Candy Finnigan
Interventionist on the A&E Series Intervention
Candy Finnigan
Interventionist on the A&E Series Intervention
Biography
Candy Finnigan is a nationally recognized interventionist, author, and educator with decades of experience guiding individuals, families, and communities from crisis to recovery. She began her formal training at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), earning certificates in Alcohol-Drug Counseling Skills and Alcohol-Drug Abuse Studies. Her early clinical work included internships in Addiction Services at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center and C.P.C. Westwood Hospital. Candy is trained in the Gorski Relapse Prevention Method and holds advanced certifications in Sex Addiction and Codependency through the Patrick Carnes program. She is a Certified Master Addiction Counselor III and a Certified Intervention Professional (CIP II).
Candy has worked extensively with both adults and adolescents, including leading the Sober Lunch program at Beverly Hills High School for 11 years and collaborating with treatment centers nationwide. She is the author of When Enough Is Enough: A Comprehensive Guide to Successful Intervention, a widely respected resource for families navigating addiction and crisis.
Her work has been recognized across major media platforms, from national news outlets to leading talk shows. She was a key contributor to A&E’s Intervention, earning an Emmy nomination for her role in bringing recovery, accountability, and hope to a national audience.
In long-term recovery herself, Candy brings lived experience, clinical rigor, and deep compassion to her work. She will be celebrating her 40th year of recovery—an achievement that continues to fuel her commitment to service and to giving back to the community. She has spent decades alongside families, teens, and adults facing addiction, chronic pain, and emotional trauma, working at the intersection of accountability, healing, and sustainable change.
Candy was married for over 52 years to her beloved husband, Mike Finnigan, who passed away in August of 2021. Together they raised two grown children: daughter Bridget Finnigan, a nurse, and son Kelly Finnigan, a musician and music producer. Her roles as a wife, mother, and widow continue to inform her work with families navigating loss, resilience, and transformation.
Candy serves on the board of ONEonCampus, a pioneering early-intervention program for teens and young adults, alongside leaders from UCLA’s Semel Institute. She is also Vice President of Creative at Alter The Course (ATC Retreats), where she helps shape immersive, intentional retreat experiences designed to help young people pause, reset, and re-engage at critical life crossroads.
Candy’s message is direct and unwavering: when you create structure, safety, and purpose, people can change course. Candy is not reflecting on the past. She is actively shaping the future. Her work is not just credentialed—it is lived.
Speech Topics
The Family During, Before and After a Crisis
Candy Finnigan has had many years of experience dealing with families before, during and after a crisis through the Emmy award-winning TV series Intervention. In this speech, Finnigan provides audiences with a comprehensive guide about how interventions can help during a crisis. By defining what a crisis is, deciding when it is best to take action, understanding the family’s role, and knowing if an intervention is essential are all lessons this well-known addiction specialist will teach your audience.
The Many Faces of Addiction
For 25 years, Candy Finnigan has been a nationally and internationally recognized interventionist and addiction specialist. With incredible firsthand experiences, Finnigan has become the go to person for identifying the many faces of addiction. In this speech, she covers alcohol abuse, drug addiction, gambling addiction, eating disorders, and other dependencies. She helps audiences understand the mental state and denial people experience with addictive behavior as well as what should be done to support them. Sharing personal stories and examples of selecting the best options, Finnigan provides sound advice for those struggling through the cycle of addiction.
The Glamour of Addiction: Our Obsession with Celebrities in Crisis
Candy Finnigan’s take on the glamour of addiction and the public’s obsession with celebrities in crisis is a unique one. She brings the audience inside the rise and fall of celebrities in addictive situations, including the differences between the success of Britney Spears and the downfall of Lindsay Lohan. Finnigan also discusses why we as a society make excuses for celebrities and how their rock bottom is perceived differently than regular addicts. In this eye opening speech, the famous interventionist raises awareness about addiction in America.
The Face of Recovery: An Inside Look at "Intervention"
Candy Finnigan is not only a certified interventionist and addiction specialist, but she is also known as “The Face of Recovery” on the Emmy award-winning TV Series Intervention. With many years of experience as a practicing interventionist, Finnigan gives audiences an exclusive look into the secrets of the show’s amazing successes, insightful stories from behind the scenes and the most frequently asked questions about the addicts on the show. Delving into her own personal story of addiction and recovery journey, Finnigan’s powerful speech will leave everyone wanting to learn more about the faces of addiction and recovery.
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