to shed their burdens in an atmosphere of physical vitality and spiritual rejuvenation. Our compound offers a comfortable setting in which sustained addiction recovery can begin while our year-round outdoor experiential programs help clients to regain a sense of excitement and enthusiasm for living. (For further descriptions of the center, see the facilities page) We provide a full-spectrum of individual therapies that help each client to receive treatment in a way that works within the framework of their own belief systems and individual experiences. Individual therapy is one cornerstone of the ARC treatment philosophy. Some of the methodologies utilized during daily individual sessions are: Grief Therapy Trauma Therapy Somatic Therapy Reflective Therapy Analytical Therapy Insight-Based Therapy Reason-Based Therapy Psychodynamic Therapy Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Dialectical Behavioral Therapy Phase 1 residential treatment incorporates individual therapy with education about alcohol and drug addiction. This level of care begins with an in-depth assessment that helps to determine what personalized treatment planning can be implemented to help each individual client with their individual issues. From this assessment a plan of action is initiated to achieve both short-term and long-term addiction recovery goals. If clients choose, they may participate in ongoing care with ARC in Phase 2 and Phase 3. In situations where time constraints or outside obligations prevent continuing residential treatment a strong aftercare plan is developed with the aid of the clients primary clinician.This plan secures placement in supportive aftercare services and helps clients overcome any unforeseen future challenges on their road to sustained recovery. ARC is dedicated to providing a healing environment that takes into consideration all aspects of our client's individual circumstances and experiences. For more information about our alcohol and drug treatment center call 877 415 HOPE for a free assessment and to have all your questions answered.

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The Serenity Prayer

 

http://www.treatment-centers.net/myblog/admin/myentries.html

    We 12-step people say the Serenity Prayer's first few lines thousands of times, before most meetings, and in our hearts so often when faced with one of those inevitable difficult situations life hands us. 

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For someone struggling with alcohol abuse, dependency or even advanced alcoholism, the question of where to turn for help can be overwhelming at best or even completely paralyzing.  The internet is inarguably the most comprehensive guide to just about everything, but even negotiating the ever-increasing numbers of alcoholism treatment centers now appearing on “the Web” can prove too arduous for the alcohol-dependent and therefore somewhat cognitively compromised individual.   Although experts agree that involvement in substance abuse support groups like Alcoholics Anonymous are vital to helping maintain long-term sobriety, for many, the pressure of selecting the best alcoholism treatment center or most successful drug rehab is a heady prospect.

Anyone making the excellent choice to seek, of their own volition, treatment for their alcoholism, drug addiction or substance dependency is already ahead of the game in terms of best possible drug rehab outcome potential.   Choosing the most successful alcoholism treatment center is the next step and there are certain guidelines which experts agree should be considered before admitting to any alcoholism or drug rehab treatment center. 

Perhaps the most important consideration in choosing the best alcoholism treatment center is the population prototype of the treatment center.   Number of patient beds, average age of patients, specializations (if any) of the treatment center staff and other historical demographic factors can profoundly impact the potential for greatest success rate of a program.  Professionals are in concert on their agreement that in the case of the best rehab centers, smaller is better.  There is also a growing advocacy for gender-specific treatment, due to the inherent differences between the sexes and thus the issues fueling their addictions.  The best dual-diagnosis drug rehabilitation centers provide a comprehensive program schedule, which include clinical, therapeutic, educational, somatic and spiritual classes and groups.   The less secular the environment, say recovery experts, the better.  Thus, separate rehab programs for men and women, appears to have received the seal of professional approval.

Harmony Place Exclusively For Women, for example, is an intimate and specialized “boutique” dual-diagnosis alcoholism treatment center located in metropolitan Los Angeles, which believes strongly in the benefits of a gender-specific alcoholism treatment center.   Their luxury rehab environment, where the amenities are only outclassed by a state-of-the-art recovery program, has been recognized as one of the top drug rehab centers in the world.  Harmony Place was, in fact, the number one Malibu rehab to expand their services to include an exclusive women’s only dual-diagnosis treatment program.   The impressive success of the Harmony Place female only rehab model strongly supports the new evolution of cutting-edge treatment for drug and alcohol addiction where smaller is always better.

I've been hearing a lot of opinions recently about these super rich celebrities going into rehab that operates more as a vacation home than a drug and alcohol treatment facility. 
I don't know what's going on at theses ultra exclusive rehabs in Malibu where enough money will buy someone a day off to get a tan, a private romp around the house with the chef, or sneak out for

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