On May 1, 1975 the Central Naugatuck Valley Consortium for Alcoholism Services, Inc. began as a private, non-profit organization, providing a comprehensive service-delivery system for alcohol related problems. This system of services are based upon the philosophy that alcoholism is a progressive family disease that is treatable and preventable. The Central Coordinating Unit functioned as the coordinator and program developer, insuring a continuum of care. As a pilot project, federally funded through the single state agency, our system of services was favorably reviewed as a cohesive system for the delivery of alcoholism services. The result in 1978, was the duplication of the "Consortium" concept in three other areas of the state.

In 1981, the single state alcohol and drug agency, CADAC, due to federal budget cuts, discontinued the funding of all the consortia. Our central office was funded as an Alcohol and Drug Council. Having pioneered the assertive early intervention approach to chemical dependency within Connecticut, we began concentrating our efforts upon raising the level of awareness about alcohol and other drug use and misuse. A result was our beginning to work with families much earlier in the stages of addiction. Our philosophy is based upon the thesis that those people who are concerned about and affected by the problem drinker / drug abuser can initiate a program of recovery, first and foremost for themselves. In turn, these people begin to intervene in the chemical dependent's cycle of destruction. The natural outgrowth was the establishment of two distinct programs under the "Consortium" umbrella: The Family Intervention Center and the Alcohol and Drug Council.

We became licensed as an adult psychiatric outpatient clinic under the Connecticut Department of Health Services.

Although our particular area of expertise is chemical dependency, we work with individuals and families who are hurting as the result of other emotional pressures and stress, as well as working with the compulsive overeater. Our clinical staff consist of social workers, a psychiatrist, and certified alcoholism and drug counselors.

Our affiliation with the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence, Inc. (NCADD) enables us to have nationwide access to new materials and programs thereby keeping us abreast of the state of the art. In addition to our counseling services, we provide prevention education for several towns, in and out of our district. We provide awareness programs throughout the year and operate a resource center for all students, teachers, community health agencies, and civic groups. We administer the Pre-trial Alcohol Education System for those people arrested for driving while intoxicated, under a contract with the State of Connecticut. Our Employee Assistance Program provides training, consultation, evaluation and referral for the employees of local industries. The student practicum program brings four to six graduate students to our agency each year to gain hands-on counseling experience. Our training services are utilized by the Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Commission and all professionals in the helping professions, school systems, and health organizations. We have been approved to provide Continuing Education Credits for our training programs as well as certification credit, category 1, for the Connecticut Alcohol and Drug Certification Board requirements.

In 1990, our fifteenth year in the Central Naugatuck Valley region, we consolidated our many names, "The Consortium," "The Alcohol and Drug Council," "The Family Intervention Center" and our original name "The Central Naugatuck Valley Consortium for Alcoholism Services, Inc." and became officially "THE FAMILY INTERVENTION CENTER." We have grown, changed, and yet remained the same in that our mission statement is still "Promoting wellness through education, intervention and treatment."