Rethinking Rock Bottom

Mar 08 2024 35 mins 7

Join hosts Dr. Carrie Wilkens and Rev. Jan Brown in this 6-part series as they explore the complicated and often life-altering, experience of loving someone struggling with substance use. Jan and Carrie will provide ways to approach the helping process that are grounded in the latest science and their guests will share how real change happens for a family and the community around them. Re-Thinking Rock Bottom sheds light on the impact shame and stigma have on those struggling and the people who care about them and provides insights that can help everyone involved invite in and find the belonging they need. If you don’t have optimism that someone who struggles with substance use can change, we hope that you borrow some of ours and join on us on this journey. Rethinking Rock Bottom is a production of CMC:Foundation for Change, a 501c3 non profit dedicated to providing evidence-based tools for change to everyone who cares about a person struggling with substance use. Visit WWW.CMCFFC.ORG to find more resources, sign up for a workshop or find a support group.

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A Drive for Compassion — Jan and Carrie Share Their Hope-Filled Stories

Mar 08 2024 43 mins

Treatment providers spend significant amounts of time having vulnerable conversations with people but rarely share their own stories. On this final episode of the first season of “Rethinking Rock Bottom”, hosts Dr. Carrie Wilkens and Reverend Jan M. Brown take the opportunity to share their own experiences and some of the personal reasons that they are so passionate about helpi

Race and Substance Use— One Harlem-Raised Black Woman’s Journey from Trauma Victim to Community Advocate

Feb 09 2024 36 mins

“When we start attending to our wounds, our need to self-medicate the pain lessens, and the healing can finally begin.” On this episode, we talk with Dr. Felecia Pullen, the founder, President, and CEO of Pillars and Let’s Talk SAFETY, Inc. In her life and work, Felecia encourages a view of substance use that acknowledges its complex realities, with overlapping lenses of race

Hitting the Pause Button — Dave and Tina Learn How to Support Their Son Through a Mental Health Crisis

Jan 12 2024 42 mins

This episode we speak with Dave and Tina, parents whose son, Craig, struggled with his mental health from a young age. As he got older, substances entered the picture as well. When Dave and Tina tried to help, they found themselves ping-ponging between worlds. Addiction providers told them that their son needed mental health support, while the mental health programs said he needed

Grief & Self Compassion —A Mother's Journey to Reconnecting with Her Daughter

Dec 08 2023 37 mins

Warning: This episodes discusses the loss of a child due to a substance related death. When Becky’s daughter Katie began struggling with substances, Becky was repeatedly told by friends, family and professionals to disconnect and let her hit rock bottom. Scared and confused, Becky reluctantly agreed, despite how painful and unnatural it felt. She eventually changed tactics and be

Ambivalence Is Normal — Approaching Substance Use from the Sibling Perspective with Meg and Stephen

Nov 10 2023 39 mins

Watching a loved one struggle with substances is always confusing and painful, but from the perspective of a sibling, it can be particularly hard to understand. Even though siblings often notice the substance use before the rest of the family, as peers, they lack the tools and perspective to fully recognize what’s happening, and including parents can feel like a betrayal. On this

Focusing on Self-Awareness — A Mother’s Transformation Alongside Her Son

Oct 13 2023 44 mins

Far more effective than shaming and blaming, a willingness to remain open and supportive has the power to strengthen relationships with loved ones who are on the road to recovery from substances. But that is only possible when you are willing to create a space for your own transformation as you support others. On this episode of “Rethinking Rock Bottom”, hosts psychologist Carr

Introducing Rethinking Rock Bottom

Aug 28 2023 1 mins

Welcome To Rethinking Rock Bottom