Dawn Farm Addiction and Recovery Education Series

Grief and Loss in Addiction and Recovery was be presented on Tuesday March 20, 2018, by Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, SpA, CADC; Dawn Farm Outpatient and Personal Medicine therapist; and Barb Smith, author of “Brent’s World.” Unresolved grief and loss frequently accompany people throughout the process of moving from the culture of addiction to the culture of recovery. Families of people with addiction experience grief and loss as well. This program will explain various theories of grief and grief recovery, describe losses that people with substance use disorders and their families experience throughout the addiction and recovery processes, and discuss how recovery program tools can help individuals cope with grief and loss. The presentation includes a powerful personal story of grief, loss and recovery.

This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues.  The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenters:
Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, Sp.A., CADC
Jerry Fouchey has extensive experience in the field of education as an administrator, facilitator, strategist, teacher and practitioner in the areas of educational administration, curriculum, instruction and staff development, and has played leadership roles in many initiatives in various public school districts. After several years as a Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center Counselor, Jerry currently serves as a Personal Medicine and Outpatient therapist for Dawn Farm. He earned his BS, MA, and Sp.A. from Eastern Michigan University, has received additional training in substance use disorder prevention and treatment procedures, and is a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC). Jerry was instrumental in the implementation of Dawn Farm’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) program and “Personal Medicine” program.

Barb Smith
Barb Smith is the author of “Brent’s World,” a book about the life and death of her oldest son. Barb is a frequent speaker at community, school and church functions.

Cultivating Mindfulness to Support Recovery was presented on Tuesday April 17, 2018, by Dr.  Elizabeth A.R. Robinson, MPH, MSW, Ph.D. Mindfulness practices are effective in supporting sustained recovery from substance use disorders. This presentation will describe theory and research supporting mindfulness, demonstrate mindfulness techniques and provide opportunities for the audience to experience and cultivate mindfulness, and review the evidence of the positive effects of mindfulness on recovery.

This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues.  The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenter:

Elizabeth ("Libby") A. R. Robinson, MSW, MPH, Ph.D.

 Dr. Libby Robinson has practiced mindfulness meditation since 1979 and was trained to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction by Jon Kabat-Zinn and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness. She has taught Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction since 2003. She recently retired from the University of Michigan, where she was a Research Assistant Professor, carrying out NIH-funded research on the role of spiritual and religious change in recovery. She also did an NIAAA post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan Addiction Research Center and was on the social work faculty at Case Western Reserve University and the University at Buffalo. Dr. Robinson has an MSW, an MPH and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Work from the University of Michigan.

Relapse Prevention was presented on Tuesday February 27, 2018, by Erik Anderson LMSW, CAADC, University of Michigan Counseling and Psychological Services. Substance addiction has been identified as an illness that requires long-term management. Relapse is a process that begins before alcohol/other drug use is resumed and is usually preceded by a pattern of progressive warning signs. Understanding the relapse process helps recovering people develop an effective plan to identify and prevent relapse. This program will discuss the dynamics of relapse, factors that contribute to relapse, signs that may forewarn of relapse, how to develop a relapse prevention plan and creative, effective strategies to handle both every-day and high-risk situations.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the Presenter:
Erik Anderson, LMSW, CAADC; Embedded Social Worker, College of Engineering for Counseling and Psychological Services at University of Michigan

Erik earned his Master of Social Work from Wayne State University in 2013 with an emphasis on cognitive-behavioral interpersonal practice, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan. Erik worked as an Outpatient Therapist at Dawn Farm from 2013 to 2016. He currently serves as an Embedded Social Worker, College of Engineering for Counseling and Psychological Services at University of Michigan. Erik is also an instructor at Eastern Michigan University School of Social work where he teaches classes on interpersonal social work practice. Erik is a Subject Master Expert for the IC&RC (INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION & RECIPROCITY CONSORTIUM) where he develops test questions for the Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor Certification Exam.

Erik’s professional interests include:
Trauma
Substance Use
Relapse Prevention
Anxiety
Perfectionism/Inner Critic
Spirituality/Meaning
Positive Psychology/Performance Enhancement
Grief and Loss
Stress Management

Erik’s approach to therapy is integrative, and utilizes elements of third wave CBT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy & Dialectical Behavior Therapy), as well as EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and insight oriented talk therapy in hopes of providing a personalized therapeutic experience for each person’s needs and background. Erik enjoys having an active gratitude practice; connecting with a larger community; enjoying time with family, friends and his dog; making time for contemplative practices; being of service to others; and listening to books and music.

"Does Addiction Treatment Work?" was presented on February 20, 2018; by Dr. Carl Christensen, MD, Ph.D., D-FASAM. Recent publications purport to define research-supported definitive truths about the root causes of addiction and efficacy of treatment modalities; however, conclusions are conflicting and have been subject to divergent interpretations. Dr. Christensen will review the recent criticisms of treatment for addiction including Twelve Step, residential, and medication assisted therapy, the scientific studies that do and do not support their use and other controversial issues. The presentation will include a short discussion of naloxone resuscitation. This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenter: Dr. Carl Christensen, MD, Ph.D., D-FASAM
Dr. Christensen is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and has a private medical practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Christensen specializes in the treatment of addiction and of chronic pain, especially pelvic pain. He obtained his MD and PhD in Biochemistry at Wayne State University School of Medicine and did his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hutzel Hospital. He then completed a Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Duke University Medical Center. He is certified in Addiction Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Christensen is the current Medical Director of the James Wardell Women’s Recovery Center and the Medical Director at the Tolan Medical Research Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry at WSU. He is also the Medical Director for Dawn Farm, and a member of the Advisory Board of Families Against Narcotics in Wayne County Michigan. He is the past president of the Michigan Society of Addiction Medicine and the current Medical Director of the Michigan Health Professional Recovery Program, and was Associate Residency Director of the OB Gyn Residency at the Wayne State University School of Medicine until 2012.

Dr. Christensen has received numerous teaching awards. He has been named one of the “Top Docs” in Addiction Medicine in Hour Magazine since 2006.

How to Support Recovery and Not Support Addiction was presented on January 23, 2018, by Dr. Charles F. Gehrke, MD, FACP, FASAM.  The course of an individual’s substance use may be strongly influenced by family members, friends, employers and others. The disease of addiction is often poorly understood, and the behaviors of a person with addiction are often bewildering to family and friends. Well-intentioned but poorly-informed individuals may inadvertently enable addiction to progress by shielding the person with addiction from consequences that could potentially initiate change. This program addresses these common questions: When all else has failed, what does work when confronted with a loved one’s addiction? What does not work? What can others do to help? What does not help? What role does an individual play in supporting another person’s recovery process?  This program will outline simple but effective actions for family, friends and others to avoid enabling another person’s addiction, support the person’s recovery, and maintain their own health and well-being.

This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues.  The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenter: Charles F. Gehrke, MD, FACP, FASAM.
Dr. Chuck Gehrke is a graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He completed a fellowship in hematology/oncology and practiced in this field until 1993 when he changed his focus to the practice of Addiction Medicine. He is board certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine and in Addiction Medicine by the American Board of Addiction Medicine. Currently, Dr. Gehrke works with Brighton Center for Recovery.  He has previously been a Clinical Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Michigan Medical School and has served as the medical director for an addictions treatment program and for the Michigan monitoring program for impaired healthcare professionals. Dr. Gehrke has done consultant work; presented numerous lectures and classes; and written numerous articles, book chapters, papers and manuals concerning substance use disorders and treatment guidelines

Safe and Effective Management of Pain and Addiction was presented on January 16, 2018; by Dr. Carl Christensen, MD, Ph.D., D-FASAM; and Dr. Mark A. Weiner, MD, D-FASAM. The Institute of Medicine estimates around a 100 million Americans suffer with chronic pain, and it’s estimated that about 10% of our population has or has had a substance use disorder. Both chronic pain and substance use disorders are major public health challenges, and treating concurrent pain and substance addiction is especially challenging. Common prescribing practices intended to provide relief of acute and chronic pain can trigger relapse in people with substance use disorders and have also fueled an epidemic of opiod misuse, addiction and overdose death. People with pain deserve relief, and the good news is there are many strategies for both acute and chronic pain management that are safe and effective for people at risk of or in recovery from substance use disorders. This presentation discusses various methods of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic pain management and their relative risks and benefits, and describes creative approaches to effective pain relief for people in recovery from substance use disorders. The presentation includes a short demonstration of naloxone resuscitation.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenters:
Mark A. Weiner, MD, D-FASAM: Dr. Weiner is the Section Chief of Addiction Medicine and serves as the Medical Director of Substance Use Disorders at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor. He is also the Medical Director of IHA Pain Management Consultants. He is the chair of the planning committee of the American Society of Addiction Medicine course, “Pain and Addiction: Common Threads” and is a member of the planning committee for the American Society of Addiction Medicine Annual Meeting. He is an editor of the ASAM Pain and Addiction Handbook. Dr. Weiner is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees of Dawn Farm.

Carl Christensen, MD, PhD, FACOG, D-FASAM, ABAM: Dr. Christensen is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and has a private medical practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Christensen specializes in the treatment of addiction and of chronic pain, especially pelvic pain. He obtained his MD and PhD in Biochemistry at Wayne State University School of Medicine and did his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hutzel Hospital. He then completed a Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Duke University Medical Center. He is certified in Addiction Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Dr. Christensen is the current Medical Director of the James Wardell Women’s Recovery Center, the Medical Director at the Tolan Medical Research Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry at WSU, and the Medical Director for Dawn Farm. He is a member of the Advisory Board of Families Against Narcotics in Wayne County, Michigan. He is the past president of the Michigan Society of Addiction Medicine and the current Medical Director of the Michigan Health Professional Recovery Program. Dr. Christensen has received numerous teaching awards. He has been named one of the “Top Docs” in Addiction Medicine in Hour Magazine since 2006.

Intervention to Durable Recovery: The Power of Family was presented on November 21, 2017, by Debra Jay and Jeff Jay; best-selling authors, speakers, trainers and counselors. Addiction is often described as a “family condition” – but families have often been left out of the recovery equation. Involved, supportive families play a critical role in the recovery process, from initiation through long-term recovery, and families provide an important reservoir of influence and support towards making lasting sobriety a reality. Through extensive work in intervention and family recovery, Debra Jay and Jeff Jay have developed highly effective, detailed Intervention and Structured Family Recovery™ processes that unlock the secrets of lasting sobriety – techniques that help addicted physicians and pilots attain lasting recovery - and make them available to families. The intervention process starts with a concerned family and the Structured Family Recovery™ process ends with a family recovery team that maximizes the potential for a successful outcome for all involved. This presentation describes how to do an intervention and how to build a recovery team that unites the person with addiction and his/her family in working towards the common goal of sustained recovery, and provides practical, helpful, hopeful information about intervention and family recovery that will both revolutionize recovery and bring recovery back to its roots.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenters - Debra Jay and Jeff Jay:
Debra and Jeff Jay are best-selling authors, speakers and clinicians. Their best-selling book "Love First: A Family’s Guide to Intervention" has helped thousands of families to help their loved one initiate recovery, and Debra’s new book “It Takes A Family” is helping families come together to form a recovery team that maximizes the potential for a successful outcome for all involved. Jeff's recent book, “Navigating Grace," recounts a gripping journey through perilous ocean waters and through his own soul to finding hope and serenity. Jeff and Debra have a national private practice that provides clinical services and training, including Intervention and Structured Family Recovery.

In the Doctor’s Office: Recovery Friend or Foe? was presented on October 24, 2017; by Mark A. Weiner, MD, D-FASAM; and Matthew Statman, LMSW, CAADC; University of Michigan Collegiate Recovery Program Manager. Addiction is widely recognized as a chronic illness best treated with long-term monitoring and support. Primary health care settings are natural places for this care to be provided. However, it's been said that the doctor's office can be a dangerous place for people in recovery from addiction. It's also been said that recovering people can be terrible patients. This program will discuss whether these statements are fair, and why healthcare providers are essential allies for long term recovery. The program will provide a basic overview of the neurobiology of addiction and its implications for health care consumers and providers, list specific concerns related to medications, describe ways in which people in recovery from alcohol/other drug addiction can take responsibility for their health and discuss how health care providers can assist with sustaining recovery.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:
Mark A. Weiner, MD, D-FASAM
Dr. Weiner is the Section Chief of Addiction Medicine and serves as the Medical Director of Substance Use Disorders at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor. He is also the Medical Director of IHA Pain Management Consultants. He is the chair of the planning committee of the American Society of Addiction Medicine course, “Pain and Addiction: Common Threads” and is a member of the planning committee for the American Society of Addiction Medicine Annual Meeting. He is an editor of the upcoming ASAM Pain and Addiction Handbook. Dr. Weiner is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees of Dawn Farm.
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Matthew Statman, LMSW, CAADC
Matthew Statman is the Manager of the Collegiate Recovery Program at the University of Michigan and faculty advisor to the University of Michigan Students for Recovery. He is an adjunct lecturer at Eastern Michigan University school of Social Work and a Board Member of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education. Matt worked with Dawn Farm from 2004 through 2012, first as a House Manager and Resident Aid and later as a Detox Counselor and Detox Team Leader. After obtaining his MSW, Matt worked as an Outpatient Therapist and an Administrator and Therapist in Dawn Farm’s Correctional Programs, and as a Residential Therapist at Dawn Farm Downtown. Matt was the Dawn Farm Education Series coordinator from 2007 through 2012. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2009 with his BSW and received his MSW from the University of Michigan in 2010. In July 2017 Matt received the Kitty L. Harris Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Recovery in Higher Education.

Tobacco Recovery was presented on October 17, 2017, by Anna Byberg, LMSW, CAADC; Program Coordinator, Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center (and a panel of former tobacco users.) Despite downward trends in the prevalence of tobacco use in the general population, tobacco use remains a significant problem among people with alcohol/other drug addiction. The conventional wisdom that tobacco use should not be addressed during treatment or in early recovery has been shown to be false. Studies have demonstrated that tobacco cessation has positive effects on recovery and relapse rates, and a smoke-free policy does not adversely affect treatment retention. This program will describe the prevalence of tobacco addiction among people with alcohol and other drug addictions, the relationship between tobacco use and recovery, information on tobacco cessation techniques targeted to people with alcohol/other drug addiction, and suggestions for implementation of tobacco cessation support by addiction treatment programs/professionals.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenter: Anna Byberg, LMSW, CAADC
Anna Byberg, LMSW, CAADC is the Program Coordinator for the Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center, a social/non-medical detoxification and extended care facility. Anna has worked with Dawn Farm since February of 2005, initially as a Detox Counselor and later as an Outpatient Counselor and then Project Manager. Anna obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree from the University of Michigan – Dearborn in December 2001 and her Master of Social Work degree from Eastern Michigan University in April, 2012. As a member of Dawn Farm’s Tobacco Cessation team, Anna helped to develop, implement and facilitate Dawn Farm’s tobacco cessation initiative.

Addiction 101 was presented on September 26, 2017; by James Balmer; President, Dawn Farm. This program provides a general overview of alcohol/other drug addiction and recovery, examines the progression of alcohol/other drug use, reviews addiction as a brain disease and discusses the process of recovery. Viewers will learn how individuals experience initial and continuing alcohol and other drug use and gain a basic understanding of the process and diagnosis of addiction, how the brain functions in a person with alcohol/other drug addiction, and methods utilized to help people with alcohol/other drug use disorders achieve sustained recovery. This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenter: James Balmer, President, Dawn Farm.
Jim Balmer was a co-founder of Dawn Farm in 1973 and has worked for Dawn Farm since 1983; first as Clinical Director, later as President. Jim has led the organization through its growth from a single residential program to the organization it is today; with two residential treatment programs, a sub-acute detox, outpatient and community corrections services, a youth and family services program, outreach and education programs and numerous transitional housing sites. Jim has trained addiction professionals around Michigan and the United States, as well as the Philippines, Japan and Kazakhstan. He has co-authored articles and papers on the subject of addiction and recovery. Jim is in the process of writing a book that will describe Dawn Farm’s unique history, mission and values, which he extensively researched on a sabbatical.

Addiction and Families was presented on September 19, 2017; by Dr. Lynn Kleiman Malinoff, Ed.D. Substance addiction is often described as a family condition. Each member of the family unit is affected by addiction within the family and often family members do not realize how profoundly they have been affected. To survive within a framework of chaos, family members often develop roles and defense mechanisms that help them to cope. Family members affected by substance addiction often have challenges in supporting each other and taking care of their own health and well-being. Family involvement is an important element of the recovery process for people with addiction, and family members themselves can recover from the effects of having person with addiction in the family, whether the person with addiction recovers or not. This program will provide an overview of how addiction impacts each member of a family. Dr. Malinoff will describe roles and behaviors that family members often acquire when living with addiction, ways in which each family member is affected by addiction in the family, and options for family members to obtain help to cope with addiction in the family.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of substance use disorder treatment and recovery support services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenter: Lynn Kleiman Malinoff, Ed.D.
Lynn is the director of Eastern Michigan University 21st Century Community Learning Centers Bright Futures out-of-school-time programs. Lynn has worked with challenged youth and their families, teaching, counseling, and leading for over 40 years in K-12 education as well as developing and directing an adolescent outpatient program for substance abusing youth and their families. Lynn has a deep knowledge of the challenges of children of alcoholics, family systems as they relate to addiction and the process of recovery. She is a strong supporter of Twelve-Step recovery.

Lynn received her doctorate in educational leadership from Eastern Michigan University. She co-authored a book chapter published in Women as Leaders in Education (Praeger, 2011), entitled “Both Sides of Mentoring: A Leader’s Story”. She has two grown sons and loving daughters-in-law, a husband and two Shetland Sheepdogs. She is passionate about photography and preparing delicious meals for family and friends.

“Does Addiction Treatment Work?” was presented on Tuesday May 16, 2017, by Dr. Carl Christensen, MD, PhD, FACOG, FASAM, ABAM. Recent publications claim to define research-supported definitive truths about the root causes of addiction and efficacy of treatment modalities; however, conclusions are conflicting and have been subject to divergent interpretations. Dr. Christensen will review the recent criticisms of treatment for addiction including Twelve Step, residential, and medication assisted therapy, the scientific studies that do and do not support their use and other controversial issues.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:
Carl Christensen, MD, PhD, FACOG, FASAM, ABAM

Dr. Christensen is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and has a private medical practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Dr. Christensen specializes in the treatment of addiction and of chronic pain, especially pelvic pain. He obtained his MD and PhD in Biochemistry at Wayne State University School of Medicine and did his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hutzel Hospital. He then completed a Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Duke University Medical Center. He is certified in Addiction Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine.

Dr. Christensen is the current Medical Director of the James Wardell Women’s Recovery Center, an outpatient program dedicated to caring for pregnant, chemically dependent women, as well as the Medical Director at the Tolan Medical Research Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry at WSU. He is also the Medical Director for Dawn Farm, and a member of the Advisory Board of Families Against Narcotics in Wayne County Michigan. He is the past president of the Michigan Society of Addiction Medicine and the current Medical Director of the Michigan Health Professional Recovery Program, which monitors impaired nurses, pharmacists and doctors. He was Associate Residency Director of the OB Gyn Residency at the Wayne State University School of Medicine until 2012.

Dr. Christensen has received numerous teaching awards. He has been named one of the “Top Docs” in Addiction Medicine in Hour Magazine since 2006.

“Tobacco Cessation and Addiction Recovery” was presented on May 23, 2017, by Anna Byberg, LMSW, CAADC; Program Coordinator, Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center. Despite downward trends in the prevalence of tobacco use in the general population, tobacco use remains a significant problem among people with alcohol/other drug addiction. The conventional wisdom that tobacco use should not be addressed during treatment or in early recovery has been shown to be false. Studies have demonstrated that tobacco cessation has positive effects on recovery and relapse rates, and a smoke-free policy does not adversely affect treatment retention. This program will describe the prevalence of tobacco addiction among people with alcohol and other drug addictions, the relationship between tobacco use and recovery, information on tobacco cessation techniques targeted to people with alcohol/other drug addiction, and suggestions for implementation of tobacco cessation support by addiction treatment programs/professionals.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenter: Anna Byberg, LMSW, CAADC
Anna Byberg, LMSW, CAADC is the Program Coordinator for the Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center, a social/non-medical detoxification and extended care facility. Anna has worked with Dawn Farm since February of 2005, initially as a Detox Counselor and later as an Outpatient Counselor and then Project Manager. Anna obtained her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology degree from the University of Michigan – Dearborn in December 2001 and her Master of Social Work degree from Eastern Michigan University in April, 2012. As a member of Dawn Farm’s Tobacco Cessation team, Anna helped to develop, implement and facilitate Dawn Farm’s tobacco cessation initiative.

Audio and video recorded by Bill Hall, TalkVideo. 

“Spirituality in Recovery: The Many Paths to Spiritual Fitness” was presented on April 25, 2017,  by Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, SpA, CADC; Dawn Farm Outpatient and Personal Medicine therapist. Twelve Step recovery programs challenge participants through the Eleventh Step to “seek through prayer and meditation to improve their conscious contact with God as they understood Him, praying only for knowledge of His will and the power to carry that out.” The literature points out that recovering people have "tread innumerable paths" in this process.  This presentation will encourage participants to clarify their personal understanding of a Higher Power, examine the quality of their relationship with that Power, and explore vehicles to build their conscious contact.

This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual workshop series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues.  The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenter:

Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, Sp.A., CADC has extensive experience in the field of education as an administrator, facilitator, strategist, teacher and practitioner in the areas of educational administration, curriculum, instruction and staff development, and has played leadership roles in many initiatives in various public school districts.  After several years as a Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center Counselor, Jerry currently serves as a Personal Medicine and Outpatient therapist for Dawn Farm. He earned his BS, MA, and Sp.A. from Eastern Michigan University, has received additional training in substance use disorder prevention and treatment procedures, and is a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC).  Jerry was instrumental in the implementation of Dawn Farm’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) program and “Personal Medicine” program.

“Emerging from the Darkness: The End of the Drug War and the Rise of Recovery” was presented on April 20, 2017, by Dr. Kevin T. McCauley, MD; co-founder of the Institute on Addiction Study; writer of the award-winning DVD “Pleasure Unwoven” and the DVD “Memo To Self.” Not only have the ships for which we have waited for so long appeared on the horizon, some of them have now come into port. Parity. Treatment on demand. Stigma reduction. These once seemingly impossible dreams are today a reality. The White House creates an "Office of Recovery" and speaks openly about a "Third Way" for new policy. States legalize cannabis for - not medical - but recreational use, and create a giant natural experiment that will reveal previous certainties about its dangers as truth or fiction. Films, books, plays, and music put a human face on addiction, changing minds and hearts in the process. But most importantly, people are recovering. As we emerge from the rubble of the Drug War, we can rebuild on the foundation of astonishing brain research that has quietly accumulated through decades of zero-tolerance and mass incarceration. In this lecture, we will stop and realize this moment in history, and compare it to other challenges of health disparity and social inequality. We will review the rising science of recovery and explore concepts of recovery management. We will elucidate this "Third Way," and consider the challenges it entails. We will explore innovative policies, enacted on local and national levels, which hold the promise of preventing addiction before it starts, treating it on a scale never before seen in the US, and re-enfranchising a battered but resilient American demographic.  As groups of men and women, formerly living in the shadows, come together, define themselves, and become a people, we should not forget: History is watching.

This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual workshop series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues.  The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About The Presenter: Dr. Kevin McCauley, MD

Kevin McCauley, MD graduated from Drexel University Medical School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1992. He entered the United States Navy and received his Naval Flight Surgeon training at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute in Pensacola, Florida.  He was the flight surgeon for Heavy Marine Helicopter Squadron 363 at Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin, California and for Marine Fighter/Attack Training Squadron 101 at Marine Corps Air Station, El Toro, California.

Dr. McCauley is the co-founder of the Institute for Addiction Study in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Director of Program Services at the New Roads Treatment Center in Sandy, Utah. He has served as President of the Utah Association of Recovery Residences in Salt Lake City, Utah, working with state and municipal agencies to promulgate best practices for local sober living home providers in order to strengthen the Recovery-Oriented System of Care in Utah. Dr. McCauley served as Director of Le Mont Michel in Sandy, Utah, from 2009 to 2013; helping with the design and implementation of a disease management/ residential recovery support program and also served as director of daily operations of an eight-bed sober living facility including training and supervision of staff, as well as analysis of outcome data.    

As co-founder of the Institute for Addiction Study, Dr. McCauley wrote and directed two films: “Pleasure Unwoven” about the neuroscience of addiction, and “Memo to Self” about Recovery Management in commercial airline pilots and professionals with substance use disorders. “Pleasure Unwoven” won the 2010 Michael Q. Ford Award for Journalism from the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.

Dr. McCauley travels between Utah and his home in Honolulu, Hawai`I where he lives with his wife, Kristine. His goals are to help those who wish to better understand addiction topics and to make difficult scientific concepts accessible to all. In his work, he strives to foster the acceptance of people in recovery as full and valued members of society.

“Grief and Loss in Addiction and Recovery” was presented on April 18, 2017; by Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, SpA, CADC; Dawn Farm Outpatient and Personal Medicine therapist; and Barb Smith, author of “Brent’s World.” Unresolved grief and loss frequently accompany people throughout the process of moving from the culture of addiction to the culture of recovery. Families of people with addiction experience grief and loss as well. This program will explain various theories of grief and grief recovery, describe losses that chemically dependent individuals and their families experience throughout the addiction and recovery processes, and discuss ways to cope with grief and loss.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the Presenters:
Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, Sp.A., CADC
Jerry Fouchey has extensive experience in the field of education as an administrator, facilitator, strategist, teacher and practitioner in the areas of educational administration, curriculum, instruction and staff development, and has played leadership roles in many initiatives in various public school districts. After several years as a Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center Counselor, Jerry currently serves as a Personal Medicine and Outpatient therapist for Dawn Farm. He earned his BS, MA, and Sp.A. from Eastern Michigan University, has received additional training in substance use disorder prevention and treatment procedures, and is a Certified Alcohol & Drug Counselor (CADC). Jerry was instrumental in the implementation of Dawn Farm’s Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) program and “Personal Medicine” program.

Barb Smith
Barb Smith is the author of “Brent’s World,” a book about the life and death of her oldest son. Barb is a frequent speaker at community, school and church functions.

“Cultivating Mindfulness to Support Recovery” was presented on Tuesday March 28, 2017, by Dr. Elizabeth A.R. Robinson, MPH, MSW Ph.D. Mindfulness practices are effective in supporting sustained recovery from substance use disorders. This presentation will describe theory and research supporting mindfulness, demonstrate mindfulness techniques and provide opportunities for the audience to experience and cultivate mindfulness, and review the evidence of the positive effects of mindfulness on recovery.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenter:
Elizabeth A. R. Robinson, MSW, MPH, Ph.D.
Dr. Libby Robinson has practiced mindfulness meditation since 1979 and was trained to teach Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction by Jon Kabat-Zinn and colleagues at the University of Massachusetts Center for Mindfulness. She has taught Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction since 2003. She recently retired from the University of Michigan, where she was a Research Assistant Professor, carrying out NIH-funded research on the role of spiritual and religious change in recovery. She also did an NIAAA post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan Addiction Research Center and was on the social work faculty at Case Western Reserve University and the University at Buffalo. Dr. Robinson has an MSW, an MPH and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Work from the University of Michigan.

“In the Doctor’s Office: Recovery Friend or Foe? ” was presented on Tuesday March 21, 2017, by Dr. Mark A. Weiner, MD, DFASAM; Internal Medicine and Addiction Medicine; and Matthew Statman, LMSW, CAADC; University of Michigan Collegiate Recovery Program Manager. Addiction is widely recognized as a chronic illness best treated with long-term monitoring and support. Primary health care settings are natural places for this care to be provided. However, it's been said that the doctor's office can be a dangerous place for people in recovery from addiction. It's also been said that recovering people can be terrible patients. This program will discuss whether these statements are fair, and why healthcare providers are essential allies for long term recovery. The program will provide a basic overview of the neurobiology of addiction and its implications for health care consumers and providers, list specific concerns related to medications, describe ways in which people in recovery from alcohol/other drug addiction can take responsibility for their health and discuss how health care providers can assist with sustaining recovery.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenters:
Mark A. Weiner, MD, DFASAM
Dr. Weiner is the Section Chief of Addiction Medicine and serves as the Medical Director of Substance Use Disorders at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor. He is also the Medical Director of IHA Pain Management Consultants. He is the chair of the planning committee of the American Society of Addiction Medicine course, “Pain and Addiction: Common Threads” and is a member of the planning committee for the American Society of Addiction Medicine Annual Meeting. He is an editor of the upcoming ASAM Pain and Addiction Handbook planned for publication in 2017. Dr. Weiner is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees of Dawn Farm Treatment Centers.
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Matthew Statman, LMSW, CAADC
Matt Statman is the Manager of the Collegiate Recovery Program at the University of Michigan and faculty adviser to the University of Michigan Students for Recovery. He is an adjunct lecturer at Eastern Michigan University school of Social Work and a Board Member of the Association of Recovery in Higher Education. Matt worked with Dawn Farm from 2004 through 2012, first as a House Manager and Resident Aid and later as a Detox Counselor and Detox Team Leader. After obtaining his MSW, Matt worked as an Outpatient Therapist and an Administrator and Therapist in Dawn Farm’s Correctional Programs, and as a Residential Therapist at Dawn Farm Downtown. Matt was the Dawn Farm Education Series coordinator from 2007 through 2012. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 2009 with his BSW and received his MSW from the University of Michigan in 2010.

“Safe and Effective Management of Pain and Addiction” was presented on January 17, 2017, by Dr. Carl Christensen, MD, Ph.D., FACOG, FASAM, ABAM; and Dr. Mark A. Weiner, MD, DFASAM. The Institute of Medicine estimates around a 100 million Americans suffer with chronic pain, and it’s estimated that about 10% of our population has or has had a substance use disorder. Both chronic pain and substance use disorders are major public health challenges, and treating concurrent pain and substance addiction is especially challenging. Common prescribing practices intended to provide relief of acute and chronic pain can trigger relapse in people with substance use disorders and have also fueled an epidemic of opiod misuse, addiction and overdose death. People with pain deserve relief, and the good news is there are many strategies for both acute and chronic pain management that are safe and effective for people at risk of or in recovery from substance use disorders. This presentation will discuss various methods of pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic pain management and their relative risks and benefits, and describe creative approaches to effective pain relief for people in recovery from substance use disorders.

This presentation is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a free, annual education series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues. The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.

About the presenters:
Dr. Weiner is the Section Chief of Addiction Medicine and serves as the Medical Director of Substance Use Disorders at St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Ann Arbor. He is also the Medical Director of IHA Pain Management Consultants. He is the chair of the planning committee of the American Society of Addiction Medicine course, “Pain and Addiction: Common Threads” and is a member of the planning committee for the American Society of Addiction Medicine Annual Meeting. He is an editor of the upcoming ASAM Pain and Addiction Handbook planned for publication in 2017. Dr. Weiner is the current Chair of the Board of Trustees of Dawn Farm Treatment Centers.

Dr. Christensen is a Clinical Associate Professor at the Wayne State University School of Medicine and has a private medical practice in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He obtained his MD and PhD in Biochemistry at Wayne State University School of Medicine and did his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hutzel Hospital. He then completed a Fellowship in Gynecologic Oncology at Duke University Medical Center. He was Associate Residency Director of the OB Gyn Residency until 2012. Dr. Christensen is certified in Addiction Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He is the past president of the Michigan Society of Addiction Medicine and the current Medical Director of the Michigan Health Professional Recovery Program, which monitors impaired nurses, pharmacists and doctors. He is the current Medical Director of the James Wardell Women’s Recovery Center, an outpatient program dedicated to caring for pregnant, chemically dependent women, as well as the Medical Director at the Tolan Medical Research Clinic in the Department of Psychiatry at WSU. He is also the Medical Director for Dawn Farm. Dr. Christensen also specializes in the treatment of chronic pain, especially pelvic pain. He has received numerous teaching awards and has been named one of the “Top Docs” in Addiction Medicine in Hour Magazine since 2006.

This program was filmed by Bill Hall; TalkVideo.

“Relapse Prevention” was presented on February 28, 2017by Erik Anderson LMSW, CAADC, University of Michigan Counseling and Psychological Services. Substance addiction has been identified as an illness that requires long-term management.  Relapse is a process that begins before alcohol/other drug use is resumed and is usually preceded by a pattern of progressive warning signs. Understanding the relapse process helps recovering people develop an effective plan to identify and prevent relapse. This program will discuss the dynamics of relapse, factors that contribute to relapse, signs that may forewarn of relapse, how to develop a relapse prevention plan and creative, effective strategies to handle both every-day and high-risk situations.

This program is part of the Dawn Farm Education Series, a FREE, annual workshop series developed to provide accurate, helpful, hopeful, practical, current information about chemical dependency, recovery, family and related issues.  The Education Series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit community of programs providing a continuum of chemical dependency services. For information, please see http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series. 

About the presenter: Erik Anderson, LMSW, CAADC

Erik earned his Master of Social Work from Wayne State University in 2013 with an emphasis on cognitive-behavioral interpersonal practice, and his Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan. Erik worked as an Outpatient Therapist at Dawn Farm from 2013 to 2016. He currently works with the University of Michigan Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) as an Adjunct Embedded Counselor for the College of Engineering. Erik is also an instructor at Eastern Michigan University School of Social work where he teaches classes on interpersonal social work practice. Erik is a Subject Master Expert for the IC&RC (INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATION & RECIPROCITY CONSORTIUM) where he develops test questions for the Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor Certification Exam. 

Erik’s professional interests include:

- Trauma

- Substance Use

- Relapse Prevention

- Anxiety

- Perfectionism/Inner Critic

- Spirituality/Meaning

- Positive Psychology/Performance Enhancement

- Grief and Loss

- Stress Management

Erik’s approach to therapy is integrative, and utilizes elements of third wave CBT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy & Dialectical Behavior Therapy), as well as EMDR, Internal Family Systems, and insight oriented talk therapy in hopes of providing a personalized therapeutic experience for each person’s needs and background. Erik enjoys having an active gratitude practice; connecting with a larger community; enjoying time with family, friends and his dog; making time for contemplative practices; being of service to others; and listening to books and music.