OWA: FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE

On of the health services offered on ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION is FUNCTIONAL MEDICINE. Functional Medicine is an evolution in the practice of medicine that better addresses the healthcare needs of the 21st century. By shifting the traditional disease-centered focus of medical practice to a more patient-centered approach, functional medicine addresses the whole person, not just an isolated set of symptoms. Functional medicine practitioners spend time with their patients, listening to their histories and looking at the interactions among genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors that can influence long-term health and complex, chronic disease. In this way, functional medicine supports the unique expression of health and vitality for each individual. Functional medicine practitioners promote wellness by focusing on the fundamental underlying factors that influence every patient’s experience of health and disease. Functional Medicine is where the best of Western medicine meets the long traditions of Eastern Medicine.

Have you applied for your membership to ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION? You can do it now at http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com

OWA: FEEDBACK

In January ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION will move into its fourth year. If you have never really taken the time to browse the pages of OWA, I would like to invite you to visit the website at http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com. Each year I think I am working all the kinks out of the site, but new technology comes out and I feel like I am behind again. I would really appreciate having your opinion on anything about the ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION SITE. In particular I am interested in the following:

1. How effective do you think the Professional Directory is?
2. What do you think of the HOME page graphics, colors, text, etc?
3. In the “become a member” “apply”, what is your opinion about how the directions are given to join OWA?
4. What are your thoughts about the yearly membership fees?
5. Do you think we need to start advertising on the site? If, yes, what kind of businesses would you want to see?

Commenting on at least these five areas would help me determine the changes that need to be made in the upcoming months. Any feedback and insight is always welcome.

MAx Fabry, President/Founder, ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION. You can directly communicate with me: maxfabry@onlinewellnessassociation.com

HELP WANTED: PLEASE!

HELP WANTED: PLEASE!!!

On one of the morning news programs there was a piece about job scamming online. ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION wants you to know that we are serious about PAYING YOU to help us get the word out about membership. (See our 8/28/09 blog for the how-tos and what you can earn.)Think about it: ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION wants to be a global organization. Our Mission is legitimate and simple: building a safe platform for ONLINE WELLNESS SERVICES. OWA is offering to pay you $100 for each member that is you refer that is approved for membership. No tricks. This IS gorilla marketing at its best. Won’t you PLEASE help us in YOUR town–wherever you are?! If you need OWA business cards to hand out, contact OWA with your mailing information and we will get those right out to you. Remember THERE IS NO LIMIT WITH THE NUMBER OF REFERRALS YOU CAN SEND US!!

Look forward to sending you lots of money!

http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com

EARN MONEY: NO SELLING

ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION is still offering it stimulus package to help you have money for the up coming holidays. Instead of buying expensive advertising, OWA wants to offer YOU $100 for helping get new members. $100!! No limit!!! Here is how it works:

-Browse through http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com to understand what ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION does. I would suggest being sure to read “Words from Our Founder”.

-If YOU have any questions, or need clarification on anything on the website, contact our OWA President at maxfabry@onlinewellnessassociation.com. OWA wants YOU to be clear about what you are selling.

-YOU actually aren’t selling anything. OWA staff members will do the selling. YOU are INTRODUCING ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION to wellness practitioners in your community.

-To be clear what a “wellness practitioner is” visit the blog entry from 5/28/09 at http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com/blog/

-INVITE wellness practitioners to browse the site, and ask if you can send their contact information to ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION. If you would like to have cards to hand out, e-mail a request to maxfabry@onlinewellnessassociation.com. Be sure to include your name, address, and phone number.

-OWA DOES NOT hard sell. But, we can offer special discounts because of YOUR referral. The OWA staff will not embarrass you in any way.

-Within a week of your referral being approved for membership, YOU WILL RECEIVE PAYMENT FOR $100.

REMEMBER there is NO LIMIT on the number of referrals you send. WE WANT TO PAY YOU TO MARKET ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION!!

http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com

ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOC MEMBER CRITERIA

Do you have an OWA SEAL OF APPROVAL on your website? Have you applied? In order to qualify for an OWA SEAL you have to meet certain standards and criteria set by ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION. If you haven’t visited the site to find out what is necessary to qualify the following is taken off the ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION membership site:

What sets OWA apart from other online therapy services, are the extra efforts we take to assure the professionalism of all of our practitioners. This will assure our goal of making OWA the primary resource when looking for safe and reliable therapeutic practices on the internet. Though our efforts are to utilize advanced communication technology of the internet to bring clients and practitioners together, we must take the extra time necessary to assure the qualifications and credibility of all our practitioners. Our background checks typically take about two weeks for completion.

The following list is a breakdown of our application process and requirements:
1. Personal Information: name, date of birth.
2. Contact Information: address, telephone number, e-mail, web address, webmaster contact information, business card.
3. Recent Digital Photograph: photos will be resized as needed.
4. Professional Information: title, specialty, licenses.
5. Description of Services: summarize the specific services, specialty, or focus you are offering, hours of operation, preferred method(s) of e-therapy: e-mail, i.m. (instant messaging), a.v. (audio/video), optional method(s).
6. Mini Profile: a one to three sentence description of your method/approach to the services you provide; to be placed in the OWA Directory.
7. Brief Biography: biographies may be utilized if you are chosen as Member of the Month, or for other recognition programs.
8. Copy of Credentials: copies of any licenses, certifications, degrees, required to practice professionally.
9. Four Recent Professional References: colleagues in your field who are familiar with your work, credentials, and integrity. Please notify your references that an OWA Staff Member will be contacting them for identity verification.
10. Agree to Background Check: a background check will be completed by a third party online agency. OWA will only receive communication that you have either passed your background check, or that we ‘need to discuss the findings’. OWA does not receive any of the information needed to complete this background check. Having a felony conviction does not necessarily exclude you from being a member of OWA, particularly if you are already actively working in your field. However, the following felony convictions will exclude you from membership in OWA: Pedophilia, Domestic Violence, Rape, Stalking, and Technology Related Crimes. In addition, you may also be excluded if you have lost your license based on ethical misconduct.

Learn more about becoming an ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION member and having the privilege of displaying an OWA SEAL OF APPROVAL on your site at

http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com

OWA: HEALTH SERVICES

ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION members are dedicated to their professions. They share the same principles and approaches that drive the OWA Mission: “OWA’s goal is to provide a SAFE platform for practitioners to build successful practices online and for potential clients to feel safe when choosing a practitioner.” The practitioners and staff of ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION share this philosophy:

“Health & Wellness: therapists, counselors, coaches, and guides in the health and wellness field, integrate various techniques to align mind, body, spirit, and relationships through the use of both traditional and nontraditional therapies. Cognitive and mind-body health techniques are used to achieve presence and peace of mind. Natural diet, exercise, sleep, relaxation, and prevention is emphasized to strengthen and heal the body. Spiritual connectiveness is emphasized to achieve a healthy connection with the mind, body, and external factors. Fulfilling relationships with our work, purpose of life, family, friends, and acquaintances are achieved through learning to free the ego. Achieving wellness means alleviating anxiety, drama, and disease to attain a more fulfilling and peaceful quality of life.”

Have you applied for membership with ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION? Go to

http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com

OWA: EXPANDING MEMBERSHIP

ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION is ready to expand beyond present borders. Are you a LEGITIMATE WELLNESS PRACTITIONER that wants to increase your visibility? Establish yourself an expert? Have immediate proof that you are reliable and SAFE to use? If the answer is “yes” to these questions, then see if you meet the standards and criteria for membership with ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION. Go to

http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com

HEALTHY HEALING INTRODUCTION

I introduced the HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM (HH) the middle of July 2009. This is an alternative holistic approach to the more traditional programs. For the past three years, my colleagues and I have used all the methods that are components of the HH program with remarkable results. Starting with this blog, I would like to share some of the findings from the work I have done to date, then, take you along on the single subject test I have just started at the beginning of August. My purpose in blogging this information is (1) it forces me to write about the program; (2) it helps me identify patterns coming up during the case study; and, (3) I want very much to have your feedback as I go along working the kinks out of the program. Who I would like to hear from are:

ADDICTS: Resisting going into treatment and why. Ever been in recovery? How long? What happened to throw you back?

RECOVERING PEOPLE: How did you get there? How long have you been in recovery? How do you maintain your recovery? How is life different for you? What is the ONE thing that made all the difference for you being where you are today?

PRIVATE PRACTICE PROFESSIONALS: If you specialize in addiction counseling, I want to hear from you. Comment on what I am doing, offer what you are doing.

ADDICTION COUNSELORS WORKING FOR AGENCIES: Share with me what your agencies are doing differently these days. What are the strengths of the program you work at?

Please let me know if it is alright to reprint your comments in my blog, articles, or other publishings. I will NOT use your name unless you give permission to do that.

To learn more about the HEALTHY HEALING PROGRAM go to:

http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

ADDICTION: SPIRITUALITY

ADDICTION: ADDRESSING SPIRITUAL
The approach I use in my private practice is that human beings are three-dimensional: physical, emotional (brain), and spiritual. Usually when people first hear the word “spiritual” they think one of two things: “Oh, she is one of those religious nuts.” Or “Here we go with that foo-foo stuff”. Wrong on both thoughts.

Usually on the initial assessment done with new clients, the question “Religious belief” is asked. While I am getting to know the new client, I listen carefully for how vested they are in their stated religion. Are they firm in their religious foundational belief? Are there cracks in that foundation? Do they not have any belief at all? Are they atheist? Agnostic? Could they be undefined spiritual? Once I can understand where they are at, I can help them either rebuild on their solid foundation, explore possibilities to cement the cracks, or help define their spirituality.

For me it is helping the client balance that third dimension of the human experience: the spiritual. Having all three dimensions in balance means a healthier path to continued healing.

What are your thoughts on spirituality in recovery? Please send you thoughts to me at
maxfabry@lifestylechangescounseling.com.

Be well on your spiritual journey.

To learn more about me, MAx Fabry, and my private practice, please go to

http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

RSVP

MAx Fabry is a regular contributor to a weekly column "ASK MAx" published in the SPRINGFIELD TIMES, Springfield, Oregon. The SPRINGFIELD TIMES is published weekly on Friday by S.J. Olson Publishing, Inc. This column is published on this blog by permission of the SPRINGFIELD TIMES. Visit their website at http://www.springfieldtimes.net.
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This letter dealt with a National lifestyle change that has gradually taken place called “proper etiquette”. Young girls have been calling boys for a couple decades now. And, I can’t remember when boys stopped opening doors for girls—maybe somewhere in the seventies. But, like the woman that asked this question, the term RSVP has not only lost “proper etiquette” meaning, it has given way to 21st century technology.
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Dear MAx,
Compared to some of the letters you get, this may not be so bad. But, this is something that makes me so angry. My husband and I entertain a lot, this is something that we really enjoy doing together. We usually go to great extents planning the meal, the decorations, the entertainment—we want everything perfect for our guests and we want them to have a nice evening. Unfortunately, our guests don’t seem to put their part in it—answering the RSVP! And, when they do RSVP they either still show up if they said they weren’t, or, they don’t show when they say they will. What is going on here? I am beginning to think people forgot what RSVP really means. Is this important enough to do a column on?

Kathi

Dear Kathi,
Important enough? Kathi, if it is bothering you, then it is important enough to do a relevant column. Besides, I am totally with you on this one. When I moved to the Pacific Northwest, I thought RSVP was just something that was more “traditional” on the East Coast where I was raised, and everyone out here was just rude.

A check-in with my very proper Sicilian Aunt, who still lives on the East Coast, verified that RSVP seems to be loosing meaning. She also lamented that sometimes she doesn’t even get official invitations to parties that—people just expect she will show up for special occasions.

For those 21st Century computer driven readers that may not be sure what we are really referring to, this is NOT the “Rapid Serial Visual Presentation” method used to display text in a limited space; nor is it the “Resource Reservation Protocol” which is a protocol transport layer for the Internet. For the physics scientists, we are also NOT talking about the experimental physics project, or the, “Rare Symmetry Violating Process”. And, finally, for my fans down-under in Australia, we are not talking about your largest online dating service for singles.

Kathi and I are sharing a concern about the lack, or sincerity, of people responding for social events via “RSVP”: “répondez s'il vous plait”, a French expression that means, “please respond”. The request is to respond to the invitation whether you are going to attend, or not attend.

I consulted with Linda Reed, Etiquette Consultant with Burns & Reed Enterprise, regarding her thoughts on what is happening with the RSVP tradition. She said “Lack of knowledge and social entertaining.” She pointed out that many people do not entertain as much these days, so the formal etiquette of response is getting lost.

Ms Reed also said that those hosts sending the invitation with an RSVP can be impacted economically by not having an accurate head count. She pointed out that tables, chairs, linens, flowers, food, etc, are all charged by how many people are going to be there. This amount can vary from $10/head to $1000 or more/head. If you are planning on having 90 people show up and only 75 show up—well, you can do the math.

On the other hand, if you have 75 people respond that they are going to attend, but 90 show up, this stretches the party plans, stresses the hosts, and puts a damper on the entire affair. Again, it can also have an economical impact.

When someone receives an invitation with RSVP written anywhere on the invitation, it is a plea to let the host know whether or not they either plan TO ATTEND or NOT ATTEND. If the host only needs to know if you are NOT going to attend, the invitation may have the words “regrets only” for your response.

Kathi, I really appreciated you asking this question. I found over thirty definitions for RSVP, some of which I shared above, so I am thinking that people being “rude” may not be a reason they don’t respond. I would have to go with Ms Reed’s opinion that people just don’t know, and the social art of entertaining is diminishing.

I sincerely hope that my readers have gotten the importance of appropriately responding to an RSVP the next time you receive an invitation. Your host is working hard to put an event together for your enjoyment as well as theirs, help them do it right by providing an accurate head count. It is the “proper” etiquette.

Be well on your journey and have fun at your next social event.

Have a question about addiction, recovery, or life transitions such as retirement, career change, grief and loss issues, empty nesting, etc, ‘Ask MAx’. Send your questions to Lifestyle Changes, PO Box 1962, Eugene, OR 97440; or, e-mail your questions to maxfabry@lifestylechangescounseling.com. Learn more about MAx Fabry and read her blog at www.lifestylechangescounseling.com.

MAx FABRY INTERVIEW

Interview with MAx Fabry, Founder and President of ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION:

How did you get started with online counseling?

“I was able to see the value of internet counseling which I have been offering clients for almost three years. When I first started, e-mail was the most efficient way of interacting with my clients in Australia and England. Then, as I started getting additional clients, I learned about online phone services that incorporated web cams; and, chat rooms for real time counseling. Somehow, in three years I had accumulated clients in Australia, England, Alaska, California, Florida, Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. These clients were all by personal referral. ‘Imagine if I actually started marketing for clients’ I thought one day. In the fall of 2005 it was time to move forward with developing a website to begin expanding my online therapy sessions. Technology had caught up to counseling online—we could now view our clients in real time. And, new generations are becoming virtual community members buying products, downloading music, seeking education—it was truly time for counseling, and other wellness practices, to move into the 21st Century.”

So, you put your private practice online first?

“That was my initial idea. Banking on my three years of internet counseling experience, I decided to embark on an on-line counseling practice. I was ready to put a website up for my own private practice: Lifestyle Changes Counseling Services. As I was doing research to register as an online counselor, I was surprised, and aghast, that there was no specific organization verifying credentials, and, no one able to assure the potential client that I am, in fact, a real counselor, with real credentials. There did not appear to be any real organization to help keep the predators away from the potential vulnerable clients, and to make the internet immediate and efficient for potential clients to chose a wellness practitioner.”

Hence, the idea of ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION?

“The idea of developing a safe platform for practitioners actually hit me in the shower the morning I decided to bag the idea of putting my practice on-line. Talk about a scary thought! I went through the pros and cons of starting a new business that I, or anyone else, had limited knowledge about: developing websites, educating why and how, marketing a virtual business, and on and on! I talked to some friends, consulted a mentor or two. After thinking about the idea for a few days, I seized the opportunity to not only move my own practice, Lifestyle Changes, into the 21st century, but to also develop a platform that would be safe for professionals to offer legitimate services, and, potential clients to find legitimate professionals. I decided I wasn’t going to do online counseling alone—I would invite the rest of the therapeutic community to join me.”

“Thus, ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION (OWA) was conceived.”

What are you presently working on?

“I have just launched HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM. This is an alternative to the 12-step approach. I have been experimenting with components of this program for the past three years. Presently I have a test subject going through the entire one-year program. This case just started at the beginning of August, so, more to follow.”

Join MAx and other wellness practitioners building a safe platform for wellness services. See if you qualify as a member at

http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com

Learn more about MAx Fabry, her private practice, and the new HEALTHY HEALING PROGRAM at

http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

ADDICTION: INSURANCE COMPANIES

I had an interesting interaction with an insurance company last week that has been staying on my mind. With all the talk going on right now about health reform, I would like to run this by you with the hopes of getting some of your experiences, feedback, and general thoughts about how insurance is allocated for addiction. I would like to qualify that I work and live in Oregon; I believe each state makes up their own rules as they go along---now, I could be wrong about this, too.

My (ten year) practice was actually built on not accepting insurance; I have a sliding scale that has worked for my clients, as well as for me. As an addiction counselor I wanted to be sure that clients that came to me had total confidentiality. When anyone signs a release for a vendor to bill their insurance, they are signing a release that the insurance can request any and all of your records. I believe that this is not only a violation of someone’s privacy, it also limits people accessing help for early addiction help for fear of repercussions with their work, family, and societal standing. In addition, when a counselor/therapist is “approved to be on a panel” (someone approved as a “preferred provider”) the insurance company basically dictates how to keep records.

Another reason I did not want to consider taking insurance is the enormous amount of extra work it takes just to bill the insurance and keep the necessary documentation in order to get paid. Taking insurance would mean hiring someone to deal with the insurances; for a small office, this is not financially feasible. It would cost me almost $1000 per week (salary, benefits, taxes, office space) to hire someone to do this job. I would have to see a lot of clients to cover this cost.

My clients often send a paid invoice for services they received to their insurance company for reimbursement. Surprisingly, many of them have received checks covering a portion, or all of what they paid out. There is one insurance company in Oregon, however, that won’t reimburse, and this is the incident I want to share with you: My client had sent in a paid invoice for services she received over a couple months. She received a rejection for payment. She called the insurance company, but they would not budge on their decision. She called me with a number to call to speak to someone on her behalf. The initial person I talked with was a claims representative with a scripted answer; I asked to speak to a supervisor. The supervisor I spoke with was very adamant that their insurance company only paid “licensed therapists” (Licensed Clinical Social Workers-LCSW). I pointed out that “licensed therapist” were, for the most part, not certified in addiction counseling, and not even required to have taken education in addiction counseling. She held her ground saying “You have to be licensed to be paid by insurance.” I then pointed out that Oregon required “certification” and went over what it took to get a certification from the State of Oregon—the hours, the hands on experience, the education, the case presentation, the continued education hours—“That doesn’t make you a licensed therapist” she responded. I protested “But I have more education about addiction then the usual licensed therapist.” She repeated her mantra “You are not a licensed therapist.” I was frustrated. I took a deep breath, then asked “You are an LCSW, aren’t you?” “Yes.” She answered. Our conversation was over.

Here is what I am looking for from addiction professionals and LCSWs: What are the standards set forth in addiction education for LCSWs? How were professional addiction counselors left out of insurance reimbursement opportunities? How can this be changed? Do we want to change it? What can the insurance companies really request from a client’s files? What is going on in the addiction profession in other states as far as billing insurance, certification, and licensing?

If you can answer any of these questions, or shed additional light on this subject, I would be most appreciative. Meanwhile, I will be do research of my own to see if this topic needs to be part of the present movement for changing how health care is delivered.

Learn more about me, MAx Fabry, at

http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

HEALTHY HEALING TREAMENT PRINCIPLES

Lifestyle Changes recently introduced an innovative holistic approach to addiction treatment: HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM. While developing the contents of the HEALTHY HEALING PROGRAM NIDA’s 12 principles for effective addiction treatment were also considered:

1.Clients to be matched to the most appropriate treatment setting, intervention, and services
2.Readily available
3.Needs to attend to multiple needs of the individual including associated medical, social, psychological, vocational, and legal problems
4.Treatment must be an adequate period of time for effectiveness
5.Combine individual and/or group counseling and other behavioral therapies
6.Medications when indicated
7.Integrated treatment of coexisting mental disorders
8.Detoxification as first stage of treatment
9.Voluntary, as well as, enticements and/or sanctions by family, employment, criminal justice system are means to treatment
10.Monitoring of possible drug/alcohol use during treatment
11.Assessment for sexually transmitted diseases
12.Stressing that recovery is a long-term process

Learn more about this innovative approach at
http://www.lifestylecounseling.com

CARING ADDICTION: PEOPLE PLEASERS

I had an addiction client that I worked with for over two years aggressively addressing her prescription drug and alcohol addiction, while working on some horrific core issues. Once a breakthrough came and she seemed to be on the road to recovery, another addiction was identified. Because the alcohol and drugs were “symptoms” of this addiction, it was difficult to get to real addiction of “caring too much”. The progression of this addiction goes like this: avoid own problems, find someone else to fix, get in over your head, start using alcohol and/or drugs. We have been working on redirecting this addiction to have healthier outcomes. Meanwhile, I believe, this is an addiction that addiction counselors need to be aware of. Here is what caring-addiction can look like:

-believe that being liked and gaining others’ approval are absolutely essential for emotional well-being
-consumes any type of approval and displays of being liked whether positive or negative
-becomes extremely upset and can be pushed over the edge by criticism
-DISAPPROVAL MUST BE AVOIDED AT ALL COST!

Based on what I have learned from the above case, my suggestion is don’t be blinded by soft addict behavior that appears reaching out to help others is a good thing. This behavior could be a deflection so that personal worth becomes dependent on “look how wonderful I am helping others.”

A book on this topic recently came across my desk and I would like to recommend it to both professionals and the general public “The Disease to Please: Curing the People-Pleasing Syndrome” by (the late) Harriet B. Braiker, Ph.D., McGraw-Hill, 2001. This book “explodes the dangerous myth that “people pleasing” is a benign problem.” Learn more about this book at:

http://www.diseasetoplease.com

Be well on your journey.

Learn more about me, MAx Fabry, and my private practice at:

http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

I am also President of ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION, building a safe internet format for wellness practitioners to offer safe services to the public. For information go to

http://www.onlinewellnessassociation

ADDICTION: HEALTH CARE REFORM

Health Care Reform is a gallant subject for review by the present administration, the legislators, and each one of the American people. As an addiction counselor I am very interested in health insurance providing better and more accountable coverage for addiction prevention as well as addiction treatment. In addition to trying to understand the provisions in a very complex House Bill 3200, http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3200/text, I am depending on NAADAC, ACCBO, and other associations for addiction professionals to help translate and disseminate the information I need to make an informed decision.

Now that the legislators are out of Washington and back to their own states, individuals like you and me can also use their knowledge to get clarification. If we depend on rumors, viral e-mails forwarded from unknown sources, and biased reporting, we are not fairly helping the democratic process. We live in an age where information is at our fingertips. Yet, when I visited the website that has the House bill printed in total, http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h3200/text, I was disheartened to see that less than 285,000 people logged on to the site out of over 300 million citizens that will be affected by this bill.

Participating in the legislative process is part of your right as a US citizen; it is important for you to have input in this process. Knowledge is power. Freedom of speech is still alive and well---DON’T GIVE YOUR VOICE AWAY to rumor, speculation, and partisan politics. Take the time to get informed, than speak YOUR informed truth from your heart. You need to know what the present bill states, you need to know who is and who isn’t supporting it including legislators and lobbyists. Sometimes we just need to “follow the money”.

Health Care in the United States absolutely needs to be reviewed, discussed, and reformed. We are now living in the 21st Century with not only new approaches to health care, but new individual thinking on what is needed. Better to stand up and take a stand on what you believe then to allow anyone to usurp your right to be heard.

Just a reminder: as the Nation is caught up in a loud debate about Health Care Reform, it is important to speak soft enough that you will be heard.

Learn more about me, MAx Fabry, and my private practice at:

http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

RECOVERY: COOKING, FOOD, AND ALCOHOL

A client that had just recently spent 28 days in a rehab center arrived at my office with a bottle of Pepsi and a Snicker bar. As she related the food that she ate while at rehab, I realized I had my hands full to do some cognitive repatterning around nutrition. To complicate her treatment plan further, the client is a chef actively working in the food industry.

Traditionally, the minimal guidelines at residential treatment centers were to provide substantial meals and snacks to take the clients minds off drinking. Substituting sugar for alcohol seemed to be working with that viewpoint. Today, more addiction professionals are understanding the connection with food and recovery response.

A National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence survey recently showed that there is a high rate of alcohol dependence and abuse prevalent in the food industry compared to other professions.

Also, a federal research project showed that alcohol used in recipes for cooking DID NOT burn off. The report indicated that, depending on the type of alcohol used and the method of cooking, 5-85% of the alcohol used remained in the food after cooking.

What addiction professionals now know is that proper nutrition as crucial in the recovery process as it is fighting any disease.

My approach to addiction treatment is “if you take something away from a person, you need to replace it with something in order to have a whole person”. If I take someone’s Snicker bar and Pepsi away, what will I replace it with? Maybe allow a Snicker bar once in a while, but also include a hearty breakfast, and some yogurt, or fruit as snacks.

Liz Scott, a chef, a recovering person, and an author, offers some great food preparation recipes for everyday cooking, entertaining, and other celebrations. I strongly suggest checking out her books: “Sober Kitchen: Recipes and Advice for a Lifetime of Sobriety”, “Sober Celebrations: Lively Entertaining Without the Spirits”, and, her newest book “Zero Proof Cocktails: Alcohol-free Beverages for All Occasions.

Bon Appetite

Learn more about me, MAx Fabry, and my private practice at
http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

I am also Founder and President of ONLINE WELLNESS ASSOCIATION
http://www.onlinewellnessassociation.com

ADDICTION COUNSELOR CERTIFICATION IN OREGON

People often ask me about my credentials: CADCII—what do the letters mean and what is the significance? CADCII stands for an advanced Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor in the State of Oregon. This certification process is overseen by the Addiction Counselor Certification Board of Oregon (ACCBO); http://www.accbo.com. This Board was established in 1977 to certify addiction professionals based on competency based evaluation of education, experience, and psychometric exams sanctioned by The National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors, and the International Certification Reciprocity Consortium. This certification is an assurance that counselors have met minimum standards of competence, are accountable to uphold ethical standards, and continue to have contemporary knowledge of evidenced based practices.

There are three levels of certification:

CADCI, the Associate Proficiency Level, requires 150 A&D education hours, 1000 supervised experience hours in addiction counselor competencies, and successful completion of a NCAC I National Certification written exam.

CADCII, the Baccalaureate Proficiency Level, which requires a BA or BS, 300 A&D education hours, 4,000 experience hours in the addiction counselor competencies supervised by a qualified Oregon Administrative clinical supervisor, letter verifying minimum of 3 years of sobriety for anyone entering the field from any chemical dependence, Ethics Agreement signed and dated, an NCACII professional psychometric National Certification Exam, successful completion of a NAADAC Case Presentation Exam.

CADCII, the Graduate Proficiency Level, requiring a minimum of a Masters Degree with a minimum of 300 A&D accredited education hours, 6,000 Experience Hours supervised by a qualified clinical supervisor under Oregon Administration in the Counselor Competencies, for those entering the field from recovery a letter verifying a minimum of 3 years of sobriety, an Ethics Agreement signed and dated, a passing score on a MAC professional psychometric National Certification Exam, and a NAADAC Case Presentation Examination.

Also, with a few additional classes and another exam a CADC’s with a minimum of 2,000 hours can apply to become a CERTIFIED PREVENTION SPECIALIST.

ACCBO is a leader it the field of ADDICTION COUNSELOR raising and holding the standards for delivery of services. Learn more about ACCBO and certification at http://www.accbo.com.

Check the State where you live to learn the qualification for the Alcohol and Drug counseling field.

Learn more about me, MAx Fabry, and my practice at
http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT

Dr. Mark Willenbring, director of the Treatment and Recovery Research Division at the national Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism., recently wrote an article for ADDICTION PROFESSIONAL magazine (Sept/Oct 2008` Vol 6 No 5, page 12) suggesting that a fundamental change needed to be done to redefine alcohol treatment. Among the topics of this article were who, and who did not receive specialty addiction treatment and why; continuum of need, and structural barriers. One of his suggestions was for expanding the elements of the continuum of need and care. Dr. Willenbring said “Since no one behavioral approach has better overall outcomes than others, clients should have a choice of available, effective treatment…Because most people in need of specialty treatment have chronic, relapsing dependence as well as co-existing physical mental disorders, specialty addiction treatment should seamlessly integrate addiction, primary medical, and psychiatric treatments” Dr. Willenbring is just one voice of many addiction experts calling for addiction specialists to step out of the traditional box of treatment and come up with new approaches.

I have recently launched the HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM, a comprehensive, multidimensional alternative holistic counseling/coach approach to healing from addiction on an individual basis. This approach addresses the three dimensions necessary for individual healing: physical, emotional, and spiritual. Methods used include, but not limited to, cognitive behavioral modification, rational therapy, family systems, and, rational behavioral emotive therapy, along with an array of alternative approaches. Healthy Healing guides the clients from active chronic addiction/relapse to sobriety, into a maintenance recovery, to ongoing healing. This is an integrated services model that requires the client to make a minimum of one-year commitment to the program. Healthy Healing would be considered an intensive-intensive-outpatient program. This program was developed to address the needs of individuals who meet the ASAM criteria for residential care, but are unwilling, or unable, to commit to a residential program. This concept meets the client at their willingness level.

The HEALTHY HEALING PROGRAM blends elements of the traditional 12-step approach, with approaches specific to individual need. For instance, using cognitive-behavioral therapy counselor and client work together to understand addiction and explore spirituality; steps one and two in the 12-step program. Another example is the phrase often used in 12-step “one day at a time”; the counselor may work with the client using “The Power of Now” to learn to live life in the “now”.

As Dr. Willenbring pointed out at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, “Since no one behavioral approach has better overall outcomes than others, clients should have a choice of available, effective treatments.”

The HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM offers a viable alternative to traditional addiction treatment. Learn more about me, MAx Fabry, and this program at:

http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

PHYSICAN ADDICTION SPECIALISTS

GREAT NEWS!!! Physicians, MDs, are now going to be certified in addiction treatment! This historic partnership between the National Institute on Drub Abuse (NIDA) and the American Board of Addiction Medicine (ABAM) was announced May 2. This ABAM certification benefit other addiction specialists by making addiction treatment truly integrative. Physician will now be working side by side as a Team Member focusing services on the addict, family, and community. Read the complete article outlining the this historical change in the addiction field in this month’s “ADDICTION PROFESSIONAL” magazine at: http://www.addictionpro.com

If you are presently professional addiction counselor, I would love to hear your opinion of this remarkable decision. E-mail me at: maxfabry@lifestylechangescounseling.com.

Learn more about me, MAx Fabry, and my private practice at:

http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com

ADDICTION: TREATMENT PROGRESS

With the launch of my new HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION TREATMENT PROGRAM, I was reflecting on how far the addiction field has come in a hundred years.
It is still difficult for me to read about how addicts were treated at the turn of the twentieth century—institutionalizing/hospitalization was the kindest approach. Dr. William D. Silkworth, MD, passionately expressed the professional viewpoint of treating addicts of that time, in the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous, “The Doctor’s Opinion”, page xxviii-xxix: “Men and women drink essentially because they like the effect produced by alcohol. The sensation is so elusive that, while they admit it is injurious, they cannot after a time differentiate the true from the false. To them, their alcoholic life seems the only normal one. They are restless, irritable and discontented, unless they can again experience the sense of ease and comfort which comes at once by taking a few drinks—drinks which they see others taking with impunity. After they have succumbed to the desire again, as so many do, and the phenomenon of craving develops, they pass through the well-known stages of a spree, emerging remorseful, with a firm resolution not to drink again. This is repeated over and over, and unless this person can experience an entire psychic change there is very little hope of his recovery.” He goes on to say “Men have cried out to me in sincere and despairing appeal: ‘Doctor, I cannot go on like this! I have everything to live for! I must stop, but I cannot! You must help me!’ Faced with this problem, if a doctor is honest with himself, he must sometimes feel his own inadequacy. Although he gives all that is in him, it often is not enough. One feels that something more than human power is needed to produce the essential psychic change. Though the aggregate of recoveries resulting from psychiatric effort is considerable, we physicians must admit we have made little impression upon the problem as a whole.” Now, almost a decade into the 21st Century, we have learned that it takes a village to help an addict on their journey to optimal health. Specially trained addiction counselors working as a conduit between the client, the primary care physician, the psychiatrist, the nutritionist, the gym, the life coach, the family—slowly and patiently guiding the addict to a healthier lifestyle.

The HEALTHY HEALING ADDICTION OUTPATIENT PROGRAM is a comprehensive, multidimensional alternative holistic counseling/coach approach to healing from addiction on an individual basis. The HH Program addresses the physical, emotional, and spiritual needed by addicts to make, as Dr. Silkworth suggested, that “essential psychic change.”

Read more about the HEALTHY HEALING PROGRAM at
http://www.lifestylechangescounseling.com