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The Invitation to Change: A Short Guide is a practical guide to the 9 core topics of the Invitation to Change Approach, the helping approach at the core of everything we do.

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"We need to actually start to shift the conversation at a person-to-person level in communities as opposed to just professionals and wait for it to trickle down to the relatively few number of people who will ever walk into a professional's office."

Marion Kregeloh at Alex4Hope Interviews Dr. Jeff Foote, PhD

Marion Kregeloh, the founder of Alex4Hope, a nonprofit dedicated to breaking the stigma surrounding mental health issues, interviews CMC:FFC Executive Director Dr. Jeff Foote about the core mission of CMC:FFC and our approach and programs.

“Families have been told that they need to get out of the way, to stay in their own lane…but that is not true with the ITC. Families do have the power to help.”

Springfield support group focuses on helping loved ones of people with substance use disorders - (KY3 News)

Brittany Jackson, who is ITC Level I certified was interviewed by her local news channel on her Invitation to Change Support Groups!

"There is so much stigma and shame associated with having this problem, that so many people go underground with it. Anything we can do to keep people feeling like ‘I can share this information, and if I talk about myself or my loved one I may actually be able to impact change."

Dr. Ned Hallowell, Wonderful World of Different Podcast

Dr. Ned Hallowell interviews CMC:FFC Executive Director, Dr. Carrie Wilkens on the ITC, stigma in the treatment world, and how to tailor needs to the person who is struggling.

"Mostly what younger kids need is not an explanation, so much as being heard…, it's okay to be worried, I hear you, I can see in your face…it's meeting them where they are with their emotions first, and having them feel held by you as a parent"

Brenda Zane’s Hopestream for Parenting Kids through Drug Use and Addiction Podcast

Brenda Zane interviews Dr. Nicole Kosanke and Krissy Pozatek on how families can help their other kids deal with their sibling’s drug or alcohol use.

“Your feelings are valid and are a direct result of the complicated, painful problem that you face if your loved one is dependent on substances.”

Q&A with Jeff Foote about substance use disorder and your loved one

What is the best approach when someone close to us is suffering from substance misuse and addiction issues? PsychWire asks acclaimed clinical psychologist Dr. Jeff Foote.

“Frankly, I have never met a family member who doesn't want to be helpful. They are desperate to help. But by the time their loved ones are seeking help they are burned out and beaten up by the process.”

The Recovery Executive Podcast - EP 57: Re-thinking Co-dependency with Carrie Wilkens

Families really want to help their loved one, but often feel at a loss. In some instances, they even feel actively discouraged from supporting their loved one for fear of being labeled an enabler or co-dependent. In this episode, Nick Jaworski speaks with Carrie Wilkens, founder of CMC:Foundation for Change, where they explore a heavily evidence-based, but little used strategy, called CRAFT (Community Reinforcement and Family Training).

"We 're giving therapists all these good skills. Why are we not teaching the family members similar skills? Because they're the ones out in the world on the ground. They're the ones who are most motivated for things to change.”

Beyond Addiction’s Carrie Wilkens: using science and kindness as motivation for change in your child's substance use

Brenda Zane interviews CMC:FFC’s Executive Director Carrie Wilkens about how difficult it can be to parent a child in addiction.

“Even though [there are] numerous evidence-based strategies that could help families, the treatment system itself doesn’t offer as much guidance as it could around supporting both the family and individual seeking help.”

What Is The Foundation For Change?

Cathy Taughinbaugh interviews Director of Training Ken Carpenter on the mission of CMC:FFC for her blog on her website ‘Helping Families Find Peace’

“Our hope is not to help fix the treatment system, but to empower parents, families and communities to help themselves, with all the passion and commitment unique to those who are struggling in the trenches day to day in their own families.”

New Non-Profit Leverages Families to Fight Addiction

Carrie Wilkens is interviewed for the Peter G. Dodge Foundation Blog.

"Getting people to change—sustainably and genuinely—requires you to sit with your own pain, instead of trying to make it go away by controlling the other person. You have to listen with the intent of actually hearing them, so they can actually trust you."

How to Stop People From Being Self-Destructive

A short interview of Dr. Jeff Foote was by Burt Helm for Bloomberg. Dr. Foote discusses how hard it can be to ask a loved one to change, and how important it is to listen.

“I say to people all the time - substance users develop a problem for all sorts of different reasons and get better in all sorts of different ways. To approach everyone with the same strategy and the same recommendations - we’ve missed so many people, and underserved so many people.”

WFUV Strikes a Chord to Combat Drug Addiction

A short WFUV segment in which Dr. Carrie Wilkens speaks about the need for evidence-based treatments and the launching of CMC:Foundation for Change.

Parents Fight on After Losing Children to Opioids

An AP news segment on parents who have lost children to overdose. Includes a look at the parent training workshops that the Foundation holds with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids.

“What we’re trying to help families do is develop a different kind of process for this. We’re trying to help them understand the behaviors that they’re seeing, react to them in ways that are more constructive, and learn some skills that are going to help them move forward in ways that will keep them connected to their child.”

WSBS Morning Show with Smitty Pignatelli

A WSBS interview with Smitty Pignatelli from April of 2018 in which Dr. Jeff Foote discusses CMC:FFC’s mission of providing parents with skills to help them navigate a child’s substance use. Dr. Foote speaks about the positive impact that parents can have on their child’s well-being and how parents can be their child’s best advocates in the treatment world.

Society of Addiction Psychology Teleconference

A presentation by Dr. Jeff Foote for the Society of Addiction Psychology (APA Division 50). In this talk, Dr. Foote lays out an overview of the Invitation to Change Approach, geared towards professionals, as well as its implementation in the development of a peer-to-peer parent coaching network.  Media Source

“Foote’s approach steers parents away from threats and ultimatums. ‘We try to develop a different set of communication strategies. Can you reinforce positive behaviors? Having a collaborative stance with your kid, hearing what matters to them—it’s important."

Coping with Teen Substance Abuse: A Training Session for Parents

An interview from February 2019 on Dr. Jeff Foote’s community workshops in collaboration with Railroad Street Youth Project. The article discusses the pressing need for more information on how parents can best support their children, as well as what local groups are doing to address this need.

“It’s not an issue that people like to talk about. We often use the analogy of: if my neighbor’s kid was struggling with cancer, everyone’s heart would go out to that family and that person, who might be raising money for treatment - and that would all seem very reasonable and natural and everyone would pitch in. You don’t see that happen when someone’s kid is struggling with heroin addiction. The contrast is striking.”

Jeff Foote and Carrie Wilkens talk about the Foundation for Change

Dr. Josh King interviews Drs. Jeff Foote and Carrie Wilkens on the Beyond Addiction podcast. They discuss the importance of family involvement in creating a positive outcome for someone using substances, as well as the lack of resources and effective treatments available for substance users and their families. They also share information on the Invitation to Change Approach, parent training workshops, and plans to bring these trainings to more audiences in the future. (Begins at 17:00)  Media Source

“Inviting your child to change is not the same as condemning her or him, but neither is it to be confused with condoning behaviors, either. ‘We are not saying it’s fine, or it’s horrible. We say, ‘We see it. Is it working for you? Do the benefits outweigh the costs?’”

Beyond Addiction: Coalition Offers Training Program for Parents of Teens At Risk

An article on CMC:FFC’s collaborative work with the Railroad Street Youth Project in Great Barrington, MA. In this interview, Dr. Jeff Foote describes the Foundation’s approach to communication and substance use, as well as some of the issues present the US’s current treatment system.

“It’s not just one epiphany moment. It’s a learning process. You have to learn to be sober. It takes practice, it takes trial and error, and you have to be ready for the ups and downs.”

NOVA: Addiction

A PBS NOVA segment on opioid use in the US, with consultation from Dr. Carrie Wilkens. (at 31:30 and 38:30)