We asked Becky Flood, CEO and Executive Director for New Directions for Women, to give us a general reflection on her experience and employment in the treatment field. We asked her to give us honest reflection about why she works so hard and continues to pursue a sober world. She kindly obliged and we have transcribed her response for educational and empowerment purposes.

Read and enjoy this one-on-one conversation with Becky Flood.

Question: Can you give us general reflection on the treatment field?

The treatment field is only about 65, 70 years old. So as a profession, it’s a new profession. So there’s gonna be an evolution. It’s not like the medical profession or the legal profession that’s been around since the beginning of man. So we need to be change agents, we need to always strive for excellence.

Only in the last five years have we [treatment field professionals and representatives] gone from believing that this [alcohol and drug addiction] was a medical model disease to now looking at it as a chronic illness. The medical model looks at it being very finite. The medical field treats this disease with 30 days’ worth of treatment, and you’re good to go, go to meetings, and life is good.

A chronic disease model, which is now what we are wedded to, says that you have to monitor that person over a lifetime. It’s like having diabetes; it’s like having heart disease; in that once you have it, you always have it. It means that there’s a larger acceptance to the fact that people may relapse at some point throughout their life. Relapses, then, is not necessarily seen as a treatment failure or a failure in their recovery process, but a journey of their recovery process.

Leaders need to realize that as this is a new profession and as a disease that’s relatively new, identified as relatively new, it’s been around since we’ve been crushing grapes with our feet. The treatment of it is relatively new, and so we have to always be willing to be involved in research and understand that new treatment regiments and best practices will evolve over time.

I think it’s important to realize that true recovery from this disease is threefold. It’s physical, it’s emotional and spiritual. Any treatment service that does not encompass the spiritual, the emotional and the physiological is doing a disservice to the people who are being treated.

You know, I refer to addiction as the hole in the soul of America. Until that hole gets filled… I always say that we don’t have to worry about being destroyed from outside entities ‘cause we’ll self-destruct. It’s a disease of denial. When I talk about denial, I’m talking about our government denies it, our medical profession denies it, our spouses deny it, the guidance counselors deny it. There’s just a lot of minimizing, justifying, and rationalizing why Sue isn’t that sick or why, you know, James really – his life could have been different having made different choices, when in reality, had he ever received the treatment he needed for the right duration of the time, the right intensity of time, his life would have been dramatically different.

Question: Why do treatment centers exist? For those who do not know anything about chemical dependency rehab, or addiction treatment centers?

The first thing I would say is that there’s very few of us in this country that don’t have a loved one, either a family member or a close friend or a coworker that we care about, that has not been affected negatively by the use of alcohol or drugs, either prescription or illicit drugs.

Treatment facilities exist to address the symptoms of someone that you care about who has a drug and alcohol addiction. Treatment centers exists because alcoholism and drug addiction are diagnosable diseases by the AMA, the American Medical Association. Like any other disease, there are treatment services, some hospital-based, some freestanding, that are available to care for people who suffer from this disease.

Question: Why are you so passionate about treatment?

First and foremost, I’m a recovering addict and alcoholic. Secondly, I’m passionate about helping people. I’ve been doing this since I was eighteen years old. So it’s my life’s vocation, my life’s work. It’s what I get up in the morning to do. In particularly, women and children and adolescents. Also, adolescents and women seem to be an underserved population that tend to be marginalized and have the least services and the most barriers in order to get care. So any population that is marginalized or has limited resources suffering from this disease is a population that I put my energy into.

Question:What would you say to the CEO’s in the treatment field? (Advice to the CEO)

One is education, two is education, and I could go on saying it. Make sure that you have the right degrees, the right licenses, the right certifications in order to practice specifically in this field. Just because you’re a doctor or just because you’re a counselor; just because you’re a therapist does not qualify you, necessarily, to treat addictive disorders.

I do not believe that you need to be in recovery to be good at assisting those that suffer or their family members. I do believe that if you are non-recovering, you need to take time to go to twelve-step meetings. You need to read the big book of Alcoholics Anonymous. You need to read the basic text of Narcotics Anonymous. You need to read the big book of Overeaters Anonymous. You need to make sure that you read, study, and participate in open meetings as the CEO. That doesn’t mean going to one or two. It means go to them over a period of years so that you understand how to integrate self-help into your clinical practice or your medical practice, and that you can seek from your heart, not just from your head, about what recovery is all about.

You can’t expect others to do what you, yourself, aren’t willing to do. I think it’s important to work at lower levels. It’s important to work in the trenches. It’s important to work in billing and collections. It’s important to work in the admissions office. It’s important to be on the front clinical lines. It’s important to work as a salesperson.

Secondary Question: Why is it important to work at the lower levels and in the trenches?

Because it’s hard to understand and provide leadership if you don’t have an intimate understanding how a treatment program really operates. But make sure that over time, even as things change, that you always take time to sit within your departments and understand what changes have taken place.

We hope that this article has helped you to understand the passion of the leadership at New Directions for Women!

If you wish to learn more about New Directions for Women contact us at Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or simply by phone at 949-313-1192.

New Directions for Women is striving to improve the level of care we can offer to women, children and their families. We recognize how important this task is. We recognize that the life changing work of treatment and recovery is worth investing time and resources to ensure the best product. We know that none of this is possible without the effort and support of dedicated and empathetic employees. Every month, New Directions for Women holds an employee luncheon purposed to create fellowship, create community, inspire determination, and appreciate those who diligently serve to keep this organization running.

New Directions rewarded and acknowledged two of its outstanding employees as Employee of the Quarter and Employee of the Year.

New Directions for Women proudly recognized Sharifa Sharaf (Care Coordinator) who has gone above and beyond in her work to service the women, children and families we treat.

Becky Flood congratulating Sharifa as her peers look on

New Directions for Women also celebration Justa Guzman (Care Coordinator Supervisor) who was recognized as Employee of the Year.

Becky Flood congratulating Justa Gomez as her peers look on

New Directions for Women has the recognition system in place to reward those individuals who not only suit up and show up, but go above and beyond what is expected of them. The recognition process is an important piece of employee engagement and employee retention efforts. The process has been evolving in order to meet the needs of our growing facility and staff.

We encourage the staff to pay attention to each others effort hoping to yield an appreciative atmosphere. We look forward to sharing new developments as we move forward.

Wish to learn more about New Directions for Women? Contact us/Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or simply by phone at 949-313-1192.

Mindfulness is an ancient form of awareness. It has been used, typically in the Buddhist lifestyle, to clear the conscious, relieve stress, improve thought process, and stimulate productivity. Today, it has been integrated into the addiction treatment field as a tool for recovery: a practice known as Mindfulness Meditation. It has proved to be extremely helpful as patients battle emotional responses and physiological cravings.

New Directions for Women recently hosted a Mindfulness Meditation workshop. We were fortunate enough to be taught on this subject by Fran DiDomenicis, Ph.D. Dr DiDomenicis is a psychologist in private practice in the San Francisco East Bay area. He has spent more than 35 years pursuing progress for those who suffer from addiction. He founded the Delaware Association for Children of Alcoholics and completed his dissertation on the personality traits of adult children of alcoholics and the prevalence of a variety of emotional stressors in alcoholic families. Dr. Fran has integrated his years of experience with his learning from the Buddhist field to improve the addiction treatment field.

Dr DiDomenicis led a seminar during our Annual Professionals Weekend, introducing more than 35 individuals to the advantages of Mindfulness Meditation in the treatment field. Many were familiar with this topic, and all attendees were glad to learn more about how this ancient practice could be easily integrated into treatment. They were particularly surprised at how mindfulness meditation can offer alternatives to medication while contributing to the types of therapy already offered.

New Directions for Women is committed to offering the highest level of care for women, children and their families. What better way than to integrate a practice that teaches self control, emotional stability, and combats addictive habits through the process of being aware and present!

If you wish to learn more about Mindfulness Meditation or New Directions for Women contact us at Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or simply by phone at 949-313-1192.

Mindfulness Meditation Led by Dr. Fran DiDomenicis

For over three decades, New Directions has been a leader in the addiction field, while providing a gender separate, long term continuum of care for all women, pregnant women, and women with children. We exist to provide a place where women and their families can begin the journey of recovery. We pride ourselves in providing a safe, caring, and home-like environment to help women, their children and families achieve and maintain responsible recovery.

We also pride ourselves in developing industry and community relationships so that all women can take advantage of drug and alcohol rehab and recovery. Our goal is to not allow finances, location, or other barriers to prohibit any woman or family from taking advantage of available treatment services.

Consequently, we hold an annual Professionals Weekend, which offers an opportunity for treatment field representatives and industry professionals to travel to Southern California with New Directions for Women as their host. We offer networking, fellowship, relaxation, and the opportunity to learn more about New Directions for Women’s unique and specialized services.

October 27th-29^th, 2011 marked this year’s Professional’s Weekend gathering. It featured a CEU training on Mindfulness Meditation, luxurious networking meals, open 12-step meetings, drum circle therapy on the beach, a relaxing resort spa afternoon, and recreational golfing opportunities. We were joined by 30 professionals from the national treatment field –  from as far away as New Jersey and Texas. We enjoyed connecting face-to face, and look forward to working together effectively and collaboratively in the future.

Missed our latest Professionals Weekend? We have provided a slide show providing a glimpse of what you missed. If you wish to connect with New Directions for Women Call us at 800-939-6636 or find us on Facebook, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn 

Enjoy the pictures!

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New Directions for Women and National Therapeutic Services will be hosting a special NAATP Now Event in Orange County, California on January 12 – 14th.  We invite CEOS and Executive Directors of West Coast treatment providers to attend in order to spend time with other NAATP members and treatment providers and gain a better understanding of the benefits of membership. This is an opportunity for NAATP members and interested addiction treatment providers to build a deeper and more meaningful relationship with other leaders of the field in the West Coast Region. CEOs and Executive Directors that are not members of NAATP will learn more about how NAATP can support their organization.

This is also an opportunity to learn more about the political landscape of addiction treatment both locally and nationally. Several NAATP Board members will be present and available, and senators of the Recovery Caucus of California have been invited to join us. This event will provide us with the chance to discuss the critical issues that are facing health care reform and parity in terms of addiction.

If you would like to attend, please make a reservation at the Wyndham Hotel, Orange County, by calling (714) 751-5100. Let them know you will be here for the NAATP Now event, and they will extend the special rate of $129.00 per night. Also, please notify Courtney Mason at cmason@newdirectionsforwomen.org or 203.803.6895. This page will be updated with the most up-to-date information on this event.

Please register here for individual events.

Tentative Agenda

Thursday, January 12, 2012   

-6:00 pm    Guest Arrival, Wyndham Hotel Orange County

6:30pm –9:00 pm     Panel with Heads of Recovery Caucus & Reception Dinner, New Directions for Women Campus

Friday, January 13, 2012                  

7:30 am- 8:30am      Optional 12 Step Meeting, Wyndham Hotel, Symphony Room

8:30 am- 9:30am       Breakfast, National Therapeutic Services

9:30am—12:00pm    State of the Union Report on Addiction

1:00pm – 6:00pm      Free Time Activities:  Golfing or Spa Service

7:30pm-9:30pm          Dinner and New Member Presentation by Dwayne Beason

Saturday, January 14, 2012                           

7:00am – 8:00am     Optional 12 Step Meeting,  Wyndham Hotel, Symphony Room

8:00am-9:00am         Breakfast w/ Q&A with NAATP Board, Wyndham Hotel

9:30am-11:30am        PAC Presentation by Ed Diehl, Wyndham Hotel

What a wonderful time we shared during this year’s Alumnae Cruise!

New Directions for Women hosted our Annual Alumnae Reunion Harbor Cruise this past September 2011.  Over forty women in recovery and their guests celebrated the glories of recovery with a day of pampering and fun.

In honor of Recovery Month, we held a women’s 12 Step Meeting on the top deck of the yacht, as we were surrounded by other sailboats in the beautiful Newport Beach Harbor. There is nothing like sharing the freedom of sobriety over the cool breeze of the Newport Harbor. If you have not taken advantage of this opportunity next year is your year!

However, the fun did not end with the 12 Step meeting. We all let loose with a Karaoke session and fun dance party. Over a gourmet lunch we socialized and took advantage of the opportunity to connect with other sisters in the quest for a sober world. One guest won a $30 Starbucks gift card, and everyone shared how blessed they felt to be with their sisters in sobriety on a boat in the beautiful Newport Harbor.

We were happy to connect with Hallie Metzler with OneRecovery. She attended the cruise hoping to educate our guests on the benefits of OneRecovery, which is an online social network service for NDFW alumnae to maintain supportive relations.  

New Directions staff would like to thank all the women who took the time to attend and share the lovely day with us, as well as the staff and crew of the Dreammaker Yacht and Adventures at Sea.

Missed this year’s celebration? Want to connect or re-connect with New Directions for Women and our Alumnae Association? Call us 800-939-6636 or find us on facebook, Twitter, and/or LinkedIn 

We have posted picture below for your enjoyment

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NDFW recognizes Geity for her wonderful service

For the past 3 years New Directions for Women has celebrated the presence of an excellent and hard working individual. The year 2008 marked the date when Geity Parmach entered the doors of New Directions with the goal of managing billing records. This is one of the many important tasks that occur in the administrative halls of NDFW.

Her responsibility included:

• making sure all the committed funding was received

• pursuing insurance companies

• coordinating with private pay commitments

• clarifying treatment recommendations and cost,

• managing the agreement between the insured and the insurance company

• managing written and electronic insurance records

• Pursuing new, and more accomodating, agreements with insurance companies

among many other tasks that help New Directions offer quality care and transformative treatment to those in need.

We understand the importance of this position, and also that it may be difficult to always perform this task with positivity and passion.

For the past three years, Geity has done nothing less. Outside of performing her written job with competence and accuracy, she is known by NDFW staff and volunteer peers as the “gorgeous and smiling” one. When called upon, she assisted the HR department and served at the reception desk. During employee recognition gatherings she was often recognized for going above and beyond the “call of duty.”

Unfortunately, New Directions for Women has to say goodbye to Geity as she moves forward into other vocational opportunities. She promises her availability to support the efforts of NDFW.

We wish to salute Geity for her service, wishing her continued success in her future endeavors. She has left a mark on the hearts of us all.

Becky Flood at NCAD 2011 presenting on "Pinking the Industry"

New Directions for Women strives to transform women, children, and their families, one day at a time. Part of this mission includes reaching out to the treatment field by offering lessons that improve the quality of care that each center is able to offer, or improve the addiction treatment field as a whole.

Recently, Rebecca Flood, CEO of New Directions for Women in Costa Mesa, CA offered a presentation on “the Pinking of the Industry.” In this presentation, Becky offered a description of how the treatment field has evolved since its inception. She also offered commentary about where the field is going and the steps that should be taken to insure the improvement of quality care for those who suffer from addiction and mental illness.

Her presentation left an impression with local media representatives as they covered the conference. We have posted an article below on her presentation. If you missed this presentation and wish to have Becky present at your location, please contact Tania Bhattacharyya at 949.313.1192 x 300 or tania@newdirectionsforwomen.org.

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Preparing women for leadership roles in the addiction field

Posted on: 9.20.2011 4:26:59 PM Posted by Nick Zubko, Associate Editor

The demographics of the addiction field are changing. According to Rebecca Flood, LCADC, NCACII, BRI II, executive director and CEO of New Directions for Women, Inc., there’s an “aging out” of leadership in the addiction field, opening the door for women (who now make up 70% of the field) to assume those roles.

“Those positions are going to be open, and then tag, you’re it … whether you want to or not,” Flood said during her presentation at the 2011 National Conference on Addiction Disorders (NCAD) titled “The Pinking of the Addiction Industry.”

But the bigger question, she noted, is whether enough women are going to be ready.

According to Flood, women in the field need to make the effort to get to know one another, create mentorship programs and share mistakes in order to learn from them and pass on the skill and knowledge they will need to lead the field.

In addition, she talked about the different methods that men and women use in leadership roles, and why it’s important to recognize and understand the differences. While boys are “raised to go on the battlefield and come out as friends,” Flood noted that girls tend to grow up much differently.

“Women are not nice to each other, because many of us were not raised in a way that taught us how to play nice,” she said. “Instead, you learn that the prettiest one wins, which puts us in direct competition at all times.”

As a result, Flood said female leaders need to understand where they came from, how they got there, and where they really want to go in order to address the “workforce crisis” that isn’t going to resolve itself.

“We’re the ones who are going to have to come up with the solutions,” Flood said. “So we have no choice but to figure out how to play nice with each other.”

If you know a woman who is suffering from addiction and want to recommend a drug and alcohol rehab facility for women, pregnant women, or women with children consider us. Contact us 24 hours a day on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or simply by phone at 949-313-1192.

Please join us for a workshop on the Applications of Mindfulness to Addictions Treatment and Relapse Prevention. This half day workshop will introduce participants to the basics of mindfulness and how it can be applied to addictions treatment and relapse prevention, and provide 4 continuing education units (CEU’s).

 
Participants will be guided through a selection of mindfulness practices to get first hand appreciation of how mindfulness can help to relax the mind/body and provide mental “spaciousness” that helps reduce the grip of cravings and distressing emotions. We will also overview several specific therapeutic approaches that integrate mindfulness as a key component of treatment. Online and printed resources will be provided for students’ further study and for use within their treatment settings.

RSVP by October 14, 2011 by registering here, or returning our Registration Form (click here to view) to tania@newdirectionsforwomen.org. Please call 949.313.1192 ext. 300  if you have any questions. 

Event Info
When: Friday, October 28, 2011
Time: 8:30 am – 1:30 pm
Cost: $45 per person, including Breakfast and Lunch. Parking will be $2.
 
New Directions for Women is proudly sponsoring this event in order to disseminate this helpful information to as many practitioners as possible.
 
Location
Wyndham, Orange County
3350 Avenue of the Arts, Costa Mesa, California 92626
 
Schedule
8:30 – 9:30 am, Registration and Breakfast

9:30 – 12:00 pm – Introduction to Mindfulness practices, applications to addiction recovery, experiential exercises in sitting meditation and walking meditation, with opportunities for questions and suggestions for how to apply mindfulness to treatment settings.

12:00 – 12:45 pm – Lunch and Networking

12:45 to 1:30- Presentation of several mindfulness approaches to treatment and relapse prevention.
This seminar will provide 4 continuing education units (CEU’s).
CAADAC Provider # 1N-05-548-1011;
BBS Approval # PCE358
About Fran DiDomenicis, Ph.D.
Fran DiDomenicis, Ph.D. is a psychologist in private practice the San Francisco East Bay area. Fran started his career as an Addictions Counselor with the Delaware Division of Alcoholism, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health in 1973. During his 15 years with the Division he also trained counselors and other addictions staff in a variety of treatment, prevention and supervision approaches. Fran is proud to have founded and served as first President of the Delaware Association for Children of Alcoholics in the mid 1980′s. He completed his doctoral program in 1990 at Temple University in Philadelphia. His dissertation focused on the personality traits of adult children of alcoholics and the prevalence of a variety of emotional stressors in alcoholic families.

Fran’s interest and practice of meditation goes back to his late teens. With experience in a variety of traditions and techniques, he currently integrates the principles and practices of mindfulness, taught in many Buddhist traditions, into his work with clients to address a variety of concerns such as anxiety, depression, and addictions. To visit Fran online, go to www.east-bay-counseling.com
 
About New Directions for Women
New Directions for Women is a safe, caring and sensitive residential treatment facility for women, pregnant women, and women with their children, located in Orange County, CA. By providing exceptional, gender-separate and specific addiction treatment services that are grounded in 12-Step principles, New Directions assists women, families and their children to achieve sustained responsible recovery.

New Directions for Women hosted our Annual Open House on August 24^th, 2011. The sun gently graced our beautiful 3-acre facility permitting comfortable breezes from the Newport Back Bay Nature Preserve, as we welcomed more than 160 people to this year’s event. What a wonderful opportunity it was to share our campus with neighbors, community members, recovery supporters, NDFW Alumnae, Repeat Boutique Fans and Volunteers, and local partnering organizations.

This year we featured free massage chair massages, free caricature drawings, great music selections from DJ Wayne Harrington with Celebrations of Sound, a catered dinner by our Chef Glenda, a bounce house for the children, as well as informational tours exposing people to our luxury rehab center for women and the transformative environment offered at New Directions for Women.

Everyone who attended was afforded an opportunity to participate in a raffle that featured top-of-the-line prizes, including a brand new Netbook, romantic and therapeutic dinners, self defense classes, and much more. We raised nearly 700 dollars through donations and raffle participation, all of which goes to the improving the quality addiction treatment services we offer.

We are proud to announce and celebrate this year’s Raffle Prize winners:

• Dinner for Two at Five Crowns Restaurant – John L.

• Consultation and Acupuncture Treatment with Dr. Sabhash – Leia A.
• $100 Gift Certificate for Surfside – Yolanda
• A Pass for Two on a Hornblower Cruise – Pat L.
• Two Hour Self Defense Class at Bob White’s Karate Studio – Karie K.
• Brand new Netbook – Stephanie R.
• $75 Gift Certificate to Sol Grill – Caroline P.

We want to say thank you to those who stopped by this year’s Open House. We encourage you to continue to support and inform other about the transformative practices happening at NDFW. Thank you those who continue to donate time, talent, and treasure to support our vision of transforming women, families and their children, one day at a time.

If you know of someone who may be interested in learning more about New Directions for Women, we can be followed on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.

Please enjoy the pictures we have posted below. We hope to see you at next year’s celebration in August of 2012!

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