By a Recent Graduate of the Batterers Intervention Program
Coming into this program, I was in one of the darkest places in my life. I had recently lost my job as a direct result of the charges I was facing, and I was battling deep depression, isolation, and shame. I honestly didn’t know what to expect from the class or if it would help at all. But what I found at Associates in Counseling and Mediation, under Zamara’s guidance, was more than just a class. It was a safe, healing, and transformative space that became the one bright spot during a very painful chapter of my life.
Zamara creates an environment where people feel seen without being judged, challenged without being torn down, and supported while also being held accountable. The curriculum wasn’t just about checking boxes; it was about real growth. I learned how to better understand my emotional triggers, communicate more effectively, and take true responsibility for my actions. What surprised me most was how much of the work was rooted in compassion, not just toward others, but toward myself, too.
There were moments in the class that opened my eyes in ways I hadn’t expected. Discussions around control, vulnerability, and learned behaviors helped me begin to rewrite long-standing patterns. Zamara’s honesty, insight, and steadiness made it possible for people from very different backgrounds to open up and actually do the work. That’s rare, and it speaks volumes about the space she’s built.
I leave this program with not only a renewed understanding of myself but a stronger foundation for the life I want to build moving forward—one that’s grounded in accountability, empathy, and respect. I would genuinely recommend this program to anyone who is ready to grow and willing to face themselves honestly. It changed my life, and I’ll always be grateful to Zamara and Associates in Counseling and Mediation for being the catalyst for that change.
““The owner, her staff, and fellow clients at ACM have been monumental in helping me understand my disease.””
“ACM is the most innovative and effective recovery program available in Southern California today. Like many other facilities in California, ACM uses the court approved S.C.R.A.M. system to monitor client alcohol intake/contact, along with a patch to monitor any drug interaction. Both screen the clients twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. But this is where the similarities to other state programs end…
In addition to the requirements set by the state, ACM sets and maintains high expectations for their clients. Clients are treated respectfully like human beings, and not just a case-number with dollar signs attached. A family-style environment was established from the very beginning, which spawned a soothing and reassuring mood within the building. ACM infuses intense and interactive (group & individual) counseling sessions that are conducted in a variety of ways. Counselor-driven discussions are effective, informative, and lead to great learning. Something innovative the counselors at ACM often do to diversify learning, is they step back and allow client-driven discussions. It’s during these times I have been involved in some of the most profound and mind-blowing life lessons. ACM understands and encourages impactful interaction between clients to be openly honest during meetings, and doesn’t see it as “side talk” or “getting off topic,” but as teachable moments to benefit the clients.
I have witnessed these wonderful moments at ACM because I was a client for many months, and have voluntarily remained for two years as an active alumni member. I was in the very first group of clients (three of us) that helped set the standard that has made ACM the most effective program in southern California. After my second DUI, I recognized that I didn’t just have bad luck, but a serious problem with alcohol. The owner, her staff, and fellow clients at ACM have been monumental in helping me understand my disease. The family atmosphere and devotion of ACM has helped me realize that whatever I was doing before wasn’t working, and they’ve guided me down a path of knowledge and understanding of how my life needed to change. ACM introduced me to the Cognitive Behavior Therapy Chart and this became the cornerstone to my improvement, along with the hundreds of other clients that followed in my footsteps.
ACM made a life-long impression on me, and what’s written above doesn’t scratch the surface of my gratitude and admiration for ultimately saving my life!”