Dear Ms. Bennett,

Many thanks for your support of the UCSB Learn at Lunch program. Your talk, Dealing with Life on Life's Terms: Love, Family and Recovery, was very well received. Your skilled sharing of your knowledge and expertise generated significant discussion during your presentation. Interestingly, a number of employees who could not attend sent me requests for your handouts.

Thank you for the valuable time you have given us, reaching out and sharing your gifts with the UCSB campus. Your careful preparation, thoughtful presentation and clear answering of questions were much appreciated.

I am delighted that the Learn at Lunch series has given me the opportunity to meet wonderful people like you Carole. You are an asset to our community.

With appreciation,

John T. Berberet, MA, MFT
Academic and Staff Assistance Program
UCSB Human Resources

Carole Bennett has been counseling my family and me for three months. My son got involved with methamphetamine approximately two years ago. Throughout this period he has been strongly denying that he had a problem and claiming that he could deal with it himself, the standard responce of people in his state.

My former wife and mother of my son and I have diligently worked with him over this two year period, but it wasn't until the two of us began intense counseling with Carole (initially by telephone), that he began to consider treatment. Carole then arranged to meet with him where he lived, and that initial exchange evolved into his recognition and acknowlegement that he needed and wanted treatment.

Carole was particularly helpful at that juncture in organizing his actual enrollment into a program. He is now in a sober living home, going to meetings 5-6 days a week, seeing Carole twice a week, and he has been sober for five weeks.

I find Carole to be particularly astute, perceptive and sensitive to difficult situations and personalities, and I would recommend her services without equivocation.

Sincerly,

Arthur T. McIntosh, III

Recently on a flight from LA to Dallas I sat next to Carole Bennett.  We struck up a conversation and when I learned she was a family substance abuse counselor, I couldn't help but ask her advice about my 17 year old daughter.  My wife and I knew our daughter was smoking marijuana, but lately we were concerned about her different behavior. We were confused, angry and scared for her and us, and we just didn’t know what
to do.

After relaying all of this and more to Carole, she clearly and preciously – word by word advised me as to what I should do.  By the end of the conversation, I was relieved and felt I had a few more answers to some difficult questions.

When the plane landed, I thanked her and told her that she should write a column of difficult questions and honest answers for the frustrated and confused parents all over the world that must be struggling with the same issues we are.

Thank you, Michael - A grateful father of a teenage daughter.