Wake Them Up, They'll Listen to You!

When Chris Packham entered the substance abuse treatment field five years ago, he was given a handout and told to “do group.” This meant delivering psychoeducation classes to early recovering addicts. Chris had received no training nor was he prepared to direct a class. Fortunately, Chris was a martial arts instructor so he was comfortable in a teaching role. He recognized that his fellow students were really struggling so he approached his former instructor, Mary Crocker Cook, and suggested that they create a psychoeducation training guide for substance abuse counselors. This workbook is the result of that collaboration. It is designed to create a sense of competence for new and experienced substance abuse counselors. It provides information about approaches to facilitation, addressing difficult client behaviors in group, cognitive challenges in early recovery, and is filled with 14 group exercises that the new counselor can adopt immediately. About the author: Chris Packham, CADCII, CCS, CADDTP, RAS is a certified alcohol and drug counselor in San Jose, California. He is currently the IOP Supervisor for New Life Recovery Center, and is an American Kenpo Karate Associates 5th degree Blackbelt and MMA Instructor, as well as an ex- Pro Kick-boxer.