Today we’d like to introduce you to “Kansas” (James) Cafferty.
Hi “Kansas” (James), thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
“If I ever get into heaven, it will be because I am backing away from hell.”
I heard this quote once and it resonated deeply with me. I was born to an addicted teen mother. She had had one child at 14 she gave up for adoption via the catholic unwed mothers home she resided in at the time. I was born at 16 in the same situation but she kept me. At 18 she also had my sister who was born with spinabifida. 10 years later my youngest sister was born. None of us had fathers around and my middle sister and I did not know our fathers. None of us had the same fathers.
As one might imagine, growing up with meth and alcohol addiction being a norm, that I fell right into this during my adolescence. After a tumultuous upbringing, I entered foster care during my teen years where I remained until I aged out and ultimately checked myself into a community funded drug and alcohol tx program at 18. My sobriety date is 7.2.96.
I knew right away that I wanted to help others. I had completed an EMT program while in foster care despite not having attended high school (I got a GED at 16 so my social worker would stop insisting I go to school). I did not want to be on the back of the bus trying to figure out who got the drugs so I become a nurses aid and began helping people with their detoxification needs at 19. Over the next 10 years I would become an adolescent drug and alcohol counselor and chip away at school as I could afford it until I completed my bachelors and masters degrees. (springfield college and national university respectively). Since then I have worked abundantly with persons suffering from substance use disorders, mental health challenges, and all that life can sometimes bring to just ruin your month or year. I specialize in addiction and trauma though I spend time with many other issues routinely. The populations I work with most extensively are adolescents, first responders, military, NFL players, healthcare professionals, and anyone else I feel comfortable I can help.
Additionally, I have been a significant contributor to my field. I served NAADAC for 17 consecutive years. View my linkedin for a summary of this. The highest position I worked in was as the Chair of the National Certification Commission for Addiction Professionals (NCCAP). this is the testing and credentialing arm of the organization and functions semi autonomously from the executive board as this protects the integrity of the exams, which are used in most US states as the credentialing exams for varied levels of certification ranging from Peer Support Specialists, to graduate level clinical practitioners. These exams have been translated, via state dept funding in over 20 languages and have been used internationally as well.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Staying sober, helplessly watching multiple family members die from addiction, Opening and losing a partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient program to covid, getting through school (look up how foster kids do in college). Introducing myself to my father at age 19 by knocking on his door. Losing my sister with spinabifida two months before my foster sister was murdered by her ex husband. You could say there have been some struggles.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Cafferty Clinic?
I provide: Individual and couples therapy to adults and adolescents 14 and up. I am also an expert witness in family law and criminal court cases when addiction is an area of needed expertise. my website is www.insightbythesea.com
How do you think about luck?
Not sure about luck, but mentorship has been the most incredible part of the journey. To be clear, these were not paid coaches. These were natural mentors doing for me what was done for them in their younger years. Development, wisdom, guidance, opportunity, giving me reasons to believe in myself. People did this out of the kindness of their hearts, not for a profit motive. That’s never been lost on me. I am forever grateful to all of those who have and continue to do this for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.insightbythesea.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kansasc/
Image Credits
No image credits necessary. None are professional photos or via press sources or authors. One is at the white house office on national drug control policy, one is with the surgeon general the day he gave his report on addiction. Another is with Dr. Drew in the green room of the surgeon generals report and finally the one with the two boys is me with my sons Kian and Cooper (AKA Coop Doggy Dogg on the football field)
