8:00 – 8:30 Networking/Introductions/Announcemments

8:30 – 9:00 - Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194
Format:  Virtual

Content: “Neurodiversity: Becoming a Neurodivergent-Affirmative Practitioner”

This presentation explores the creation of a neurodiversity-affirming practice through the process of recognizing and understanding neurodiversity characteristics in clients who may be presenting with co-occurring symptoms of other mental health disorders. We will explore ways to assist clients through self-acceptance by validating what it means to be neurodiverse and provide essential psychoeducation to our clients to create greater self-understanding. This presentation will also assist the practitioner in helping the client be aware of treatment/symptom management and develop a treatment plan that includes diagnosis and treatment options.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognizing the characteristics of neurodiversity, including less-visible populations.

2. Supporting neurodiverse clients through validation and psychoeducation.

3. Assisting neurodiverse clients in creating a treatment plan that includes diagnosis and symptom management, including professional collaboration and/or referrals healing

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Marguerite Harper, LPC, ADHD-CCSP, Harper Counseling &  Consultation LLC

Marguerite Harper LPC, ADHD-CCSP is a Licensed Professional Counselor and an ADHD-Certified Clinical Services Provider specializing in the diagnosis and management of Adult ADHD. Much of her private practice is centered around helping neurodiverse clients understand their unique brain and find a path towards their authentic self.  Through continued education, clinical practice, and extensive research, Marguerite strives to provide knowledge and empowerment, both to her clients and to other mental health professionals. She has provided training and professional consultation for various organizations regarding neurodiversity and other behavioral health topics. Marguerite also provides Critical Incident Stress Management for national EAPs and teaches Mental Health First Aid for HOPE Animal Assisted Crisis Response Certification Program. Marguerite is a member of the American Professional Society of ADHD and Related Disorders (APSARD), and Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD). She serves as a mental health consultant with Definitely Dogs Service Dog Organization. Marguerite received her Master of Counseling Psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver.

CONTACT:

Marguerite Harper, LPC, ADHD-CCSP

Harper Counseling and Consultation LLC

3440 Youngfield St., #257

Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

Phone:  720-688-9885

Email Address:  Marg@MargHarper.com

Website: www.margharperLPC.com

8:00 – 8:30 Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Introductions/Announcemments

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194
Format:  Virtual

Content:

In a world overwhelmed by constant distractions and digital overload, the return to our most valuable asset, our brain, is becoming a key factor in balancing one’s life and wellbeing. By developing our sense of awareness through our bodies, we can reconnect with our internal GPS system through simple mind/body exercises like breathing, body tapping and Tai Chi to recharge and reactivate our internal energy source.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand how our brain is a key aspect to changing our mind/body connection

2. Experience mind/body integration through simple movements

3. Develop a sense of awareness that we are truly the owner of our mind/body healing

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Diana Faherty, Master Instructor & Manager, Brain & Body Yoga/Tai Chi Center

Diana Faherty is the Master Instructor and Manager at the Lakewood Body & Brain Yoga and Tai Chi Center.  She has been a Master Instructor for 14 years teaching in both the Denver and San Francisco regions with Body & Brain. She has a passion for educating people about the mind and body connection and integration. Prior to working at Body & Brain, she worked in the Human Resource field for 19 years with a variety of companies such as USA Today and Airbus North America on the East Coast.  While in HR, she managed specifically the group benefit plans, disability, workers compensation, life insurance, retirement and leave programs for up to 1000 employees.  The transition out of HR into the holistic field was a life-changing, transformational experience for her that has enabled her to experience the power of our body’s natural healing ability and help deliver the important message that we can truly heal ourselves from mind to body.

CONTACT:

Diana Faherty, Master Instructor & Manager

Brain & Body Yoga/Tai Chi Center

1535 S Kipling Pkwy Unit M, Lakewood CO 80232

Work: 303-948-5500

Email: lakewood@bodynbrain.com

Website: www.bodynbrain.com

8:00 – 8:30 Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194
Format:  Virtual

Content:

The increasing prevalence of behavioral risk issues in the workplace necessitates a shift in leadership focus beyond performance management. Leaders are frequently encountering challenges such as trauma, suicide ideation, workplace violence, addiction, disability, and chronic absenteeism, often lacking the necessary skills to effectively address them. A key issue is the misrepresentation of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) as solely reactive services, hindering their potential for proactive intervention.

Trauma-Informed Leadership offers a promising solution by equipping leaders with the tools to create culturally and psychologically safe workplaces. This proactive approach enables leaders to recognize and address employee behavioral concerns early on, facilitating timely referrals to EAPs before issues escalate. Prioritizing upstream interventions, particularly in areas like suicide and workplace violence prevention, is crucial for mitigating risk and fostering a healthier, more supportive work environment. Implementing Trauma-Informed Leadership requires a commitment to training, resource allocation, and a strategic integration of EAPs as proactive partners in employee well-being.

Learning Objectives

1)    How to frame EAP as being more upstream and proactive

2)    Describe Trauma informed leadership

3)    Discussed tools used to training leadership in a healthcare setting

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Calvin W. Paries, DrPh, LMFT, CEAP

Dr. Calvin W. Paries is a seasoned professional with over 30 years of experience in Occupational Psychology, EAP/Health, and Wellness. He holds a Doctorate in Public Health with an emphasis in Occupational Psychology/Employee Assistance Programs from the University of Texas Health Science Center, as well as a Master's in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Houston at Clear Lake. Licensed as a Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Colorado and nationally certified as an Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP), Dr. Paries has held senior leadership positions with prominent national and regional Employee Assistance Companies. Currently, he leads the CommonSpirit Mountain Region's internal EAP, serving hospitals in Utah, Colorado, and Kansas, and manages Profile EAP, a regional EAP company. His extensive experience includes collaborations with Fortune 500 companies, city and state governments, and health systems. Dr. Paries has contributed to academic literature with a publication in an academic textbook for PhD students on integrated healthcare and EAPs, in partnership with East Carolina University, and has presented at numerous national and regional conferences on EAP principles. He resides in Colorado Springs with his wife, Sue, and is a proud father, father-in-law, and grandfather..

Calvin Paries, DrPH, LMFT, CEAP/ EAP

Health & Wellness Manager

CommonSpirit Health Mountain Region/Profile EAP

2925 Professional Pl, Suite 120, Colorado Springs, CO 80904

Email Address:  cal.paries@commonspirit.org

Phone:  719-776-7064

Website: www.profileEAP.org

8:00am -8:30am   Breakfast provided by Banyan Treatment Center Castle Rock & Networking

8:30am – 12:30pm  Introductions/Presentation

With the unprecedented expansion of online gambling comes a looming mental health crisis. In 2013, gambling disorder was declared an addiction on the same level as heroin, opioids, cocaine, tobacco, and alcohol. The public health, social, and economic implications are enormous. In 2024, people in America lost nearly $100 billion to the gambling industry. Gambling disorder often causes severe and often irreparable harm to people, families, and communities. One of every two people struggling with gambling disorder contemplate suicide, and one in five attempt to kill themselves. We are only just beginning to recognize the potential economic impact on the workforce. The need to create appropriate safeguards for employees and employers is a burgeoning concern. This seminar introduces and focuses on the burgeoning movement to develop a comprehensive public health response 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1.    Educate and inform Employee Assistance Professionals and all attendees regarding gambling disorder as an addiction, and the potential risks this presents to individuals, families, and employers

2.    Educate and inform Employee Assistance Professional and all attendees regarding the public health risk related to the workforce and the opportunities to implement strategies to ensure workplace safety, protect employers, and prevent employees from suffering gambling-related harm.

3.    Educate and inform Employee Assistance Professionals and all attendees regarding the potential warning signs, intervention strategies, and treatment options to protect the workforce and safeguard employer integrity from a public health perspective. This will include a discussion of potential ethical considerations, privacy issues and opportunities for employer/employee collaborations from a public health perspective.

4 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Harry Levant, LP.D, MA PCC, ICGC-I, JD

Dr. Harry Levant is Director of Gambling Policy with the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI) at Northeastern University School of Law. He holds a doctorate in law and public policy from Northeastern University where his research focuses on developing a public health approach to prevent gambling-related harm and gambling disorder. He is also an Internationally Certified Gambling Counselor (ICGC-I) and mental health therapist in private practice and directs the gambling treatment program with Ethos Treatment Center in Philadelphia, PA.

Dr. Levant also holds a master’s in professional clinical counseling from La Salle University and a juris doctorate from Temple University School of Law. He is a member of numerous professional organizations including the American Counseling Association, the Pennsylvania Counseling Association, Chi Sigma Iota National Honor Society for Counselors, and Lawyers Concerned for Lawyers of Pennsylvania.

Dr. Levant is a public health advocate, and he recently testified before the United States Senate Judiciary Committee. He also regularly appears on television and radio addressing the prevention and treatment of gambling disorders. His work has recently been featured on CBS 60 Minutes, CNN, and the NBC Nightly News. He is the author of the law review commentary “Upon Further Review, the NFL Gambling Strategy is a Risk to Public Health” and co-author with Professor Richard Daynard and Professor Mark Gottlieb of the Boston Globe op-ed article, “Massachusetts Makes a Losing Bet on Gambling.”

Harry is also a gambling addict in recovery, having made his last bet on April 27, 2014. On that day, gambling addiction brought him within seconds of taking his life. Prevention of harm is the best form of treatment. In his role as Director of Gambling Policy at PHAI, Harry is helping to lead the effort to develop a comprehensive public health approach to regulate the gambling industry and prevent public harm.

CONTACT INFO:

Harry Levant, LP.D, MA PCC, ICGC-I, JD

Director of Gambling Policy, Public Health Advocacy Institute

Philadelphia, PA 19129     

Email Address:  Harry@phai.org

Phone:  (267) 386-5252

Website: https://www.harrylevant.com/ 

LinkedIn:  https://www.linkedin.com/feed/

8:00 – 8:30 Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Business Meeting/Introductions

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194
Format:  Virtual

Content:

Millennial devices and the commodities they deliver proffer previously unimaginable opportunities. New and wider access to communication, connection, knowledge, awareness, commerce, work, and entertainment have positively impacted our relationships, careers, beliefs, families, culture, and lifestyles. On the darker side, a growing number of these products, and our ever-evolving engagement with them, have been posited as potentially problematic for some individuals. As our reliance upon devices continues to increase, so do questions regarding their potential scope of influence and impact on our biological, psychological, and sociological wellbeing. Vociferous concerns, controversies, investigations, and even legislative supported proposals-especially surrounding adolescent device use behaviors-are current topics of vigorous discussion. While countless benefits of digitized engagement are identifiable, allegations regarding their possible negative consequences-including potential addictive risks for some users-have begun to robustly surface, as well. This presentation will elucidate both the positive and possibly dangerous "virtual" landscape of our current -and future-digitally driven behaviors.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify, assess, and improve device-centric risk factors and behaviors for their clients, patients, students, and selves

2 . Explore how technologically based devices, tools, and innovations currently affect, effect, and even alter our lives and lifestyles

3.    Offer pragmatic recommendations, skills, and strategies to support healthy device management, good digital citizenship

4.    Reconcile unhealthy technology generated beliefs, behaviors, and/or outcomes

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter: Don Grant, Ph.D., MA, MFA, DAC, SUDCC IV, National Advisor of Healthy Device Management, Newport Healthcare

Dr. Grant designs, presents, and facilitates “Healthy Device Management” and “Good Digital Citizenship” treatment strategy and educational training workshops for clinicians, practitioners, educators, parents, and academic communities.  He is a globally respected and popular conference keynote speaker, webinar, podcast, onscreen broadcast interview guest, and print content contributor on device related behaviors, addiction, and media psychology.  Some of his interview and publication contributions include: The Wall Street Journal, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Time Magazine, Forbes, The Hill, The Hollywood Reporter, Business Insider, APA Monitor on Psychology, NewsNation, Wondermind, ABC News, CBS News, NBC networks, Fox News, CNN, The Daily Show, and a two-page People Magazine story about him and his work.

His current research includes a large-scale study in partnership with the Newport Healthcare Center for Research and Innovation investigating his theories surrounding the potential impact of a caregiver’s device use behaviors on attachment bonds. Outcomes of this now considered seminal study evidenced mother-figure device-centric behaviors were significantly associated with more insecure attachment with a child. Additionally, caregiver device-centric behaviors were positively associated with child device-centric behaviors. Dr. Grant is also engaged in explorations of the identity construct effects of social media, para-social mediated relationships, and cyberaggression targeted towards adolescents, teens, young adults, families, and our culture/relationships-at-large.

Dr. Don Grant is an internationally recognized and award-winning media psychologist, author, published researcher, Doctoral Addictions Counselor, educator with specific expertise in technology's impact on mental health, and the National Advisor of Healthy Device Management for Newport Healthcare. He is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association (APA) Fellow, served as the 2022 President of the APA Division 46 (The Society for Media Psychology & Technology), currently serves as a Division 46 Executive Board Member At Large, Chair of the APA (D46) “Device Management & Intelligence” committee, is an APA Advocacy Division Partner Liaison, APA Division Science Partner, and Treasurer of the California Psychological Association Division VI (Media Technology and Communication).

Dr. Don Grant, Ph.D., MA, MFA, SUDCC IV, DAC

Media Psychologist / Author / Researcher, Los Angeles, CA

National Advisor of Healthy Device Management: Newport Healthcare

Website: https://www.newportacademy.com/meet-the-team/don-grant/  

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/don-grant-ph-d-ma-mfa-sudcc-iv-dac-9588555/ 

Jennifer Welch, Advanced Clinical Outreach Specialist – Colorado

Phone: (720) 822-6794

Email:  jennifer.welch@newporthealthcare.com

8:00 – 8:30 Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Introductions and Announcements

9:00 – 11:00 Live/Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194
Format:  Virtual

Content: This presentation illuminates the evolution of Artificial Intelligence (AI), tracing its historical origins to its current advancements and future prospects within mental health treatment. Together we'll explore the integration of AI into therapy, weighing its potential and constraints, while unraveling its impact on the therapist-client dynamic and outcomes. Ethical considerations take center stage as legal aspects and ongoing cases are explored, alongside AI's role in addressing addiction and intimacy disorders within therapeutic contexts.

Learning Objectives

1.   Engage in discussions around possible advantages, and disadvantages, of utilizing AI in their mental health practices, and how this can affect their professional relationship with clients and client outcomes.

2.  Describe how using, or not using, AI could affect their professional practice.

3.  Discuss how AI could affect addictions, such as pornography and intimacy disorders.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter: Mark Blakeley, MS, LAC, LPC, CSAT

Clinical Director, Banyan Treatment Center Castle Rock

Mark’s journey began with an impressive 25-year career as a dedicated paramedic, demonstrating his unwavering commitment to serving others. As an Army Veteran, he embodies a strong sense of discipline and integrity. After graduating with a Masters of Science in Counseling/Marriage, Child and Family Therapy from the University of Phoenix in 2008, his passion for helping others led him to venture into the mental health industry, where he has excelled in various roles.  As a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Addiction Counselor, he brings a comprehensive approach to his counseling practice that addresses a wide range of mental health and addiction issues. Additionally, Mark is a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), with specialized knowledge to provide support and guidance in this challenging area of therapy. He is trained in Brainspotting and Level 2 Internal Family Systems. Mark's versatility extends to being a skilled interventionist, capable of guiding individuals and families towards healing and positive change.  As a Clinical Director at Banyan Treatment Center Castle Rock, he is dedicated to successful recovery outcomes.

 Mark Blakeley, MS, LAC, LPC, CSAT

Clinical Director

Banyan Treatment Center Castle Rock

1055 S Perry Street

Castle Rock CO 80104

Phone:  303-601-5761 (cell)

Email: mark.blakeley@banyancenters.com

Website: https://www.banyantreatmentcenter.com/facilities/castle-rock

January 10, 2025 – Virtual/Business Meeting

Presenters:  Randy Martin, PhD & Heather Holladay, M.S

Title: “The Elephant (or Donkey) in the Room:  Navigating Workplace Discussions on Politics, Values, and U.S. & World Events”        

February 14, 2025 - Virtual

Presenter:  Mark Blakeley, MS, LAC, MFTC, Lead Therapist, Advanced Residential Center

Title: “Effects of Artificial Intelligence on Behavioral Health Care”March 14, 2025 – Virtual/Business Meeting

Presenter:  Don Grant, MA, MFA, DAC, SUDCC IV, PhD, National Advisor of Healthy Device Management, Newport Academy

Title: “Left to Their Own Devices: Healthy Device Management & Good Digital Citizenship Skills For Our Clients, Patients, Families, & Selves”

April 11, 2025 – Half Day Workshop - Live/Virtual

Presenters:  Harry Levant, PhD, Public Health Advocacy Institute

Title: “On-Line Betting and Mental Health: What the EAP Community Needs to Know”

May 9, 2025 – Virtual/Business Meeting

Presenter:  Cal Parries, Director, Common Spirit/Profile EAP

Title: “Trauma Informed Leadership”

June 13, 2025 - Virtual

Presenter:  Diana Faherty, Body & Brain Yoga, Practitioner, BA Business Administration/HR

Title: “The Power of Inner Body Energy for Harmony and Optimal Wellness”   

July 11, 2025 – Virtual/Business Meeting

Presenter:  Marguerite Harper, LPC LMHC ADHD-CCSP, Harper Counseling and Consultation LLC

Title: “Neuropsychic Dimensions and Treatment Models for ADHD/ADD Care”

August 8, 2025 - Virtual

Presenter:   John Narine, DBA CEAP, Consultant for Recovery Friendly Workplace

Title: “Strategies to Integrate Peer Support in EAPs”

September 12, 2025 - Live/Virtual/Business Meeting

Presenter:  Rocky Mt Board of Directors & Membership Live Networking/Introductions/Breakfast

Title:   Board Election Announcements, Rocky Mt EAPA Chapter Member and IEAPA Connections

October 10, 2025 – Virtual

Presenter:  No Training due to IEAPA Annual Expo Conference in San Francisco, CA

November 14, 2025 – Virtual/Business Meeting

Presenter:  Bryan Hutchinson, MS SAP NCAC II CEAP LAP-C, Director of EAP Services, International Association of Machinists Union

Title: “Core Technology & Ethics in EAP Practice”

December 5, 2025 – Live Only

Presenter:  Rocky Mt EAPA Board of Directors

 Title:   Holiday Luncheon & Awards

Holiday Luncheon 2024

Friday December 6, 2024 at 11:00am

Maggiano's Little Italy: 7401 S Clinton St, Englewood, CO 80112

RSVP / TICKETS REQUIRED

8:00 – 8:30 Networking/breakfast

8:30 – 9:00 Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Live/Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194
Format:  Virtual

Content:

Unethical practices in behavioral health can have serious consequences for referents and individuals/families seeking treatment for addictions/mental health care. This webinar aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the behavioral health industry standards, ethics, and the history of unethical practices. By navigating this minefield, referents can maintain trust and collaboration in guiding their employees/clients to appropriate programs for their specific treatment needs.

Learning Objectives

1.. Understand the significance of ethical considerations and professionalism in the behavioral health field.

2. Examine past unethical practices in behavioral health and their impacts.

3. Identify common ethical challenges in recommending treatment options to employees/clients.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Gina is a 30- year veteran in prevention/treatment and recovery support. With a multifaceted background in behavioral health marketing and operations, she has collaborated with diverse organizations spanning private and public sectors, from in-patient treatment programs, psychiatric hospitals to institutions of higher learning across Florida, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Colorado. Gina has robust expertise in mental health as well as substance use disorder prevention and treatment. At a national scale, she's been an esteemed member of CADCA's (Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America) Advisory Board, worked together with Colorado's business development frontrunners to inaugurate the Colorado Professional Liaison Association (CO-PLA), and offered her leadership as the Board Co-Chair for Treatment Professionals in Alumni Services (TPAS), where she now holds an Emeritus position. Additionally, Gina has been the driving force behind the marketing, business development, alumni, and admission endeavors for three renowned treatment programs spanning both the East and West Coast. Gina's core competencies lie in leadership coaching, in-depth 360 organizational evaluations, and adopting a strengths-driven approach to organizational development. Her expertise is prominently geared towards collaborating with revenue generating departments like business development, marketing, alumni, and admissions to foster a sustainable practice of census growth.  In 2021, Gina launched GTC Consulting, dedicated to identifying both internal and external challenges that impede census growth, and crafting tailored solutions to address them. She remains devoted to fostering a vibrant employee culture, enhancing brand visibility, and fortifying the reputation of behavioral health organizations within their respective communities.

Nikki Soda is a highly accomplished advocate and strategic marketer with a strong background in the behavioral health field. She possesses an MS in Addiction Policy from Georgetown University and has amassed 10 years of experience in this domain. Passionate about advocacy and public policy, Nikki actively engages in volunteering and community initiatives to make a meaningful impact. Recently serving as the Director of Membership and State Advocacy for the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers (NAATP), she leverages her expertise to lead productive discussions with industry leaders and conducts comprehensive tours of treatment centers nationwide. Through these experiences, she has gained a profound understanding of the substance use disorder treatment landscape. Nikki has been an active member of the Palm Beach County Sober Homes Taskforce for 5 years, working on creating legislation to ensure regulations for recovery residences and setting policy groundwork for other communities to utilize. She has excelled in various leadership roles, including Director of Business Development and Marketing for renowned treatment facilities. In addition, she has overseen multiple alumni programs while serving on the board of the Treatment Professionals and Alumni Services. Her diverse responsibilities in creating and managing a treatment center start-up have honed her skills in admissions, policy development, procedure implementation, and business growth. 

Contact:

Gina de Peralta Thorne, MS, CEO

GTC Consulting, LLC

 500 Remington Street, Building A, Unit 1, Fort Collins, CO 80524

Phone:  757-784-7550

Email:  gina@ginathorneconsulting.com

Website: www.ginathorneconsulting.com

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ginathorneconsulting/

Nikki Soda, MS, CEO

Sodas Consulting, LLC

Phone:  303-550-9982

Email: nikki@sodasconsulting.com 

Website: https://sodasconsulting.com/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikki-soda/

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Introductions

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Penelope Perri, MSW, CEAP, Certified Life and Leadership Coach, Penelope Perri Coaching

Content:

Amid the disruption of recent years, burnout has reached epidemic levels. What to do about burnout remains a critical question. Left unaddressed, burnout can infect an individual’s psyche, team dynamics, and workplace culture. This interactive workshop offers practical interventions to unwind from burnout and restore individual, team, and organizational health.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the syndrome of burnout and how it occurs.

2. Know the key drivers of burnout in the workplace environment.

3. Understand the process for overcoming burnout at the individual, team, and organizational levels.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Penelope Perri, MSW, CEAP is a Life & Leadership Coach with a background as a counselor and leader in healthcare. Through her Core Strength Burnout Prevention Program, she helps leaders, busy professionals, and caregivers prevent and overcome burnout so that they can feel energized, engaged, and empowered in their work and life.

Contact:

Penelope Perri, MSW, CEAP, Certified Life & Leadership Coach

Penelope Perri Coaching

5 Green Street, Concord, NH 03301

Phone: 603-856-6180

Email: hello@penelopeperri.com

Website and Social Media: www.penelopeperri.com ; https://www.facebook.com/penelopeperricoaching/; https://www.linkedin.com/in/penni-perri

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Introductions

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

Compassion fatigue commonly linked to healthcare professionals, often neglects the impact on family caregivers dealing with addiction and secondary trauma. This presentation acquaints healthcare/EAPs with the unique signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue in family caretakers, emphasizing the subtle yet profound changes in emotional interactions, family dynamics, routines, and boundaries. These shifts, prompted by the necessity to support loved ones amidst ongoing addiction, redefine the family structure as a "new normal".  This presentation enhances understanding of burnout and secondary trauma, exposing their distinctive manifestations within clients’ families. Dr Barnes delves into the biological, psychological, and social symptoms experienced by family caregivers, illustrating how these factors influence the family's response to treatment and engagement with support systems.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify the signs and symptoms of burnout in members of clients’ families.

2. Identify signs and symptoms of secondary and systemic trauma in members of a client’s family.

3. Identify and implement interventions that assist family members and entire family systems to resolve their struggles with compassion fatigue.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Dr. Michael Barnes is a Licensed Addiction Counselor, Licensed Professional Counselor, and Diplomate in the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress. He is the Senior Clinical Advisor for NRT Behavioral Health, Founder/Director of the Michael Barnes Family Institute, and owner of Barnes Education and Consulting, LLC. In the past 40 + years, Dr. Barnes has worked at numerous addiction treatment centers and psychiatric hospitals, and he spent 10 years as a full-time faculty member at various university counselor and marriage and family therapist educator programs. Dr. Barnes speaks nationally on Families, Trauma, and Addiction, Trauma Integrated Addiction Treatment, and Compassion Fatigue. He received his BA in Psychology from Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his M.Ed. in Rehabilitation Counseling from the University of Pittsburgh, and his Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Florida State University. He published his first book, “When the Solution Becomes the Problem: Helping Families Who Struggle with Addiction and Trauma” in 2023.

Contact:

Michael F Barnes, PhD, LAC, LPC

NRT Behavioral Health

NRT Senior Clinical Advisor, Michael Barnes Family Institute Director

3325 Bayshore Blvd, D16

Tampa, FL  33629

Office Phone: 844-955-1066   Mobile: 720-515-6724

Email Address:  mike.barnes@nrtbh.com   

Website: https://www.nrtbh.com & www.drmikebarnes.com

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking and Introductions

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Chapter Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

This training will explore the power of psychological safety within the workplace and and how it impacts those clients Employee Assistance Program providers interact with. First, exploring what is Psychological Safety and how it impacts work relationships and morale.  Secondly, how do we as EAP providers use that knowledge to assist the clients and organizations we work with to create a safer working environment. .

Learning Objectives

1. Participants will understand the importance of psychological safety in relationships

2. Participants will be able to recognize the lack of psychological safety

3. Participants will know key elements of creating psychological safety

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Zachary Kapp, MBA has worked in leadership development for the last 6 years and is currently the program manager over clinical leadership development. In his experience he has created and implemented multiple leadership development programs and classes covering many different topics. He is certified in the use of multiple leadership assessments and has the opportunity to work with leaders across the Intermountain Health organization at all levels of leadership. Zac specializes in creating a positive and productive workplace culture. Some of his areas of passion include creating psychological safety, improving emotional intelligence, and leading change.

Contact:

Zachary “Zac” Kapp, MBA

Clinical Leadership Development Program Manager

Intermountain Health

Phone:  385-445-6872

Email:  Zachary.kapp@imail.org  

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Introductions

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

This presentation will discuss the importance of knowledge of the impacts of trauma can change the ways we perceive and interact with others. To gain a better understanding of trauma and how it can impact the individual and the professional. To create a lens of compassion and validation to heal rather than to criticize or judge based on one’s own internal experience. To step away from our own expectations of behavior and to approach people as individuals with unique experiences that direct their behavior. In addition, this presentation will discuss the importance of trauma informed care specific to the LGBTQ+ community. Explore specific challenges the community faces within society. Gain an understanding of shame within the community and how it deters clients from entering treatment. Discuss considerations and techniques when working with LGBTQ+ clients to provide the most effective affirming care in a treatment and private practice setting.

Learning Objectives

1. Recognize the extensive impact of trauma and understand individual paths for recovery

2. Actively prevent re-traumatization, learn best practices when working with trauma specific to the LGBTQ+ community

3.  Integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices 

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Casey Lucarelli, LCSW, Private Practice

Casey Lucarelli is a bright and bold light to the therapeutic community. As a LCSW in private practice, Casey holds a safe place for individuals who are seeking to develop a true authentic relationship with self. Her relational personalized approach with directiveness and compassion is rooted in humanistic, internal family systems, somatic experiencing, post-induction therapy, and attachment theory. She has over 14 years of extensive clinical experience in working with an array of populations from veterans, adolescents within the juvenile system, families, to international clients who identify within the LGBTQ+ community.

CONTACT:

Casey Lucarelli, LCSW

Private Practice      

4140 Tejon St., Denver, CO

Phone: (203) 305-8816

Email: Therapy@CaseyLucaerlli.com  

Website and Social Media: www.caseylucarelli.com

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking and Introductions

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Chapter Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

This presentation will allow Employee Assistance Professionals to review brief solution focused therapy (SFBT). Specifically, we will review the basic tenets and assumptions of SFBT. An experiential aspect of the training will allow participants to apply these basic tenets. 

Learning Objectives

1.    Gain a better understanding about the tenets of SFBT

2.   Gain a better understanding about the assumptions of SFBT

3.    Review ways to apply SFBT specifically to EA sessions

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Dr. Renee’ Evans, NCC, LCMHC, CEAP, Consultant

Dr. Renee’ Evans is a practice owner and president. She is a National Certified Counselor, Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor, Licensed School Counselor, and Diversity and Inclusion Specialist. She has a background in clinical counseling, career development, professional development training/consultation, vocational expert testimony, school counseling, and employee assistance programs.

She has worked as a tenure-track and adjunct counselor educator for several universities. Evans has specifically prepared professionals in clinical and school counseling, and human services. As a consultant, Renee’ collaborates with various organizations about their organizational and systemic processes. This includes her work as a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP) where she provides clinical EAP assessment and referrals for various companies as well as responds to various training and critical incident stress debriefings.

Additionally, Dr. Evans’ background includes that of being a National School Counselor Trainer which entailed assisting school districts with addressing systemic issues relative to the role of school counselors and ways to help students reach their fullest potential. Renee’ is first author of an international online training course that discusses ways to assist employees with military backgrounds with their integration back to work. This project was a collaboration with NC EAPA and UNC Chapel Hill. She has also written a workbook as a supplemental resource as part of the consultation process with professional school counselor.

CONTACT:

 Dr. Renee’ Evans, NCC, LCMHC, CEAP

EAP/Workplace Consultant

Raleigh, NC

Phone: 704-860-1946

Email: Revans6@bellsouth.net

7:30 – 8:15 Breakfast and Networking

8:15 - 10:15: “Red Flag Laws and Clinicians in Colorado” - Chris Knoepke, PhD, MSW, LCSW, Assistant Professor, UC School of Medicine

10:30 - 12:30:  “CALM: Counseling on Access to Lethal Means” - Jordan Merrill, MHL, Community Health Program Manager, Intermountain Health

RSVP Required by Thursday, April 4th

Link to Zoom Meeting for virtual attendees: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Part 1 - Red Flag Laws and Clinicians in Colorado

Extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs) are a risk-based legal tool designed to help prevent firearm violence. ERPOs (also colloquially referred to as "red flag laws”) are civil restraining orders that allow certain groups of individuals (“Petitioners”) to formally request a judge to temporarily prohibit specific individuals (“Respondents”) from purchasing or otherwise possessing firearms, so long as the judge agrees that the Respondent is contemporaneously at extreme risk of firearm violence. As of June 2023, ERPO-type laws had been implemented in 21 states and the District of Columbia. In addition to being a promising suicide prevention tool, ERPOs have been used in hundreds of cases of threatened mass shootings, including both public mass shooting threats (directed at schools, workplaces, healthcare facilities, etc.) and private threats directed toward specific individuals (most commonly Respondents’ family members and romantic partners.) By focusing firearms access restrictions to individuals demonstrating high risk of violence, ERPOs seek to reduce the collective impact of violence without burdening firearm owners who do not pose such a risk. While seemingly politically divisive, ERPOs enjoy high levels of support across the general population. This popularity has led policymakers in several states – notably including Colorado and New York – to expand the list of legal Petitioners to include healthcare and behavioral health professionals. The legislative intent of such expansion is to provide a mechanism by which a professional could “disarm” an at-risk individual who the professional has treated. In this presentation, we will explore the promise and implementation of ERPOs nationwide, coupled with a nuanced discussion of how ERPOs can be used in EAP or similar settings.

Learning Objectives Part 1

1) describe the history of extreme risk protection orders (ERPOs or Red Flag Laws) in Colorado and other states,

2) situate ERPOs within other clinical methods to prevent gun violence,

3) navigate the systems necessary to file for an ERPO if they chose to do so

Part 2 - CALM: Counseling on Access to Lethal Means

Conversations about suicide can be uncomfortable. When the stakes are high, effectively engaging with a patient to encourage safety can be difficult. Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) will teach how to ask a suicidal client or patient about their access to lethal means, while working with the patient and families to reduce their access. CALM provides education on how to effectively communicate about means reduction in a supportive and engaging method. This allows the patient and family to engage in personal problem-solving and set acceptable goals to reduce access to lethal means while in a crisis. CALM gives the provider concrete tools and sample language to support this process and follow up care.

Learning Objectives Part 2

1. Explain why reducing access to highly lethal suicide methods, especially firearms, can prevent suicide deaths and is part of a comprehensive suicide prevention strategy.

2. Communicate more effectively with suicidal and at-risk patients and their families about reducing access to firearms and dangerous medications and understand the range of off-site and in-home storage options.

3. Feel confident that preventing suicide is an area on which providers, families, and gun owner groups find common ground.

4 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Chris E. Knoepke, PhD, MSW, LCSW, FACC

Chris Knoepke is an Assistant Professor of Cardiology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, where he also serves on the Leadership Committee for the Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative. His research spans patient centered care in advanced cardiology and firearm injury and suicide prevention, including extreme risk protection orders and voluntary storage programs. He has current and past research funding from the National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, Fund for a Safer Future, Department of Defense, National Institutes of Justice, the National Collaborative for Gun Violence Research, and others. More importantly, he is a proud “EAP guy”, having been an active member of the Rocky Mountain EAPA chapter since 2010 and served as both Chapter President and At-Large Member of the International EAPA Board of Directors.

CONTACT:

Chris E. Knoepke, PhD, MSW, LCSW, FACC

Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine

Division of Cardiology

Leadership Committee, Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative

University of Colorado, School of Medicine, Anschutz Medical Campus

Phone: 303.724.9938

Email: christopher.knoepke@cuanschutz.edu  

Jordan Merrill, MHL

Jordan Merrill, Community Health Program Manager at Intermountain Health serving Southwest Utah and Nevada. Jordan has worked in the community health field for over a decade. He earned his Bachelor of Physical Education and Exercise Science and then went on to obtain a Master of Health Leadership. He has served on state and local boards and coalitions including serving currently as President for the Utah Chapter of the Society for Public Health Education. Jordan also serves on the Utah Suicide Prevention Coalition Faith workgroup and local suicide prevention coalition Reach4Hope.   

CONTACT:

Jordan Merrill, MHL

Community Health Program Manager

Intermountain Health, Desert Region

Phone: 435.251.3234

Cell:  435.231.5027

Email: Jordan.Merrill@imail.org

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking and Introductions

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Chapter Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

Harm reduction is an effective model in addressing the public health epidemic involving substance use as well as infectious disease and other harms associated with drug use. This model emphasizes engaging directly with people who use drugs to prevent overdose and infectious disease transmission; improve physical, mental, and social wellbeing; and offer low barrier options for accessing health care services, including substance use and mental health disorder treatment. Harm reduction stresses kindness and autonomy in the engagement of people who use drugs. This training will explore the seven pieces of harm reduction, syringe access, fentanyl misinformation and current statewide legislation.

Learning Objectives

1.    Learn about the harm reduction model and effective benefits and outcomes.

2.    Understand the overdose crisis, how it got here and prevention strategies.

3.    How to recognize and respond to an overdose with access to naloxone.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Presenter:

Maggie Seldeen, Founder & Director (She/They), High Rockies Harm Reduction

Maggie Seldeen founded High Rockies Harm Reduction due to a need for services observed in both her personal and professional experiences. Maggie was raised in rural Colorado, lost her mother to an overdose as a teenager and is a person in harm reduction based recovery. She has a bachelor’s degree from Colorado Mesa University and is a Certified Colorado Peer and Family Specialist. Maggie has trained hundreds of people all over the country on Narcan and the current overdose/fentanyl epidemic.

In addition to providing direct services, education and technical assistance to communities across Colorado, Maggie sits on advisory boards for Western Colorado Health Network, Starting Hearts Eagle/Summit County, and the Colorado Drug Policy Coalition.

CONTACT:

Maggie Seldeen, Founder & Directr (She/They

High Rockies Harm Reduction

Office: (970) 618 4194

Email: maggie@highrockiesharmreductio.com

Website:  www.highrockiesharmreduction.com

Find us on Facebook, Instagram

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Introductions

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  “The Recovery Friendly Workplace – How Businesses Support Employees in Recovery” with John Narine, DBA, CEAP, Leading Workplace Addiction & David Shapiro, MPH(c)

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

Problematic substance use is estimated to cost employers and taxpayers $696 billion each year in absenteeism, health care costs, lost productivity, and criminal justice costs. -National Institute on Drug Abuse, NIH; National Safety Council; National Opinion Research Center. Recovery Friendly Workplaces (RFWs) are organizations that uses evidence-based policies and practices to unite the entire organization by recognizing recovery from addiction as a strength and by being willing to work intentionally with people in recovery. This presentation will explore the current RFW initiative as well as leadership strategies that help business leaders provide employees with recovery of the environment and support, they need to promote a safe, healthy, and productive workplace. Utilizing the practices presented, EAPs can help workplace managers and supervisors learn how to address employee problematic substance use in the workplace and provide the opportunities for employees to find recovery, stay in recovery, and improve their performance.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Dr. John Narine is a person in recovery and founder of Recovery Friendly Leader, a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower leaders with solution-based strategies to support employees impacted by addiction and promote safer, healthier, and more productive workplaces. As an employee who has struggled with addiction, John understands and can relate to others who constantly live-in fear of being judged or fired while trying to keep up demand. After making progress in his journey to recovery, John reflected on his experiences and realized that many former employers tried to help him and meant well but did not have the skills to properly address problematic substance use and provide the support and guidance needed to help him become a healthy and productive employee. This ignited a passion and commitment to wholeheartedly serve the community by advocating for safe, healthy, and productive workplaces. As an active member of his recovery program, John has also become a Certified Employee Assistance Professional, received his Doctorate in Business Administration by completing a qualitative research study on Leadership Strategies to Prevent Substance Abuse Relapse and Optimize Business Viability, and is the author of Leading Workplace Addiction. John’s other commitments include serving as a Consultant for Colorado’s Recovery Friendly Workplace initiative, Board Member of the Rocky Mountain Chapter Employee Assistance Professional Association and sitting at the table for several recovery-based coalitions locally and nationally.

David Shapiro is senior manager of programs and partnerships at the Center for Health, Work & Environment (CHWE) and manages day-to-day operations of CHWE’s signature public health outreach program, Health Links™. In this role, he consults with organizations in the Health Links Healthy Workplace Network, sharing resources and recommendations to help them implement a Total Worker Health® approach and support the health and safety of their teams. Prior to joining the center, David served as the business relations manager for EPIC (Executives Partnering to Invest in Children) where he helped the organization grow from 10 founding members to over 75 executives focused on Colorado’s investment in early childhood. David’s past work experience also includes a successful sales career in Colorado’s ski industry and leading a fatherhood initiative in Summit County (Colorado) Government’s Youth & Family Services division. A proud husband and father of three, David is a lifelong learner and relationship builder. His hobbies include tennis, hiking, reading, and RVing.

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Introductions

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation:  

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

This training will be divided into two distinct sections. The first hour, Dr. Jiricko will present information about intimate partner violence (IPV) and the incidence and health impacts, in particular related to female patients/clients.  Standards regarding how to screen for IPV and the basics around documentation and referral to resources will also be discussed. The second half of the training will include Max Pierce and Leah Moses, who will provide domestic violence advocate and survivor perspectives to round out the discussion to optimize the response of EAP providers supporting clients dealing with IPV.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1.    Understand the dynamics and health impacts of IPV

2.    Learn best practices for screening for IPV

3. Feel confident supporting and connecting survivors to resources

PRESENTERS:

Audrey Jiricko, MD, Associate Medical Director of Women’s Health, Intermountain Health

Max Pierce, Utah Domestic Violence Coalition Community Health Specialist and Leah Moses, CNM

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Audrey Jiricko is an ob/gyn and Associate Medical Director of Women’s Health at Intermountain Health.  She graduated from Vanderbilt University then attended Indiana University School of Medicine and completed residency in Columbus, Ohio at Riverside Methodist Hospital.  She joined Intermountain Healthcare in 2004 and is thrilled to work for an organization committed to comprehensive women’s healthcare and value-based care.   Her interests include integrating mental health in the ob/gyn setting, improving the screening of pregnant women for substance use disorders, activating screening for intimate partner and sexual violence and supporting Intermountain Health in becoming a more trauma-informed organization. 

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking for the Rocky Mountain Chapter

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Business Meeting for the Rocky Mountain Chapter

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content: Shifting is an important fundamental skill that black woman and women of color have adopted to survive professional settings. Shifting is double sided. Although it is altering the authentic self and expectations to accommodate a socially acceptable identity, it is also an effective technique to process and navigate experiences. Helping black women and other women of color manage the shifting phenomenon will increase the awareness that shifting can be used as a tool to acknowledge their authentic self, and the complexity of intersecting identities, ultimately producing mental wellness.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

1. Learn the foundation of Shifting and how it contributes to the academic/professional experience of women of color

2. Explore the impact Shifting has on the mental health and wellbeing of women of color

3. Implement effective strategies to help manage the Shifting phenomenon

2 PDH’s - Domain I

Carla Eugene, M.A., LPC serves as a CU Boulder employee assistance program therapist with a multicultural focus. She recently moved to Colorado from Ohio where she worked at The Ohio State University Counseling and Consultation Service. Carla also has her own private practice, Beyond the Surface Counseling, LLC that seeks to provide counseling to Black women and college students.  She has also provided counseling services to children and adolescents in K-12 schools and to college students and adults. Her professional interests include reducing mental health stigma among marginalized groups, women’s issues, empowerment, managing life transitions, anxiety, and grief. She holds a master’s degree in community counseling from Ohio’s Wright State University. Her aim is to assist individuals on a journey of deeper self-discovery and healing.

*PLEASE NOTE TIME CHANGE*

9:00 – 9:30 Virtual Networking for the Rocky Mountain Chapter

9:30 – 10:00 Virtual Business Meeting for the Rocky Mountain Chapter

10:00 – 12:00 Virtual Presentation: Ethics Collaboration with the San Diego EAPA Chapter. Provided by Henri Menco, LICSW, CEAP and Bryan Hutchinson MS, SAP, NCAC II, CEAP, LAP-C

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

2 PDH’s - Domain I

Please RSVP for In-Person Attendance Below

8:00 – 8:30 Breakfast, Networking, and Introductions

8:30 – 9:00 Chapter Business Meeting and New Board Member Induction

9:00 – 11:00 Presentation: Understanding Attachment Styles and Clinical Therapies with Julia Reeder, LPC

Peer Assistance Services, Inc.

2170 S. Parker Rd. - Second Floor Training Center

Denver, CO 80231

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

Participants will review attachment theory and be introduced to developmental frameworks that will help them detect attachment trauma in their clients and join them in exploring protective strategies that are more effective than the current ones they are using.

In this presentation, Julia will help attendees to view attachment as a lens to see humanity and the self, detect signs of abuse and to understand it in framework of attachment, and understand boundaries as a key to healthy attachment.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Julia Reeder is a licensed psychotherapist and clinical supervisor specializing in treating childhood attachment wounds in adults. In her Denver-based practice she sees individuals experiencing symptoms of complex-PTSD, personality disorders, ADHD, anxiety, and addictions, namely codependence. She earned her master’s degree in international Disaster Psychology from the University of Denver where she focused on trauma intervention for people of culturally diverse backgrounds in crisis settings, with an emphasis on gender-based violence. Julia has worked in humanitarian settings in Ecuador, Mexico, China and the United States and spent several years addressing relationship violence in Denver Public Schools. Prior to working in mental health, she advocated for asylees and survivors of domestic violence seeking protection under U.S. immigration law in her hometown, Washington, D.C. She is a yoga and karaoke enthusiast who believes all humans can create lives worth living when they uproot shame and make real, meaningful contact with others.

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking and Introductions

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Chapter Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation: “Understanding Compulsive Sexual Behaviors in the Workplace: A Guide to Resources and Referrals” with Stephen Sbanotto, MS, LPC, CSAT-S, Clinical Director, Valiant Recovery

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

The topic of sex, sexuality, and sexual expression can already be challenging to talk about in professional circles. When those sexual behaviors are violating, boundary crossing, and compulsively acted out in the workplace can lead to problems for fellow colleagues as well as those tasked with treating these pathological behaviors. Knowing what you are dealing with through a therapeutic lens, knowing how to assess and ask the right questions, all while coming from a non-judgmental, curious, and inviting stance, can be crucial in the early first few sessions. Knowing where and how to refer for further evaluation and treatment is vital to abstaining from problematic sexual behaviors, identifying the underlying issues, and healing these often painful, unacknowledged wounds. This presentation will seek to inform attendees on the basics of compulsive sexual behaviors, how to assess and screen for problematic behaviors, and supporting recommendations for further help. 

2 PDH’s - Domain III

Stephen Sbanotto, MS, LPC, CSAT-S is a Licensed Professional Counselor completing his master’s program with a dual emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. He recently stepped down as the Clinical Director at Valiant Living in Denver providing SUD/MH care for male professionals to establish his consulting practice and expand this partnership with national treatment programs throughout the country. Stephen strongly supports systemic therapy and recovery model with his clients and their families. As a consultant, Stephen specializes in offering comprehensive assessments for problematic and compulsive sexual behaviors, as well as problematic money and work compulsivity and addictions. He is a Certified Sexual Addictions Therapist (CSAT-S) and Supervisor and offers training to clinical professionals seeking comprehensive clinical skills to work with this under-served community often missed in treatment for substance use disorders and mental health. His expertise provides assessment tools for these co-occurring issues and addiction interactions.  When not teaching or counseling, Stephen performs on stage where he has been a theatre actor since 1989. He loves to speak on various topics in the trauma and addiction treatment field where he gets to blend his therapy, education, and theatre worlds together.

***Last minute change due to family emergency of original presenter***

8:00 – 8:30 Breakfast and Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Introductions

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation: “Marijuana in the 21st Century” with Ben Cort, CEO, Foundry Steamboat

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Content:

Cannabis use disorder is on the rise and the changing makeup of the plant and its derivatives is making treatment more complex and challenging.  Given these realities, the need for continuing education regarding the evolution of cannabis and new forms of consumption as well as potential downsides is extremely important. A more holistic understanding of today’s marijuana will position us to have more relevant and potentially helpful conversations with those we serve. This conversation will be had in a respectful and nonpolitical manor promoting sound science while considering the practical reality of discussing cannabis in 2020 with a population that genuinely believes “it’s just weed.”

Through the presentation, attendees will learn to understand the difference between today's corporately produced marijuana and what grows naturally and has been consumed in the past. They be able to identify current forms of THC consumption including edibles and vaporizers, and have an understanding of marijuana concentrates. Ben will guide participants to relevantly discuss the science of today’s marijuana and the harms associated with it.

Ben Cort has been a part of the recovery movement in almost every way imaginable: from a recipient to a provider to a spokesperson.  He joined the field professionally in 2007 working inside nonprofits, treatment programs and consulting with athletics and organized labor.  Highlighted in his book, Weed, Inc: The Truth About the Pot Lobby, THC, and the Commercial Marijuana Industry, and his TED talk “Surprising Truths about Legalizing Cannabis,” Ben has remained active in the discussion around marijuana, assisting several states’ efforts to hold back Big Marijuana and always advocating for recovery. He has garnered national recognition through his reputation as being pro-logic and recovery oriented rather than “anti-anything,” and his widely adopted curriculum on ethical treatment and practices. He is utilized by the likes of NFL, and NCAA programs to determine appropriate treatment for their athletes, coaches and their families as well as develop recovery oriented policies. Ben transitioned from consultant to CEO of Foundry Steamboat in 2019, is a board member for NALGAP (National Association of Lesbian, Gay Bisexual, Transgender treatment providers and their allies), a Board member at SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) and faculty at numerous institutes.

CONTACT:

Ben Cort, CEO, Author

The Foundry Steamboat

15690 N 83rd St

Longmont, CO 80503

Phone: 303-868-4020

Email Address: ben_cort@yahoo.com

Website:  www.forgingnewlives.com

8:00 – 8:30 Breakfast and Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Introductions

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation: “The ‘Shifting Phenomenon’ Among Black Women and other Women of Color” with Carla Eugene, LPC, Licensed Staff Counselor Multicultural Focus Faculty and Staff Assistance Program, CU Boulder

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Content:

Shifting is an important fundamental skill that black woman and women of color have adopted to survive professional settings. Shifting is double sided. Although it is altering the authentic self and expectations to accommodate a socially acceptable identity, it is also an effective technique to process and navigate experiences. Helping black women and other women of color manage the shifting phenomenon will increase the awareness that shifting can be used as a tool to acknowledge their authentic self, and the complexity of intersecting identities, ultimately producing mental wellness.

Attendees will learn the foundation of Shifting and how it contributes to the academic/professional experience of women of color, explore the impact Shifting has on the mental health and wellbeing of women of color, and be able to implement effective strategies to help manage the Shifting phenomenon.

Carla Eugene, M.A., LPC serves as a CU Boulder employee assistance program therapist with a multicultural focus. She recently moved to Colorado from Ohio where she worked at The Ohio State University Counseling and Consultation Service. Carla also has her own private practice, Beyond the Surface Counseling, LLC that seeks to provide counseling to Black women and college students.  She has also provided counseling services to children and adolescents in K-12 schools and to college students and adults. Her professional interests include reducing mental health stigma among marginalized groups, women’s issues, empowerment, managing life transitions, anxiety, and grief. She holds a master’s degree in community counseling from Ohio’s Wright State University. Her aim is to assist individuals on a journey of deeper self-discovery and healing.

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking and Introductions

8:30 – 9:00 Chapter Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation: “Feeding Recovery: Practical Nutrition for Reducing Cravings and Relapse” with Christina Veselak MA, LMFT, CN, Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Veselak will explore the concept that a well-fed and well-functioning brain is crucial to a successful recovery journey. She will share the foods and nutrients crucial to optimal brain function and describe ways to support your clients in achieving optimal intake of these nutrients. Finally, she will describe the scientific reasoning behind the concept that “missing a meal is probably the number one relapse trigger for all addiction” and show how this plays out in the lives of people struggling with addictive disorders, but also those with domestic violence and anger issues, as well as anxiety.

Attendees will be able to discuss the role of a well-fed brain in supporting pro-recovery behaviors, identify the top 3 foods crucial to an optimally functioning brain, and describe how missing a meal, or eating a high sugar meal contributes to cravings and relapse.

2 PDH’s - TBD

Christina Veselak, LMFT, CN, is passionate about reducing relapse rates and overdose deaths in people recovering from substance use disorders by using targeted nutrition to address the biochemistry of addiction and recovery. With 40 years of experience working as a psychotherapist and mental health nutritionist in the addiction treatment field, she brings an unparalleled breadth of knowledge and a wealth of compassion and expertise.

As one of the few people in the country who understands how feeding the brain with the nutrients it needs to repair itself and function optimally provides people with a much-needed foundation to be successful in their recovery journey, she has positively impacted the world of treatment and recovery through her online school for professionals, The Academy for Addiction and Mental Health Nutrition and her non-profit organization, Eating Protein Saves Lives, Inc. She is a co-founder and former Executive Director of a non-profit organization founded in 2007, The Alliance for Addiction Solutions. Like her current organizations, the Alliance was created to let the public know that medication is not the only option available to address the biochemistry of addiction. Along with healing from trauma and community connection, people in recovery (like children in school) also need a well-fed and functioning brain to fuel their efforts. This research has been done since the '60s but has been buried.

Christina Veselak is a dynamic public speaker with an enthusiastic following. Her vision as a global changemaker is to make this life-saving information available to all people, from a kitchen in a mud-house in Africa to the White House.

7:30 – 8:30 Breakfast and Networking

8:30 - 10:30: “Resilience in a Post-Covid World: Where We Were, Where We Are, Where We’re Going”

10:30 - 12:30:  “Cultivating a Safe Workplace: Understanding Pathology, Pursuing Health”

RSVP Required by Thursday, April 6th

Masks may be required for in-person attendance

Link to Zoom Meeting for virtual attendees: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Content:

We will have two sections of our April Half Day event, both presented by Jeff Gorter, LMSW, VP of Clinical Crisis Response R3 Continuum.

First, Jeff will present on “Resilience in a Post-Covid World: Where We Were, Where We Are, Where We’re Going.” In this portion, he will examine the quantitative scale, scope, and complexity involved in providing disruptive event management (DEM) over the past 3 yrs, drawing on a data base of 100,000+ crisis response requests delivered on behalf of EAPs. Crucial service modifications will be explored, including strategies to enhance group cohesion and restore civility. Finally, the “lessons learned” will be considered, with a focus on how EA professionals can promote continued growth and positive adaptation with their customers as business and industry transitions to a post-COVID environment.  

For the second half of our event, Jeff will transition topics to “Cultivating a Safe Workplace: Understanding Pathology, Pursuing Health.” In this portion, he will pull from a strong research base,to provide a conceptual overview to enhance awareness and understanding of mass shooting dynamics. A biopsychosocial model of threat assessment will be reviewed, including critical factors that differentiate between affective vs. predatory violence.  Practical guidelines will be provided regarding the identification and management of risk, while also considering the policies/practices/programs that support psychological safety in an organization.

4 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Jeff Gorter, MSW, LCSW, is VP of Crisis Response Services at R3 Continuum.  Mr. Gorter brings over 30 years of clinical experience including consultation and extensive on-site critical incident response to businesses and communities. He has responded directly to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, the Virginia Tech shootings, the Deepwater Horizon Oil spill, the earthquake/tsunami in Japan, the Newtown Tragedy, the Orlando Pulse Nightclub Shooting, the Las Vegas Shooting, and the breaching of the US Capitol on 1/6/21. He has conducted trainings and presented at the American Psychological Association Annual Conference, the World Conference on Disaster Management, the International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies Annual Meeting, and at other state, national and international venues on a variety of topics.

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking and Introductions

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Chapter Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation: "Preventing Suicide and Providing an Effective Response when the Worst Happens" with Kathleen Remington and Michelle Gonzales

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Colorado remains in the top 10 for states with the highest suicide rates. In this training, we will share the latest research and data on suicide and suicide prevention. We’ll discuss ways to identify and support employees and teach you about the most effective responses after a suicide death- who do you talk with, what do you say, how do you support work groups.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Michelle Gonzales has been working in education for 18 years as a Counselor and the Crisis Recovery and Suicide Prevention Coordinator. She authored Jeffco School’s Crisis Response & Recovery Toolkit and spent 5 years building a district wide comprehensive suicide prevention model. This model impacts 155 schools, over 70,000 students and 14,000 employees. Michelle is passionate about reducing suicide rates in her community and does so by studying and sharing effective, evidence based suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention approaches with as many stakeholders as she can.

She loves kayaking, snowshoeing, being a baseball mom and hanging with her family. She and her husband have two teenage children and live in Arvada, CO.

Kathleen Remington began her EAP career in 1997 working for an external EAP in the Twin Cities. She worked as an EAP counselor and manager supporting over 50,000 employees. In Colorado, she transitioned to working for internal EAP’s and has been leading Jeffco Public Schools EAP team for over 10 years. Kathleen has received several awards for her work including EAP Program of the year, the Daetwiler Award and Outstanding Administrator of the Year from the Jeffco Public Schools Administrators Association. In her current role, she supports employees after crises including after student suicide deaths, staff deaths, school shootings and other forms of crisis recovery.

Kathleen enjoys hiking, biking, skiing, volunteering, going to the gym and spending time with family and friends. She thinks it’s important to laugh daily and to make a difference at work, at home and in her community.

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking

8:30 – 9:00 Introductions

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation: “Past, Present, and Beyond: How Interventional Psychiatry and Neurotechnology Impact on Clients”  with Kathleen Daly, MD, MPhil, Medical Director of Interventional Psychiatry and Jason Thompson, BA-Sc, qEEG-T, President, Plus All Points North

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

This presentation will encompass a review of the history of treatment, research and the development of today’s standards, and exploration of diagnostic and therapeutic innovations that move into the future. The presentation will include literature review and discussion to provide background and understanding of neurotechnical modalities. A review of recent case studies will demonstrate the clinical evaluation and integrated treatment processes related to the utilization of neurotechnology in the context of process and experiential based group therapy, individual therapy, neurotechnology, and traditional psychopharmacology. Presenters represent clinical expertise and experience in each respective field, striving to maintain a leadership role in their fields.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Kathleen “Kate” Daly, MD, MPhil, earned her B.S. from the University of Maryland where she was awarded Undergraduate Researcher of the Year (2005), was a Gates Cambridge semi-finalist and completed a master’s degree at University of Cambridge (2006) and obtained her MD from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (2010). She completed psychiatry residency at the University of Washington where she was a chief resident (2014) and boarded with the ABPN (2014-present). She has worked in both outpatient and residential treatment settings and was the medical director for residential treatment services at All Points North (2021- 2022) where she began working with APN Lodge Professionals Program. She is currently the medical director of Interventional Psychiatry at Plus by All Points North and continues to provide direct patient care for referents of physician health programs at All Points North Lodge.

Jason Thompson, BA-Sc, qEEG-T brings his passion for healing and education to his role as President of Plus by APN. He loves educating and treating clients with newer technologies and guiding them through the healing process with an integrated approach. The most rewarding moments of his career so far have been observing the outcomes of treatment of his clients and being a part of their road to recovery. He always goes the extra mile to ensure that quality is measured amongst everyone. Jason attended South University in Savannah, Georgia where he earned a Bachelor of Applied Science. In addition, he is a certified EMT-P and trained in TMS for BrainsWay and Neurostar. Since 2004, he has worked in a variety of healthcare settings such as a Paramedic and Director of Neuromodulation in Texas

8:00 – 8:30 Virtual Networking and Introductions

8:30 – 9:00 Virtual Chapter Business Meeting

9:00 – 11:00 Virtual Presentation: "The Challenge of Chronically Ill Employees" with Julie Hamilton, CEO, Coaching PI and Certified Fibromyalgia Coach/Life Coach

Link to Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194

Chronically ill clients can be quite challenging. Julie will be hosting a workshop where she can guide you step-by-step in learning how to work with the chronically ill. She will do this through understanding laws and regulations governing chronic illness in the workplace, establishing how to create a positive relationship with your chronically ill employees by understanding their symptoms and struggles, and identifying and addressing potential obstacles posed by chronic illness.

2 PDH’s - Domain TBD

Julie Hamilton is the founder and creator of Coaching PI and Life on Your Terms.  She was diagnosed with a chronic illness in 2009 and has learned how to manage her chronic illness from just surviving to thriving.  As a former Human Resources Director, she knew the resources to use such as Family Medical Leave Act and workplace accommodations to help her with the tasks she and was struggling with.  She didn’t need to worry about her job when she needed to take time off for flare days or medical appointments. She went from missing two to four days per month to missing two days or less a year.  Then after relocating to Ohio, her chronic illness made it impossible for her to work.  That is when she studied to become a Certified Fibromyalgia Coach and learned to manage her fibromyalgia.  She has gone from being in 90% of her life to walking three miles a day and even participated in her first 10k.  She now helps professionals who have fibromyalgia to maintain their career and regain their active social life.  Her goal is to help companies create an inclusive environment for the chronically ill and assisting them in implementing policies to benefit both the employee and the company.  She understands what it takes to make it work and can educate the company and the employee on how this collaboration can work. 

Julie Hamilton, Founder/CEO, Certified Fibromyalgia Coach and Certified Life Coach
Company: Coaching PI, LLC
Address:   18340 W. Onyx Ave; Waddell AZ 85355
Phone:  402-520-0255
Email Address:  jhamilton@coachingpi.com 
Website: www.coachingpi.com

Book: Chronic Illness at Work - Amazon

Please join us for lunch to celebrate the holidays and our annual award recipients!
11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Courtyard by Marriott Denver Cherry Creek - The Skyline Ballroom

1475 S Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80222

Tickets Required

Tickets are $25 for members and $35 for guests.

Virtual Link for the Awards Ceremony to start at 11:30 - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/162331194