Family Coaching Testimonials
K, recovering parent
It took me a couple of weeks but I feel like I just started comprehending the information about healing, centering, meditation, etc.. In the beginning I just couldn't hear it. I was too focused on my son.
You have given me so much in our time with your group. I was blown away by the concept of being "okay" in the midst of these battles, that we were organized around the substance abuse, that we need to work as hard on OUR recovery as our son does on his. I had been thinking that "love the heck out of the addict" was the best thing, but my old pattern of going on lockdown and "punishing" my son into recovery had emerged. I picture this as us drowning in a sea of confusion and you are there, in the midst of the storm, not with a life jacket or boat, but there showing and telling us how NOT to drown. I am SO HAPPY to just have someone validate that we can survive this well and not let it ruin my life forever, like I have seen for years in my family. As I told you, my upbringing was full of chaos, addiction, codependency type of behaviors. I had worked very hard to move on from this, but I hadn't as much as I thought. Your wisdom and guidance in the group is helping me get started on this work again which can only benefit me, my marriage, my parenting, and of course, my son. I love the concept of being a loving mirror.
So, thank you for everything. Your passion for healing of families is evident and clearly making changes in peoples' lives.
It took me a couple of weeks but I feel like I just started comprehending the information about healing, centering, meditation, etc.. In the beginning I just couldn't hear it. I was too focused on my son.
You have given me so much in our time with your group. I was blown away by the concept of being "okay" in the midst of these battles, that we were organized around the substance abuse, that we need to work as hard on OUR recovery as our son does on his. I had been thinking that "love the heck out of the addict" was the best thing, but my old pattern of going on lockdown and "punishing" my son into recovery had emerged. I picture this as us drowning in a sea of confusion and you are there, in the midst of the storm, not with a life jacket or boat, but there showing and telling us how NOT to drown. I am SO HAPPY to just have someone validate that we can survive this well and not let it ruin my life forever, like I have seen for years in my family. As I told you, my upbringing was full of chaos, addiction, codependency type of behaviors. I had worked very hard to move on from this, but I hadn't as much as I thought. Your wisdom and guidance in the group is helping me get started on this work again which can only benefit me, my marriage, my parenting, and of course, my son. I love the concept of being a loving mirror.
So, thank you for everything. Your passion for healing of families is evident and clearly making changes in peoples' lives.
Jenny & Matthew, recovering parents
What we learned:
What we learned:
- To focus of our life, rather than just on our son's life.
- We're learned how to change our responses to our son and other people in the family.
- Tim helped us to gain independence from the challenging behavior.
- We focused on the impact the experience the Substance Use Disorder is having on our life and the associated behaviors.
- We learned that although our son may be experiencing problematic drug use, he is more than his diagnosis he's a person so we no longer use or encourage the use of labels, such as diseased, substance abuser, alcoholic or addict.
- We learned that we are not “powerless” over Substance Use Disorder. We have discovered the power of our choices and what we can control.
- We learned that by focusing on our own thoughts, feelings and behavior we will make our own life more manageable.
- Changing OUR behaviors has had a positive effect on our son.
- We have seen an improvement in all our relationships.
- This process has allowed us to take back control of our life.
- We were supported, while we developed the skills necessary for sustainable change.
- We were coached to be compassionate with ourselves.
- We were coached to be patient with ourselves, yet persistent in our goals.
- Over time the coaching helped us to change beliefs and develop new ways of behaving around our son.
- The foundation of the process is the 3p’s (PPP) Practice, Patience, Persistence
- We learned ways of improving our own life.
- We learned how to be in a healthy relationship with someone who isn't always going to do what we want them to do. But hey that's parenting, right?
Ed & Marne H., recovering parents
"Our son hit bottom in November of 2012. Having been in out of treatment for over 6 years we were afraid we were finally going to lose him. We were desperate and didn't know where to turn when Tim was recommended to us. As a change coach he took over and helped guide us through the turbulent weeks and months ahead. Tim mentored us in writing intervention letters to our son, selecting the best in patient treatment facility for him, traveling with him and coordinating his treatment regimen both during and most importantly after his discharge. For the first 6 months we had weekly phone consultations with Tim during which he would update us on our sons progress and advise us on how to interact with him during this critical period. After his discharge, he advised us on the best options for housing, selecting the best therapist and getting him active in the local AA chapter and getting a sponsor.
Our son has been sober for 15 months and is living a happy, productive and healthy life. There are no guarantees but we finally feel like we have our son back for the first time in over 10 years. We credit Tim for helping us put all the pieces together that gave him the best chance for discovering the road to recovery. Tim, we thank you and Sustainable Recovery from the bottom of our hearts."
"Our son hit bottom in November of 2012. Having been in out of treatment for over 6 years we were afraid we were finally going to lose him. We were desperate and didn't know where to turn when Tim was recommended to us. As a change coach he took over and helped guide us through the turbulent weeks and months ahead. Tim mentored us in writing intervention letters to our son, selecting the best in patient treatment facility for him, traveling with him and coordinating his treatment regimen both during and most importantly after his discharge. For the first 6 months we had weekly phone consultations with Tim during which he would update us on our sons progress and advise us on how to interact with him during this critical period. After his discharge, he advised us on the best options for housing, selecting the best therapist and getting him active in the local AA chapter and getting a sponsor.
Our son has been sober for 15 months and is living a happy, productive and healthy life. There are no guarantees but we finally feel like we have our son back for the first time in over 10 years. We credit Tim for helping us put all the pieces together that gave him the best chance for discovering the road to recovery. Tim, we thank you and Sustainable Recovery from the bottom of our hearts."
Chris L., recovering parent
To have someone in your corner, both for the recovering addict and also the rest of the family is invaluable! Tim Harrington comes to the table with life experience, knowledge, and great communication skills.
He is a great sounding board, a thought provoking resource, a guide and a mentor. He invites us to think some new thoughts and learn some new behaviors. He challenges both our son and our family to create a NEW beginning and allow time to show that it works. It was amazing to have someone who finally understood my feelings of desperation and not knowing what to do next.
Through this journey he encourages, has empathy and yet won’t leave you “stranded”. You feel empowered to be proactive and learn from someone who has already “ been there...done that”.
I appreciate the times he’s spent working with us as a team to rebuild the lost time we’ve had as a family and to see our son flourish and grow. He reminds us of how far we’ve come and the reasons to stay focused.
His resources are great! I know that having Tim as our coach has been pivotal on this journey OUT of addiction and it’s hold on our family. Thanks Tim for your dedication. We appreciate you very much!
To have someone in your corner, both for the recovering addict and also the rest of the family is invaluable! Tim Harrington comes to the table with life experience, knowledge, and great communication skills.
He is a great sounding board, a thought provoking resource, a guide and a mentor. He invites us to think some new thoughts and learn some new behaviors. He challenges both our son and our family to create a NEW beginning and allow time to show that it works. It was amazing to have someone who finally understood my feelings of desperation and not knowing what to do next.
Through this journey he encourages, has empathy and yet won’t leave you “stranded”. You feel empowered to be proactive and learn from someone who has already “ been there...done that”.
I appreciate the times he’s spent working with us as a team to rebuild the lost time we’ve had as a family and to see our son flourish and grow. He reminds us of how far we’ve come and the reasons to stay focused.
His resources are great! I know that having Tim as our coach has been pivotal on this journey OUT of addiction and it’s hold on our family. Thanks Tim for your dedication. We appreciate you very much!
DQ, a person in long-term recovery
"After many dark years in addiction, I was trying to find a path to recovery. I had known Tim for some time, and I called him and asked for his help. He came the following day with a suitcase. Over the next month, we went to Denver for outpatient treatment, lived in a two-bed hotel room, and spent time together I will remember fondly and for the rest of my life. Tim did not judge me, he did not tell me what to do, and he did not make decisions for me. He supported me unconditionally with his love, his strength, and his own experience. Tim taught me how to live my life in a way that aligned with my deepest beliefs and values, and, in time, I have come to experience that which I had always sought in my addiction but never found--true and living joy, happiness, and contentment. Tim's ideas and methods exist on the very edge of contemporary thought and practice regarding addiction, and they are tremendously powerful and effective. Tim was there the day I got clean, and he is in my life today. Tim has become one of the closest friends I've ever had. His gifts have benefitted me profoundly and have changed the very course of my life. I am unspeakably grateful for Tim's friendship, his love, his strength, and his guidance."
"After many dark years in addiction, I was trying to find a path to recovery. I had known Tim for some time, and I called him and asked for his help. He came the following day with a suitcase. Over the next month, we went to Denver for outpatient treatment, lived in a two-bed hotel room, and spent time together I will remember fondly and for the rest of my life. Tim did not judge me, he did not tell me what to do, and he did not make decisions for me. He supported me unconditionally with his love, his strength, and his own experience. Tim taught me how to live my life in a way that aligned with my deepest beliefs and values, and, in time, I have come to experience that which I had always sought in my addiction but never found--true and living joy, happiness, and contentment. Tim's ideas and methods exist on the very edge of contemporary thought and practice regarding addiction, and they are tremendously powerful and effective. Tim was there the day I got clean, and he is in my life today. Tim has become one of the closest friends I've ever had. His gifts have benefitted me profoundly and have changed the very course of my life. I am unspeakably grateful for Tim's friendship, his love, his strength, and his guidance."
Peter O., person in long-term discovery
"Tim lives his recovery and his service to it. If you need any help for yourself, a friend or family member who is having a hard time with addiction, Tim is a trustworthy and invaluable, completely reliable and confidential, source of service and information.
Tim is not the same person as Ticht Nhat Hanh, but many of his online comments lately have led me to nickname him 'Tim Nhat Hanh'. He is a wise man who can help people look inwards at themselves.
Do not hesitate to contact him if you may need to avail yourself or someone close to you of his services, his capabilities and his help. He can get people through and out of what many may feel is an impossible situation."
Forever grateful,
"Tim lives his recovery and his service to it. If you need any help for yourself, a friend or family member who is having a hard time with addiction, Tim is a trustworthy and invaluable, completely reliable and confidential, source of service and information.
Tim is not the same person as Ticht Nhat Hanh, but many of his online comments lately have led me to nickname him 'Tim Nhat Hanh'. He is a wise man who can help people look inwards at themselves.
Do not hesitate to contact him if you may need to avail yourself or someone close to you of his services, his capabilities and his help. He can get people through and out of what many may feel is an impossible situation."
Forever grateful,