December 2012

Guns and violence; A rant; A new resource In This Issue SAVVY – Lessons to be learned from gun control in Australia and California SKILLS – A biopsychosocial view of guns and violence SOUL – Ranting and cultural competence SHARING SOLUTIONS – The new Motivational Interviewing edition SAVVY I am no gun expert – either in handling a gun or in the research on guns and violence.  However it is hard to keep silent in the wake of two shocking gun violence killings within three days of each other – December 11 Clakamas Mall shooting in Orgeon with two deaths in addition to the shooter’s life (and there would have been many more death had his gun not jammed) – and the December 14 school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut leaving 20 schoolchildren, 6 teachers and staff members, the gunman and his mother dead. On December 18 in my local “big city” newspaper, The Sacramento Bee, Will Oremus, a staff writer for SLATE shared his viewpoint on the gun control lessons the USA might learn from a mass shooting in Australia. I remember being shocked in April of 1996, when hearing about the gunman who had opened fire on tourists in a seaside resort in Port Arthur, Tasmania, the quiet island state off the southeast tip of the big island country of Australia. It was the kind of event you couldn’t imagine happening there in that tiny community, just like Newtown, Connecticut. By the time the gunman was finished, “he had killed 35 people and wounded 23 more. It was the worst mass murder in Australia’s history.” I will extract from Will Oremus’ article that you can read in full at http://www.sacbee.com/2012/12/18/5060929/mass-shooting-in-australia-provides.html It is worth pondering what the Australian government did just twelve days after the April 28 shooting.  I understand Australia’s population of about 23 million is just 60% of California’s population, let alone the whole USA. But even California, which has the toughest gun-control laws in the USA, couldn’t mobilize support for the range of changes Australia made less than 2 weeks after their mass murders. TIP 1 Consider this list of gun-control measures. Could they work in all parts of the USA? The Australian government in 1996 was able to craft a bipartisan deal with state and local governments to enact sweeping gun-control measures: Massive buyback of more than 600,000 semi-automatic shotguns and rifles, or about one-fifth of all firearms in circulation in Australia. Prohibition of private sales. Requirement that all weapons be individually registered to their owners. Requirement that gun buyers present a “genuine reason” for needing each weapon at the time of the purchase. Self-defense did not count. In 1989, California became the first state to ban the manufacture, transport, import or sale of assault weapons. Other key gun-control laws in California as listed in The Sacramento Bee, December 19, 2012, p.A18: Require gun buyers to undergo background checks and mandate that handgun buyers obtain safety training and certificates. Require gun sales to go through licensed gun …

November 2012

Vol. 10, No. 8 November 2012 In This Issue SAVVY – Alternate terms for “Relapse”; ASAM’s definition of relapse SKILLS – How to deal with substance use in residential treatment settings SOUL – When not being chosen was good! Welcome to the November edition of Tips and Topics. I hope you have been able to balance some family and friends time with the commercial push to have you shop till you drop. Senior Vice President of The Change Companies®

October 2012

Vol. 10, No. 7 October 2012 In This Issue SAVVY – “Relapse” revisited and reconsidered SKILLS – Dealing with substance use in treatment and Deleting “resistance”? SOUL – Who has influenced you and how did they get there? SUCCESS STORY and SHARING SOLUTIONS: How one program is moving to individualized services Welcome to the many new readers this month. Thank-you all for joining us for the October edition of Tips and Topics. Senior Vice President of The Change Companies®

September 2012

Vol. 10, No. 6 September 2012 In This Issue SAVVY – READERS’ REACTIONS: Comments on SAVVY, July 2012 SKILLS – Pilot test small changes and banish waiting lists SOUL – We need a new party – The Compromise Party Welcome. I’m glad you could join us and be part of the Tips and Topics community of readers. Senior Vice President of The Change Companies®

August 2012

Vol. 10, No. 5 August 2012 In This Issue SAVVY & SKILLS – Mindfulness from the “mother of mindfulness research” SOUL – Lessons from The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel Welcome everyone to the August edition of Tips and Topics (TNT).  Thanks to all the new subscribers this month who are joining us for the first time. Senior Vice President of The Change Companies®

July 2012

Vol. 10, No. 4 July 2012 In This Issue SAVVY – The Affordable Care Act, Healthcare Reform and the CASA Report (not good news) SKILLS & STUMP THE SHRINK- How to decide when to change the level of care? SOUL – Maria – inspiring hope, hard work and stick-to-it-iveness Thank-you for joining us for the July edition of Tips and Topics (TNT). For all our readers in the Northern Hemisphere, hope you are having some summer fun. For our readers way further south….stay warm. Senior Vice President of The Change Companies®

June 2012 – Tips & Topics

Vol. 10, No. 3 June, 2012 In This Issue SAVVY – How to move systems from programs to people SKILLS – Reframing “resistance” in systems change SOUL – Soothing the customer STUMP THE SHRINK- When to increase the level of care intensity Welcome to the June edition of Tips and Topics (TNT) and to all the new subscribers. You can see nine years of back issues of TNT on The Change Companies’ website and download any of the previous editions. Senior Vice President of The Change Companies®

May 2012 – Tips & Topics

Vol. 10, No. 2May, 2012 In This Issue SAVVY – How to Develop a Therapeutic Alliance in less than 10 minutes SKILLS – Clinical vignettes to build the therapeutic relationship SOUL – My daughter sings the National Anthem and Memorial Day SHARING SOLUTIONS – Resources on TCC website; ChangeU; TNT book Thank-you for joining us for the May edition of Tips and Topics (TNT). Senior Vice President of The Change Companies®

April 2012 – Tips & Topics

Vol. 10, No. 1April, 2012 In This Issue SAVVY – Readers comment on Spirituality and religion SKILLS – Relevant Lessons from the last ten years SOUL – Why do you do what you do – the hand in the bucket of water STUMP the SHRINK – How to use Stages of Change This April edition of Tips and Topics (TNT) is the beginning of our tenth year. Welcome to all and the many new readers this month too. Senior Vice President of The Change Companies®

March 2012 – Tips & Topics

Vol. 9, No. 12March, 2012 In This Issue SAVVY -The neglected topic: Spirituality and religion SKILLS – Ask about spirituality and religion SOUL – A granddaughter and aging mother SHARING SOLUTIONS – New products on the ASAM Criteria Welcome to the March edition of Tips and Topics (TNT), ending nine years of publication. Some of you have been readers from Day 1. Thank-you. Welcome to all the new subscribers this month.

February 2012 – Tips & Topics

Vol. 9, No. 11February, 2012 In This Issue SAVVY – Comments and Commentary for and against “The Farm” SKILLS – Clinical Lessons from the Comments SOUL – Gone fishing SHARING SOLUTIONS – Webinar on ASAM Criteria Thank-you for joining us for the February 2012 edition of Tips and Topics.

January 2012 – Tips & Topics

Vol. 9, No. 10January, 2012 In This Issue SAVVY – What do you do when a severely mentally ill person keeps using substances? SKILLS – Clinical and systems questions, suggestions and solutions SOUL – Politics of personal destruction STUMP the SHRINK – Addiction relapse and confidentiality and the courts SHARING SOLUTIONS Welcome to all the new subscribers who joined us this month. Thank you all for reading Tips and Topics.