Dennis Fitzpatrick
- Supervisor of Interns for State of Nevada Board of Examiners for Alcohol, Drug and Gambling Counselors (retired)
- Supervisor of several Domestic Violence Agencies for the Division of Public and Behavioral Health, State of Nevada (active)“
- Reality Therapy Certified, M.M.
About the author:
This website is the result of the work of Dennis Fitzpatrick with mandated Domestic Violence offenders for since 2000. Many of these men and women had no living skills when they were sentenced to six months of weekly classes to improve their behavior. By the time of their third month, most of these clients showed such dramatic changes in their behavior that their partners, who had not attended classes, began to change as well.
Fitzpatrick maintains that any person who changes their own behavior by using the first two living skills can get the same results with difficult partners, children, parents, friends and co-workers if they are addiction free. He says, “The first living skill, the second thought, helps a person not to react to others but handle any situation as a creator.
The second living skill, handling conflict, uses the opportunity of conflict to get emotionally closer to others. Such a person gets the confidence with these skills that they can make any relationship work. The other 4 living skills will enrich a person’s life with unbelievable depths of happiness and peace.” His clients agree with him.
Through the years he has spent over 10,000 hours of experience in helping hundreds of alcoholics and drug addicts. He has been abstinent and in recovery from his own alcoholism since 1973 he had his last bet and last cigarette in 1976.
He enjoys living in Las Vegas which he calls the worlds addiction capital that could become the recovery capital. He says, “Because of my own long term recovery from many addictions, I am able to help others when many others can’t.” One of his writings is about the personal application of the 12 Steps, Traditions and Concepts of Service of AA.
1212and12.org
The "Homework"
An Alcoholics Anonymous meeting that uses the ‘inventories’ the Dennis wrote on the 12-steps, 12-traditions and the 12-concepts of service has been ongoing for over 30 years.
For more information on the meeting, click here.
Dennis is also concerned about atheist and agnostic substance sufferers who want help from AA but object to the mention of God 4 times and the reference to a Higher Power in AA’s 12 Steps. He uses his own version called The Universal 12 Steps of AA for Atheists and Freethinkers and includes a brief commentary on each step with some frequently asked questions by new members. He points out that AA is invaluable in providing non-judgmental support so important in long term recovery.
Fitzpatrick is also very concerned about the 2 million needless deaths each year from substance impaired drivers. He states that this is the number one preventable death issue ignored in the world. He advocates the use of autos with built in sensors that shut down the vehicle when they detect such substances or are self-driving vehicles. Such cars are needed because research shows that 65% of all DUI accidents are by first time offenders. Fitzpatrick’s video, DUI Goodbye! (8:29) shows such a vehicle designed by Nissan.
Fitzpatrick’s musical career featured Ph.D. studies in musicology at Northwestern University and UCLA. He interrupted his studies to pursue a performing career in Los Angeles where he conducted his English Chant Schola and arranged Gregorian chants and Renaissance polyphony in English which was broadcast weekly on two Los Angeles area FM stations.
He was also active in the reform of the Roman Catholic liturgy at Vatican II with his Demonstration English Mass LP and live performances at leading religious centers in the US such as Rockefeller Chapel in Chicago which was attended by overflow crowds. A history of Fitzpatrick’s involvement in Vatican II liturgical change is described in the book Liturgical Renewal by George Devine (Alba House, New York, 1973). Some of the greatest Gregorian chants conducted by Dennis can be heard on this website.
Fitzpatrick also insisted on the right of young people to compose their own words and music in folk style with the use of guitars in his Hymnal for Young Christians which swept the country. He published and recorded one of the most popular hymns of this period, They’ll Know We Are Christians By Our Love, which is still sung in many churches.
His career took another turn when, as the publisher, FEL Publications, Ltd., he pioneered litigation against the Catholic Church in Chicago and other copyright violators of the rights of authors, composers and publishers. For a summary of this litigation CLICK HERE
He instituted an annual blanket license that is used throughout the industry today. Fitzpatrick’s involvement in the Folk Mass and ensuing litigation is described in Ken Canedo’s book, Keep the Fire Burning (Pastoral Press, Oregon, 2009).
- The Second Thought (Creator Behavior not Victim Thinking)
- The 7 Peaceful Answers to Conflict
- Overcoming Addictions
- Happiness is satisfying my 5 Basic Genetic Needs
- Forgiveness and Grieving the creator way
- Simple Meditation, the secret to growth
- Service through understanding my brain type, my mate’s & children
Dennis Fitzpatrick’s Life Outside of Counseling:
He enjoys a fabulous marriage with Yoko, his Japanese wife, who left Japan and a career as a concert Koto artist to join him in Las Vegas. She teaches Koto in Las Vegas along with piano, Ikebana (flower arrangement), tea ceremony and Kimono dressing. She has many rare Kimonos.
Dennis has a master’s degree in music as a conductor, classical organist, composer and arranger. He has created a method of teaching great music (Bach, Mozart, Beethoven etc.) to children so the impression of the finest thoughts in music elevates a child’s mind. Yoko teaches the children to become cultured persons since not all are to be professional performers.
To visit Yoko’s site CLICK HERE.
They are avid ballroom dancers and sometimes perform dance exhibitions.
They practice ballroom dance on the floating ballroom floor of their home where his counseling workshops also take place.
Yoko sews her own dance gowns.
Dennis plays or practices competitive tennis daily. He is also a vegan.
He is close to his son, Michael and his sister, Kathleen, who is a talented decorator, an accomplished golfer and proud mother of three.
Dennis became an atheist. He says he was intellectually abused with nonsensical Catholic beliefs as a child. “I accepted my Catholic brainwashing without critical thought for years. My breakthrough from indoctrination to reason took place in listening to the debates of Christopher Hitchens. Especially the debate with his brother where Christopher brilliantly disproves the existence of God in 11 minutes from 31:22 to 42:32 of the following video made on 4/3/2008.