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The material below is the html version of a document developed in the 1990s.
Contact
NA World Services | Return
to Home Page
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The material below is the html version of a document developed in the 1990s.
Networking With Professionals |
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Developing one-on-one relationships with professionals in the therapeutic community is an oft-neglected activity among local public information committees. Many addicts arrive because of a referral from someone in a helping profession or the criminal justice system. But in order for professionals to give those referrals, they must know about NA and be confident that their clients will receive the help they need. Both ingredients are important. Obviously someone can’t make a referral if they don’t know we exist, but on the other hand, no one is going to make a referral to Narcotics Anonymous if they are aware of our fellowship, but view us as a bunch of flakes. Ongoing personal contact goes a long way toward raising expectations and increasing the comfort levels of professionals. |
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Who are the professionals we should be talking too? Their titles will vary from country to country. Essentially they are people who may be in a position to talk to drug addicts who need recovery. They include but are not limited to:
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The first thing that you must do to be effective is to make a commitment to a small amount of time each week to talk to some of these people. It could be one or two hours a week. That is enough to talk with several contacts, provide a brief introduction of what NA is, and ask for a couple of names of other professionals who could use some basic information about Narcotics Anonymous. The amount of time is less important than the commitment to regular contact. We have a long history of not fulfilling our commitments in every form of service. This has given us a bad reputation with many professionals, and rightly so, but it is never too late to make amends. A solid commitment to follow-through and a consistent track record go a long way toward repairing that reputation. |
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The goal of this contact is to provide the professional with a short introduction to NA, a meeting list, and maybe some basic informational pamphlets. A misunderstanding among many professionals in the therapeutic community is the notion that "NA is just like AA except it’s for drugs." We can effectively correct this misconception by emphasizing that in NA we recover from the disease of addiction, not from any specific substance. This is apparent in our First Step: "We admitted we were powerless over our addiction, that our lives had become unmanageable. Following that, we should ask if they would like a panel presentation or if there is anything else we can do and then listen. If it is within our power and the traditions to help, great. If not, explain the reasons why as simply and succinctly as possible. Most people are prepared to hear, "no." as an answer to a request, and honestly they usually prefer to hear it sooner than later. They especially prefer to hear a "no" rather than a "yes" that is not honored. Whatever we say we will do, we must try to do—to the best of our ability. |
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Keep a journal of the individuals whom you contacted. Record names and contact information. Record pertinent details of the discussion, any materials you left with him/her, and the date. This information will be very useful in helping you determine when to follow-up with another visit. It will also be helpful to the next member of the PI committee who will be contacting these professionals. This information will also serve to update and expand your database of professionals for direct mail projects, broadcast fax and other purposes in the future. |
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Unlike PI panels, which should never be done alone, phone calls and personal visits are often handled by one person. If this is the case, it is important to keep the visit short and to the point. Don’t let yourself be drawn into extended discussions about NA if at all possible. This is only an introduction. Invite the professional to your next PI panel or community meeting where there will be more NA members to answer questions for several professionals. Remind the professional that NA is a very large fellowship and you are but a trusted servant. It is important that the professionals understand that there are no "bosses" in NA. The following is an example of a form you can use to keep
track of your professional contacts:
Trusted Servant: ______________________________________________________________________________ Date: ______________________________________________________________________________ Organization: ______________________________________________________________________________ Phone: ______________________________________________________________________________ Contact name: ______________________________________________________________________________ Fax: ______________________________________________________________________________ Address: ______________________________________________________________________________ Email: ______________________________________________________________________________ Reason for contact:
______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ w wwwww |
| The following dramatic
demonstration illustrates some of the questions you may be asked during a
professional contact and some suggested ways of answering such questions:
The phone call (ring . . . ring . . . ring) Professional: Basic Treatment Center. This is Joe Counselor. Can I help you? Trusted servant: Hello Joe, my name is ____. I’m a recovering addict in the fellowship of Narcotics Anonymous. I’m calling professionals in the chemical dependency field today to talk about NA, answer any questions you may have, and give you some literature that can help you in providing your clients with the help they need to recover from the disease of addiction. Is now a good time to talk, or would it be better to set up an appointment for a later date? P: Well, I have a couple of minutes right now. What is Narcotics Anonymous all about? TS: I’ll just give you a brief description. We’re a non-profit fellowship of men and women for whom drugs had become a major problem. We meet regularly in informal groups to share our recovery and how we are staying clean with one another. We’re a program of complete abstinence from all drugs. Anyone can join us; the only requirement for membership is the desire to stop using. P: Wow! I’d really like to spend some more time talking to you than I have right now. Can we set up an appointment for later? TS: Sure, I usually stop by to see people on Wednesday afternoons. I have an opening at 1 p.m. Is that good for you? P: That sounds good. Do you know where my office is? TS: I have your address. Should I ask for you at the reception desk or come directly to your office? P: Oh, just come on up—third floor, room 339. TS: Great! I’ve got you down for 1 p.m. I’ll see you then. Good-bye. P: Bye. |
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(knock, knock) P: Hello. TS: Hi, I’m ____. We spoke on the phone about Narcotics Anonymous and set up a one o’clock appointment. P: Oh yes, great. I’m pleased to meet you. How are you? TS: Excellent, thank you very much. And you? P: Very well, thank you. I was very interested in what you had to say during our phone call. Thanks for taking the time to stop by. What exactly is your title? Are you a counselor? TS: No. We don’t have counselors. Almost all our services are provided by volunteers. We’re called "trusted servants" within the fellowship. My responsibility is to introduce professionals like yourself to Narcotics Anonymous, answer any questions you might have, and find out if there’s anything NA can do to help you. P: NA is pretty much like AA, then? TS: I’m glad you asked that. The program we follow is similar to AA’s in that we also follow Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, but rather than focusing on recovery from a specific drug, we focus on recovery from the disease of addiction. This encompasses all drugs, including alcohol. P: Oh, I see. How many meetings do you have in the area? TS: We have __ weekly meetings here in the city and statewide we have more than ___ weekly NA meetings. I’ve brought a current local meeting list and one that covers the entire state. We update them every three months. I can send you a new list each time they’re printed. Would that be okay? P: Yes, that would be very helpful. TS: Great, I’ll put you on our regular mailing list. If you’d like, I can also put you on our broadcast fax list to receive announcements of dances and other functions our fellowship puts on. P: That’s an excellent idea! Send it to 555-5555. I’ve been wanting to send my clients to social functions in a recovering atmosphere. TS: I also brought you some introductory literature: An Introductory Guide to Narcotics Anonymous, and some informational pamphlets. P: Thanks. TS: Is there anything else I can do for you right now? P: Well, actually, I would like to have someone come in and make a presentation to my clients. Is that possible? TS: Yes. We could do that. Why don’t you come to our next panel presentation to community professionals? It’s scheduled for ____ at _____. Here’s a flyer announcing the meeting. Also, we have an introductory video available from our Regional Service Office called "Just For Today." You can also order other literature from the office. Here’s an order form with the office’s address and phone number on it. If you’d like a panel of NA members to come in and make a presentation to your clients, I’ll need to speak with my committee about making arrangements for it. We meet in two weeks. I’ll call you the following week with some dates and times. P: Thanks a lot. TS: It’s been a pleasure meeting with you. Do you have any colleagues you think I should contact? P: As a matter of fact, you should talk to my boss. He really needs to hear more about the resources available in our community. TS: Thanks, I’ll contact him. One of the pamphlets I’ve given you is called "NA: A Resource in Your Community." Would you mind passing that on to him and letting him know I’ll be calling to follow up? P: Sure. TS: Great! Once again, it’s been a pleasure meeting you. My committee and I look forward to working with you for a long time. P: Well, the feeling is mutual. Have a good afternoon. TS: You too. |