Family Services Group Has its Own Guru - Jim Weisenberg

We're awfully lucky here. If we need a specialist, we build our own. And when we needed a specialist in family services, who better than a man that had torn his family apart like their own personal Hurrican Katrina. Since 1994 Jim has been rebuilding his life, mending the painfully broken relationships with his family members, and worming his way deeper and deeper into the life and heart of Impact's Family Services Program. He IS the Impact Family Services Program.

Jim was born in Pasadena, California where he attended La Salle High School and Pasadena Community College, graduating in 1974. He spent six years with the National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1976. He married Patti (a favorite of mine) had three sons, purchased his home in Pasadena and had a career in title insurance and then banking until 1989 when a lifelong problem he had with substance abuse began taking over his life. In 1989 he began what would be a five year cycle of fighting substance abuse and entering treatment programs.

In 1994 he went on his last and most devastating run of drugs. He was on the streets for 26 days (he took off in his wife's brand new car) when he called his father for help. His father and his oldest son picked him up off the streets, took him home, let him take a shower and get some clothes and something to eat and then his son said to him “Leave the house and the family and never come back! You are no longer part of us!” He was homeless and hopeless.

In September of 1994 he entered Impact for treatment and completed the program in March of 1995. Jim elected to remain on staff at Impact rather than pursuing his former banking career because he was motivated to pass on the lesson and the hope of his recovery. Since 1995 he has advanced through the positions of Senior Counselor, Case Manager, Senior Caseworker to his current position of Relapse Prevention Therapist/Family Counselor.

He graduated from Glendale City College as a Specialist in Alcohol and Drug Studies and he is a Gorski Certified Relapse Prevention Therapist. He is a member of The California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors.

Jim has a following here, believe me when I tell you that. I occassionally attend the Family Group meetings. They are a blend of family members who have been attending for as long as fifteen years and have found a great deal of comfort in the recovery of their children or spouses, and family members who might be attending for the first time who still might feel guilt or tremendous anger over the wreckage and ruin of their loved one (barely loved one in many cases).

Jim's combination of personal experience, education and comfortable manner help these people find a measure of acceptance that has been a long time coming. And it helps that Jim's parents are regulars at the group. Example is a powerful teacher.