The most interesting thing about Dr. Allen Berger isn’t where he’s been – though he’s definitely been a few places. It’s where he’s come back from.
After the traumatic loss of his father at age 11, Allen developed a drinking problem, which led to him dropping out of high school in 9th grade, which led to him joining The Marine Corps at age 18, which led him to serve in Vietnam, which led to an addiction to narcotics, which led to him narrowly avoiding jail time by being one of the first soldiers to enroll in the U.S. military’s first addiction treatment program.
From there he began to shift his focus from The Armed Forces to the invisible forces that keep men stuck in their own emotional and spiritual prisons. He has been on a journey of self-examination and self-improvement ever since and has inspired many others to begin their own journeys.
He has spent time with many of the thought leaders who helped shape the first and second waves of the men’s movement and has been trained as a psychologist and therapist by some of the best mental health and addiction specialists in the world. Allen is a bestselling author and I am proud to also call him a good friend.
Don’t miss Allen’s Practical and Tactical tips for building better relationships. And, make sure you stick around until the end for the celebratory – and very spontaneous – drum circle led by two very special, surprise guests.
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About Our Guest
Allen Berger, Ph.D., is an internationally recognized expert in family and couples therapy, and in the science of addiction and recovery. He is best known for his work on integrating modern psychotherapy with the 12 Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous and for his insights into emotional sobriety. He is also recognized for his outstanding work as a psychotherapist and trainer.
He brings a highly unique background to his profession. His own personal journey in recovery started in 1971, on the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. There he fell in love with recovery and with helping people find their way out of the abyss of addiction into the light of recovery. He overcame dropping out of high school, and received a doctorate in clinical psychology from UC Davis in 1987.He was trained and mentored by two brilliant clinicians: William C. Rader, M.D. and Walter Kempler, M.D..
He is the author of several journal articles as well as two books: Love Secrets – Revealed (HCI Books, 2006) and the Best Seller, 12 Stupid Things that Mess up Recovery (Hazelden, 2008)). His pamphlet How to Get the Most out of Group Therapy (Hazelden, 2007) helps new admissions understand the process of group therapy and how to use the group to optimize their experience in treatment.
His office is located in Southern California where he divides his time amongst private practice, teaching, writing and playing tennis.
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