Hidden Gems: Meet Kevin Petersen, LMFT of The Chronic Hope Institute

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kevin Petersen, LMFT.

Hi Kevin, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I left my career in sales in 2007 and went back to school at Regis to get a Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy. I graduated in 2011 and worked for Arapahoe Douglas Mental Health until 2014 and started my private practice.

I wrote my first book, Chronic Hope: Parenting the Addicted Child in 2019, and my second book, Chronic Hope: Families & Addiction in 2021. I started the Chronic Hope Institute in 2020 to help educate families about addiction and co-dependency and how to recover from both. I have an office in Denver and Jacksonville Beach, FL.

I live with my wife Amy and our three Boston Terries, Bert, Blanche, and Stella. I have been sober since May 5, 1991.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I was raised in a house of addiction in Palo Alto, CA. My mother was a prescription drug addict and we were all responsible for keeping her secret. I started using drugs and drinking at 13 years old and became an alcoholic and an addict almost immediately. I started at USC in 1982 and flunked out in 1987. I told everyone that I graduated and even had them all attend the ceremonies in 1988 but I wasn’t close to being done at USC.

I got sober in 1991 because my family circled the wagons and told me that I had a choice; sober up and I could continue being a part of the family, or if I chose drugs and alcohol then they would need to keep their distance from me until I chose sobriety. I tried to bargain with them and they didn’t budge, so I got sober on May 5, 1991, and went back to USC to clean up my mess. I graduated in August of 1994 and moved to Denver in 1995. I got married in 2002 and divorced in 2005, went back to school in 2008 at Regis University for a Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy. I started Petersen Family Counseling in 2014 the same year that my mother died.

My wife’s mother died that year too and my brother-in-law lost both of his parents in 2014. My wife’s father died in 2017 and then in 2018, she was diagnosed with two kinds of primary cancer. We spend the year doing radiation, chemotherapy, and surgery and after nine months of treatment and two major surgeries, she was cancer-free and has been ever since. My father died in July 2021. There have been plenty of challenges and struggles during the past seven years both personally and professionally.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
I started out as Petersen Family Counseling in 2014 and still have that company. We have four therapists and family case managers in Denver and two in Jacksonville Beach, FL. We work with individuals, couples, and families and provide therapy and case management.

Our strength is working with families that are struggling with addiction and co-dependency and helping them find recovery. I have written two books, Chronic Hope: Parenting the Addicted Child and Chronic Hope: Families & Addiction, that are designed to help families in crisis and give them a plan.

I grew up in a house of addiction, became and addict, found sobriety, and then went back to school to become licensed mental health professional. I think that we offer a unique perspective on how to work with individuals and families that are struggling with addiction and family dynamics. We are very solution-oriented.

Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
Kevin Petersen, MA, LMFT, is the founder of The Chronic Hope Institute, which provides healing for families in crisis due to addiction and co-dependency, and family case management training for clinicians.

Kevin has authored two Amazon bestsellers, Chronic Hope: Parenting the Addicted Child and Chronic Hope: Families and Addiction. Dedicated to strengthening the family system, Kevin’s mission is to turn feelings of helplessness into hope. Kevin has a regular podcast and a YouTube channel and is a regular contributor to 9NEWS on the topics of mental health and addiction.

Pricing:

• $140 Individual Therapy
• $150 Family Case Management

Contact Info:

• Email: kevin@chronichope.us
• Website: https://chronichope.us
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thechronichopeinstitute/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chronichopeinstitute
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheChronicHope
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/c/ChronicHopeInstitute