Alcohol and drug problems as well as mental health issues - - anxiety, depression - - often lead to hopelessness, demoralization and isolation. My first step is to evaluate core problems collaboratively, to create a shared understanding of these issues, and then to develop a plan and solutions to deal with them.I was a Co-Founder and the Director of The Stanford Alcohol and Drug Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University for many years providing clinical services, teaching and conducting research and am now in private practice offering individual and family therapy.Alcohol and drug problems as well as most mental health issues are treatable, and this often requires tailoring a support process to the individual that works. New ways of understanding problems and dealing with them provide a basis to resolve problems that erode an individual’s or family’s quality of life.