About Us

Sharon Blackshire is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, LCSW, (a prerequisite being a masters degree in social work, MSW,) and a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor CADC, both nationally recognized credentials in all fifty states. Both require two internships, each, a residency period and a national exam. In essence there is no more higher credentialing that gain be gained in the addiction fieldShe has been working in the field of addictions since 1984, over twenty five years! In 2009 she was a presenter at the National Association of Social Workers, with a presentation entitiled 28 Twelve Step Programs, What Every Clinician Should Know. She founded Life  Matters, in 1997, and began her one of a kind Rehabilitation Program in 2005. Sharon is also a National Board Certified Teacher, NBCT and  before having a family worked in corporate America as a Sales Manager for both Procter and Gamble and Clorox for a decade. Hence, she brings strong organizational and presentation skills to the company in addition to her clinical experience.

What Sharon has done is take the best of several different treatment centers where she has worked, while getting rid of what she saw as negatives that kept impeding a patient's recovery. When a patient returns to Life Matters it is not to start all over again....Relapse Prevention is built into a singular treatment plan for a singular client. No computerized, one size fits all program with multiple clients tagging along. Clients focus on poor accomodations, food, logistics, and inter-patient conflicts that eat away time and energy are ALL GONE. Down time with boredom, and "what happens next," is GONE. There is ALWAYS a paid professional one on one with the patient. No other program in the country offers that!

Insurance companies conceived of the "28-Day Program." Sharon took that length of time and made it work for not against the patient. Armed with more and better information, therapy and twelve step experience, and having spent a mere week with less expense, and time away from home and work, the patient practices with "real life," then returns for more corrections as a part of the original treatment. It is not a "theoretical," break from reality cocooned in a "dry institution." Real dinners out nightly in quality restaurants, music poolside along with a bar and a Recovery Coach by your side deal with these triggers by going through them successfully, and practicing daily with a Coach by your side not just some old lecture buried in the patient's brain. IMMEDIATE APPLICATION, WITH IMMEDIATE SUCCESS in the REAL WORLD, COMBINED WITH ACCOUNTABILITY HAS PROVEN SUCCESS. MORE PROVEN SUCCESS THAN ANY 28 DAY PROGRAM!

ore practice is required, new supports are gathered, yet the safety, assurance and accoutability are built in to smooth out transitions with work, family, etc. Adjustments can be quickly and professionally made without starting all over with another practitioner. Yet Life Matters, works with the patients locale to ensure verbal exchange and accountability not leaving that to the rookie to manage alone.

A family program offered in many 28 programs entails bringing spouses, children, siblings and or parents to one or more follow up sessions....where communication skills are practiced and there is exposure to supportive twelve step programs such as CoDa, Naranon, Alanon, SLAA
This can also been done by means of Skype when travel is problematic.
 
Sharon insures her personnel match the patient's needs. Fortunately, she has vast educational,  and treatment facilities in the county as long with hundreds of twelve step people and the network of persons who attend them.

Finally, this program has still the additional advantage of allowing a patient to leave his employer for ten days with a stay in detox if need be, get treatment and return for a weekend without having to reveal more than he or she is going to Florida....and coming back with some sun and some color to prove it! THIS PROGRAM IS A CAREER SAVER. It also preserves the family or social unit without the "addict opting out." THIS PROGRAM IS A FAMILY SAVER. More time away by itself can be a negative not a positive.