You might be surprised to learn that 12-step religious coercion is actually a very common contractual extortion method.
Veterans with trauma, PTSD, might find themselves forced into a program telling them to contemplate their defective character, selfishness, powerlessness, dishonesty, etc. It seems very wrong to me.
This Invitational Intervention (ARISE) basically attempts to solve the treatment industry’s problem of families not being comfortable with the coercion and civil liberties violations of a traditional Johnson intervention (to get more people into treatment which is $$$), instead of the real problem: that the expensive ‘religious’ treatment doesn’t work and is often counterproductive and deeply insulting to people who are not actually pathological liars.
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Name: Juliet Abram
I’m interested in: General Inquiry
If general inquiry, please specify.: I have a few quick questions. On this page: https://premo-castelli.squarespace.com/arise-intervention/
Shouldn’t ARISE also include SMART Recovery, SOS, LifeRing, Women for Sobriety, Moderation Management, HAMS or some other supports instead of just the 12 Step programs? If ARISE can help 61% stay clean for a year and 10% use less— wouldn’t those numbers improve by applying more support group options?
Last question: It’s written on the same page- “The addicted individual is invited to join the process right from the beginning with no surprises, no secrets, no coercion, and absolute respect and love.” — And it’s also written: “At this meeting serious consequences are put in place if the addicted individual does not enter treatment.”
Isn’t that essentially “coercion” to demand anyone to participate in highly religious 12 Step programs? If 83% go to the treatment, maybe the other 17% aren’t refusing help but they’re refusing 12 Step programs? I’m sure ARISE is familiar enough with the 12 Steps to understand those steps don’t treat the addict with love and respect at all— in fact, those 12 Steps say they’re powerless and blame them for being addicts. They must list all of their defects of character and accept blame even in situations where they are not wrong (like if they’ve been robbed or raped.) The AA literature is sexist and demeans women. On top of all that, none of the 12 Step programs have rules against sexual harassment so “13 Stepping” happens, which means the older members make unwanted sexual advancements on new members. And if the new member criticizes the person hurting them, they’re told to “take their own inventory.:
The other programs I’ve listed treat each addict with dignity and respect, and many also use evidence based practices like CBT.
I urge this business to edit the intervention page and include the other forms of help that are out there. Because ARISE is supposed to bring the best standard of care to the addict, not just a partial list of options.
Thanks for your time,
Juliet Abram
This is what David Olsen Executive Director of the non-profit Samaritan Counseling Center of the Capital Region makes as a sex therapist. He can’t be bothered to discuss his use of 12-step coercion to silence complaints, though; in fact, this is strictly forbidden.
Yes, that’s $193K/year, and he as a state-licensed therapist, can’t address a complaint with anything other than “we have a right to our preferred mode of treatment”. Actually, I should say that he said my therapist had the right to HER preferred mode of treatment. But she seemed, to me, to be required to enforce 12-step treatment as part of her job. She and the Clinical Director Jenness Clairmont both privately told me they didn’t like 12-steps.
I suspect that Samaritan Counseling of the Capital Region is “under the influence” of a religious zealot.
It was like he was passing off the responsibility to others, after directing them. I have records showing this “under the direction of David Olsen”.
It’s like I’m talking to Kim Davis or something, except with sadistic 12-step sex therapists.
I had a WTF moment when I realized I was in Alcoholics Anonymous-only therapy at Samaritan Counseling. Basically, if you don’t think 12-step religion saved your life, you are dead to these people. I don’t think they should be licensed to practice by New York State. I am never allowed to speak to anyone at Samaritan Counseling Center ever again because I suggested Alcoholics Anonymous was not helpful to me. Something is a little weird here. I was denied my FOIL request and appeal about the investigation.
I’ve been asking to speak with Samaritan Counseling about this since December 2013, and they are refusing to speak with me because I made it clear that I don’t believe in God.
“In the end, the antidote for shame is acceptance and grace.
This takes a great deal of courage and trust, but it is the only way through shame. Is it a short-term process? Absolutely not. Long-term committed relationships are the best antidote for shame if we are willing to take the risk of removing the “fig leaves” of defense mechanisms, and begin to reveal more of who we really are.” – David Olsen
“You need to cut through this” — Therapist, Samaritan Counseling LCSW
“I will not be returning phone calls” — Therapist, Samaritan Counseling LCSW
“I will not be responding to any further emails.” — David Olsen, Executive Director
“I will not be responding to any more of your emails.” — Michael Kinley, NYS Supervising Investigator
The ARISE Intervention! He must get kickbacks or something. (here’s a link about getting paid for fake drug tests)..telling people’s friends/family/therapists they need to extort someone into expensive rehab treatments and that they will fall prey to the ‘disease’ if they don’t go to treatment. I went around that block a few times…
By the way, the “-R” in LCSW-R means “the worker is approved by the New York State Insurance Department to bill health insurance companies for psychotherapy services.”
This is Samaritan Counseling’s preferred mode of treatment:
“Coercion, persuasion and mandated conditions are long held and practical referral components of substance abuse treatment. All are designed to work with a system that the substance abusers have contact with, that has some meaning in their lives, that has some leverage to motivate change and that has the potential for consequences.
“We now accept the importance of Employee Assistance Programs, Drug Courts, and Impaired Professionals Programs as successful vehicles for getting addicted individuals started in recovery.
“None of these vehicles start with the premise that the individual must want help in order to start treatment. We believe that families are another vehicle to get an individual started in recovery. Families have a long-standing relationship with the addicted individual and are invested in helping that individual get well.”
They go on to say:
“the lowest rates of successful treatment completion are with voluntary, self-referrals. These individuals might start treatment with earnest motivation and desire to stop using, but without any accountability to the treatment system those individuals fall prey to the cunning, baffling and powerful messages from the disease of addiction. The disease tells them that they are better now, they don’t need treatment and that they can use again as long as it doesn’t get out of control.”
Maybe self-motivated people don’t want to be told they are powerless, insane, selfish, defective, and dishonest for being self-motivated. Hmm?
This is the same guy who told me not to file a complaint; just write it out as a sort of catharsis. And that my drinking damaged the relationship with my therapist. He told her to label me as Axis II and keep a clear boundary with me (no contact) as I tried to complain about 12-step coercion. Convenient isolation and devaluation tactics .
I wonder how many suicides these people have blamed on this ‘spiritual disease’ of not accepting 12-step coercion. You’d probably never know, because they delete and hide that kind of feedback wherever they can.
Rules, regulations, license requirements for LCSWs
If the the New York State Department of Education is not going to educate or enforce ethics codes on its licensed mental health workers, they need to inform the public better about what it means to be a ‘licensed professional’.
Because I honestly thought it meant that if a state licensed professional was in major violation of ethics, there would be corrective actions taken by the state.
That’s not what it means, though.
But the ILLUSION that professionals would have been held accountable if they had done anything wrong protects and prolongs all kinds of abuse, like the kind I experienced at Samaritan Counseling Center of the Capital Region.
This is why you can end up getting more humane treatment from an unlicensed faith healer than a licensed one.
Can you believe one of the ‘treatments’ I was suggested was to go to a sober living home?
Licensed clinical social workers either don’t know what’s going on, or they are in on the scam.
Sober living facilities are private, unregulated homes run basically by slumlords with a head full of AA. When every ‘addict’ you can pack into a bedroom equals money, guess what happens?
Presented as ‘treatment’ because that allows them to avoid paying taxes; usually not staffed by any social worker or medical doctor.