This time last year, Al White was in the midst of chemical dependency treatment, hoping the chronic relapse program he was going through at the new center, New Direction Treatment Services, would take this time and his resolve to stop drinking would last.
This January 1, White has been clean and sober for more than 14 months and he’s a certified chemical dependency counselor assistant at New Direction. He’s working with other clients who are going through treatment, and he’s helping to establish New Direction’s second location at 11440 Hamilton Ave. in northern Hamilton County near Fairfield. (An Open House and mini workshop on “Dealing With Angry People” will be held there Jan. 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.)
“This time last year I would never have thought I would be a counselor assistant,” White said. “Being around the other clients and helping them get through what they’re going through has made a big difference in my attitude about everything.”
He he had been through several other treatment programs over the years. But when he completed the program November 2008 to February 2009, it proved to be the right program at the right time in his life, and it “clicked.”
New Direction Treatment Services is a strictly outpatient service employing a holistic treatment model --including reflexology, healing touch and rhaiki -- to heal the whole person – mind, body and spirit. New Direction offers intensive and nonintensive outpatient treatment designed for clients able to stay abstinent between sessions and who have a supportive living arrangement.
New Direction also offers a community outreach program that provides 10 partial and three full scholarships for treatment. The number of available scholarships is constantly changing as people start and complete treatment – a process that usually ranges from three to nine months.
“Before I felt like I was stuck,” White explained. “At the other programs the groups were too big – 20 or 30 people. It was really different at New Direction, where you’re usually looking at 10 or 12 people at the most in a group. About a month before I was going to complete the program, I told the director, `I really don’t want to start drinking again. Can I volunteer here?’”
New Direction Treatment Services’ owner Donna Butler said yes. And when he said he was interested in becoming a chemical dependency counselor assistant, she told him how to get the information from the state to complete the classes on-line and arranged for him to get the volunteer hours neeeded to get his certification.
“Al is a great addition to New Direction,” Butler said. “He’s dedicated himself to service and he’s very effective with the clients. He’s been invaluable in helping us establish our second location near Fairfield.
“Our main office at 1612 Chase Ave. in Northside was packed, and we needed another location,” she explained. “We were also getting requests to open a center north of Cincinnati ear Butler County.”
To introduce New Direction to the Forest Park and Butler County community, the center will hold a FREE “Open House” and mini-workshop on “Dealing With Angry People” on January 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Holistic practitioners of reflexology, rhaiki and healing touch will also make brief presentations.
The “Dealing with Angry People” workshop is designed for both counseling work and chemical dependency treatment professionals, as well as those who live or work with people with anger issues. For more information on New Direction Treatment Services or to register for the Open House on Jan. 30, call (513) 541-7111 or log onto www.newdirectiontreatment.com
