Seeds of hope planted through
South Africa exchange

Hazelden's Tim Sheehan explores international addiction training
and education possibilities

When Tim Sheehan, PhD, dean and director of Institutional Effectiveness at the
Hazelden Graduate School of Addiction Studies, visited Cape Town, South Africa, in
February, he carried Hazelden's mission of helping more people sustain lifelong recovery from addiction not only in his suitcase, but also in his heart.

Cape Town's Harmony Clinic, a residential therapeutic addiction treatment center, led by CEO Steven Thompson, sponsored Sheehan's 10-day trip. The clinic was particularly interested in finding innovative ways to educate and train addiction professionals from the area. To facilitate this, Sheehan led a forum on improving treatment effectiveness for over 30 area professionals. Currently, addiction counseling is not regulated in South Africa.

Sheehan was selected for the international project because of his unique background as a clinician, researcher, author and academic. His main objective was to begin a dialogue about addiction and recovery. Sheehan toured Cape Town to see how patient care is delivered in different settings. Throughout his journey, he witnessed some of South Africa's unique challenges with addiction, but also found some striking similarities to life in the United States.

"It doesn't matter where you are in the world, addiction is a disease that does not discriminate," Sheehan observes.

The landscape of South Africa is as diverse as the 48.7 million people living there. The country has 11 official languages. Cape Town is on the southern tip bordering both the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Amidst the bustling downtown, panoramic views of the mountains and water lies intergenerational poverty. About 32 percent of the residents live below the poverty level.

"South Africa has deeply entrenched concerns about alcohol and drug dependency and is still reeling from the ramifications of apartheid," says Sheehan. "While part of the population is financially stable with intact families, another segment hasn't been able to advance because of intergenerational poverty. For example, one township I visited was initially designed for 2,000 people but now has over 40,000 people, with no easy access to either water or electricity. Some township residents work in neighboring vineyards and are paid in wine. It's tough to reach them with help," he explains.

Sheehan spent one evening with an ambulance service, paired up with local paramedics who regularly deal with issues related to alcohol and other drug use. During their shift, the crew responded to calls in neighborhoods populated by makeshift living quarters built from sheet metal, plastic and pieces of cardboard. Sheehan also toured a day clinic, a hospital, another treatment center and community centers. He exchanged information with nearly everyone he met. Sheehan described the experience as being a part of a larger community of learners where everyone learned from each other.

Sheehan was especially energized by open discussions about creating different training paradigms to address South Africa's shortage of addiction professionals,  exploring options that would be well suited to South Africa's culture and challenges. College graduates with psychology degrees, psychologists, social workers, psychiatrists and people in recovery were all identified as good candidates to receive further education and training in addiction. Possible addiction counseling training venues discussed included Hazelden online training or workshops. To help educate nurses, physicians and mental health professionals in health care settings, Sheehan looked at options including developing a consortium of local treatment providers or specialized clinics such as Harmony Clinic to work collectively to train practicing health care professionals.

"The dialogue between Hazelden and Harmony Clinic is ongoing and filled with possibilities," says Sheehan. "The seeds have been planted, and I am excited to see how they might grow."

The Voice, Spring 2010