Clive Davis in promoting his upcoming biographical documentary, reveals his letter regarding his most famous client, Whitney Houston, where he pleads with Whitney that it’s time she got help. After attending the Michael Jackson 2001 tribute where Clive watched Whitney perform, he shares with her that when he got home he cried. He implores her that it’s time to get help, “no more time or postponement”.

You don’t have to be a high profile power agent or public relations rep to know and understand how perplexing it is to figure out how to best keep your client from self-destructing.

We all understand the frustration of pleading with a loved one and see them spiraling out of control to their demise. We’ve all encountered family members and friends we see having issues and implore them to get help, lets us help them. But they completely close you off.

As a specialist in addiction, the root of addiction is the inability to handle one’s emotional pain. It crosses all demographics of people and economic, familial and social backgrounds.

The addict is locked into this trance using drug or substance to hide from this pain. It’s a protection mechanism to block out having to feel the pain and hurt.

My approach with a client like this is to simply get the stress off of them. I was working with a client yesterday and they had some deep pain going on, but I directed my attention at something that was frustrating them that day. Once they got relief, then the gatekeeper in their mind allowed them to relax and use that relief to make them feel safe and spontaneously to move forward to bigger issues.

Another fear of the client is loss of control, fear of being found out and loss of their career and status. I always work with client in confidentiality, one on one, in person or via internet in privacy of their home. No embarrassment of being exposed to press, media and peers.

If they don’t want to go to a facility, Fine. Send them my way. Don’t let the fact that they have to go to a facility stop them from getting help.

My focus is let the client keep their privacy to feel safe, and to just simply get the stress off the client. Focusing on the stressors, beliefs and programs that are causing them immediate angst and replace that with beliefs and feelings that promote safety and security. Then client is able to open and go at their pace to make the changes necessary to break the addiction and move forward.

I am the agent’s and public relations rep’s resource for wanting their client’s privacy, emotional safety and results oriented outcomes.