Solutions to Big Emotions in Teens- Jamie Bray, LCSW

The Truth About Setting Boundaries - LouAnn Altshuler

Parent Panel — David and Laura Hutchins

David and Laura Hutchins are the parents of a Prodigal. They have lived through the many facets of caring and decision making and changes that come with loving a Prodigal, but their son, Ben, still struggled.

They are still on the road of grieving Ben, who died tragically on September 30, 2023. They are just starting to understand what God wants them to share with other kids and parents. They have a message of HOPE to families with complex loss. There is stigma attached to losing a child from an overdose or drug related death. David and Laura look to their Savior to provide the anchor in the storm of stigmatized loss and as they carry this message to others.

The Pillars of my Recovery — Joey Knapp

Joey is 37 yrs. old and grew up here right in East Cobb. Joey was completely broken by addiction and lost everything he valued.  God has now restored Joey’s life and you can come and hear his remarkable story of how his life was transformed only by the “grace” of God!  Joey facilitates an accountability/discipleship group every week for anyone struggling with addiction or life afflictions and uses his story to help others.

The 4 pillars of my recovery and what helped me ultimately find fulfillment in life are…

• Community

• Gratitude 

• Accountability 

• Giving back/paying it forward

What is Cross Addiction? — Colin Thomas

Colin wants to help parents understand the process addictions, where addictive behaviors can include alcohol or other drugs, but can also include addictions to food, gambling, sex, gaming or other compulsive behaviors.

Colin Thomas  is a national certified counselor at Caron Atlanta Outpatient Treatment Center and has a masters of science in clinical mental health counseling and also a minor in addiction and recovery.

Parent Up — Hannah Brett

Parental pointers from her professional and personal journey.  Hannah will share her personal journey with addiction and recovery and what she has found out to help parents in their struggle with loved ones with mental health and addiction. 

Hannah Brett is the director of Outreach for Turnbridge Treatment program southeast with 15 years experience in the treatment industry focusing her efforts on helping adolescents and young adults in need.

Battle Cry: for Moms and Dads — Debra McNinch with Anne Marie Boduch

Debra McNinch and Anne Marie Boduch

Debra is the founder of the BATTLECRY prayer movement. She is also a mom, wife, child of the King and author.   Debra thought her life was on track to be perfect, until an unexpected phone call that changed it all.  She will speak of the great loss of the life she dreamed of and how she learned to turn the pain over to the only one who can make beauty from our ashes.  Debra encourages parents to REFUSE to accept the lie that your children won’t come home.  She shares a BATTLE PLAN to help win this war on our families.

Anne Marie is an administrator for “Battle Cry for Moms” and their amazing support/prayer group and she will share part of her story and how she got involved in this on-line support group.

Addiction and Psychiatric Illness as Medical Disease — Steven R. Lee, MD

Dr. Lee

Understanding the difference between normal behavior versus the medical diseases of addiction and psychiatric illness is critical to understand your child’s behavior.  Everyone has the capacity to decide what they will and will not do if they are not impaired and it is everyone’s responsibility to take care of themselves and accept the consequences of their decisions. 

Those who are impaired because of mental illness, intellectual deficiencies, autism, and chronic addiction do not make good decisions and need treatment medically and in psychotherapy.  Even these people are responsible for their decisions of accepting treatment or not accepting treatment.  They must have the will to want to change, be honest with themselves and others, and be open-minded enough to listen to those who are trying to help them.  If they are arrested because they broke the law, they will be held responsible for their behavior especially if they have been offered help and they refused even if they are impaired.  They will have to suffer the consequences of their poor judgment, strong self-will, and antisocial behavior.

As parents we feel responsible for our children because we love them.  Sometimes we have tried to help them many times and they had to do it their way with bad outcomes.  Knowing what you can do and what you cannot do requires understanding addictive disease and mental illness as medical diseases in order to know what is the problems caused by the disease and the problems caused by the child’s self-will.  Knowing when you should step in and help financially and when you should not requires understanding the concept of enabling which makes them worse and makes you sick as well. 

This will be a lecture to explain how addiction and mental illness are medical diseases.  I will review the major psychiatric illnesses, the different addictions, and the treatment that is necessary.

About Dr. Steven Lee

Psychiatrist and Addictionologist for 41 years

Medical Program Director, Outpatient Services, Ridgeview Institute, Smyrna, Georgia

History of Joint faculty appointment in Psychiatry and OB-GYN, Emory University

History of Chronic Pain Management

History of being Medical Director:  Peachford, SummitRidge, Ridgeview Institute

History of Program Director Young Adult Services at Peachford and Ridgeview Institute

Avoiding the Predictable Disaster — Dick Forbes

When we deviate from the standards in our lives and ignore the issues that need to be addressed along the way, we create a Predictable Disaster, especially with our children. 

Dick Forbes is President of Forbes Counseling Services, and has over 30 years experience counseling individuals, couples and families on a variety of issues including conflict, stress, trauma, depression, addiction, and marriage and family issues.

Former World Class Athlete, Coach and Business Owner — Mike Gilliam

Mike is a recruiting and life skills expert and  is Motivating the Youth of America and teaching their families Valuable Life Lessons at the same time.

13, 7, 150, 680, 20!

These are not winning lottery ticket numbers but they are the numbers that awaken the answer and control the outcome of any storm! So when the storms of life come, you can either go through it or grow through it. Please joins us Thursday, January 25th for an encouraging evening to learn and embrace why everyone experiences 13, 7, 150, 680, and 20!

“The Difference between Spirituality and Religion” — Claire Gropman

Oftentimes, people struggle with recovery because 12-step meetings lean towards the spiritual, and the word “god” is frequently mentioned.  Those with a negative connotation towards organized religion, a history of religious abuse, or a lack of understanding about how “a Higher Power” can play a role in them getting sober, will often balk at the role Spirituality and Community can play in one’s journey towards Recovery.  We will brainstorm ways to speak to your loved one about this sensitive and personal subject.

Claire Gropman, MA, LPC-Exec. Director at Caron Atlanta. Before Caron, Claire was the Director of Outpatient Services at Peachford Hospital and Ridgeview.  She has been a psychotherapist for 28 years and the last 8 years earned Certification as a Relapse Prevention Specialist for Drug and Alcohol use Disorders.

CRAFT: Community Reinforcement and Family Training — Janet Fluker

What Is the CRAFT Approach?

Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) is intended to help family members of addicts learn how to steer their loved ones away from substance abuse. It is a great method for someone who's refusing treatment or refusing to admit they are no longer in control of how much they consume.

Instead of an old-school intervention where the family and friends get together and ask the person to enroll in a rehabilitation program, the CRAFT method encourages close significant others (which the program calls CSOs) to reward their loved one when they choose sobriety or show control.

Another critical aspect of this method is that it encourages families to step back and allow bad consequences to happen when the person consumes.

While the goal is to get the person dealing with an addiction in your life to admit they have a problem and get help, the CRAFT method also helps the loved ones prioritize their mental health and improve their happiness.

About Janet Fluker

Janet is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has served individuals, couples, and families in the Atlanta area for 25 years. She and her husband moved to Decatur after graduating from seminary to serve a local church where she was Minister of Education. She received her master’s degree in counseling from Georgia State University and worked as a pastoral counselor with The Care and Counseling Center of Georgia.  Janet left private practice when she was invited to develop a team of family counselors as Director of The Family Recovery Center at MARR Addiction Treatment Center, a local substance use disorder treatment program. The focus of The Family Recovery Center is on helping families as they struggle with a loved one’s addiction.  She returned to private practice in January 2021, when she joined The Summit Counseling Center.

In her therapy practice, she enjoys working with a diverse group of people, specializing in families and addiction, families with children who have disabilities, divorce, stepfamilies, and pastoral counseling. She is passionate about working with couples and has extensive training using the evidence-based model of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.  She also finds fulfillment in guiding the next generation of counselors as a Certified Professional Counseling Supervisor.

Story of Addiction and Substance Abuse — Dr. Wes Robins

As president and founder of Eternal Strength and Counseling. Wes has been in the industry since 2004 serving in many substance abuse and mental health jobs.  Eternal Strength is a comprehensive and holistic mental health treatment outpatient facility combined with a community youth center. It provides therapeutic care to families, youth, and young adults struggling with anxiety, depression, self-harm, and suicidality.

Dr. Wes Robins will speak about his own personal journey with addiction and substance use from the ages of 17-23 and relay how he moved through this dark night of the soul to work on his own holistic healing, but also to build a sacred space for youth, young adults and families to move through their own journey of growth when encountering anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self -harm and suicidality. Dr. Wes speaks from his own lived experience woven into his clinical expertise and years in the field to bring about a new understanding of what it means to heal and grow!

Popular: Boys, Booze, and Jesus — Tindell Stanfill Baldwin and Tom Stanfill

Tindell grew up outside Atlanta with her loving parents and three awesome brothers.  Despite being raised in a Christian family and active in church, she didn’t have a real encounter with God until college.  The damage done while she lived a life rebelling from God gave her a passion for helping teens who find themselves in the same life. 

tindellbaldwin.com

She is the author of Popular: Boys, Booze, and Jesus where she tells her honest account of a life without God and the lies she believed that led her to search for fulfillment and acceptance at any cost.

 Listen to her amazing story about how she was guided to a new life and journey with Jesus.  Tindell is now married with four children and a love for God.  This is her new passion for life!

Navigating the Chaos — Kim Roberts

How do you go through the chaos with your prodigal and still love them at the same time?

Kim will speak about how to set healthy boundaries and love your prodigal and be an encourager at the same time.   Kim has a passion for helping young adults and adolescents understand their substance abuse and offers hope for freedom from dependence on drugs or alcohol.

Kim has extensive experience with anxiety and depression, acute psychiatric issues, co-occurring disorders, and addiction issues.  Kim specializes in clients with substance abuse and families impacted by alcohol or drug dependency.

Kim L. Roberts, LPC, Ed.S is a Licensed Professional Counselor.   She has extensive experience with anxiety and depression, acute psychiatric issues, co-occurring disorders, and addiction issues.  Kim specializes in clients with substance abuse and families impacted by alcohol or drug dependency.  Kim earned her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia, and holds a Master’s degree in Rehabilitation Counseling and an Ed.S in Professional Counseling from Georgia State University.  She is recognized as a Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor by the IC&RC.

Her clinical background includes individual therapy and group work in both inpatient and outpatient behavioral health settings.  Kim’s therapy influence is Adlerian, a holistic approach that recognizes a variety of factors are involved in molding our belief system and behaviors.   Providing a safe, non-judgmental place where insight and healing can take place is the foundation of her practice.  Kim endorses the statement “people want to be known and loved anyway.”

Kim enjoys facilitating groups and believes these can be a powerful catalyst for change.   These groups include forensic Domestic Violence groups, Parenting children with issues, and Substance Abuse groups.

Helping young adults and adolescents understand their substance abuse and offering hope for freedom from dependence on drugs or alcohol is a passion for Kim.  Kim provides drug and alcohol assessments and advocacy for clients involved in the legal system.  Clients from the LGBTQ community are welcome.

When not engaged in therapy, Kim spends time with her family and enjoys the great outdoors.

Redemption and Recovery — Chase Brantley

Chase shares his story of redemption and how he used his recovery to start a new treatment center.

Through redemption, we can find purpose and meaning in our pain and come out stronger, wiser and more resilient. It is a reminder that our stories are not defined by our losses but by our triumphs in the face of adversity.

Chase Brantley is 34 and was born in San Antonio, TX. His family moved to Atlanta, GA when he was 4 years old, where he spent most of his life. Chase attended Wheeler High School and was an athlete playing football and lacrosse. He is the CFO and Co-Founder of Pacific Sands Recovery Center in Orange County, CA. He recently got married and moved to Nashville, TN. He has three French Bulldogs that he loves playing with in his backyard. He enjoys playing golf, shooting guns, and spending time with family and friends. He has been sober for almost 9 years through God's grace and looks forward to sharing his experience, strength, and hope.

Allie Sanford (Berman Center)

Allie (Berman Center) will share her story and also talk about what lessons we as parents can learn.

Substance Misuse and Other People’s Children — Caron and Mark Thomas

Audio Block

Double-click here to upload or link to a .mp3. Learn more

Colin Thomas (Caron) and his dad Mark Thomas discuss ways to approach potential substance misuse or abuse that might be occurring with people’s children.

Colin will pull from his personal experience as a person in long-term recovery who got sober in adolescence as well as his time in the field as an addiction professional to discuss warning signs, ways to broach the topic of addiction with our children, and how to support teens in the recovery process.

 His dad, Mark will use his experience to discuss what type of work he had to do as a parent, how he came to a point where he could seek help for his child, and how he supported a child struggling with addiction.

 As the Adolescent Addiction Counselor at Caron Atlanta Outpatient Treatment Center, Colin Thomas provides a collaborative setting for teens dealing with substance use and co-occurring issues. Using a person-centered perspective coupled with cognitive behavioral techniques and Gestalt principles, he provides individual counseling, facilitates group therapy, offers psychoeducation, and coordinates case management and aftercare services.

Patrick and Jessica Johnson (Emerge Healing Center)

Patrick

Sobriety date: November 5, 2016

Patrick grew up knowing God but strayed and grappled with a family who suffered through suicide, addiction, and several transitions. Got sober after failing attempts at drug court (never made it in) while incarcerated. Attributes his success to finding God in prison and working the steps after leaving. Owns and operates a sober living; Acceptance in Roswell. 

Jessica

Sobriety date: July 4, 2017

Jessica grew up with a functional alcoholic mom and a marine father. Sexually abused by a family member and diagnosed with bulimia and addiction while playing college volleyball. Functioned on the outside but became suicidal until honest about her trauma with her family. Oversees a trauma and recovery program in Alpharetta; Emerge.

How to Improve Emotional Connection with your Addicted Loved One — Rick Petronella

Rick Petronella

Making the Most of a Difficult Situation. It is up to us to find our way through it. “Instead of being resentful of these hardships, we need to learn how to be proactive with these challenges. There’s always a way forward, and our mindset has much to do with our outcome. We can’t always control what happens to us, but we do get to choose our response.

Rick Petronella-, PhD, MAC, CCS is the Founder of Compass Consulting & Affiliates, and Choices Treatment Program in Sandy Springs, Georgia where he serves as Clinical Director, Clinical Supervisor, and private practice.