Christopher A. Suchanek, Interventionist and Recovery Consultant, has been actively working in the field of Intervention for Domestic Violence and Chemical Dependency for the better part of the last decade
Intervention is a term that is misunderstood or has negative connotations to it. Often people think of an intervention as an intrusive practice or that it makes someone a "meddler" in someone else's life.
Chris' initial experience with interventions and process groups was that of a personal and individual nature. But as he was learning to face the fears that led to his addictions and build new patterns of behavior, he started to notice that he was able to share his experiences in a manner that other struggling addicts would be able to relate to in a powerful way. He then began to speak of his experiences in meetings and support groups throughout Southern California, which led to increasing invitations to speak and a growing number of people noting that they understood their behavior, and were learning to overcome it, in a new and profound way.
Given the level of success that he was experiencing, and having a sense of personal fulfillment like never before, Chris decided that he wanted to re-focus his life work towards helping others achieve the same level of personal freedom that he attained in his own life. He decided to return to school to pursue a Chemical Dependency Certification. While in school, he was hired by an agency to facilitate domestic violence groups, which later helped earn him a Certification in Domestic Violence. This training has now opened up many other opportunities to help others, and has enabled him to conduct multiple interventions on addictions and process disorders with a very high success rate.
Chris is a Certified Addiction Specialist who leads recovery workshops, and has worked in the field of mental health in a variety of capacities. Chris has conducted continued educational training, is a referral resource for the CA State Bar LAP, has lead court-mandated domestic violence classes as a certified domestic violence facilitator, dual-diagnosis relief counselor, has facilitated PC 1000 drug diversion classes, drug counseling classes, & parenting classes, and volunteers in recovery, small group planning and process group development.
Chris believes that it is his own personal experience with addiction and recovery, combined with intense, dedicated training and certification programs that enable him to so effectively reach out to others that are struggling. He is able to speak to the addict in a way that they understand, and once they are listening, he is able to apply the skills he has gathered through training and education to assist them to a lasting recovery.
Armed with his unique ability, Chris has stepped out and specialized in the gentle, nurturing and motivational model of intervention and recovery consultation, which addresses the effects of addiction on the whole family.
