Nicole Kosanke, PhD, plays a vital role in reshaping addiction support through her work at CMC: Foundation for Change. With a mission to provide families and communities with evidence-based tools, CMC is helping those impacted by substance use develop the skills and compassion needed to create positive change. In this interview, Kosanke offers a deep dive into the unique challenges faced by families, the organization’s innovative Invitation to Change (ITC) approach, and her expert advice for mothers and families dealing with addiction.
| Nicole Kosanke, PhD – CMC: Foundation for Change | |
|---|---|
| Organization | CMC: Foundation for Change |
| Mission | Providing evidence-based tools for change to support families and individuals impacted by substance use, through the Invitation to Change (ITC) approach. |
| https://www.instagram.com/cmcffc/ | |
| https://www.facebook.com/cmcffc | |
| YouTube Channel | https://www.youtube.com/@cmcffc |
| Website | https://cmcffc.org |
| Key Approach | Invitation to Change (ITC) – a blend of evidence-based strategies including Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). |
Can you start by telling us a little about you and your organization? (What is your mission, background, and the key focus areas of your work?)
CMC: Foundation for Change is dedicated to providing evidence-based tools for change to everyone who cares about a person struggling with substance use. We have taken the best science has to offer and translated it into a practical, compassionate, and accessible approach for helping, called the Invitation to Change (ITC).
Could you share how addiction has impacted the communities or individuals you serve? (What are some of the challenges faced by these groups, and how does your organization address them?)
I do this work because it matters to me that more compassion is exercised in the world. With regard to substance use issues, many people struggle, and those around them are often in pain watching them struggle. I think on a human level, a lot of suffering comes from disconnection – “I want to help but I don’t know how to.” I want people to have strategies that work, and being truly compassionate requires effort, exercise, and grounded-ness. The trainings and strategies we use are all about helping people stay grounded in a way that is respectful to themselves and to those struggling with substance use. There’s only so many people I can reach from a therapist’s office. It feels good to make a positive difference in the world by spreading these skills beyond one-on-one interactions.
What advice would you give to mothers who are struggling with their own addiction or are supporting a loved one through theirs? (Any practical tips or words of encouragement?)
I would encourage them to develop a visceral awareness of the fact that they are not alone. I would ask them to push past any impulse to isolate themselves because the idea that there is no way to help isn’t true. There are things you can do to help yourself and others that will cause positive change.
What unique approaches does your organization take to support families affected by addiction? (Do you offer specialized programs, support groups, or counseling services that set your organization apart?)
CMC’s Invitation to Change Approach (ITC) is a unique and powerful blend of evidence-based therapeutic strategies, including: Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT), Motivational Interviewing (MI), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), combined with compassion and kindness in a holistic helping framework. It is user-friendly and designed to give laypeople and health professionals effective ways to help someone struggling with SUD.
Professional Training and Community Collaboration: We train approximately 1,000 helping professionals each year and partner with organizations in underserved communities to offer workshops to help make support available to all.
ITC Community Support Groups: We have trained over 300 facilitators to lead groups in the ITC Approach. These facilitators are typically parents with lived experience who start ITC support groups to serve the needs of their community. There are approximately 60 ongoing groups (and growing) worldwide.
Direct-to-Family Training and Support: We provide ITC training directly to family members, including monthly educational groups, a lunchtime training series, and multi-day workshops. We regularly incorporate feedback from family members into our community-delivered material.
What do you see as the biggest gaps in addiction support and resources today, and how is your organization addressing them? (Identify areas where more work is needed and what steps you are taking to bridge those gaps.)
People all over the world struggle with substances. Here in the United States, approximately 48 million individuals suffer from a substance use disorder, the most severe level of substance use problem. But the impact of this epidemic is even larger than that: an estimated 60 to 80 million family members suffer the consequences of their loved ones’ disorders alongside them. This suffering and its consequences are measurable, affecting these families’ finances, productivity, social life, relationships, and mental health. Moreover, the vast majority of families on this difficult journey are navigating it alone.
It can be incredibly difficult to find help for substance use issues that is truly effective—or even, frankly, adequate. Even in areas where professional help is available, it is often unaffordable for those who are hit the hardest by substance use.
Compounding these geographic and socioeconomic barriers to treatment, cultural messaging can stand in the way as well. The stigma that surrounds substance use is a hugely isolating force and often holds families back from reaching out for help. Parents receive rigid and punitive advice to “use tough love,” “detach,” and let their children “hit bottom.” These messages come not only from friends and relatives (with good intentions) but also from the media, our culture at large, and even many treatment professionals. These ideas are hard on the heart, and most importantly: they don’t work.
This, in turn, points to the final problem for struggling families: that huge numbers have to get by without any evidence-based treatment information or options. The shortage of providers keeps many families away from professional help of any kind, and there is a lack of knowledge that keeps both families and mental health workers in the dark about the most powerful treatment methods for substance use.
The ultimate cost of these barriers is that the burden of helping a loved one with substance use problems is placed almost entirely on families, who are ill-equipped and overwhelmed. This burden is often carried with guilt, shame, and isolation, which increases the overall suffering of parents, spouses, siblings, and other concerned family members.
The ITC training exists to remedy this unmitigated suffering. Our approach invites change by shifting perspectives on substance use, opening up new pathways of positive communication, and allowing a place for self-compassion––all of which contribute to participants’ ability to engage with their situation, and with their loved one, in ways that connect back to what they value most. Meanwhile, professionals who attend will enhance their understanding of substance issues, the families who struggle with them, and best of all, how to offer meaningful support to those families in a treatment context.
How does your organization measure success and impact in your addiction-related programs? (What metrics, feedback, or outcomes do you use to evaluate your effectiveness?)
CMCcollects surveys for all of our training programs on user satisfaction. Additionally, we have a robust data collection process associated with our community groups program. We collect data on how those services impacted the wellbeing of group attendees, giving us crucial data to understand how we are actually improving (or not improving) the lives of the participants we serve. By collaborating closely with group leaders, we conduct surveys before and after each 15-week group (i.e., pre and post group) that allow us to assess aggregate changes in the following dimensions:
- Emotional functioning (e.g., participants report on levels of depression, anxiety)
- Social Support. (e.g., participants report on the frequency and quality of the social support they are receiving)
- Application of the ITC concepts and skills (participants report on the frequency with which they use the understanding, awareness, and communication strategies entailed in the ITC program)
- Quality of interactions with their loved one (participants report on the level of conflict in their interactions with their loved one)
- Perception of changes in their loved one’s substance use
Are there any specific resources, programs, or strategies that you found particularly helpful in dealing with addiction? (What would you recommend to others in similar situations?)
Our website resources page has many potential resources: https://cmcffc.org/resources.
Also, a special shout-out to: https://helpingfamilieshelp.com/.
