Dawn Farm Addiction and Recovery Education Series

Those experiencing thoughts of suicide can get help from:
- The 24-hour National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
In Washtenaw County, Michigan:
- Ozone House, a 24-hour hotline for youth, at 734-662-2222.
- University of Michigan Psychiatric Emergency Services 24-hour hotline, at 734-936-5900.
The Washtenaw County Community Mental Health crisis team, at 734-544-3050.

“Suicide Prevention and Addiction” was presented on January 31, 2017, by Raymond Dalton, MA, CAADC; Coordinator, Dawn Farm Outpatient Services. The prevalence of suicide attempts and suicide completion among people with alcohol/other drug addiction is significantly higher than in the general population, and the period of early recovery from addiction is especially high risk. Family, friends and professionals are often strategically positioned to recognize potential suicidal thinking and intervene to help. Learning about the signs of suicidal thinking and how to intervene when a person may be contemplating suicide can reduce the barriers to suicidal individuals obtaining help and potentially prevent suicide deaths. This program will raise awareness of the prevalence of suicide among people with addiction, describe signs of suicidal thinking, and discuss effective ways to offer support and help to people who may be contemplating suicide.

About the presenter: Ray Dalton is the Coordinator for Dawn Farm Outpatient Programs, including Dawn Farm’s Youth and Family Services, Community Corrections and Outpatient Treatment programs. Ray began his work with Dawn Farm as a detox counselor and later worked with Dawn Farm as an Outpatient Therapist and Community Corrections Outreach Program Coordinator. Prior to working for Dawn Farm Ray recruited, trained and supervised volunteer counselors to answer the suicide prevention hotline for the state of Kansas. He received his master’s degree in counseling psychology from the University of St. Mary and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Kansas.

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.

“How To Support Recovery and Not Support Addiction” was presented on January 24, 2017, 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 will address 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? The presenter 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.

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.

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.

“Collegiate Recovery Programs: Supporting Second Chances” was presented on November 29, 2016; by Mary Jo Desprez, MA; Director, Wolverine Wellness, University Health Service, University of Michigan; and Matthew Statman, LMSW, CAADC; University of Michigan Collegiate Recovery Program Manager. The presentation also includes a panel discussion byu members of the University of Michigan Collegiate Recovery Program. The transition to a college environment can pose significant risk to a recovering student and to students at risk for alcohol/other drug problems. Many colleges and universities, including the University of Michigan, have developed programs to help recovering students maintain their recovery, excel academically and have a normative college experience apart from the culture of alcohol and other drug use. This presentation will provide an overview of the national and local efforts to build recovery support programs on college campuses, discuss support that is provided to recovering students by collegiate recovery programs, and provide information about what parents and students can look for as they explore their options for pursuing a degree of higher education.

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:
Mary Jo Desprez, MA is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She received her BA (1985) and MA (1987) from Michigan State University. She has worked in the field of college health/wellness for 28+ years. As Director of Wolverine Wellness at University Health Service she leads a team of professionals that provide primary leadership for student wellness initiatives including alcohol and other drug; prevention, early intervention and recovery support, body image, eating disorders, sexual health, wellness coaching, and other college health related issues. She serves as the Co-Chair for the Student Life Health and Wellness Collect Impact initiative and the Ann Arbor Campus and Community Coalition (A2C3). She was the former Co-Chair of the Michigan Campus Coalition (MC3). She is a Center Affiliate for the Higher Education Center for Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention. In October 2010, she became a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and a Co-Lead Facilitator for Leadershape, Inc. Mary Jo is also an adjunct instructor at Eastern Michigan University (since 1997). In additional to her work at UHS she also conducts trainings and facilitates workshops on Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Resilience. In her role as co-chair for the Student Life Health and Wellness Collective Impact Committee Mary Jo is working with a team of staff and students towards the adoption and implementation of a shared eight dimension model of well-being for the University of Michigan. Mary Jo is also working with a multidisciplinary team to develop a social marketing campaign to look at the intersection of alcohol and sexual assault in a high-risk population. The other significant current project is to provide leadership for the Law Enforcement Collaborative that brings together key campus and community staff to share data that will inform the development of a strategic plan for effective and evidence-based policy development.

Matthew Statman, LMSW, CAADC is the Manager of the Collegiate Recovery Program at the University of Michigan and faculty advisor to the University of Michigan Student for Recovery group. He is an adjunct lecturer at Eastern Michigan University school of Social Work. Matt is also 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 Our Midst: The Opioid Epidemic, and a Community Response” was presented on November 22, 2016, by Dr. Stephen Strobbe, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, CARN-AP; Clinical Associate Professor, University of Michigan School of Nursing and University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine (Co-Chair, Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI) Opioid Project) and a panel. Non-medical use of opiates has been called an “epidemic” by CDC Director Thomas Frieden and “an urgent public health crisis” by former US Attorney General Holder. Local and national leaders and media headlines echo and highlight this concern. Communities across the country are in the grips of an opioid epidemic, and our local Washtenaw County Michigan community is no exception. This program will examine the opioid epidemic in our midst, and what is being done to respond. The presenter will discuss factors that have contributed to a national opioid epidemic, rates and patterns of opioid overdose deaths locally and nationally, areas of focus for the Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI) Opioid Project, and actions that can be taken to be part of the solution. The presentation includes a panel discussion by experts who are on the local forefront of combating opiod misuse.

About the presenter: This program was developed and is presented by Dr. Stephen Strobbe, PhD, RN, NP, PMHCNS-BC, CARN-AP, FIAAN; Clinical Associate Professor, University of Michigan School of Nursing and University of Michigan Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine (Co-Chair, Washtenaw Health Initiative (WHI) Opioid Project.) Dr. Stephen Strobbe is Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, and the Department of Psychiatry. He is board-certified both in psychiatric and addictions nursing. His professional background has included clinical care, research, administration, and education. Dr. Strobbe was first Clinical Director for the University of Michigan Addictions Treatment Services (UMATS), for which he received the Administration/Management Award from the International Nurses Society on Addictions (IntNSA). He has authored more than 30 peer-reviewed articles, position statements, book chapters, and other works related to substance use and addictions nursing. He has been an invited speaker, both nationally and internationally, including Europe, South America, and Southeast Asia. In 2015, Professor Strobbe received the 25th Annual Golden Apple Award, the only student-nominated and student-selected teaching award at the University of Michigan. Dr. Strobbe is the current President of the International Nurses Society on Addictions, and Co-Chair for the Washtenaw Health Initiative Opioid Project. In October, 2016, he was inducted as a Fellow of the International Academy of Addictions Nursing.

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.

“The Intersectionality of Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault and Substance Use” was presented on October 18, 2016; by David J.H. Garvin, LMSW; Chief Operating Officer, Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County and Founder, Alternatives to Domestic Aggression, Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County; and Barbara Niess May, MPA, MSW; Executive Director, SafeHouse Center. There is a strong correlation between domestic violence/sexual assault and alcohol/other drug use – and correlation does not equal cause/effect nor does it define personal responsibility. Intoxication does not explain abuse or assault, excuse a perpetrator’s behaviors, or justify a person being assaulted or abused. Domestic violence/sexual assault offender and survivor alcohol and other drug use/abuse will be central to this discussion.  The listeners will be provided with a primmer regarding perpetrator tactics, strategies, and core beliefs which hold the perpetrator accountable for abusive/assaultive behaviors while maintaining and promoting survivor safety. The program will help participants to recognize the critical importance of understanding the relationship between domestic violence/sexual assault and alcohol/other drug use/abuse in order to safely and effectively intervene and/or interrupt the perpetrator's behaviors and support the survivor.  

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: 

This course material was developed and is presented by David J.H. Garvin, LMSW; Interim CEO/President, Chief Operating Officer, Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County, and Founder and former Director of the Alternatives to Domestic Aggression Program, Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County; and Barbara Niess May, MPA, MSW; Executive Director, SafeHouse Center.   

David J. H. Garvin is the Interim CEO/President and the Chief Operating Officer of Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County. For many years prior to his appointment to COO, David served as the Senior Director at Catholic Social Services of Washtenaw County. During this tenure David was responsible for the management of the Alternatives to Domestic Aggression (ADA) Program, and served as the Clinical Director for the Behavioral Health Services program and Substance Abuse Treatment Services, and was Program Manager for the Supervised Parenting and Exchange Program and the Adoption and Pregnancy Programs. David has been directly involved in the anti-domestic violence movement since 1986 when he founded the ADA Program. He is a co-founder and current Chair of the Batterer Intervention Services Coalition of Michigan (BISC-MI). David was selected to serve as the co-chair of the Michigan Governor’s Taskforce on creating standards for batterer intervention programs. He has conducted trainings, consultations, conferences, workshops and in-services around the country and has been featured on local, state and national television, in magazines, professional journals and newspapers. David earned the prestigious honor of being named the 2009 National Association of Social Workers-Michigan (NASW-MI) Social Worker of the Year for his work in the areas of domestic violence, mental health and adoption.

Barbara Niess May is the Executive Director of SafeHouse Center, a supportive service and social action agency which provides help to approximately 5,000 Washtenaw County residents who are impacted by domestic violence and sexual assault annually through its 50-bed emergency shelter and its counseling and advocacy programs.   Barbara has worked toward supporting survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence since 1996 in various micro- and macro-system capacities.  This has included agency management as well as state-wide level advocacy and support.  In addition to these activities, Barbara has also been very involved in legislative work and has provided expert testimony in a variety of venues, including various levels of court and at the state and federal legislative level.  She is also involved in her community in a variety of ways as a member of Rotary International, and as an adjunct lecturer at Eastern Michigan University. Barbara has served on several boards and committees, is a member of several national honor fraternities and is active in her church.  Barbara holds Master’s degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in Public Administration and in Social Work.

“Addiction 101” was presented on Tuesday September 27, 2016, by James Balmer; President, Dawn Farm. This program provides a primmer on alcohol/other drug addiction and recovery. The presenter examines the progression of alcohol/other drug use, reviews addiction as a brain disease and discusses the process of recovery. 

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: Jim Balmer was a co-founder of Dawn Farm in 1973 and has worked for the 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 numerous 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 recent sabbatical.

“Positive Emotions and the Success of Alcoholics Anonymous” was presented on September 20, 2016 by Dr. George E. Vaillant, MD; Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital. A 60-year study of adult development performed at Harvard University yielded fascinating information about alcohol use disorders and recovery. This presentation by the study director will present evidence based, prospective longitudinal research on why Alcoholics Anonymous (A.A.) is the treatment of choice to achieve abstinence from alcohol lasting more than two years. The presentation will suggest the mechanisms by which A.A. achieves these goals. Dr. Vaillant will describe factors that have been found to be predictive of an individual developing alcohol dependency, common patterns found among study individuals in the onset and progression of alcohol dependency and in the initiation and sustainment of recovery from alcohol dependency, evidence supporting the efficacy of Alcoholics Anonymous, and mechanisms by which people with alcohol dependency achieve sustained sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous participation.

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: GEORGE E. VAILLANT, M.D.

Dr. Vaillant is a Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital.  He is graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Medical School; Dr. Vaillant did his psychiatric residency at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center. He has spent his research career charting adult development, the importance of involuntary coping mechanisms, and recovery from alcoholism. From 1970 to 2005 he was Director of the Study of Adult Development at the Harvard University Health Service.  The study is arguably the longest (75 years) prospective psychosocial and medical study of males in the world.  More recently Dr. Vaillant has been interested in positive emotions and their relationship to Positive Psychology. In 2000 he became a founding member of Positive Psychology. He has been a Fellow at the Center for the Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, a past Class A (nonalcoholic trustee) of Alcoholics Anonymous and is a Fellow of the International Positive Psychology Association. He has received the Jellinek Memorial Award and American Psychiatric Association Distinguished Service Award. His published works include Adaptation to Life, 1977, The Natural History of Alcoholism-Revisited, 1995, Aging Well, 2002, Spiritual Evolution, 2008 and Triumphs of Experience, 2012, other books and numerous articles.

“Cultivating Mindfulness to Support Recovery” was presented on Tuesday May 17, 2016; by Elizabeth A.R. Robinson, MPH, MSW,  Ph.D. Research supports mindfulness practices as effective techniques to support sustained recovery from substance use disorders. This presentation will describe 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.  

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 MPH and a Ph.D. in Psychology and Social Work from the University of Michigan.

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.

“Tobacco Cessation and Addiction Recovery” was presented on Tuesday June 21, 2016, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm; by Anna Byberg, LMSW, CAADC;Program Coordinator, Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center; and Aaron Suganuma, LLMSW.  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 fallacious. 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 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

“Spirituality in Recovery: The Many Paths to Spiritual Fitness” was presented on June 28, 2016; by Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, SpA, CADC; Dawn Farm Personal Medicine and Outpatient Therapist. Spirituality can play an important role in recovery initiation and maintenance. Research has demonstrated that self-identification as a “spiritual” person correlates positively with successful abstinence regardless of whether the person self-identifies as a “religious” person.  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 discuss ways for recovering individuals 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

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. Following his career in public education, Jerry spent several years serving as a Dawn Farm Spera Recovery Center Counselor. Jerry is currently 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.