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“I’ve worked in chemical dependency treatment and case management for 20 years, and I didn’t know how cynical I had become over these years. IDDT helps me see my clients with new perspective.”
--Darnella Allen, BA, LICDC
Use this Podcast for the following:
• Classroom discussions
• Team meetings
• New-staff orientation
• Continuing education
• Professional development
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REFRESHING THE HEART
Substance abuse counselor Darnella Allen discovers that IDDT gives permission to use her compassionate self as inspiration for change
—by Paul M. Kubek and Matthew K. Weiland
Living two seemingly separate lives never seemed quite right to Darnella Allen, BA, LICDC, of Cleveland. There was her life as an ordained minister, where she felt free to use her compassionate, forgiving, and supportive self to help people. And there was her life as an addictions counselor, where she felt skeptical of the motives of people who abused alcohol and other drugs. She spent some 20 years living with this conflict. Then she was hired as a case manager at Mental Health Services, Inc. (MHS) in Cleveland, which helps homeless persons with severe mental illness and other vulnerable populations. MHS has been utilizing IDDT for several years.
The Conversation
Allen and other colleagues from MHS attended the 2008 Annual Ohio SAMI CCOE/IDDT Conference, which took place in Columbus on September 16 & 17. For her, it was an extension of her orientation to the philosophies and practices of MHS.
She caught up with us between workshops sessions, curious about our audio project but hesitant to participate in fear that she might not have much to say about IDDT because of her novitiate status. She began telling us about a conversion-like experience she had during an “Introduction to IDDT” workshop at the conference. Her insight and enthusiasm had a buoying effect.
.MP3 PLAYLIST
1.) IDDT Refreshing the Heart (1m 52s)
IDDT’s “stages of treatment” is a tool of compassion, enabling service providers to meet each consumer wherever he or she is on the road to recovery and to walk together—in synch, in step.
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2.) Replacing the Cynicism with Compassion (2m 1s)
I didn’t realize I was protecting myself from being hurt and disappointed so much. IDDT can help seasoned care providers replace the protective shield of cynicism and confrontation with a renewed sense of compassion for the trials of each individual.
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3.) Reinvigorating My Approach (2m 31s)
I have stepped into newness—a new life. I don’t have any preconceived notions about IDDT because it’s new to me. I want to learn as much as I can, and I want to learn more about outcomes and how I can use them in my work.
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4.) Growing as a Person and a Professional (2m 25s)
It is easy to forget that this field of work is a gift. It’s not just a job. It’s spiritual. Truly make it personal. Take a self-inventory. Learn this model and keep learning it. It can put joy and excitement back into your work.
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Paul M. Kubek, MA, is director of communications and Matthew K. Weiland, MA, is senior writer, producer, and new-media specialist at the Center for Evidence-Based Practices at Case Western Reserve University.
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