Interventionists

Candy Finnigan, BRI II

Board Registered Interventionist (Level) II

A nationally recognized addiction specialist, Finnigan has been involved in all areas of recovery for more than 15 years. She received her certification in chemical dependency from UCLA and completed her internship at Cedars-Sinai Hospital, where she worked in addiction services.

Finnigan was certified in sex addiction and codependency at The Meadows. She received intervention training from the man who developed the process, Dr. Vern Johnson. "I feel extremely fortunate to have been personally trained by Dr. Johnson."

Finnigan has been affiliated as an interventionist with the Betty Ford Center, Sierra Tucson, The Meadows, Cottonwood de Tucson, Promises West and Malibu, Vista Taos, Hazelden, Talbots, Caron, and other treatment centers.

Besides interventionist training, Finnigan is an expert in relapse prevention and family and individual counseling. She has extensive experience in assessment, placement, and aftercare treatment. She is an experienced group facilitator for both adolescent and adult clients.

Personally in recovery for over 23 years, Candy states, "I was inspired to go into this work because I saw that as a recovering woman, I might be able to connect with suffering people in a way that others couldn't," she says. "It's not just my work, it's my life."

In April of 2008, she published a new book, When Enough is Enough: A Comprehensive Guide to Successful Intervention, that provides advice to family members thinking about an intervention.

To learn more about Candy Finnigan, visit http://www.candyfinnigan.com.

Jeff VanVonderen, BRI II

Board Registered Interventionist (Level) II

A sought after speaker and consultant, Jeff VanVonderen has more than 25 years of experience counseling individuals, families and organizations in the areas of addiction, family systems and recovery.

He is the author of five books: Good News for the Chemically Dependent, Families Where Grace is in Place, When God's People Let You Down and best-sellers Tired of Trying to Measure Up and The Subtle Power of Spiritual Abuse. His published works have been translated into several languages and much of his material is available in audio and video.

VanVonderen has been featured in magazines and broadcast media around the country and has appeared as an expert witness in cases involving issues of abuse in Alabama, Hawaii, Minnesota, Washington, and Wyoming.

"Quite often people try, with the best of intentions, to help themselves or their loved ones through a problem or crisis, only to discover that the help is not only not helpful, but even harmful," says VanVonderen. "They find themselves supporting and helping to prolong on the outside, the very thing they do not support on the inside."

He goes on to say: "Individuals and families become dysfunctional by accident. But they get well on purpose and this is what I'm about, helping them do that."

To learn more about Jeff VanVonderen, visit: http://www.jeffvanvonderen.com.

Donna Chavous, RAS

Registered Addiction Specialist

Donna Chavous entered the recovery community in 1995 kicking and screaming, not wanting to change her life. She was introduced to recovery through an intervention by a friend, her family and the local police department.

Born and raised in Los Angeles, California, Donna graduated from the University of Southern California with a bachelor's degree in English and headed straight to the Hollywood scene. She stepped into the fast lane, representing actors as a Hollywood agent, and eventually crashed and burned.

A few years after getting sober and returning to Hollywood, she suffered the loss of a colleague and a client from the disease of addiction. These losses dramatically changed her perspective on life, so she decided to take a job at a treatment center in Malibu, California.

While working at the treatment center, Donna further enhanced her knowledge of how addiction affects the family as well as the patient. Sober for 16 years, she believes that her experience with people from all walks of life has enabled her to utilize her gift of gab to compassionately guide those who need help to make a positive change.

Donna loves the intervention process. It saved her life and has allowed her to assist others in potentially saving theirs. She currently resides in New York City and has been performing interventions nationwide for the past nine years.

Rod Espudo

Interventionist

Born and raised in Riverside, CA, Rod Espudo has carried out 629 interventions in his twenty-one years of practice. Over time Rod has become the "interventionist of choice" in the music, television, and motion picture industries. His clients have ranged in age from twelve to eighty-six years old. He likens his role as an interventionist to a conductor of an orchestra, believing he is responsible for leading a range of "noisy" human emotions to facilitate harmonious clarity for the addict.

Espudo was intervened upon in 1988 after struggling with a 10- year addiction to absinthe, crystal meth, and heroin. After successfully completing long-term treatment, he began an extension program at the University of California, Riverside in Basic Drug & Alcohol Studies and working at Holman Professional Counseling Centers. He has also attended Terence Gorsky classes dealing with Relapse Prevention, Post Incarceration Syndrome and Denial Management.

In his spare time, Espudo competes in amateur golf tournaments and enjoys spending time with his 5 1/2 year-old daughter, Emma. He has been living in the Los Angeles area for the past 18 years.

John Southworth, BRI II

Board Registered Interventionist (Level) II

Through his personal battle with addiction John Southworth has learned that there is no cure for the disease, and that it can be fatal, if the appropriate education and steps to recovery are not taken. This knowledge is the driving force behind John's motivation to educate others about addiction, and it also plays a major role in John's continued sobriety of over 20 years. He has had both personal and professional experiences in the field of substance abuse and mental health for more than 40 years. John's desire to educate others led him to obtain his Certification as an Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC). John accomplished this goal in 1984 with his certification from The National Association of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Counselors (NAADAC). He also is a Nationally Certified Addictions Counselor (NCAC), and an Internationally Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor (ICAADC) (level) I. He hold membership in the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (ICRC) and also is a Board Registered Interventionist (level) II.

John began his career as a licensed DUI evaluator in 1983 at the Nelson Institute. After receiving his CADC in 1984 he began providing both inpatient and outpatient counseling for groups and individuals. This experience led to a deeper desire to not only provide counseling and education, but to provide interventions which "help people help others" through the process of recovery from addiction, and also to assist those who have mental health issues. John started his professional career as an interventionist in 1984, and has since conducted hundreds of successful interventions, both nationally and internationally, on a professional and public level. He is currently a preferred interventionist for numerous prestigious treatment centers throughout the United States and aboard.

John has provided, and continues to provide, training on drug abuse and awareness for school employees, local communities, physicians, nurses and other professionals. These educational events also provide resources for the recovery process and continued sobriety. Most recently, he's spoken at the House of Lords for Rt. Honorable Lord Mancroft in Great Britain, the vice-chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Drugs Misuse, as well as the United Kingdom European Symposium on Addictive Disorders (UKESAD). He continues to use this experience and knowledge to assist individuals and families through their own personal struggles.

In order to maintain the highest level of services possible for individuals and families suffering from substance abuse and mental health issues, John maintains professional affiliations nationwide, including a position on the Board of Directors for both the Western Federation of Physician Health Programs and the Association of Intervention Specialists (AIS), as well as a board member position for the Reach Foundation in California. Through these affiliations, John has been able to build and maintain a comprehensive network of services throughout the world, and is able to provide assistance at a moment's notice.

To learn more about John Southworth, visit: http://www.southworthassociates.net.