THE GLOBAL EXCHANGE CONFERENCE 2023

ADDICTION • WELLNESS • MENTAL HEALTH • LEADERSHIP

Continuing Education Sessions

Access up to 115 CME / CE Credits

DR GABOR MATÉ

Trauma, Illness & Healing in a Toxic Culture

Based on The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture, the title of Dr. Maté's next book, being released September 13 2022 and available for pre order now.

Half of North American adults suffer from chronic illness a fact Western medicine views largely in terms of individual predispositions and habits.

Western medicine imposes two separations, neither tenable scientifically.
First, it separates mind from the body, largely assuming that most chronic illnesses have nothing to do with people's emotional and psychological experiences. And yet, a large and irrefutable body of research has clearly shown that physiologic and behavioural functioning of human beings can be understood only if we integrate our body functions with those of the mind: functions such as awareness, emotions, our interpretations of and responses to events, and our relationships with other people.

Second, Western practice views people's health as separate from the social environment, ignoring social determinants of health such as class, gender, economic status, and race.
Such factors, in reality, are more important influences on health and longevity than individual predispositions and personal factors such as genes, cholesterol levels, blood pressure and so on.

This talk shows how a society dedicated to material pursuits rather than genuine human needs and spiritual values stresses its members, undermines healthy child development, and dooms many to chronic illness, from diabetes to heart disease, from autoimmune conditions to cancer.

DR STEFANIE CARNES

Compulsive and Addictive Sexual Behavior: The Controversy, Diagnosis, and Implications for treatment

In recent years there has been tremendous controversy about sexually compulsive behavior. Researchers and clinicians alike have argued about the best terminology to use, diagnostic criteria, and treatment approaches. In this presentation, Dr. Carnes discusses the concerns about labeling out control sexual behavior and the examines the new research and appropriate diagnostic categories. Differential Diagnosis, etiological factors and treatment will be discussed.

Objectives:

Participants will learn differential diagnosis of Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder.
Participants will learn about the role of trauma and attachment disruption as etiological factors in the development of compulsive and addictive sexual behavior.
Participants will be able to describe new research on neuroscience, and cultural and gender differences.
Participants will learn the types of treatment approaches.

RUSSELL BRAND

Brand has become known as a public activist and campaigner, and has spoken on a wide range of political and cultural issues, including wealth inequality, addiction, corporate capitalism, climate change and media bias.

Russell is listed at number eight in the Watkins 2022 list of the '100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People in the World', he hosts podcasts and online video content focussing on the necessary connection between personal spiritual awakening and radical social and cultural change.

DR JAMES FLOWERS

The Utility of Psychosocial and Collaborative Multidisciplinary Treatments in Pain Recovery and Chronic Disease Management

For both clinical and economic reasons, the increasing number of persons living with chronic health conditions such as chronic pain, Lyme disease, somatic symptom disorder and others, represents a public health concern of growing urgency. Emphasizing patient responsibility and acting in a collaborative nature in concert with the provider community, self-management represents a promising strategy for treating chronic disease. Clinically working with individuals to actively identify challenges and self-solve problems associated with their chronic illness decreases physician office visits, unnecessary surgical interventions and billions of unnecessary dollars spent on products claiming to cure the presenting disease. Self-management also shows potential as an effective paradigm across the prevention spectrum (primary, secondary, and tertiary) by establishing a pattern for health as early in the treatment episode as possible and providing strategies for mitigating illness and managing it in later life. Practical applications of self-management of chronic disease will be discussed in this presentation.

LIZZ ACEE

Workforce Wellness: Navigating the New Workplace Culture

This will be a fast-paced, interactive discussion about the unique challenges faced by mental health, addiction, and holistic wellness providers in creating and maintaining workforce wellness in the wake of a global health emergency and the rising mental health crisis. This presentation will review recent significant legal developments and trends, including paid leave, sexual harassment, and other employment discrimination; COVID-19-related issues; and diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives. We will also provide an overview of other regulations, including 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA, that may apply to your workforce. Finally, we will talk with you about staff shortages and turnover and how to create a first-choice workplace for your staff.

DR KAROL DARSA

Trauma and Dissociation: An Integrative Trauma Treatment Model for Complex PTSD and Dissociative Clients

The presentation will address the importance of assessing and treating dissociation with complex PTSD clients from an integrative, three-phase approach. An integration of evidence-based trauma treatment models such as EMDR, Brainspotting, Somatic therapies, Gestalt, Energy Psychology, and Mindfulness will be discussed. The aforementioned modalities offers resources and tools for the clinicians to provide individualized, client-centered, body oriented and holistic trauma treatment. The methodology follows three sequential phases beginning with stabilization through the therapeutic alliance, grounding, and resourcing. The subsequent phase allows for processing memories in a contained way by utilizing an integration of EMDR, Brainspotting, and a blend of body resources. The third phase encompasses integration of phase 1 and 2 focusing on the trauma that has been worked through and maintenance of what has been achieved.

DR RICHARD SCHWARTZ

Exploring Internal Family Systems: Restoring Wholeness

Developed over the past four decades, the Internal Family Systems (IFS) model offers both a conceptual umbrella under which a variety of practices and different approaches can be grounded and guided, and a set of original techniques for creating safety and fostering Self connection.

We’ve been taught to believe we have a single identity, and to feel fear or shame when we can’t control the inner voices that don’t match the ideal of who we think we should be. IFS challenges the mono-mind theory and offers a non-pathologizing model that delivers a route to loving, honouring, and understand all our “parts”.

IFS has been transforming psychology for decades and has been effective in areas such as trauma recovery, addiction therapy, and depression treatment. This presentation will provide an introduction to the basics of the IFS model and its use with attachment and trauma. An overview of IFS and its clinical applications will be presented.

DR WENDY OLIVER-PYATT

Global Health Pandemic – The Perfect Storm

This innovative session hypothesizes that through a "perfect storm" our society experienced the convergence of epigenetic risk/intergenerational trauma, the pandemic, and social media, influences to bring about the epidemic of mental health issues eating disorders and body dysmorphia, which has particularly added stress to the developing adolescent. Participants will leave with an understanding of the risks that lead to mental health struggles, and with clear directions on treatment/innovations in the field. This talk is given by Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt, a Board-Certified Psychiatrist with over 20 years in treating severe mental health conditions. Oliver-Pyatt is considered a thought leader in the eating disorders field, and founder of five distinctive eating disorder programs. Through this unique and integrative presentation, thought leader and clinician Dr. Wendy Oliver-Pyatt will examine the intersection of the pandemic, trauma, transgenerational trauma eating disorders and body dysmorphia. Attendees will gain insight to the onset and development of eating disorders and body image disturbances within the context of the pandemic and the social crisis associated with the pandemic. A special focus of this presentation will be on the impact of trans-generational trauma and epigenetics on the development of mental health conditions including PTSD and Eating Disorders and Body Dysmorphia in adolescents. Firsthand accounts and stories of the impact of transgenerational trauma related to being a child of a Holocaust survivor will be shared by Wendy and related back to the current pandemic and environment we currently live in, which will be postulated to have impacted an entire generation of survivors of other forms of trauma from our shared history. Impact of social media on development of trauma responses will also be explored. Presentation will also discuss state of current research and potential treatments on the horizon.

RICHARD SCHWARTZ & DERAN YOUNG

Transforming Legacy Burdens to Legacy Gifts

A legacy burden is any harmful belief system or emotional pattern that is passed from one generation to the next. These include cultural or historical traumas and collective wounds resulting from systemic oppression. Deran Young (founder of Black Therapists Rock) and Dick Schwartz (founder of Internal Family Systems- IFS) have been working together for the past 5 years, to foster deep healing and cross cultural compassion through corrective experiences of collective self energy.

PROFESSOR DAVID NUTT

Are So-Called Illegal Drugs the Future of Mental Health and Addiction Treatments?

The last two decades have seen a massive increase in innovation research relating to drugs that were (and in most cases still are) banned under the UN Conventions and national drugs legislation. Many of these drugs, particularly the psychedelics such as psilocybin and LSD had been shown to have significant benefits for mental health and addictions before they were banned in the 1960s/70s These early observations have since been confirmed with new studies of psilocybin in depression and addictions. More recently cannabis ketamine and MDMA have revealed efficacy in disorders such as PTSD depression and addiction. We are now in a new era of psychedelic-psychotherapy that offers a major advance for many patients who hitherto have not responded well to conventional treatments. Also, brain imaging research now helps us understand how these drugs work to facilitate the person engaging with the therapeutic process and why the impact of just one or two psychedelic interventions can lead to long-term benefits.

ANTONELLO BONCI

Therapeutic Applications of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Era of Covid-19

Despite a lot of scientific as well as clinical progress, there is a tremendous need for novel, effective therapeutic interventions to improve symptoms and quality of life in neuropsychiatric conditions. Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has received increasing attention as it has shown a promising therapeutic potential for several neuropsychiatric conditions. The main goal of this presentation is to highlight the history as well as latest findings on how TMS protocols can significantly impact quality of life, as well as improve behavioral response as well as cognitive abilities in individuals with anxiety, depression, addictions and cognitive deficits, including Neuro-Covid-19.

JOHN KELLY

Alcoholics Anonymous and Related 12-step Facilitation Treatments (AA/TSF) as Frontline Treatment Options

Until recently, scientific skepticism surrounding the clinical and public health utility of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and 12 step based clinical treatments designed to link patients with AA, was commonplace. During the last 30 years however, following a request from the U.S. Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of sciences for more research on 12 step treatment, AA, and its mechanisms, a flurry of rigorous federally funded research studies has emerged including dozens of randomized clinical trials, cost effectiveness analyses, and studies of AA's mechanisms of behavior change. This body of work has revealed that 12 step clinical treatments confer benefits that are at least on par, if not often better, than other formal treatments (e.g., CBTs), while also producing substantial reductions in healthcare costs. Research investigating AA's mechanisms of behavior change also reveals that the way AA has been shown to confer this benefit is by mobilizing therapeutic mechanisms also mobilized by professional treatments, but is able to do so over the long term for free in the communities in which people live. This talk will review the latest evidence on the efficacy, cost-effectiveness, and mechanisms through which AA and 12 step treatments confer benefit. Implications for other mutual-help organizations and related treatments will be discussed.

PROFESSOR STEPHEN PORGES & DEB DANA

Navigating the Nervous System: A Polyvagal Theory Approach to Clinical Work

Join Deb Dana and Dr. Stephen Porges in a workshop to demonstrate how to apply Polyvagal Theory in a clinical setting. The session will go through a live demo and set the stage for a client to explore from a place of safety. We will see how awareness of our own nervous systems states impact the therapeutic process and discover the hierarchal movements of the states. After the demo, Deb and Dr. Porges will deconstruct the experience with the client and the audience.

Learning Objectives

Discuss the organizing principles of the Polyvagal Theory
Describe how Polyvagal Theory applies in a clinical setting
Identify the autonomic nervous system and provide an example of an autonomic response.
Describe autonomic response mapping.

KRISTINA PADILLA, MA, LAADC, ICAADC, CGS, C-STAT CANDIDATE

Clinical Consideration for Working with the Queer, Gay, Non binary, and LGBTQIA2+ Population

This session delves into clinical information for working with the Trans Community by addressing the needs of LGBTQAIA2+/transgender individuals who seek treatment for mental health and/or substance use disorders. The presentation covers Clinical considerations, including best practices for trans youth and adults, body dysphoria as per the DSM-5, hormone readiness implications, body image management, and emotions and feelings those in the LGBTQIA2+ “Rainbow Community” may experience will be presented from both a clinical, as well as personal perspective through Kristina Padilla’s lived experience as a gay/trans/fluid person. CBTF will be discussed, MET will be gone over, and Trauma inform treatment will be presented to show clinicians how to work with queer populations. As a refresher for some and a foundation for those new to working with this population, an “Introduction to the LGBTQ+ Community: LGBTQ+ 101,” will give basic information about definitions, best practices, and working with the Trans and non-binary population. Effective tips and questions to ask as a potential clinician will be reviewed so that clinicians may self-assess their practice’s LGBTQIA2+ affirming levels and ways in which to improve this quality if necessary. Insights about how to run a successful support group for those who are coming out or questioning will also be outlined and discussed. To take participants beyond their practices to becoming potential advocates for their clients and within society as a whole, “Welcome to the Rainbow Community: What you didn’t know, and How to Become an Ally” will be presented. This important section of the presentation challenges practitioners to be leaders in their communities and to inspire clients and their families to end stigma that has so deeply impacted “Rainbow People.” Many practitioners have a basic familiarity concerning LGBTQ clients. However, most are unfamiliar with the distinctions within the trans and non-binary populations. There is a strong need for practitioners to learn the unique attributes of the trans umbrella and how the histories and challenges each segment faces when entering treatment for addiction impacts the way in which each individual may succeed or fail. Clinicians can vastly improve service delivery by understanding that what they may not know what they do not know regarding this special population. With the incredible stress that isolation has created due to the pandemic, young trans people are at a historic risk for addiction and suicidality. It is urgent that practitioners increase their knowledge about this special population.

Objectives:

Describe a positive or negative impact of a person’s coming out story regarding family support or lack thereof.
Learn three categories typically placed under best practices for working with the LGBT community
Describe similarities between the stigmatization of “rainbow people” and stigmatization of people with addiction and describe their compounding effects on one another

DEB DANA

Navigating Challenging Times: A Polyvagal Theory Perspective

The autonomic nervous system is at the heart of daily living powerfully shaping our experiences of safety and influencing our capacity for connection. What begins with our biology becomes the story that shapes our days. Polyvagal Theory provides a guide to the autonomic circuits that underlie behaviors and beliefs and an understanding of the body to brain pathways that give birth to stories of safety and survival. Through this science of connection, we have a new understanding of the ways experience shapes the nervous system and the pathways that lead to healing.

In this time of deep disruptions to everyday life, we are confronted with experiences that challenge our ability to feel safe and find ways to connect. Polyvagal Theory offers us a roadmap to navigate this unfamiliar territory. Anchored in the safety of a regulated nervous system, pathways of connection come alive and we can travel those pathways in service of healing. In this presentation we will use the organizing principles of hierarchy, neuroception, and co-regulation to guide our exploration and answer the essential question, “What does the nervous system need in this moment to find safety in connection?”

Learning Objectives

Analyze three organizing principles of Polyvagal Theory
Develop an understanding of how the autonomic nervous system shapes behaviors and beliefs
Summarize the emergent properties of autonomic states
Categorize the distinct stories that emerge from autonomic states

LINDA CLARK

Leadership Lunch hosted by KIPU: The Evolution of the Opioid Crisis

Linda Clark, leader of Barclay Damon’s Health Care Controversies Team, will be presenting on the evolution of the opioid crisis and resulting litigation. Recent TV series, such as Dopesick and The Pharmacist, have featured these topics and may set important precedents for health care providers in the future.

ANNELIES RICHMOND

The Healing Power of the Breath

Discover the power of the breath as an untapped vehicle for mental well-being and resilience from an international expert with over twenty years of experience teaching. In this interactive workshop, you will learn effective and evidence-based breathwork tools to foster emotional regulation, promote calm alertness, and support ease in settling into meditation. The workshop will allow participants to experience how breathwork and meditation techniques can create a sense of belonging and foster mindful leadership. Research from top universities on the techniques delivered in the workshop as well as the SKY breath meditation technique will be shared.

Learn the connection between the breath, mind, and emotions Learn and practice two evidence-based breathwork techniques Explore recent research on the physical, mental and emotional benefits of specific breathwork and meditation practices.

ESTER NICHOLSON

Compassionate Accountability: Healing Unconscious Racial Bias

This presentation will look at various models to healing bias and racism by unifying The 12 Steps of Recovery with some of the latest developments in brain science.

Modalities that can compassionately address the underlying root causes of unconscious racial bias. Attendees will look at potential ways to bridge the gap between spirituality and diversity, equity and inclusion, and is an effective and loving path toward the transformation of systemic racism, while being true and consistent with our work in the world. Racism is systemic, but it is also spiritual and emotional in origin. When unconscious bias and racism is healed at the core level of identity, it radically shifts the way we serve those in need.

In this compelling presentation, Ester will discuss how intergenerational racism and bias must be addressed at the level of our deepest memories, emotions and concept of identity. She will also talk about how the foundational tools of "Soul Recovery" provides access to unconsciously held perceptions, beliefs and patterns of racism so that they can be discussed, processed and released.

Learning Objectives:

Guide participants through the concept of the 12 steps to examine awareness of beliefs and unconscious patterns of racial bias
Prepare participants to implement the principles of Compassionate Accountability through their own self-examination of unconscious bias
Examine how spirituality and DEI practices are an effective and loving path toward the transformation of systemic racism
Demonstrate how to provide an environment of healing and safety for all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation or socioeconomic status
Discover the effectiveness of compassionate dialogue to increase receptivity to racial healing

NICOLE GOLDEN

The Practical Application of Exercise as an Adjunct Therapy for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders

Join Nicole Golden, author of the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Fitness Specialist course, offered by the Medfit Education Foundation, for an informative session to explore exercise as medicine in the treatment of substance use disorders. Together, we will review the effectiveness of exercise as an adjunct therapy for drug/alcohol use disorders, evaluate which exercise modalities are most effective for which individuals depending on history and substance(s) used, review what is happening physiologically, and identify resources to aid in the development of fitness programs in the inpatient and outpatient treatment settings.

DR. NICHOLAS HAYES & DR. ANNIE PETERS

A Pragmatic Guide to Effectively Measuring Addiction Treatment Success

Measurement is unquestionably the most significant issue facing Substance Use Disorder (SUD) treatment providers. Fundamental to any treatment science is an ability to effectively monitor and measure treatment progress. For example, individuals can monitor glucose levels in support of avoiding diabetic ketoacidosis. Unfortunately, there is only one standard for measurement in the psychological sciences: diagnosis. Issues that arise from the associated lack of measurement practices include: fewer quality standards, decreased ability to advocate for services, and an inability to broadly examine treatment effectiveness. Luckily, there have been significant improvements in both data science and technology accelerants that have increased our collective ability to measure treatment success.

This workshop will provide the historical research findings that support our current SUD treatment practices, provide each participant with the tools necessary to measure individual provider level effectiveness, and outline the future application of these tools through NAATP’s FoRSE Outcomes Program.

Learning Objectives

Understand the historical research context that supports SUD treatment effectiveness.
Analyse pragmatic measurement tools and technology accelerants available for provider use across any level of care.
Evaluate the strategic goals supporting NAATP’s FoRSE Outcomes Program.
Create individual tailormade measurement practices that can be applied within the audience member’s practice.

JEAN COLLINS-STUCKERT, MSW, LCSW, LISAC, CSAT-S

What’s Love Got to Do With It? The Traumatic Cycle of Love Addiction/ Love Avoidance

Rooted in childhood relational trauma, the dynamic of this co-addicted relationship is obsessive and painful. Love addicts assign too much value, time, and attention to another person, while neglecting to care for or value themselves. Love avoidants systematically use relational walls during intimate contact in order to prevent feeling overwhelmed by the other person, associating “love” with duty or work. The love avoidant’s greatest fear is that of vulnerability, the love addict’s great fear is abandonment. In this workshop Jean will identify the origins and the attachment styles of both addict and avoidant, and delve into the intricacies of “The Dance” that occurs between them. The antidote for these destructive relationships will also be revealed.

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to discuss the origins of the Love Addict and Love Avoidant
Participants will be able to analyze the cycle of a co-addicted relationship
Participants will be able to identify at least three elements of the Love Addiction/Love Avoidance cycle
Participants will be able to examine treatment interventions.

ZINA RODRIGUEZ

Building an Inclusive Organization: The Business Care for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

Organizations today are grappling with a significant social crisis – addressing institutional biases while supporting employees and stakeholders through a committed focus on increasing diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI). Many organizations are beginning to recognize the imperative need to launch DEI initiatives. Studies show, organizations who have diverse internal, external and organizational characteristics, set the stage for innovation and business growth. This workshop will provide an overview of how to hardwire DEI within your organization and develop a sustainable, ongoing strategy to hold the company accountable for keeping its systems, processes and goals inclusive to employees, clients and communities.

Liberating Our Clients

Learning Objectives:

Providers will learn how liberation-based practices integrates lived experiences to build on clients’ resiliency and capabilities to heal.
Learn about culturally responsive tools that address race-based stress and cultural trauma
Review strategies to address cultural differences as well as reduce and repair offenses that can damage the therapeutic relationship
Discuss how therapeutic conversations can promote healing and strength for marginalized communities who are exposed to daily macro- and microaggressions.

DR JAMES FLOWERS

The Utility of Psychosocial and Collaborative Multidisciplinary Treatments in Pain Recovery and Chronic Disease Management

Objectives:

Identify six self-management intervention is most likely to improve health outcomes.
Understand cultural norms and traditions in patient care settings when treating chronic disease in a multidisciplinary practice setting.
Learn 10 differing disciplines who should be included in a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation setting when looking at treating chronic disease in a multidisciplinary practice setting.
Understand and be able communicate eight everyday stressors that often trigger physical symptoms.
Discuss six major life changes that can often coincide with the development of new or worsening symptoms of the chronic disease process.

DR DAWN NICKEL

Workaholism: The “Respectable” Process Addiction

Overworking, or what some call “workaholism” is a complicated process addiction but one that is often viewed positively and even seen as a cornerstone of business success. As a woman in recovery from workaholism for over a decade, Dr. Dawn Nickel knows the topic well. When Dawn hit a physical and emotional bottom with anxiety and overworking in 2011, she was struck by how similar the experience was to the bottom she had hit with her substance use disorder two decades earlier. Her earlier recovery experiences informed how she approached her recovery from workaholism and combined, her two “recoveries” inspired her to spearhead an international women’s recovery movement that is based on the premise that “we are all recovering from something.”

In this inspiring talk, Dawn will speak into the challenges that individuals who overwork face including unrealistic expectations of perfectionism that are both imposed and self-imposed, the difficulties related to working in organizations that focus on hyper-productivity, and the general lack of awareness about what workaholism is, and how choosing recovery in this area of our lives can support us to move from anxiety and overwhelm to wellness. Drawing on her own personal experience and expertise related to substance use recovery and recovery from workaholism, Dawn will:

Describe the characteristics of workaholism and its attendant risks
Highlight the unique “overworking” challenges for career-driven, leadership-focused individuals working in behavioral health spaces
Introduce evidence-informed approaches, practices, and resources for identifying and addressing overworking tendencies

DR JOHN AMARAL

How to Access Energetic Flow: A Somatic Approach to Healing and Performance

Energetic Flow is a generative state characterized by high somatic awareness, a positive, energized feeling of presence, creativity and enjoyment and an absence of distress or anxiety. During this experiential workshop John will help you discover how energy flows through you and affects the world around you. Through a series of guided processes involving breath, movement and visualization.

Learning Objectives

An emerging energetic perspective on healing and trauma
The 4 key elements for activating Energetic Flow
What the Paradox of Change is and how to apply it
How energy states influence your body, mind and emotions

DR MARC MILSTEIN

Manage Stress, Boost Memory and Protect Your Brain Today, Tomorrow and Years From Now

Did you know that beginning at the age of 40, the brain shrinks 5% every ten years? The aging process causes this shrinking, and it can have a devastating impact on daily focus, wellness, mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety, productivity, and day-to-day and long-term memory. But it doesn't have to be this way. We—not our genes—can control our aging and brain health. Significant and just-published studies point us to a compelling conclusion. Just because one year has passed on the calendar doesn't mean our brain and body have to get one year older. Serious mental decline is not an inevitable part of aging. Your short and long-term brain health is in your hands. The same vital steps to optimize your brain health and wellness today also lower the risk of dementia by 60% if the right actionable steps are taken now.
You will learn cutting edge science-based, practical tips such as:
Just discovered simple tips to do every day that slow brain aging, supercharge your memory, boost productivity, and protect mental health.

An action plan based on breakthrough insights to help you get energy-maximizing and anti-aging sleep. Discover the brain science-based secret to fall asleep faster, sleep through the night, and wake up feeling refreshed without touching a dangerous sleeping aid. Not getting enough or effective sleep depletes energy and raises the risk of depression, anxiety, and dementia.

Which surprising foods boost brain health, memory and lower the risk of anxiety and depression. Find out the one sneaky ingredient in food that diminishes your daily focus and mood and can raise the risk of dementia by 50%. New research has uncovered that simple and easy-to-follow food tips dramatically impact brain wellness. No drastic diets are needed.
The common and often hidden health issues which significantly accelerate the aging process. Learn to look for the subtle signs before these issues develop and how to treat them.

How to effectively embrace healthy stress and reduce unhealthy, dangerous stress with easy-to-adopt, highly effective techniques that can be done anywhere, anytime.

The often-overlooked factors that accelerate the aging of your brain and how to avoid these traps.
What is real and what is hype in the world of brain health.

FYI: There are A LOT of products sold that make promises that are nothing more than a waste of time and money.
Keeping Your Brain Young provides empowering, science-based, practical takeaways to have your best days today, tomorrow, and years from now.

JACKI HILLIOS

Stronger Together - The Science of Community healing

In this session, Jacki Hillios, MSW, PhD will share the theories and science underlying the Healing Community Model, related outcomes, and discuss implications for the future.

In America today there are 40.3 million individuals struggling with alcohol or drug use, yet only about 10% can access the care they need to recover. With a recent 30% increase in overdose deaths and 26% increase in alcohol related fatalities, we lost 195,000 of our loved ones just last year, that is the equivalent of one life lost unnecessarily every 3 minutes. While treatment saves lives, it isn’t accessible, it isn’t enough, and innovation is essential to stemming the tide and ending the crisis.

Over the last 15 years Dr. Hillios has developed and evaluated the Healing Community Model as both as a strategy for sustaining self initiated recovery and as an adjunct to treatment. During this session, people will learn about the powerful role that community plays in healing from substance use disorders and how when paired with meaningful activities like music, fitness and outdoor adventure, people’s lives are transformed. We will review theories underlying the model, including social cognitive theory, behavioral economics and more. During this session we will discuss the importance of psychological safety in promoting healing in community and through the lens of The CHIME Framework we will explore how community influences recovery capital. Physical and neurological health implications will also be discussed.

DR KARA FITZGERALD

Effects of a Diet & Lifestyle intervention on Biological Aging

The regulation of the human genome by the epigenome is now regarded as a cornerstone, heritable, physiologic process, playing a key role in phenotypic expression of health and disease. DNA methylation is a well-researched, primary epigenetic process that has been used to establish biological age assessments, namely DNA methylation “clocks,” which act as possible surrogate markers of age-related morbidity and mortality risk.
The potential to slow biological age as measured by these clocks is just beginning to be explored. Yet emerging research suggests that it is possible to do just that. This has profound implications for the growing health-related economic and social challenges of our rapidly aging population. A 2021 Nature Aging paper states that a slowdown in aging that results in one year of increased lifespan would save 38 trillion dollars in health care spending, and a deceleration by ten years would save 367 trillion dollars.

This presentation will cover:

Overview of epigenetics
The state of the research on DNA methylation and biological age reversal
Dietary and lifestyle interventions that have been shown, in both animals and humans, to favorably impact DNA methylation and biological age
Plant phytochemical favorable effect on DNA methylation
The intersection between metabolic and epigenomic methylation pathways and why we may need to be judicious in our use of high dose methyl donor supplements
Biological embedding and the epigenetic impact of trauma over generations

KRISTINA PADILLA, MA, LAADC, ICAADC, CGS, C-STAT CANDIDATE

Intergenerational & Historical Trauma; Working with Native American Indians and Understanding the Trauma to Start the Wellness of Healing

This session delves into the need for Clinicians and Peers understanding of Intergenerational and Historical trauma within Turtle Island (USA). Where does the healing start and when did the trauma begin? Informative information to help Clinicians & Peers to navigate working with the Native American Indians. This session dives into the elements of trauma that affects the Native American Community, Colonization, forced displacement, Trail of tears, treaties being broken, and multi layers of a wounded communities due to the Indian Removal Act in the 1800 hundreds. We will examine ways to promote wellness of healing for Native Communities "The Native Way" and become more informed of how History and Generational Trauma played a HUGE role in how the Native American Indian have been affected and our future 7 generations.

CHRIS BERTRAM

Flow as a Countermeasure to Languishing and Burnout

The alarming rise in rates of workplace burnout, mental health challenges, and widespread languishing have created significant challenges for businesses and the people they employ. Dr. Bertram will present an overview of the science of flow state and discuss how it can be deployed for greater individual and corporate well-being. Flow is as an optimal state of consciousness in which people both feel their best and perform their best. Flow has been shown to be positively associated with decreased levels of stress, increased levels of workplace engagement and performance, as well as with a vast array of general measures of personal well-being. This presentation is designed to provide the audience with an evidence-based overview of both the psychology and neuroscience of flow state as well as actionable steps individuals and/or businesses can take to improve their overall well-being and perform more optimally.

Learning Objectives:

Provide an evidence-based overview of the psychology of flow state.
Provide an overview of the current neuro-scientific literature related to flow state.
Provide a summary of the demonstrated impact of flow on personal and employee well-being.
Provide evidence-based action steps individuals and business can take to improve overall well-being and more optimal performance.

DEEPAK CHOPRA

The Future of Wellbeing

Join New York Times bestselling author Deepak Chopra as he guides you on how to wake up to new levels of awareness that will ultimately cultivate a clear vision, heal suffering in your mind and body, and help recover who you really are.

MARIANNE WILLIAMSON

Spirituality and Mental Health

At their peak, spirituality and psychotherapy are the same thing - a healing of the mind when out of alignment with its natural state. Spirituality rejects the prevalence of indulgent self-reference at the core of much modern psychotherapy, positing that happiness stems not from further analysis of the self but rather from transcendence of the self. The journey to happiness lies not in a deeper understanding of the vicissitudes of darkness, but in a greater embrace - and experience - of the principles of light.

DR ALBERTO PERTUSA

Rise of the Planet of the Neurodivergents: How ADHD influencers are Driving Global Change

ADHD has gone viral on social media, creating a global community of influencers dedicated to spreading ADHD awareness and destigmatizing the condition.

ADHD Influencers are reshaping how we see ADHD. On TikTok alone, the #ADHD channel has already reached over 2.5 billion views, with other platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Reddit not far behind.

As a result, many people are exposed to online content about ADHD, which can vary from helpful advice to potentially harmful misinformation–before they even seek a diagnosis. Recently, a wave of users claimed that social media helped them to ‘detect’ their ADHD after algorithms showed them relatable content about the condition and its symptoms.

ADHD influencers have also been instrumental in changing the perception of neurodivergent conditions by celebrating the unique talents of people with ADHD. Far from being a viral trend, the positive strengths of ADHD championed by online influencers also have a scientific basis.

Evolutionary models of ADHD theorize that many symptoms such as novelty-seeking, nomadic behavior and heightened sensory awareness may actually be evolutionary adaptations rather than deficits.

We are currently witnessing how increased awareness and recognition of ADHD online is driving global change in the understanding and treatment of neurodivergent conditions. Social media provides us with unique insight into how these changing perspectives affect patients, clinicians and scientists alike, giving rise to the Planet of the Neurodivergents.

This talk will discuss:

How influencers with ADHD created a global impact on increasing ADHD awareness through social media
How the information shared online compares with our scientific understanding of the condition and potential clinical implications
How ADHD may have played a role in the most recent stages of human evolution

DR ANNIE PETERS

The Allure of Self-Destruction: How Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT) Can Redefine Addiction Recovery

Pain and suffering are ubiquitous, and the great secret is that many of us have an inner experience so unpleasant that we act in ways that temporarily please, but ultimately destroy us - body, mind, and spirit. Once an addiction or other disorder manifests, even the strongest motivation to change often results in countless unsuccessful efforts to recover. Understanding the various manifestations of the self-destructive urge, as well as theories describing its causes, is key to helping people move in valued directions in the presence of pain. This presentation will provide a summary of the ACT approach to addiction treatment and the research supporting it. Participants will practice evidence-based ACT techniques designed to build awareness of self-destructive thoughts, develop psychological flexibility, and create new cognitive-behavioral pathways to recovery-oriented living.

DR WENDY OLIVER-PYATT

Global Health Pandemic – The Perfect Storm

PETER LAZAR

A Walk Through the Continuum & How to Know What to Ask When Vetting A Treatment Center

This presentation is designed to help therapists develop an understanding on how to identify what level of care a patient may need and which types of treatment programs and recovery support offerings may be a best clinical fit for their patients who struggle with substance use disorders and other acute or sub-acute mental health conditions.

Learning Objectives:

Participants will know at least four specific clinically-related programming questions to ask to determine the best clinical fit for a patient at a residential treatment program.
Participants will identify and understand five levels of care in the mental health continuum.
Participants will identify and understand three collateral recovery support options.
Participants will identify and understand two nefarious marketing and advertising practices designed to deceive a consumer/family and professional referent.

DR CLAUDIA BLACK

Unspoken Legacy -Reverberations of Trauma in the Addictive Family

When people think of trauma they often think of acute dramatic situations such as a natural disaster or car accident. Yet the majority of people who experience trauma experience a more subtle and chronic form that exists within their own family. Beginning with a genogram, Claudia will give a portrait of addiction in the family, offering an overlay of how adverse child experiences, emotional abandonment and blatant violence are the foundation of emotional dysregulation fueling traumatic responses. She concludes the presentation offering a 7step process for healing.

DR CONSTANT MOUTON

Culturally Informed Care for Addiction, ADHD and other mental health challenges?

Social, family, and cultural backgrounds determine how we experience mental health, communicate symptoms, which healthcare interventions we prefer, and the support we get from family and friends. Culture, therefore, plays a significant role in mental health needs and expectations, especially as societies are becoming more multicultural. In a world where change is the only constant, we should also acknowledge that one size doesn’t fit all in mental health. Dr Mouton explores how to design and deliver culturally-informed care in daily practice for addiction care and psychiatry. In particular, the effect of culture on addiction, ADHD and other co-occurring mental health challenges.

DR GABOR MATÉ

Compassionate Inquiry Workshop

Compassionate Inquiry is a psychotherapeutic method developed by Dr. Gabor Maté that
reveals what lies beneath the appearance we present to the world.
Using Compassionate Inquiry, the therapist unveils the level of consciousness, mental climate, hidden assumptions, implicit memories, and body states that form the real message that words both express and conceal. Through Compassionate Inquiry, the client can recognize the unconscious dynamics that run their lives and how to liberate themselves from them.

Dr. Maté will model the process of Compassionate Inquiry with course participants and instruct therapists in the practice of this powerful technique to help clients access deep healing and transformation. This will be both an experiential, participatory workshop where participants will be guided through their own personal process, as well as a training to teach the method of Compassionate Inquiry to health professionals, therapists, and social workers.

DR TIAN DAYTON

Sociometrics and Psychodrama as Expressive Arts Therapies

The research in neuropsychology has officially ended the era of talking heads and brought the body into the therapeutic room as a full and necessary part of the healing equation. Psychodrama, the first form of embodied therapy and sociometry an early theory of group dynamics, allow the body as well as the mind to have a voice and participate in the healing milieu.
Based on Dr. Dayton’s recent book Sociometrics, this workshop will teach user-friendly experiential processes that engage and bond groups, organically moving participants from states of dysregulation to self and co-regulation. Sociometrics activate the social engagement system in service of healing; they incorporate the research that needs to be taught in recovering from cPTSD into a lively format that gets people on their feet, connecting to their own inner world and sharing with each other in authentic ways. Sociometrics are easy to learn, they reduce the role of the therapist and enhance and empower group members to become stakeholders in their own recovery. They build emotional literacy, intelligence and resilience through structured, interactive “experiences" that feel welcoming, safe, moving and at times even playful. Sociometrics break down the categories of healing into manageable parts through processes such as floor check and timelines that are experiential and can warm clients up to focused, embodies role plays.

FRANCINE MILLER, CMHC

Therapeutic Presence-Mindful Based Support and Connection

This presentation will explore the methods available for interventionists to assist clients and families to become more connected to families, to disarm defense mechanisms, and to create space for healing. This presentation will also explore the use of mindfulness and other techniques available to for
Interventionists to utilize help prevent burnout.

Learning Objectives
1. Identify clinical resources useful to create therapeutic presence, alliance and connection
2. Describe the importance of disarming defense mechanisms for healing to begin
3. Develop skills to prevent burn out

DR MATTHEW WALKER

Sleep Shoud Be Prescribed

This talk will describe the revelatory new science of sleep, covering two topics: (1) the impact of sleep (e.g., efficient learning, enhanced memory, mental health stability), (2) the consequences of insufficient sleep on the brain (e.g., Alzheimer’s disease, depression, anxiety, poor educational performance), and (2) the consequences of insufficient sleep on the body (e.g., cancer, immune dysfunction, cardiovascular disease). In summary, there is not one organ within the body or process within the brain that isn’t enhanced by sleep when we get enough, or strikingly impaired when we don’t.

DR NEIL BRENER

The Representation of Madness in 19th Century Opera

Introduction to the world of opera and an overview of how madness was represented in the 19Th century.
This is then related today. No knowledge of this Art form is required before attending the presentation.

DR DERICK ANDERSON & JIM SODA

Peak Performance - Understanding the psychology behind mental skills and the impact it plays in the sports world, mental health, and addiction populations

Performance psychology skills, or mental skills are used primarily in the sports world and with certain populations that experience increased pressure from their occupation. These concepts and the psychology being mental skills training has a direct impact on mental health and addictions populations as well. The structured, positive approach along with increased focus on accountability, serve as a guide to improved performance and quality of life. Dr. Derick Anderson and Jim Soda will discuss the concepts and the application in various settings of these skills over different populations. Educate on different Mental/Performance Skills and the psychology behind them. The impact that these skills can have clinically on a performance population. Utilizing these skills for best results with mental health and addictions population.

JUDY CRANE

Doctors, Lawyers, and Pilots Oh My! When and how will we take care of our own?

Establishing a preventative model to address Substance Use, Mental Health and Process Addiction Relapse within the Behavioral Healthcare setting.

The number of employees who work in behavioral health have had personal experiences in substance use disorders mental health, or other process addictions has not been determined. To date there is very little research on how relapse is handled within the behavioral healthcare setting specifically process addictions.
Increasing pressures within the behavioral health system can lead to burnout and compassion fatigue, which can exacerbate potential relapse if not addressed. Behavioral health leadership could be challenged with developing a means of support for employees in potential or actual relapse.

PETE NIELSEN

Substance Use Disorder Continuum: New Era of Recovery Oriented Systems of Care

The journey to cannabis recovery is far from linear and everyone, from the people looking to begin their journey to those looking to support someone in recovery, struggles with the question of where to start and what it means to be in recovery. And this lack of understanding impacts individuals seeking cannabis recovery as it affects the public and medical community that produce the infrastructures meant to support and help individuals along their path in cannabis recovery. This workshop will delve into each stage of cannabis recovery and help attendees understand the journey one embarks on when seeking treatment and recovery. It takes them through the perspectives of those on this journey and gives them a global perspective on the significance of providing resources that support recovery across all stages of that journey.

KELLEY KITLEY

Gray Area Drinking

Alcohol use and misuse among women is at an all time high, as a result of the pandemic. Clinicians are experiencing an increase in clients seeking help to manage their relationship with alcohol. Many do not meet criteria for Alcohol Use Disorder but fall into a category Kitley has coined as “Gray Area Drinking.” In this presentation, you will view a film Kitley adapted from her autobiography, that she uses to travel around the country and educate communities about the effects alcohol misuse plays on the family system, before hitting rock bottom.

Using a holistic approach with clients, attendees will learn tools to implement with their clients around self exploration including journaling, meditation and breathing exercises, cognitive restructuring, where they can direct clients to receive support outside of Alcoholics Anonymous, and community support for women. Kitley will also offer an open discussion about gray area drinking and how to approach the topic with clients, in a culture that has normalized the drinking phenomenon.

ANNELIES RICHMOND

The Healing Power of Breath

Discover the power of the breath as an untapped vehicle for mental well-being and resilience from an international expert with over twenty years of experience teaching. In this interactive workshop, you will learn effective and evidence-based= breathwork tools to foster emotional regulation, promote calm alertness, and support ease in settling into meditation. The workshop will allow participants to experience how breathwork and meditation techniques can create a sense of belonging and foster mindful leadership. Research from top universities on the techniques delivered in the workshop as well as the SKY breath meditation technique will be shared.

Learn the connection between the breath, mind, and emotions
Learn and practice two evidence-based breathwork techniques
Explore recent research on the physical, mental and emotional
benefits of specific breathwork and meditation practices

MARY AFFEE

Creative Counseling Techniques: Using Creative Arts to Promote Client Self-Efficacy and Resilience.

The COVID-19 pandemic had many mental health providers working virtually through telehealth services. Today, many professionals continue to use a hybrid approach for engaging clients. With the prevelance of our mental health crisis, therapists’ burnout can add to the ongoing pressure felt by many professionals providing both face to face and virtual therapeutic services online. Integrating creative and expressive art techniques can bolster therapeutic rapport and connection to deepen the healing experience of traditional " talk therapy".

Join us in a unique 2-hour experiential and interactive workshop where you will learn to use creative interventions in both virtual and face to face therapy sessions. Attendees will be actively engaged and will leave the workshop with creative techniques that can be applied and modified across diagnoses, populations, ages, and situations.

Description: Play therapists and expressive art therapists often use a variety of art and creative activities in their work with children, teens, and adults. This workshop will introduce creative and expressive art activities to be used in therapy.

SARAH POLLEY

Supporting Youth Resilience: Exploring the 2021 U.S. Surgeon General's Advisory on Youth Mental Health

In December 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General issued an Advisory on youth mental health. In this presentation, experts from the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation will outline the factors noted in the Advisory as contributors to youth wellness both before and during the pandemic. Presenters will then explore the Advisory’s topline recommendations. By sharing how specific recommendations can apply within a continuum of care to include health promotion, risk and illness prevention, early intervention, and treatment of youth mental illness and substance use disorders, presenters will help attendees gain clarity and passion for their personal role in fostering youth resilience.

AJOIA- ANTHONY GORRY & ANDREW LOVELL

AJOIA – A Multi Sensory Musical Experience

AjoiA is a music and sound immersive therapy experience.AjoiA will present an introduction to sound and music therapy, focusing on who they are, what they do and how it can be used in all arenas including wellness and healthcare, hotels and corporate business, for all people of all ages. It is totally inclusive and anyone can engage; you do not have to have a background in music to experience this presentation’s beneficial effects. AjoiA’s presentation and multi-sensory experience at The Global Exchange Conference 2022, will include a live performance of music, percussion and visuals, mixing the technology of today and tomorrow with those of our ancestors.The mood-enhancing properties of music, performance, and design, can help any living being with a nervous system. It can help people of all ages to improve their mental health and overall well-being, creating an environment that positively influences their frame of mind, energy and enabling beneficial rest and productivity alike.Within the healthcare sector specifically, AjoiA’s music and sound therapy experience, can be used in early intervention and prevention of metal health issues, as well as being utilized for people with neuro development issues, Alzheimer’s, ADHD and those with Major Depressive Disorder’s (MDD).We aim to improve how all individuals feel, to help people improve their mental health, their productivity, and lead them to an overall sense of positive energy and wellbeing. Our intention, is always to offer a safe setting where our vibrational and wellbeing sounds, create an experience to positively stimulate the receiver, both sonically and visually within the subconscious, and throughout the nervous system. AjoiA cater for a number of different bespoke settings, where clients play a role in creating and engaging with AjoiA, to those in a passive role, which involves listening and responding to the sound and music AjoiA create.This particular presentation experience will include an hour of relaxation and tranquillity, a time for you to receive, as the sound and music vibrations surround you, visual images, both traditional and digital will be displayed throughout; various scents such as Palo Santo and white sage will be used; the sound waves from a Gong, the high pitched tones of a singing bowl, the emotive chord progressions of strings and the cascading pianos and bass drones will gently, softly but profoundly stimulate, to ease the nervous system.

DR LOU COX & JEFF DOEMLAND

The Saboteurs of Teamwork - Egos, Trauma, and Unconsciousness

The persistence and exacerbation of all our social ills are a result of the unconscious rules built into, and sabotaging, our ‘problem solving’ conversations.

Our egos are the enforcers of these rules regarding what is safe or unsafe to include in our conversations. And they do so outside of our conscious awareness.

If team members, while seeking healing solutions for our social ills, are unconsciously under the sway of the same ego driven rules that cause the persistence and exacerbation of these ills, well…not a great recipe for success.

As Einstein said: “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.”
To paraphrase his quote: “We cannot solve our problems at the same level of consciousness that existed when we created them.”

The primary way team members relate to each other is through their collective team conversations. This workshop is not about finding solutions to our social ills. Rather it is about discovering a way of creating those solutions through a radically different kind of ongoing team conversation. A collective conversation that is not unconsciously controlled by the same ego driven rules that cause their persistence and exacerbation in the first place.

DR KRISTIN KIRKPATRICK

Fueling Well in A New World; The Latest Data on How to fuel Better for Mental Health, Immunity, and Longevity

Though good nutrition has always been important for good mental health, the last 24 months has altered our discussion on what it means to truly fuel well. The way we snack, the way we utilize food, and the challenges we face to maintain a balanced immune system and a balanced brain is more important than ever. In this presentation, Meadows Behavorial Healthcare Senior Fellow and Nationally Recognized Registered Dietitian Kristin Kirkpatrick will cover the top nutrition needs to focus on for YOU, your family, and your therapy practice. She will break down the latest research, and give tools you can easily translate to your patient base on how to make sustainable behavior change.

MATT VOGL & DEBRA BOELDT & WALTER GREENLEAF & SOLOME BLUE

PANEL - Can digital mental health live up to the promise?

This panel will discuss the use of technology for mental health and substance use treatment and prevention. We will discuss evidence-based digital mental health technology that is relevant to prevention strategies along with approaches to critically assess technology. The panel will discuss the general landscape of digital mental health and propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions to enhance well-being across personal and population levels, including methods for enhancing stakeholder and community engagement in the implementation of technology. We will also review ethical issues associated with technological applications in mental health, including issues of equity and access.

ERIN BOOKER, ERIC BAILLY, ANDY KELLY & GREG WILLIAMS

PANEL - The Future of Financing Mental Health and Addiction Services

For chronic illnesses that need to be managed over time, not solely in acute instances, aligning the payment incentives to overall health and wellness re-orients care away from a fee-for-service volume-based focus. The vast majority of this in the market today is driven by CMS through the Medicare Accountable Care Programs, however, commercial insurers have now increasingly moved toward value-based primary care offerings and deploying other condition-specific episodes of care.

Emerging promising examples beginning in behavioral health – A number of new models have recently emerged including the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) model for non-profit mental health and addiction services, the P-COAT model from ASAM for Opioid Use Disorder episodes, and the Addiction Recovery Model Home - Alternative Payment Model (ARMH-APM) for integrated Substance Use Disorder care. Each model provides increased flexibility of payment to the provider in some kind of bundle-based or episode-of-care framework that packages together a more comprehensive set of services along the continuum and frees up the provider to care for an individual and their needs in flexible and independent ways versus the rigidity of independent CPT billing codes.

Attendees will learn from payers and providers what their vision for the transition to value looks like in the mental health and addiction

The panel will discuss the core challenges that need to be overcome operationally and technologically.
How these services can and perhaps should be purchased and financed in the future
A review of emerging models and pilots taking shape across the country

DR PETER LEVINE & BETSY POLATIN

How the Body Releases Trauma and Restores Health

Somatic Experiencing® (SE™) is a naturalistic and neurobiological approach to healing trauma and other stress-related disorders. SE offers a framework to assess where a person is “stuck” in the fight, flight, or freeze responses and provides clinical tools to resolve these fixated physiological states. It offers practical skills appropriate to various healing and helping professions, including mental health, medicine, physical and occupational therapies, bodywork, addiction treatment, first response, educators, and more.

During this program, Peter A Levine, Ph.D., the developer of Somatic Experiencing, will demonstrate how SE addresses trauma through a combination of theoretical explanation and body-oriented experiential exercises. Participants in this program will learn the underpinnings of trauma and explore how nervous system regulation and awareness of bodily sensations can bring clients out of a trauma state and into a more embodied and regulated sense of authentic self.

Betsy Polatin will explore with us how Trauma affects Support, Suspension, and Breath. Trauma tends to fragment and/or diminish our sense of self. This presentation will offer simple exercises to enhance sensory skills by exploring the musculoskeletal, respiratory, and nervous systems, and how they relate to the larger universe, and to trauma. Learn to awaken inherent potential by finding the support from the ground that can lead to full stature and the expanded Self, while noting how trauma and overwhelm can interfere with this process.

DAWN NICKEL

Workaholism: The “Respectable” Process Addiction

Describe the characteristics of workaholism and its attendant risks
Highlight the unique “overworking” challenges for career-driven, leadership-focused individuals working in behavioral health spaces
Introduce evidence-informed approaches, practices, and resources for identifying and addressing overworking tendencies

JAIME VINCK

Suicide and the Organization

Our country faces an unprecedented mental health crisis among people of all ages. The trauma, grief, loss and isolation associated with the pandemic has driven Americans in all demographics to a breaking point with depression, substance abuse and suicide attempts increasing. Even prior to the pandemic, suicide attempts and completions were on the rise, especially among the young and older adults aged 65 and above. The CDC reports that there were 1.2 million suicide attempts in 2020 and 3.2 million Americans had a plan for suicide. A suicide and suicide attempts affect the health and well-being of friends, loved ones, co-workers, and the community. Our discussion will look at what happens when a suicide of a co-worker and/or family member occurs within our organization and how we best respond when a patient that is in our care dies by suicide?

BECK GEE-COHEN & JORDAN HELD

The Healing Power of Belonging

In working with today’s youth, we need to create a space for understanding and safety within our walls of our facilities for these youths. This workshop will help clinicians grasp terms, ideas, and situation that trans & non-binary youth are experiencing today.

Participants will be able to assess their own practices as it relates to transgender youth and be able to take with them an overarching understanding of the coming out process. Discussions will include policy & paperwork, talking to parents, creating safety within the group process, and how to effectively be an ally to trans and non-binary youth.

Participants will be able to have a solid understanding of the basics of gender identity. Participants will be able to explain the elements of disclosure. Participants will walk away with knowing how to make their spaces more affirming for trans young people.

ANNA LEMBKE

Dopamine Fasting: A Neuroscience-Informed Approach to Compulsive Overconsumption in a Reward-Overloaded World

This is a time of unprecedented access to high-reward, high-dopamine stimuli: drugs, food, news, gambling, shopping, gaming, texting, Facebooking, Instagramming, YouTubing, tweeting . . . The increased numbers, variety, and potency are staggering. As such, we’ve all become vulnerable to compulsive overconsumption. Yet, it is possible to find contentment and connectedness by keeping dopamine in check.

In this talk, Professor Anna Lembke will provide a practical, science-informed approach to addressing compulsive overconsumption of everything from food, to sex, to video games.

Reserve Your Spot

Click below to register for the 2023 Global Exchange Conference while seats are available!

Contact:

DBA: Exchange Events Inc
Email: info@theglobalexchangeconference.com

About:

The GXC Conference is an international conference dedicated to professionals who want to elevate their knowledge regarding therapeutic practices, treatment models, and the latest mental health, addiction, and wellness innovations.