Recently a client’s accompanying friend suggested we might want to be just a bit clearer about how we work together with you.
“I’d assumed,” he said, “that she’d be working with just you, Mary Ellen. I hadn’t realized that the two of you work as a team. Not only does that explain your very high success rates, but it also makes your fees extremely reasonable.”
So how do we structure our work with you?
That first session begins with the 3 of us – plus a friend or spouse, if you wish – and a bit of history. Mostly it’s an hour’s introduction, anxiety reduction, and logistics.
This is usually followed by the appointment with Dr. Norcross for a consultation with him regarding Naltrexone and any potential withdrawal issues. One of us will accompany you and the other will follow-up with anyone who’s come along.
After that there will be additional discussion and an overview of our Client’s Resource Guide after which you will be done for the day except for an hour’s worth of evening prep for the next morning.
Most clients are exhausted by this point what with the travel, anxiety, and changes. Lunch, naps, and walks on the beach are the rule.
The days follow with pretty much the same 9:00 – Noon schedule with us; afternoons to relax, evenings to prepare for the following morning, all covered in our “Expanded Program Description”.
Apparently what we didn’t make clear is that this is mostly a team effort on the our part. With our diverse backgrounds (ie, I had the problem, Mary Ellen was the family member looking for help; she grew up here, I in rural PA and than Alaska, and so on) we actively work with you to sort out all of the problems you’ve been using alcohol to solve.
What’s that add up to? By the time noon on Friday rolls around you will have received over 15 hours of professional time from each of us, plus an hour from Dr. Norcross, plus you’ll receive another 12-18 hours of follow-up again, with one of us.
That’s right, over 40 hours of individual professional attention.
Consider that in the average 90 day residential program you might receive 12 hours of para-professional attention.
In an out-patient program that number would be less than 4 hours.
Or to amass the same amount of time and attention from a solo practitioner would take almost a year – and the sessions would be so disconnected you’d never make any progress.
Finally, all of these ineffectual options would cost more than our $8,750 program fee – in some cases $ 190,000 more!
If you want to continue to drink while appearing to address your problem, then please sign up for the traditional residential, or out-patient approaches cited above.
If you actually want to leave the problem behind, then call us and get the kind of focused, undivided, effective, affordable and individual assistance you deserve.
..And About Couples.
As far as we know we are the only program in the country that works with couples and that actively encourages spousal involvement.
Why?
Because the support of your spouse dramatically increases the probability of your success – which is why programs based on the revolving door model discourage family involvement.
As you already know, your drinking has had an impact on your husband or wife. They certainly have let you know that.
What’s rarely understood is that ending your drinking is going to have an impact too. That little piece of under-acknowledged and unaddressed reality dooms most folks to a rapid return to the bad old days.
No, your drinking isn’t your spouse’s responsibility. If you want to run that excuse then you need to go to traditional treatment, not us.
But if you want real support, and the possibility of creating a new and more intimate relationship, then both of you are going to need some assistance in sorting out just what that means. It also means creating a truce in the alcohol war and replacing it with some degree of mutual good will and good humor.
Links to Success:
“How Can You Possibly Cure My Years of Alcohol Abuse in Just 5 Days?”
The Real “Steps” to Overcoming Alcohol Abuse
Ten Things I Wish I’d Known Before I Sent My Brother Off To Rehab;
Leave A Comment