Please note, after you have paid for your course, we will place you in one of the 20 available seats for the class and send you your workbook in the mail. More details below.
¡LAS CLASES DE ESPAÑOL ESTÁN ABIERTAS PARA INSCRIPCIONES!
If you need to speak with someone in Spanish or Portuguese, please call Suanette at (802) 715-5567.
Start the process by completing the intake form.
After completing the Intake Form, choose which class style you would like: 100% online or in-person.
Once you’ve decided on your class type, click on the Payment Link at the top of your screen and select the appropriate item from the drop-down menu. Follow the instructions to complete payment. If you are using Care Credit, you must email us when you’ve been approved.
Once we receive your payment, we will send you the Evaluation via email, summarizing your treatment recommendations, place you in the next available class (there are 20 seats per class available), and mail you your workbook.
Lastly, if you have been referred to counseling, sign up for our weekly group counseling meetings below or choose from the IDRP Approved Counselors List.
Weekly Group will count for either the 4 hour requirement or the 20 hour requirement. The group will be an hour long weekly drop in ONLINE session. The fee will be $60 per group. (Not accepting insurances, sorry.) If this interests you, please sign up here or use the following Zoom links to drop in.
Zoom Link: Join the Wednesday 12pm ET drop-in group counseling here
Zoom link: Join the Friday 6pm ET drop-in group counseling here
There are two ways to attend the IDRP Class – IN PERSON (NEW!) and ONLINE.
The IN PERSON class is $660. This includes a ten hour class broken up into two days, 5 hours each day; your workbook, which is required by the State of Vermont to complete the course, plus shipping and handling; and an assessment to determine if the State of Vermont will recommend counseling. Counseling is a completely separate program and if you are required by the State of Vermont to complete counseling, here is the link of IDRP approved counselors OR sign up here for online weekly group counseling sessions with us.
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The ONLINE Class is $435. This includes a ten hour online class broken up into two days, 5 hours each day; your workbook, which is required by the State of Vermont to complete the course, plus shipping and handling; and an assessment to determine if the State of Vermont will recommend counseling. Counseling is a completely separate program and if you are required by the State of Vermont to complete counseling, here is the link of IDRP approved counselors OR sign up here for online weekly group counseling sessions with us.
Please check the Upcoming Course Dates page where you will find dates and times of up and coming classes. Classes are a two-day five hours each day venture. That means if your class is Sat/Sun from 10am to 3pm, you will need to attend both days from 10am to 3pm to get credit for the class. If you are online, you will need to leave your video camera on for the entire class, with you in the view finder, so that we might be able to validate that you are attending the entire class. (Please no substance use, smoking, or vaping in front of the camera as many people are trying to quit and it can be a trigger for them.)
We recommend that people use a laptop or desktop if at all possible as it is very difficult to participate and see the videos, slides, and your fellow students at the same time on a phone screen. We realize this may not be possible.
For ONLINE Students: Please allow one week for your workbook to arrive in the mail. If you have not received your workbook two days before your class is set to begin, please reach out to our staff at idrpvermont@gmail.com and let us know, as we can provide you with a link for an electronic workbook. We will ask you to print the pages you will be asked to fill out ahead of time so that you can follow along with the rest of us.
Advocates of Recovery can still fulfill the requirements for the required IDRP for the State of Vermont. You may also need to fulfill other requirements for the state you are living in. There may be additional requirements from your new state. You will need to check in with your local DMV. Be sure to complete the section on the Release of Information Form (ROI) that asks you to give the State of Vermont IDRP Program, Program Completion Information to the other State involved. The Release will ask you to check the box and Provide the Name of the other State DMV, their address and contact information. Access the online ROI form here.
Advocates For Recovery have agreements with SOME other states including New York, Maine, Massachusetts and Florida. There may be extra work and an additional fee as required by that state. Please fill out a Release of Confidentiality Information Form (ROI) and complete the section on OUT OF STATE DMV. This form goes directly to IDRP Headquarters and will give you permission to forward IDRP Completion paperwork to the other state’s DMV.
Advocates for Recovery will notify the director of the Vermont IDRP Program of your completion within five business days from the completion of your class. The Director of the IDRP Program for the State of Vermont will notify the Vermont DMV (on average) within seven days of receiving Advocates For Recovery’s completion of class paperwork. This means you should WAIT one to two weeks before calling the Vermont Department of Motor Vehicles at: 888-998-3766. They will mail you a letter (snail mail or email) that notifies you your license is eligible for reinstatement as soon as they receive all documentation from the IDRP Director/Headquarters.
*** If you have counseling as an IDRP requirement, you will need to complete the counseling BEFORE IDRP Office Headquarters will send completion of the program to Vermont DMV. Once you complete all portions of the IDRP requirements including counseling, THEN DMV will issue you a letter stating your license is eligible for reinstatement.***
For DUI #1: As per Vermont State Mandate, IDRP Students are required to complete a minimum of 4 hours of counseling over a minimum of 28 days from an IDRP approved counselor. Approved counselors include but not limited to: LICSW, LCMHC, LADC, LMFT, licensed psychologist), or a clinician with a master’s degree who is actively pursuing licensure.
For DUI #2+: As per Vermont State Mandate, IDRP Students are required to complete a minimum of 20 hours of counseling over a minimum of 24 weeks from an IDRP approved counselor. Approved counselors include but not limited to: LICSW, LCMHC, LADC, LMFT, licensed psychologist), or a clinician with a master’s degree who is actively pursuing licensure.
Final session of counseling must occur within the 60 days of submitting Treatment Information Form (TIF).
More information on counseling requirements can be found at the Department of Health website.
ONLINE Students: You will receive a ZOOM link two to three days before your class is scheduled to begin. Please make sure you have downloaded Zoom on your device (See Zoom Download Link HERE) prior to the morning of the class. We are not able to help you troubleshoot your tech issues the day of the class as it isn’t fair to other students who arrive prepared. If you have not received your zoom link two days before the class, please check your SPAM folders, and if you still cannot find the link, please reach out to our staff at idrpvemront@gmail.com and let us know. We will try to help to figure out what the trouble is. Again, please do this BEFORE the morning of the class as the morning of the class can be very busy with all we have to cover.
What am I missing? Online Students should have received two or three documents from the staff at IDRP Advocates For Recovery that we have asked you to sign electronically. One is called the ROI or Release of Information. The second is the IDRP Evaluation; and if necessary, the third is called the Treatment Requirements Form. If you DID NOT receive these forms and sign them, you are not ready for the class. We must get these documents back signed before we can send your COMPLETION of TREATMENT Form to IDRP Headquarters. We send the Completion Report the day after your class ends. It is our goal to send those two or three signed documents to the office headquarters before the first day of the class so the office has a file on you. If you haven’t signed them, again, look in your spam folders and if you can’t find them, reach out to us at: idrpvermont@gmail.com to help troubleshoot.
IN PERSON Students: The three documents you will need to sign will be waiting for you, with your workbook, on the first day of the class at the location of your class. We will ask you to sign them during the breaks.
If you have any special needs such as reading difficulty, language issues, please reach out ahead of time and we will do our best to support you.
Any further questions, please reach out to Advocates for Recovery at idrpvermont@gmail.com and we will do our best to support you.
For a comprehensive explanation of the Impaired Driver Rehabilitation Program and Services, please visit the HealthVermont.gov page here.
Terri Mayer Thomsen is the founder of Advocates for Recovery. She interned at the Act One Bridge Program, a 1-6 day detox and crisis intervention program, and later at the University of Vermont as a student body counselor for UVM Students at the University of Vermont Counseling Service. Intermittently from 2003 to 2007, she returned to the Act One Bridge Program as a lead addiction and crisis clinician.
In 2007, she opened her own private clinical practice in Bristol, Vermont where she remains today, offering in person and virtual options. Mrs. Thomsen specializes in addiction counseling, trauma, anxiety, depression, and personal growth. She uses individual and group modalities coupled with a client-centered psychodynamic approach, encouraging clients to be active participants in their recovery and growth process.
Contact Us
Phone: (802) 715-5567
Email: idrpvermont@gmail.com