Have you heard of the Foundation for Change?
Looking for more resources in our community?
foundation for change is a new non-profit organization dedicated to providing evidence-based resources to the community.
Welcome Dr. Ken Carpenter! In this interview, Dr. Carpenter describes his Invitation to Change approach. He also shares the mission of the Foundation for Change.
1. Ken, please tell someone who doesn’t know your background.
I am a trained clinical psychologist. I have spent over 20 years in the field of psychology and academic research, all focused on helping people change their substance use and build the lives they want. Most recently, I became Director of Training for CMC’s Foundation for Change.
2. I am very happy that the CMC has launched the Foundation for Change. For those who don’t know about CMC, what are you doing and how are you helping individuals and families?
The Foundation for Change is a non-profit organization that went online in late 2017/early 2018. Our mission is to put useful, accessible, evidence-based tools and strategies in the hands of struggling families. on substance abuse issues.
We have spent several years developing programs for families. Invitation to change approach (ICA). ICA includes several evidence-based support strategies to support family self-care, communication and behavior change.
We are excited to pave the way for bridging the gap between what is sometimes only housed in clinical practice and not delivered to the world on a larger scale. , seeks to use our collective expertise and experience in the field of research to help fill that gap. We want to bring these helpful ideas to families in a more accessible way.
3. What issues do you think motivated CMC to start the foundation? What can people do to help their communities?
As clinicians, we often see people seeking help from treatment facilities. If you take a step back and look at the percentage of individuals struggling with substance abuse who are actually seeking help, it’s amazing to know that that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
Perhaps 15% of people seek help, so there is a need for more.
Look at your family. They are the first to see problems with substance abuse. They are on the front lines trying to help their loved ones. While many evidence-based strategies can help families, the treatment system itself does not offer as much guidance as it can support both families and individuals seeking help.
The need is huge.
The therapeutic world has not done a great job of disseminating these support tools and strategies to families.
We saw the Foundation as an opportunity to fill that gap. in our early days, Partnership for Drug-Free Children Developing and supporting a parent-to-parent coaching program has also been very inspiring and helpful. We have met wonderful people who have a strong desire to give back and help families who have walked the same path. We also continue to work with partnerships to expand the range of parent coaching programs.
There is a need and it would be helpful to bring this kind of support strategy to the family through the means. Parents want to help other parents. It motivated us to continue building a platform to do just that.
The Foundation for Change is dedicated to its specific mission – helping you take what’s out there and become a resource for your family. They help loved ones and bring them into their lives. Learn how to pull in.
We are happy to put ourselves in a position to work with people on an individual basis. At the community level, community organizations are trying to bring support groups and support programs into cities and towns. Partnering with them so they can provide resources, materials, and training is another avenue we’re looking to build.
4. Tell me about the foundation. What is your goal? What is the Foundation’s mission?
Yes, to continue our relationship with Partnership for Drug Free Kids. As you point out, this is a national level program. Partnering with them helps keep our creative power flowing. You can think of different ways and platforms to provide helpful materials for families.
In our role as trainers and collaborators of the partnership, we look forward to continuing to work with them at the national level.
We are also dedicated to working with communities who contact us directly and other parent groups who wish to offer programs for specific cities and situations.
We put ourselves in a position to help these families navigate the world of recovery, guide them, and provide them with the materials they can develop to meet their specific needs. I would like to spread it all over the country.
5. Where does the money go when people decide to donate to the foundation? used?
Money is spent on initiatives based on our progress Satisfy your program development needs. Help develop materials to hand over to the community for their use.
We want to lower the financial barriers that many face when trying to access help. We want to increase access to materials. Donations offset the cost of going to the community and conducting workshops and trainings. This offsets the cost of ongoing support by community her members or community representatives.
We can discuss how they can bring help to their situation and specific towns. Helpful. They will be readily available to families in need.
It all comes down to our mission to spread support to families out there through our various avenues. You won’t get this either.
The numbers are staggering. Most people don’t reach out to professionals who provide these services, so the money goes directly to fill the void.
6. Finally, any advice for parents who are learning about or continuing to deal with their child’s drug use?Do you have any final words of hope for the future?
You came up with one key word: hope. Especially today, when it comes to news and concerns, headlines don’t always carry that message.
By being at the end of research and collaborating with others, people change their lives. With the right context and the right support, change happens.
Change doesn’t always happen overnight, but change happens. That message should be front and center. It’s also what drives our Foundation, but that’s not the message that’s always there.
What advice is given and what people are told to do may not be the right message for them, it may not be the right path for them, it may be very restrictive. Well, one size does not fit all. That being said, the first message is that change is happening and hope is at the forefront. Families do not have to face this in isolation.
Backgrounds and situations help create that hope. It can be a long journey. Still, we hope that parents can break through loneliness and take the courageous first step of seeking support. to change.
There is no single answer that has to work for your particular family.
We want parents to get involved and hear what is available. There are a variety of approaches and evidence-based strategies out there.
Families can feel empowered to adjust what seems to resonate with their particular situation.
To learn more about the Foundation’s mission and activitiescan access the website For more information, join the Invitation to Change group and find your hope.
Dr. Kenneth Carpenter, Director of Training CMC: foundation for change, a clinical research scientist and clinician, has received federal and private foundation grants to investigate the psychological, behavioral, and neurobiological factors associated with addictive behavior and its treatment. Dr. Carpenter has over 20 years of experience in developing, implementing, and evaluating evidence-based motivational and cognitive-behavioral strategies to facilitate significant lifestyle changes. He also holds a degree in Psychiatry from Columbia University and is a research scientist in the Substances Division. Used by the New York State Psychiatric Institute.
