Dennis Poncher
Founder and President of the Because I Love You Parent and Youth Support Groups.

Dennis started Because I Love You in March, 1982.  After seventeen years of marriage, he lost his wife, also his support system, to Diabetes and was left with a thirteen year old son addicted to drugs and a fifteen year old daughter sexually involved with an adult “roadie” for a heavy medal band.  Most of these negative behaviors had been shielded by his wife and now, as a single parent, he was in deep crises over problems with his two teenage children.  With little or no support from family and friends, Dennis was directed to various therapists, where he soon learned that his children were as capable of manipulating them as they were of manipulating him.  He finally found a local parent support group in the San Fernando Valley area and began attending weekly meetings.  He welcomed the idea of parents getting together to discuss their problems but ended up not agreeing with the group’s philosophy or structure.  In a matter of a few weeks, he created his own group.  A few parents with similar problems met weekly in Dennis’ home to exchange ideas and learn new parenting skills.  Because I Love You now has groups in 14 states, with over 500,000 families having successfully completed the program.  Dennis has appeared on many talk shows such as Oprah, Montel, Geraldo and Good Morning America, as well as, being a keynote speaker throughout the country.  He is the author of "Because I Love You – The Program".

David Blumberg
Youth Program Director for "B.I.L.Y. Too - The Youth Group"
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Professional

David has been with Because I Love You since the late 1980's. As a teen, he attended the B.I.L.Y. Too Youth Group, not because he wanted to, but because he hated what had begun happening with his parents (they had begun applying the B.I.L.Y. 10 Steps at home).  David was rebellious, misunderstood and felt alone, as most teenagers today feel.  Although his initial goal of attending the weekly group was to help the other teens rebel against their parents, he soon learned more about himself, ultimately “survived” the group and came back to share with those in similar situations.  David facilitates weekly youth group meetings at the Granada Hills location and conducts on-going training seminars for youth from the group.  His long term goal is to expand the youth group to a national level, reaching out to teens everywhere, as the Because I Love You Parent Support Group has done for parents.

David has been working professionally in a variety of healthcare settings for over 20 years, providing substance abuse counseling, mental health counseling, mentoring and teaching others about group facilitation.  He holds a B.A. in Psychology and is pursuing a Master's degree in Human Development and a certificate in Chemical Dependency Counseling.

 
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