Claudia Black is a renowned addiction author, speaker and trainer internationally recognized for her pioneering and contemporary work with family systems and addictive disorders. Claudia designs and presents training workshops and seminars to professional audiences in the field of family service, mental health, addiction and correctional services as well as speaking in public forums about addiction and recovery. She speaks to thousands of people every year.
Claudia is the Senior Clinical and Family Services Advisor for Las Vegas Recovery Center and Senior Editorial Advisor for Central Recovery Press. She is the recipient of a number of National awards including the Marty Mann Award, the SECAD Award, the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Addiction Educator of the Year, the 2004 Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Washington School of Social Work, and the 2010 Conway Hunter Award for excellence in the field of addiction. She has written articles for many professional magazines and journals, among them Paradigm, Recovery Today, Counselor Magazine, and has appeared on national television and radio programs. Click for full bio | Claudia's Online Catalog
Special Note from Claudia about A&E's Intervention:
I don’t watch a lot of reality TV, but I am familiar with A&E's Intervention and have seen pieces of it in the past. The series profiles people whose dependence on drugs and alcohol or other compulsive behavior has brought them to a point of personal crisis and estranged them from their friends and loved ones. Each Intervention episode involves a surprise intervention that is staged by the family and friends of the alcohol or drug addict. It was with a bit of surprise just two days before one of my site visits in February to Las Vegas Recovery Center (LVRC), where I serve as clinical and family services advisor, that my colleagues let me know it was likely they would be getting an admission from this show. My site visit serendipitously coincided with the admission of Richard. His twelve weeks of treatment is now ending and sure enough, the show airing his story will be on TV Monday May 10th.
Richard had kept a traumatic childhood event secret all his life. As early as age 11, he used alcohol to numb the emotional pain. As an adult, he was diagnosed with diabetes, and his health problems were exacerbated by his drug and alcohol abuse. He was able to keep his addictions in check while he and his wife, Sandy, raised two children. But when he was injured at work, resulting in chronic pain issues Richard abused his prescriptions and eventually became addicted to crack cocaine.
LVRC was certainly the appropriate treatment center as it excels in complicated detoxification, drug abuse, and has a specialty in working with people addicted to pain pills, often related to chronic pain histories.
After his admission, the camera crew stayed to speak with me and Dr. Mel Pohl, Medical Director of LVRC, an expert on treating chronic pain. I saw Richard again on my subsequent site visit and knew he would be graduating within a few weeks.
One never knows how much film gets left on the cutting room floor, while my part may not be aired, I did want to tell you that this episode titled, RICHARD, airs:
Monday, May 10th 09:00 pm ET
Tuesday, May 11th 01:00 am ET
Click this link if you would like to watch a preview of the episode.
While reality TV focuses on drama, and addicts certainly are capable of supplying such, I was very impressed that Intervention seeks out appropriate treatment facilities for the individual on the show.
Hope you will tune in to watch.
Claudia Black
Claudia discussed her book "Deceived" on One Hour At a Time with Mary Woods on Monday, May 3rd (click to listen).