History of ABC Schools

The Addictive Behavior Counseling School was pioneered at the request of Dr. Bruce Thompson, then Dean of the College of Counseling and Health Care. We realize now that this school was born out of the heart of God longing to reach out to people largely rejected by society and even the church. This includes people addicted to alcohol and other drugs, sex addicts, prostitutes, adults and children living on the street and HIV / AIDS people. Many of these people are poorly cared for by society and often not welcomed in the church. Jesus, if He were here in the flesh, would likely be right among them. So we believe this school is relevant to the needs and cries of people on the fringe of society. Those in main-stream society and professionals have also turned to addictions to fill their cries of emptiness, loneliness, and isolation. God has a heart for ALL who are hurting.

The Addictive Behavior Counseling School (ABCS) began on the University of the Nations campus in Kona, Hawaii in September 1989 under the leadership of Darv and Carol Smith, Miriam Young and Jim Nizza. There were twelve students from five different countries. This school had outreaches to India, Singapore, and Malaysia and also to the Micronesian islands of Guam, Yap, and Palau. Dr. Mel Hanna and Darv led the 1990 Kona school with outreaches to Hong Kong and Micronesia. As a result of an ABCS project researched by students Barbara Kosko-Holm and Pat Michels, a rehab program called “Omult” was established in Palau with the help of Linda Subris. This was a prototype for cooperation between existing rehab programs and the ABC school helping with new methods and teachings. (Pic)

During the decade of the 1990s schools were held in Amsterdam in 1993,1994 and 1996. Later schools were led by Stan and Beth Pettengill in 2001 and 2004. Outreaches went to Budapest, Hungary; Krasnodar and Barnaul, Russia, Latvia, Ukraine – working with rehab centers, churches and prisons. We’re looking forward to future schools in Amsterdam. We helped start a rehab center in Sevastopol with two Ukranian men who did the ABC school in Kiev.

In 1998 Dr. Bruce Thompson invited us to join the base in Chatel, Switzerland. He was wanting it to be established as a counseling-focused base. Bruce and Barbara were invited to be staff/students in this ABC school to offer them more understanding of our addiction school. The outreach (in 1999) went to Mongolia to help train government narcologists in an Alcohol Abuse Reduction Project (AARP). The more effective Minnesota Model program was introduced to replace the Russian shame reduction method. Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was started. The trained doctors then began many rehab programs in Mongolia. AA continued to multiply there. This outreach also went to Moscow with some ARP staff to experience A.A. in another country. (Pic)

In 1998 a new ABCS was pioneered in Kiev, Ukraine with the help of Natasha Shure. Outreaches went to California at the Santa Barbara Rescue Mission and New Life Center in Santa Cruz, CA. under the guidance of Yoko Saito, a former ABCS student. Other schools followed in 2001 and 2006.

Kona, Hawaii became a regular site for the ABCSs in 1997. In Kona in 1999 there was a major shift to expand ABCS leadership. Ten former ABCS students were prepared to lead future schools. From this time on leadership was released to younger leaders. Darv, Carol and Linda Subris continued to mentor these new gifted leaders. (Pic)
Since 2000 ABC schools have continued every year in Kona under Linda Subris’ leadership and mentorship. Linda, Joy Lee and Abraham Kim have led numerous schools from 2010 – 2019.

In 2002 Jungwoo Cheon and Fuana Tmarsel co-led the first bilingual school in Korea with an outreach led by Shin Sook to Kazakhstan. The school has continued in Jeju, Korea every other year and is now in the Korean language only. Three successive schools were led by Jong Kuk and now Hyungsuk (Mango) Kim has led the most recent schools.

In 2006 the first school in Lonavala, India was pioneered with the help of Ashang Kasar. Robert Pallath led the next school in 2009 followed by Akap Phom in 2011. The last one was in 2018 with Mayola Ngamchio and Ashang leading. Rehab programs were begun in 2019 in Imphal and Ukrul led by Ashang and Mayo respectively. Sylvie Bolay pioneered schools in Switzerland in 2006 and 2008. She continued leading schools in 2011 and 2013. Gustavo Lima and Sandra Beuren led the next school in 2016 and 2018 with plans for another in September 2020. Emmanuel Muchanga from Kenya, pioneered the first ABC school in Uganda, Africa in 2008. Debra and Jeremiah Nakora pioneered an ABC school in Fiji in 2009. (pic)

Schools in Africa were pioneered by Emmauel Muchanga in Jinja, Uganda in January 2008. Jonathan Mumbi led an ABC in Worcester, South Africa in 2009. He later started an ABC in Livingstone, Zambia in 2012. (pic) Schools began in South America in Crato, Brazil in 2011 pioneered by Paulo da Silva. He and Ieda continued to lead schools in Recife in 2012 then moved to Curitiba, Brazil to lead ABC Schools in 2014, 2015,2016, 2017, and 2019. Paul da Silva also led the only Spanish speaking ABCS in Pichilema, Chile in 2014 with Darv & Carol mentored the school.

We have provided addiction counselor training in over 50 ABC Schools in 14 different nations with students from over 65 countries. Our trained addiction students may work to provide individual and group counseling in churches, YWAM bases and counseling centers or they may serve on staff for future ABC schools or become ABC school leaders. Some have pioneered addiction rehabilitation programs in Palau, India and Brazil.

We began to offer Certified Addiction Counselor (CAC) certificates after our Russian students desired to be certified so that they could get jobs in prisons, government programs and other places. We assessed the CAC requirements of several USA States and found that the contents they require are similar to our course. We now provide all of those CAC requirements in each of our ABCS schools. To be certified, each student applicant must be recommended by both the lecture and outreach leaders.

To learn more about ABC schools see “ABCS STRUCTURE and CONTENT”.