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Report from the Guelph Congress
By Marty N.
The people of Guelph Ontario
Canada extended a warm welcome to the 2005 LifeRing Congress this past
weekend, April 29-May 1. We had advance coverage in both of the local
daily newspapers, and a wide range of local businesses -- from a
prestigious law firm to the local McDonald's -- made
donations to
defray Congress expenses. Staff at the University of Guelph,
which was on summer recess notwithstanding occasional snow
flurries, extended themselves to attend to our needs and make us
feel comfortable. The general feeling was that Canada welcomes
LifeRing. Following a
relaxed reception in the Faculty Club Friday night, the public
portion of the program got underway promptly at 8:30 the following
morning in the University's high-tech Rozanski Hall. Jason
Kelly, LifeRing convenor, Congress coordinator, and Master of
Ceremonies, welcomed the
early-morning audience of more than 50, outlined the day's
program, and introduced the speakers.
The first was noted senior Canadian
researcher
Alan Ogborne, whose work on the
comparative effectiveness of Canadian treatment methods replicates
the meta-analysis performed for the U.S. by Drs. Reid Hester and
William R. Miller in their Handbook of Alcoholism Treatment
Approaches (see
review). Dr. Ogborne, a well-tailored and scholarly
gentleman with a slight British accent, told the group that the
methods used by LifeRing are among the most demonstrably effective
modalities in addiction treatment today. His analysis proceeded
methodically through the challenges of proving effectiveness, much
like a lecture in sociological research methods. His
repeated endorsement of the LifeRing approach gained in weight
from the scientific thoroughness of his discussion. Dr.
Ogborne, a long-time observer, also said that the conference today
was a sign of important new developments in addiction recovery in
Canada. Dr.
Ronald Warner, head of the Solution Focused Therapy
(SFT) certification
panel in Toronto, spoke next. Warner's gentle, informal,
fatherly manner belied his commitment to a radically different,
nontraditional approach to psychology. In contrast to the
many varieties of the psychoanalytic approach, which believes that
the patient must deeply explore the problem in order to find
healing, the SF approach leads the patient forward to visualize
the solution and to construct incremental practical steps for
achieving it. Where the traditional approach asks patients
to explore their weaknesses, SFT explores and builds on inherent
strengths. After lecturing on general principles for about
half an hour, Dr. Warner called for a volunteer from the audience
to demonstrate the approach. This turned out to be a young
man who kept getting fired from jobs because he was insubordinate.
He had gone through analysis and knew very well that his problem
was rooted in his relationship with his parents, particularly his
father, but this knowledge did not translate into changes in his
behavior. Dr. Warner helped him assess his strengths, began
working out an action plan to change his behavior, and gave him
confidence to face a job interview on Monday. Dr. Warner
also had several positive things to say about the LifeRing
approach. Those of us who were familiar with LifeRing
immediately saw many points of congruence. I hope to provide
a more extended discussion of SFT for LifeRing convenors
separately. After a
lunch of fresh sandwiches and treats prepared by the University's
hospitality staff, the afternoon session began with my talk
entitled "Empower Your Sober Self -- the DNA of LifeRing."
This covered some of the same material as in my
"LifeRing 101" presentation to the 2002 Congress but I chose
to deliver it extemporaneously because I felt that narrating a
PowerPoint presentation would be boring. Besides, I wanted
to play with the auditorium's state-of-the-art electronic
whiteboard. The circles and arrows I drew with markers on
the regular size whiteboard behind me were projected in huge
replicas on the giant screens over my head. The audience
responded well, and the question period was positive and
reinforcing.
Charlotte Kasl, whose 1992 book Many
Roads One Journey (see
review) opened new doors for countless recovering people,
myself included, brought the afternoon to a warm close.
Charlotte is small in stature but large in presence. She blended
familiar material from her old book with other themes from her
newer books in a loosely structured tapestry rich in visual
appeal. Charlotte has great resonance with her diverse
audience; she projects a feeling of empathy and support that left
the group feeling stronger and more confident. As one
questioner pointed out, Charlotte's positive and respectful method
was a great fit with the LifeRing approach.
Jason closed the speaker program
with a message of thanks to the
sponsors and donors who had helped make the Congress possible.
After a short break, those of us who still had the stamina
reconvened in a classroom for a convenor workshop chaired by Katie
F. of Berkeley. Several Canadians who had just begun
or were about to begin new LifeRing meetings were present. The
workshop focused on starting new meetings, covering much of the
material contained in Ch. 13 of
How Was Your Week,
the convenor handbook. This was a productive, upbeat
session. The University's
Faculty Club hosted more than 40 diners for a feast Saturday
evening, interrupted between the manicotti and the salad by a
timely fire drill to allow us to walk a bit, take the air, and
make room for the main course. The
menu lived up to its billing. There were no speeches, not
counting a short message of thanks from the Board members present,
who voted unanimously to commend and to thank Congress coordinator
Jason Kelly for his excellent organizing work. On Sunday, delegates from U.S. and Canadian
LifeRing meetings assembled in the LifeRing Congress proper, the
Delegates' Assembly. Although post-9/11 border-crossing
paranoia and the high cost of air travel kept the number of U.S.
delegates below potential, there was representation from both US
coasts. The Vancouver B.C. meetings were also
represented. The
Congress heard the
annual report from the Board of Directors,
which I presented in summary form. We deferred the financial
report because of the unavoidable absence of Chet Gardiner, CFO.
The Congress spent a major amount of time hearing and discussing
reports from the meetings, both f2f and online. We then went
to Board elections. Gillian Ellenby retired from the Board
to devote more time to her real estate career, and also announced
her intention to hand over the office of Secretary. The
Congress elected Katie Frohmberg of Berkeley to Gillian's seat on
the Board. Robert ("Itchy") Bradley of Morgantown W.VA was then
re-elected to the Board for another three-year term. Turning
to new business, the Congress
unanimously approved the newsletter proposal
published in the prototype issue and placed before the Congress as
a motion. The Congress discussed the concept of establishing
a Treatment Professionals' Advisory Board and instructed the Board
to come up with a specific proposal in the form of a proposed
Bylaws amendment for the 2006 Congress. The Congress also
discussed fundraising, media promotion, convenor training and
other issues; for specifics, please see the Congress minutes when
they are posted. The discussion was positive, earnest,
pragmatic, and productive.
The new Board of Directors met
immediately after the Congress. It applauded and thanked Gillian
Ellenby for her service as Secretary, and elected Katie Frohmberg
as the new Secretary. It also considered and approved CFO
Chet Gardiner's emailed motion to appoint Carola Z. as CFO, and
commended and thanked Chet for his years of service in that
position. Carola has credentials and professional experience
as an accountant, which will be welcome as LifeRing moves into a
higher gear financially. Finally, the Board set the San
Francisco Bay Area as the venue for the 2006 Congress, with a
projected date in the month of March. For details, see the
Board minutes.
-- Rev'd 5/9/05
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