Handbook For Christ Centered Substance Abuse And Addiction Counselors

Dr. Michael Belzman is the founder of the Association of Christian Alcohol & Drug Counselors (ACADC). An educator, counselor and pastor, he is also a speaker at congressional hearings warning law makers against making laws that exclude Faith-Based counselors from participation in the professional arena or infringe upon their religious freedom. ACADC is the only Christ-centered counselor certification organization authorized by any state government. ACADC Institute trains their students biblically so they can provide addiction counseling to Christians in need of the biblical rather than secular options. Few thought it possible that a Christ-centered certification board could exist in today's postmodern society, yet ACADC was written by the hand of God into the California Code of Regulations, opening a door that no man could close. From a background of teaching psychology at secular universities, and a false belief in human solutions to the problems of the soul, Dr. Belzman surrendered his life to Christ in 1980. By nurturing a personal relationship with Him through prayer and Bible study, he found that God's life principles and promises changed his life in a way that psychology or prescribed drugs could not do. He saw first-hand how God's power not only overcomes deep addiction, but can direct the decisions of kings. Dr. Belzman pastors ACADC Christian Fellowship founded on the notion that healing of the soul best takes place in the context of Christ-centered relationships bathed in prayer. He lives with his family in Calimesa, California and welcomes communication from anyone desiring to serve God by becoming a Christ-centered counselor. He and his staff of Christ-centered professionals may be contacted by email at [email protected], or by letter addressed to the Association of Christian Alcohol & Drug Counselors, attn: Mike Belzman, PO Box 8604, Redlands, CA 92375.

This book was written to give the reader points to consider when dealing with substance abuse.

About the Book "Breaking the Spirit of Addiction: Counselor Guide" was written to provide pastors, Christian counselors and laypeople insight on the various addictions. The impulsive and uncontrollable nature of substance abuse and other addictions usually cause addicts and their families to experience devastating emotional and psychological consequences. This book helps counselors to identify the strongholds that addicts and their families struggle with and provide practical biblical based principles to overcome them. About the author The author, Samuel J. Jones, is bishop of the Good News Fellowship of Churches in Birmingham, Alabama. The Good News Fellowship is a mission sponsored by the Eastern Mennonite Missions of Salunga, Pennsylvania. Long before he became bishop, Jones worked successfully with hundreds drug addicts for more than 17 years. He is president and founder of Highways & Hedges Outreach Training Center, which began in Kankakee, Illinois, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is now located in Birmingham. Bishop Jones is a master trainer for the National Center for Fathering, where he trains facilitators across the nation to facilitate classes to "return the fathers heart to their children." He is a former project director of the Birmingham Fatherhood Initiative at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, where he worked weekly with more than 250 fathers struggling with some type of addiction. Bishop Jones is a host of a national television show called "Families in Focus: From a Christian Perspective."

The newest addition to the popular Quick-Reference Guide collection, The Quick-Reference Guide to Addictions and Recovery Counseling focuses on the widespread problem of addictions of all kinds. It is an A-Z guide for assisting pastors, professional counselors, and everyday believers to easily access a full array of information to aid them in formal and informal counseling situations. Each of the forty topics covered follows a helpful eight-part outline and identifies (1) typical symptoms and patterns, (2) definitions and key thoughts, (3) questions to ask, (4) directions for the conversation, (5) action steps, (6) biblical insights, (7) prayer starters, and (8) recommended resources.

This highly practical resource integrates the powerful dynamics of family into residential treatment and outdoors-based therapy for young people. Recognizing both the family as the systemic base for promoting change in adolescents and the therapeutic potential of the residential/wilderness setting, experts show how aligning the two can enhance the healing value of the program while promoting higher standards for care. Chapters describe innovative, science-based interventions and techniques for treating common behavioral and emotional problems along a continuum of family involvement and separation, to address issues affecting the family as well as the identified patient. With its accessible ideas and compelling case studies, the book ably demonstrates the critical role of family in adolescent patients’ successful transition to post-treatment life. Among the topics covered: • A parallel process: home therapy while the adolescent or young adult is in residential care.• Intentional separation of families: increasing differentiation through wilderness therapy.• Emerging family therapy models utilized in residential settings.• Engaging families in Outdoor Behavioral Healthcare.• Research on coping skills used by youth with emotional and behavioral disorders.• Expanding our understanding of the place of family therapy in residential treatment. Family Therapy with Adolescents in Residential Treatment offers novel, exciting, and effective strategies and techniques for practitioners and mental health professionals particularly interested in family therapy with adolescents, and in related interventions and research.

Addiction is rapidly becoming one of the most significant challenges to mental health today. According to the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH, 2018), 19.7 million Americans, aged 12 and older, battled a substance disorder alone in 2017. Additionally, 8.5 million of those individuals also suffered from a mental health disorder, with millions more suffering from a range of other addictive disorders and associated behaviors that interfere with physical, social and emotional health. These alarming statistics highlight the crucial need for mental health providers to be kept up to date with the latest research on the full range of addiction treatment and recovery. ‘The Recovery Handbook: Understanding Addictions and Evidenced-Based Treatment Practices’ provides a comprehensive examination of the various forms of addiction, its physical and mental complexities, and, unlike other sources on addiction, effective evidence-based interventions that promote a healthy recovery. Particular attention is given to the nature of addiction, including environmental, genetic, and developmental factors; with authors examining the short- and long-term effects of a variety of addictions such as drug, alcohol, gambling, food, sex, shopping, work, and video gaming to name a few. This book will serve as a valuable resource for counselors, psychologists, professors, graduate students in the helping professions, as well as families of addicts, co-workers, and those suffering from addiction themselves.

What Richard Clark presents in The Addiction Recovery Handbook: Understanding Addiction and Culture is long overdue. Since 1939, Bill Wilson’s important and influential books, Alcoholics Anonymous and AA’s Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, have helped millions of people struggling with addiction to recover. In more than 80 years since then, a lot has changed: the definition of addiction, its demographics, social attitudes to addiction, politics, religious influence, treatment modalities, and the epidemiology of the illness. These have taken tolls on our modern network of relationships and treatment that culture and community now depend upon. The Addiction Recovery Handbook examines the changing historical views of addiction, outlines how this culture developed its contemporary perceptions and values, and how society contributes to this growing problem. Richard Clark proposes AA’s traditional religious model of God’s help-and-forgiveness can no longer address the needs of a diverse and largely irreligious society where atheism is becoming mainstream. His updated analysis of the traditional ‘AA’ approach proposes that self-understanding and awareness—through knowledge and education, psychology, and compassion, be the significant components of any recovery framework. This will guide both caregivers and addicts to develop expertise regarding more successful treatment and recovery protocols. This would be in a supportive environment of self-knowledge and mutual respect, whether theist or atheist. All concerned will acquire the ability to live a spiritual life, which is clearly defined. The Addiction Recovery Handbook is an interesting and readable book and is intended for everyone: addicts, medical professionals, counsellors, therapists, clients, sponsors, social workers, family members, partners, friends, employers—every stakeholder in a healthy, non-judgmental society that cares about the wellbeing of all its members.