Margaret trained
as a psychotherapist at the Psychosynthesis and Education
Trust, London and established herself in the addiction
treatment field through six years of service as a practice
manager at the well-known therapeutic community of Phoenix
House where she set up an acudetox clinic. This was the
first use of acupuncture in a therapeutic community in
the UK.
Working with
the criminal justice system has been a big part of Margaret's
work. Though only three years have passed since acudetox
was introduced in to the British prison system, there
are currently more than 40 prisons that offer acudetox
programmes and demand for the training is growing.
In line with
improving recovery opportunities for addiction-related
offenders, Margaret has been a strong proponent for adapting
the US model of drug courts into the UK system. During
1999 Margaret organised visits to UK criminal justice
officials by NADA co-founder Dr Mike Smith and the prominent
New York Judge Robert Russell.
Margaret has
also been active outside the UK, both in Europe and with
Native American people in the USA. In 1998, Margaret trained
domestic violence programme workers in the Pine Ridge
Indian Reservation, South Dakota to use the acudetox method
and to integrate this in to their existing care system.
Following a severe tornado that
hit the Pine Ridge Reservation in the early summer of
this year, resulting in loss of life and severe destruction
on the reservation, Margaret trained six Native American
Trauma Crisis Counsellors in giving acudetox to people
affected by the tornado.
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