Reflective Wellness: A Pre-Conference Day of Renewal
● Pre/Post-Conference Training
Pre-Conference - 3 CEs
Begin EMPOWER 2026 with a full day dedicated to restoration and connection. This immersive day will focus on holistic wellness.Begin EMPOWER 2026 with a full day dedicated to restoration and connection. This immersive day will focus on holistic wellness. Designed to nurture mind, body, and spirit, this day offers practical tools, renewed energy, and a deeper connection to yourself and the communities you serve. Leave feeling grounded, inspired, and ready for the days ahead. This pre-conference session is free for NAADAC members. Join NAADAC today!read more
Keynote - 2.5 CEs - Track: Professional Development and Self-Care
Audiences will be captivated to learn how our emotional intelligence (EQ) plays a vital role in establishing and sustaining meaningful relationships. Just being present for family and friends can save a life.
Tina MillerBA, CRPS-A
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Sat 8/29 · 8:00 AM - 10:30 AM
Protecting Your Why from the Inside Out
● Keynote
Keynote - 2.5 CEs - Track: Professional Development and Self-Care
You are an expert at helping others find their why. But when did you last protect your own?You are an expert at helping others find their why. But when did you last protect your own? In this high-energy keynote, leadership strategist Pierre Quinn draws on the Inside Out leadership architecture and the principles of Internal Family Systems to turn the framework back on the practitioner.read more
Not Seen, Not Safe: Addressing Co-Occurring Disorders and Identity Erasure in LGBTQIA2S+ Treatment
● Co-Occurring Disorders
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
Individuals within the LGBTQIA2S+ community are approximately 2.5 times more likely to experience co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.Individuals within the LGBTQIA2S+ community are approximately 2.5 times more likely to experience co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders. This presentation examines how the current legislative and social climate impacts mental health and substance use outcomes among LGBTQIA2S+ individuals, with particular attention to identity erasure.read more
Sabrina Vonderhaar
Doug SmithBS, CADC II
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Sat 8/29 · 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Brain Chemistry: The Role of Neurotransmitters and Hormones on Our Psycho-Emotional State and SUD
● Psychopharmacology & MAT
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Neurotransmitters, hormones, neuropeptides, and other related chemicals in the human body significantly influence each individual's mental/emotional functioning. This presentation explains what these internal substances do and how to promote positive behaviors.
Gene Ira KatzLAC, LPC
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Sat 8/29 · 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Beyond Talk Therapy: Integrating Experiential Modalities in Addiction Counseling
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Many people in recovery struggle to heal through words alone.Many people in recovery struggle to heal through words alone. This presentation explores how experiential approaches can help clients reconnect with themselves, regulate emotions, and engage more fully in the recovery process, offering practical, real-world examples for outpatient, residential, group, and community settings.read more
Kimberly EmeryPhD, LMFT, LAC, MAC
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Sat 8/29 · 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Walking the Line: Operating a Compliant Treatment Program in an Aggressive Enforcement Environment
● Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Federal and state enforcement agencies - and whistleblowers - are scrutinizing the conduct of addiction treatment providers more closely than ever. This program discusses statutory tools, recent enforcement trends, and common vulnerabilities.
Scott CoffinaJD
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Sat 8/29 · 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Addressing Eating Disorders in the Substance Abuse Treatment
● Co-Occurring Disorders
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
This training explores the intersection of eating disorders and substance use disorders, an area often overlooked in addiction treatment settings, highlighting how eating disorders affect individuals across all ages, genders, cultural backgrounds, socioeconomic groups, and LGBTQIA+ communities.
Lena SheffieldLMHC, LPC, CAP, MAC
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Sat 8/29 · 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Chasing Other Dragons - Atypical Intoxicants
● Psychopharmacology & MAT
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
The treatment literature typically hasn't paid much attention to "gateway drugs" other than nicotine and cannabis. This session explores atypical substances like kratom, whippets, aromatic hydrocarbons, K2-Spice, and air duster with regard to abuse potential and treatment options.
Michael G. BrickerMS, CADC-2, NCAC-2
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Sat 8/29 · 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Peer Support for Pregnant and Postpartum People
● Peer Recovery and Recovery Support
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Pregnant and postpartum people with substance use disorders often experience increased stress, system involvement, and barriers to consistent support. This session explores how peer support can provide structured, person-centered assistance.
Michelle KavourasCDCS, CADC, NPRSS
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Sat 8/29 · 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
The SOLAR Program: An Academic - Practice Partnership to Build an Equity-Driven Leadership Pipeline
● Higher Education & Behavioral Health Workforce
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
This session presents SOLAR (Social Work Opportunities for Leadership in Addiction and Recovery) - an equity-driven academic - practice partnership that provides scholarship-funded MSW education for addiction services staff and managers.
James HollywoodLCSW
Melissa EarlePhD, LCSW
Harry ScottJD, LMSW, CASAC
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Sat 8/29 · 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
Protecting Medicaid Coverage as Work Requirements Take Effect
● Advocacy/Policy-Related
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology - Livestreamed
Beginning in January 2027, states that adopted the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion (and those who partially expanded their programs) will be required to implement the new federal work reporting requirement in their Medicaid programs, which is expected to result...Beginning in January 2027, states that adopted the Affordable Care Act's Medicaid expansion (and those who partially expanded their programs) will be required to implement the new federal work reporting requirement in their Medicaid programs, which is expected to result in millions of people across the country losing their lifesaving health coverage and care access. Join this session to learn more about the requirement, including where states have flexibility in implementation, the different ways people can comply with or be exempt from the requirement, and ways that addiction treatment and recovery professionals can help individuals navigate the requirement and avoid coverage loss.read more
Teresa Miller
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Part 1: What's Gender Got to Do with It?: The Impact of Women's Treatment Programming
● Keynote
Keynote - 1.5 CEs - Advancing Recovery Through Connection, Compassion, and Purpose - Track: Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues - Livestreamed
The evolution of addiction treatment for women has fundamentally changed the way we understand recovery. Dr. Stephanie Covington traces the history and evolution of women's addiction treatment, examining innovations that have shaped the field over the past four decades.
Stephanie CovingtonPhD, LCSW
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Sat 8/29 · 1:45 PM - 3:15 PM
Part 2: The Special Sauce: Five Ingredients for Helping Clients Sustain Recovery
● Keynote
Keynote - 1.5 CEs - Advancing Recovery Through Connection, Compassion, and Purpose - Track: Peer Recovery and Recovery Support - Livestreamed
Relapse and recidivism rates have remained high for decades. In this skill-building presentation, participants will learn the CHIME Model, highlighting five key ingredients to help clients sustain recovery long term.
Street Culture, Exploitation, and Juvenile Justice: Culturally Humble Care for Adolescents
● Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Justice-Involved
Adolescents impacted by street life, sexual exploitation, and juvenile justice involvement often display behaviors that are misunderstood as resistance, manipulation, or noncompliance. This training reframes these behaviors as adaptive survival responses.
Sarah BrownLPC, LCDC
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Sat 8/29 · 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Where Ethics and Well-Being Meet: Strengthening Patient Care in Behavioral Health
● Ethics
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Professional Development and Self-Care
This session examines the vital connection between practitioner well-being and ethical, compassionate patient care, exploring how disruptions in well-being contribute to compassion fatigue, burnout, and ethical vulnerabilities.
Trish CaldwellMFT, LPC, CAADC, CCDP-D
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Sat 8/29 · 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Displaced from the Drum: Effects of Disconnection from Indigenous Healing in BIPOC Addiction Care
● Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Indigenous-Specific
This presentation explores the psychological and addiction-related impact of BIPOC communities' disconnection from Indigenous healing practices such as heliotherapy, sylvotherapy, and pelotherapy.
Roxanne GreenPhD, DNM, ADC, LPCC
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Sat 8/29 · 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Challenging the Process: When Traditional Recovery Models Stop Serving Everyone
● Peer Recovery and Recovery Support
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Traditional recovery models have helped millions of people reclaim their lives, yet evolving research and lived experience show that no single pathway works for everyone.Traditional recovery models have helped millions of people reclaim their lives, yet evolving research and lived experience show that no single pathway works for everyone. Drawing on the leadership practice of Challenge the Process, this session explores openness to new approaches.read more
Angie ChaplinMASCL, PRC
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Sat 8/29 · 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
The Work You Can't See Is the Work You Can't Fund
● Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Some of the most important work in your programs never gets coded - the follow-up call, care coordination, the peer who gets a client to court or into housing.Some of the most important work in your programs never gets coded - the follow-up call, care coordination, the peer who gets a client to court or into housing. This session looks at how new data technology is making the invisible visible.read more
Stevee Danielle
Cody Crawford
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Sat 8/29 · 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
The Neurobiology of Trauma and Addiction
● Co-Occurring Disorders
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Psychopharmacology & MAT
Trauma and substance use disorders are deeply intertwined at the level of brain function. This presentation examines the neurobiology underlying both conditions, with a focus on how trauma alters stress response systems, emotional regulation, executive functioning, and reward pathways.
Sonja WilliamsDO, FASAM, FACOG
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Sat 8/29 · 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Connection Over Correction: Peer Support that Builds Recovery
● Peer Recovery and Recovery Support
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
This session explores how peer mutual aid and trauma-informed, relationship-centered support strengthen engagement in recovery, examining peer roles in recovery housing and community programs.
Amanda ColdironMS
Torrie GildenPhD, LMHC, IAC SUPP
Danny HalePRSS
Andreas BienertPhD
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Sat 8/29 · 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Integrating Motivational Interviewing into Addiction Counselor Education Programs
● Higher Education & Behavioral Health Workforce
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an established, evidence-based method in addiction treatment, but counselor education programs often struggle to teach MI skills effectively. This presentation highlights practical approaches to embedding MI in counselor education.
Torrie GildenPhD, LMHC, LAC, SUDP
Andreas BienertPhD, LPC, LSATP, LAC
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Sat 8/29 · 3:45 PM - 5:15 PM
Co-Occurring Disorders: Depressive, Anxiety Related & Substance Use Disorders
● Co-Occurring Disorders
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Livestreamed
Co-occurring substance use and anxiety or depressive disorders are common in addiction treatment settings, yet many clinicians report limited training in how to individualize care for these complex presentations.Co-occurring substance use and anxiety or depressive disorders are common in addiction treatment settings, yet many clinicians report limited training in how to individualize care for these complex presentations. This interactive, practice-based training examines how depressive and anxiety-related disorders most frequently present alongside substance use disorders.read more
Kamala Greene-GenecePhD
Samson TeklemariamLPC, CPTM
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Part 1: ADHD and Substance Use in Young Adults: Understanding Risk, Building Resilience, and Advancing Recovery
● Keynote
Keynote - 1.5 CEs - Populations with Unique Treatment Needs - Track: Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues - Livestreamed
Research consistently demonstrates that adolescents and young adults with ADHD are at substantially greater risk for developing substance use disorders than their peers. This presentation highlights the intersection of ADHD and substance use disorder and explores practical strategies for support.
Trish CaldwellMFT, LPC, CAADC, CCDP-D
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Sun 8/30 · 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Part 2: Working with Court-Mandated Clients: What do we know? What has changed?
● Keynote
Keynote - 1.5 CEs - Populations with Unique Treatment Needs - Track: Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues - Livestreamed
Evidence-based practices, new treatments, and new research find us moving in better directions for behavioral health, particularly regarding attitudes and actions of effective staff working with court-mandated clients.
Building Prevention-First Communities: Integrated Care Through Strategic Partnerships
● Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Prevention
Prevention begins long before a person walks into treatment. This session explores how integrated care strategies and strategic partnerships can serve as upstream prevention tools.
Samson TeklemariamLPC, CPTM
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Sun 8/30 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Cultural Humility in Addiction Care: Addressing Identity, Justice Histories, and Inequities
● Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Justice-Involved
This session explores cultural humility in addiction care through the "iceberg concept of culture," showing how visible traits represent only the surface, while deeper layers such as ethnicity, religion, economic background, and lived experiences shape treatment engagement.
Deirdre Rice-ReeseMPA, CASAC
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Sun 8/30 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Self-Disclosure: When, Why & How
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Ethics
When we choose to share a piece of our story with a client, there is a lot to consider. This workshop explores the ethics of the When, Why, and How of self-disclosure through experiential learning and discussion.
Hillary LoganMSW, LCSW, LCAS
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Sun 8/30 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Addressing Problematic Sexual Behaviors Through an Attachment-Informed Framework
● Process Addictions
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Problematic sexual behaviors (PSB), including compulsive sexual behaviors, are often rooted in disrupted attachment patterns and ineffective coping skills. This presentation explores how attachment-informed approaches address the emotional and relational drivers of PSB.
Doug SmithBS, CADC II
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Sun 8/30 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Ethical Foundations of Clinical and Peer Supervision in Substance Use Disorders
● Ethics
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology - Livestreamed
This session explores the ethical responsibilities and essential practices of effective clinical and peer supervision, examining the role of supervision in promoting ethical decision-making, professional development, accountability, and quality care.
Terrence WaltonMSW
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Sun 8/30 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Planning and Preparing to Take the Challenge of Being a Leader in Behavioral Healthcare
● Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
This fast-paced workshop is a primer for SUD professionals who are current or aspire to be behavioral health leaders, including board members, covering career paths, leadership and management styles, and mentoring relationships.
Gerry SchmidtLPC, MAC
Jerry JenkinsMEd, LADAC, MAC
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Sun 8/30 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Men, Masks, and the Medicine of Connection: Treating Anxiety and Addiction in High-Performing Men
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
High-performing men are among the hardest to engage, the last to ask for help, and the most likely to arrive in treatment after years of using substances to manage what they were never taught to name: fear, anger, and chronic...High-performing men are among the hardest to engage, the last to ask for help, and the most likely to arrive in treatment after years of using substances to manage what they were never taught to name: fear, anger, and chronic nervous system overload. This session cuts through the cultural armor and clinical assumptions that keep this population underserved.read more
Kenneth J. MartzPsyD, MBA
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Sun 8/30 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Inmigración, trauma y consumo: ¿Estamos tratando la addicción mientras ignoramos la herida migratoria? / Immigration, Trauma, and Substance Use: Are We Treating the Addiction While Ignoring the Migratory Wound?
● Spanish-Language Treatment
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Latino immigrant communities in the United States experience disproportionately high levels of chronic stress related to migration, including family separation, legal instability, discrimination, and economic precarity.Latino immigrant communities in the United States experience disproportionately high levels of chronic stress related to migration, including family separation, legal instability, discrimination, and economic precarity. This panel examines whether current addiction treatment models adequately address the migratory wound that underlies substance use in many Latino populations.read more
Pierluigi ManciniPhD, MAC, CCS
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Sun 8/30 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
From Classroom to the Counseling Room: Preparing and Retaining the Addiction Counseling Workforce
● Higher Education & Behavioral Health Workforce
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
The addiction counseling field faces ongoing workforce challenges, including burnout, turnover, and gaps between academic preparation and real-world practice. This session examines the transition from post-secondary education to clinical practice.
Lakieshia JonesMS, CADC-II, ICADC, SAP
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Part 1: Reclaiming Our Roots: An Ethical Call to Compassionate Care
● Keynote
Keynote - 1.5 CEs - Compassion, Connection, and Ethics: Reclaiming the Human Side of Treatment - Track: Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues - Livestreamed
Addiction counseling was built in living rooms and church basements by people who refused to leave their neighbors behind.Addiction counseling was built in living rooms and church basements by people who refused to leave their neighbors behind. This keynote asks who deserves treatment in practice, not just in mission statements, and reconnects participants to why they entered this work.read more
Gus RaymondtLMHC, CADC, NCC
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Sun 8/30 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Part 2: Embarking on Wholeness: A Healing Therapeutic Relationship
● Keynote
Keynote - 1.5 CEs - Compassion, Connection, and Ethics: Reclaiming the Human Side of Treatment - Track: Clinical Skills - Livestreamed
Addiction is often treated as the problem, yet it may be better understood as an adaptive response to trauma, disconnection, and unprocessed pain.Addiction is often treated as the problem, yet it may be better understood as an adaptive response to trauma, disconnection, and unprocessed pain. This presentation explores how healing emerges through relationship rather than symptom management alone, drawing from the Comprehensive Relational Gestalt Trauma Model (CRGTM) and the Functional Addiction Model.read more
Gaining Shared Perspectives between SUD Counselors and ASD Clients
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Co-Occurring Disorders
Research indicates a link between neurodiversity and substance misuse.Research indicates a link between neurodiversity and substance misuse. This presentation focuses on how shared perspectives between substance use counselors and clients can improve outcomes for neurodiverse clients, including training on strengths-based theories of autism, reasons for use, and harm reduction.read more
James Fulton
Jorja JamisonPhD, LP
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Sun 8/30 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Ethical Uses of Technology and Behavioral Health Treatment: To AI or Not to AI, that is the Question
● Ethics
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology - Livestreamed
Artificial intelligence has emerged as a transformative force in behavioral health, promising advancements while simultaneously posing serious ethical implications for privacy, health equity, and accessibility.
Pete NielsenMA, LAADC
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Sun 8/30 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Looking & Listening Within Healing Generational Trauma - Her Native Perspective
● Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Indigenous-Specific
Through storytelling, the presenter shares her Grandmother's story and her own, weaving trauma and resiliency and how she returned to her Native ceremonies and traditions to restore her strength, hope, and faith.
Trudy M. Rouillard SooleMA, LMHC
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Sun 8/30 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Bridging the Gap: Telemental Health Counseling for Addiction Clients in Rural Communities
● Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Rural Communities
Addiction in rural America presents unique and disproportionate challenges. This presentation equips counselors with a practical understanding of how tele-mental health addresses gaps through remote counseling, group therapy, and medication management.
Karin DumontNCC, LCMHC-S, CCMHC, LCAS
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Sun 8/30 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
The Accreditation Advantage: Turning Standards into Organizational Excellence
● Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Accreditation is more than a regulatory requirement; it is a strategic framework for achieving organizational excellence, improving client outcomes, and strengthening public trust.
Tava ScottMS
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Sun 8/30 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Trait-Based Recovery: A Strengths-Centered Framework for Emotional Regulation and Recovery Stability
● Peer Recovery and Recovery Support
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Traditional recovery programs often focus primarily on deficits, pathology, and symptom reduction. The Trait-Based Model of Recovery introduces a strengths-centered framework that helps individuals activate internal resources such as resilience and self-awareness.
Jason RoopPhD
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Sun 8/30 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Telemedicina 2.0: Sosteniendo la Calidad y el Compromiso en las Comunidades Latinas / Telehealth 2.0: Sustaining Quality and Engagement in Latino Communities
● Spanish-Language Treatment
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Telehealth has transformed access to behavioral health care, but Latino communities continue to face unique barriers - including language, culture, technology gaps, and trust in providers. This session explores practical strategies for sustaining high-quality, culturally responsive telehealth services.
Pierluigi ManciniPhD, MAC, CCS
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Sun 8/30 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Supervision That Sustains: A Somatic-Informed Model for Reducing Burnout
● Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Burnout and turnover in SUD services are not just "self-care problems" - they're supervision, systems, and sustainability problems. This workshop offers a supervision model combining skill development, ethics, and somatic regulation strategies.
Keith VukasinovichMSEd, MS, PCC-S, 500-RYT
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Sun 8/30 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Unstuckfy! The Art of Working with Ambivalence
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Working with ambivalent clients is not easy. This session explores common strategies that helping professionals use that may inadvertently contribute to clients' stuckness, as well as evidence-based strategies for enhancing change drawn from Motivational Interviewing.
Hillary LoganMSW, LCSW, LCAS
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Part 1: Inside America's Opioid Crisis: Hard Lessons for Today's Drug War
● Keynote
Keynote - 2.5 CEs - The Intersection of Advocacy, Public Policy, and Practice - Track: Advocacy/Policy-Related - Livestreamed
America's drug problem continues to evolve, demanding innovative policies, evidence-informed practice, and strong collaboration across the addiction field. In Part One, Richard J.America's drug problem continues to evolve, demanding innovative policies, evidence-informed practice, and strong collaboration across the addiction field. In Part One, Richard J. Baum draws from his book Inside America's Opioid Crisis: 12 Hard Lessons for Today's Drug War to examine key lessons learned from the nation's response to the opioid epidemic and discuss policy strategies that can reduce overdose deaths, expand access to effective treatment, and strengthen recovery supports. Building on those insights, Part Two features a discussion with leaders representing national drug policy, government agencies, addiction treatment providers, and frontline practice.read more
Rich Baum
Samson TeklemariamLPC, CPTM
Kenneth J. MartzPsyD, MBA
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Mon 8/31 · 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Part 2: From Policy to Practice
● Keynote
Keynote - 2.5 CEs - The Intersection of Advocacy, Public Policy, and Practice - Track: Advocacy/Policy-Related - Livestreamed
Part Two features a discussion with leaders representing national drug policy, government agencies, addiction treatment providers, and frontline practice.Part Two features a discussion with leaders representing national drug policy, government agencies, addiction treatment providers, and frontline practice. Together, they will explore how advocacy, public policy, and clinical practice intersect to strengthen the addiction workforce, improve systems of care, and advance better outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.read more
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
This session will provide an overview of the major changes from ASAM 3rd Edition to ASAM 4th Edition, including dimensional changes and severity ratings, levels of care, and how harm reduction fits into the treatment model, with practical discussion of...This session will provide an overview of the major changes from ASAM 3rd Edition to ASAM 4th Edition, including dimensional changes and severity ratings, levels of care, and how harm reduction fits into the treatment model, with practical discussion of engaging clients during assessment and the continuum of care.read more
Malcolm HornPhD, LCSW, MAC, LAC
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Mon 8/31 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Transformative Workshop on Adolescent Substance Use and Behavioral Health Disorders
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
This workshop delves into substance use disorders (SUDs) and behavioral health challenges faced by adolescents, exploring critical biological and environmental factors and equipping participants with knowledge about the recovery journey, coping strategies, and protective and risk factors.
Wendy StandiferMA, LPC, NCC
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Mon 8/31 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
You're Already Doing It: Centering Harm Reduction in Ethical Practice
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Ethics - Livestreamed
Harm reduction is often overlooked in ethical decision-making, yet counselors have an obligation to use the principles of autonomy, beneficence, and justice to center clients in evidence-based harm reduction approaches.
Jennifer FukudaBA
Jorja JamisonPhD, LP
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Mon 8/31 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Recognizing and Treating Co-Occurring SUD & PTSD in the Latino Community
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Co-Occurring Disorders / Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
Co-occurring Substance Use Disorders (SUD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are common in the Latino population. This session reviews SUD/PTSD diagnostic criteria, conceptualization of population risk factors, and specific cultural factors necessary for evidence-based care solutions.
Kenneth RobertsMPS, DBH, LCPC
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Mon 8/31 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Harm Reduction Treatment and the Impact of the Fentanyl Crisis on MAT
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Psychopharmacology & MAT
The fentanyl crisis has fundamentally altered opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment, increasing overdose risk and challenging traditional Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) approaches. This presentation examines harm reduction as an evidence-based framework for engaging and retaining individuals with OUD.
Stacy ChamberlainMA, LMAC
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Mon 8/31 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
What is Kratom/Mitragynine?
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Psychopharmacology & MAT / Substance Specific
This presentation updates attendees on kratom botany and nosology, explaining the relationship between kratom and related plants and the active ingredient, mitragynine, comparing its chemical structure and pharmacology to other compounds.
David StreemMD, FASAM
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Mon 8/31 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
From "Inmate" to "Expert": Overcoming Imposter Syndrome in Peer Practice
● Justice-Involved
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Peer Recovery and Recovery Support
Recovery is about more than staying sober; it is also about confronting the imposter syndrome that can follow people into their new lives. This session explores how imposter syndrome shows up for justice-involved individuals across recovery, reentry, and reintegration.
Laura TarantinoMA, PRS
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Mon 8/31 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
Identity, Influence, and Impact: A Practical Leadership Framework for Addiction Services
● Higher Education & Behavioral Health Workforce
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Professionals in addiction services often step into leadership roles with little formal preparation for the relational, emotional, and supervisory demands of leading others. This session presents a practical, identity-informed leadership framework.
Lisa CarterMS, LPC, LCAC
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Mon 8/31 · 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM
From Intake to Discharge: Using AI to Reduce Burnout and Improve Clinical Compliance
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Using a live, end-to-end case example, presenters walk participants through how AI can support - not replace - clinical staff by generating compliant documentation from intake through discharge, aligning with Joint Commission standards and state licensing requirements without added administrative...Using a live, end-to-end case example, presenters walk participants through how AI can support - not replace - clinical staff by generating compliant documentation from intake through discharge, aligning with Joint Commission standards and state licensing requirements without added administrative burden.read more
Megan StevensBA, SHRM-CP
Richard GreenBSBA, LCDC
Jason Brumback
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Part 1: NAADAC and IC&RC on the Future of the Addiction Profession
● Keynote
Keynote - 1.5 CEs - Empowering the Profession, Elevating the Professional - Track: Professional Development and Self-Care - Livestreamed
For decades, NAADAC/NCC AP and IC&RC have advanced the addiction profession through distinct yet complementary roles in professional development and credentialing. This keynote discussion explores how collaboration can strengthen the addiction workforce.
Mark AttanasiMBA
Terrence WaltonMSW
☆
Mon 8/31 · 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM
Part 2: Be Great: A Call to Power, Purpose, and Presence in the Addiction Profession
● Keynote
Keynote - 1.5 CEs - Empowering the Profession, Elevating the Professional - Track: Professional Development and Self-Care - Livestreamed
In a field shaped by urgency, compassion, complexity, and constant change, addiction professionals are often asked to pour from wells that have not been replenished. This closing keynote invites participants to reconnect with the deeper source of their work.
Opioid Use Disorder and Medications for Opioid Use Disorder in Clinical Practice
● Psychopharmacology & MAT
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Substance Specific - Livestreamed
This session delivers an advanced, evidence-based examination of Opioid Use Disorder and the clinical application of medications for opioid use disorder, including methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone, and withdrawal management.
Abby WillrothNCAC I, ADC, SAP, MATC, CAMS, HRS
☆
Mon 8/31 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Connection and Community: Elevating Professional Practice Through Ethics, Community, and Self-Care
● Ethics
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Professional Development and Self-Care
This session highlights how connection and community are essential to ethical, effective, and sustainable addiction counseling practice, exploring ongoing professional development and self-care as relational practices.
Cheryl WrightLMHC, SUDP, NCC, MAC
Torrie GildenPhD, LMHC, LAC, SUDP
☆
Mon 8/31 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
CRAFTing an Effective and Scalable SUD Intervention for Families
● Peer Recovery and Recovery Support
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
Explore NIDA-funded research on the first successful online implementation of Community Reinforcement and Family Training, achieving treatment engagement in 7 out of 10 cases, alongside practical demonstrations for supporting families affected by SUD.
Jane MackyMA, MHC
Angie ScottMS
☆
Mon 8/31 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Carry On: Veteran Substance Misuse and Recovery
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
This training equips providers with the skills to identify and address substance misuse among veterans, covering veteran-specific risk factors, screening and assessment techniques, evidence-based interventions, and integrated care that supports veterans' mental, physical, and social needs.
Jennifer PayeaMS
☆
Mon 8/31 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
The Church: How Can Faith-Based Organizations Impact Prevention and Substance Use Recovery?
● Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Peer Recovery and Recovery Support
This session highlights the work of Recover All SC (RASC), a faith-based program committed to culturally humble approaches to substance use prevention and recovery through partnerships with local churches.
Taquina DavisPhD, MA, CHES
Willie Thompson, Jr.PhD, CPSS
☆
Mon 8/31 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Person-Centered Care: Is AI-Driven Education and Chatbots the Future of Individualized Care?
● Practice Management, Organizational Competence, and Technology
Breakout - 1.5 CEs
This training explores the evolving role of AI in person-centered care, with a focus on AI-driven education platforms and chatbots used across behavioral health and human services settings.
Pete NielsenMA, LAADC
☆
Mon 8/31 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Sober Sex Can Be GREAT Sex! Sex, Intimacy, and Pleasure after Chemsex
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Process Addictions
Chemsex recovery often involves profound changes in sexuality, intimacy, pleasure, and identity that extend beyond stopping substance use. This interactive workshop uses a trauma-informed, sex-positive framework to explore neurobiological and relational impacts of chemsex.
Ronald SchneseCPRSS-S
☆
Mon 8/31 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Beyond Pathology: A Relational and Trauma-Informed Understanding of Addiction
● Clinical Skills
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Co-Occurring Disorders
This workshop introduces a contemporary relational and trauma-informed perspective that moves beyond pathology-based models, exploring addiction as a functional adaptation within a broader relational and environmental field, grounded in the Compassionate Relational Gestalt Trauma Model (CRGTM).
Rafael CortinaLMFT, MAC, CCTP II
☆
Mon 8/31 · 3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
More Than Affirming: Ethical Practice and Clinical Skills with LGBTQ+ Clients
● Cultural Humility & Demographic-Specific Treatment Issues
Breakout - 1.5 CEs - Also: Ethics
Saying you are affirming is not the same as practicing affirmatively. This session moves beyond the posture and into the clinical skills, ethical frameworks, and standards of care that distinguish genuine competence from performative inclusion.
Gus RaymondLMHC, CADC, NCC
Tuesday, September 13 SESSIONS
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
With funding from NIDA, Cynthia Moreno Tuohy and Danya International developed and evaluated a multi-component, multi-media tool for use by addiction and other helping professionals to assist adults and youth improve their life traumas and conflict through skills that are...With funding from NIDA, Cynthia Moreno Tuohy and Danya International developed and evaluated a multi-component, multi-media tool for use by addiction and other helping professionals to assist adults and youth improve their life traumas and conflict through skills that are an intensive set of psycho-emotional-social-spiritual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) treatments. The goals of these treatments are to understand the processes in the limbic and frontal cortex and how to develop self-regulation by building new neuropathways. Information is based in brain research and CBT treatments that have been effective for treatment and recovery. Other techniques are employed that unify the principles of social learning and emotional intelligence theory. This program affects behavioral learning with emotional development and maturity that results in long-term changes in the brain and behavior.read more
Cynthia Moreno TuohyDr. HHL, BSW, NCACII, SUDP, SAP
☆
Tue 9/1 · 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Substance Abuse Professional's U.S. DOT Alcohol and Drug Testing Regulation Initial Qualification & Requalification Course
● Pre/Post-Conference Training
Post-Conference - 6 CEs
This live, interactive two-day training is designed to provide the required 12 hours of professional development relevant to performing SAP functions for people who wish to obtain or renew their U.S. DOT SAP Qualification.This live, interactive two-day training is designed to provide the required 12 hours of professional development relevant to performing SAP functions for people who wish to obtain or renew their U.S. DOT SAP Qualification. Registration for this live training includes the bound Substance Abuse Professional's U.S. DOT Alcohol and Drug Testing Regulation Qualification & Requalification Course manual and access to a SAP Qualification or Requalification exam to allow the student to demonstrate their knowledge of the required regulations and skills. Participants must achieve a passing score of 75% or higher to qualify to apply for a SAP Qualification.read more
Mita JohnsonEdD, LAC, MAC, SAP
☆
Tue 9/1 · 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
ASAM Criteria & Treatment Decision-Making: What's In, What's Out, What's Different, What's Not
● Pre/Post-Conference Training
Post-Conference - 6 CEs
This interactive training will explore the newly revised ASAM Criteria 4th Edition and allow you to apply theory to practice and enhance your skills in assessment, treatment planning, and care delivery.This interactive training will explore the newly revised ASAM Criteria 4th Edition and allow you to apply theory to practice and enhance your skills in assessment, treatment planning, and care delivery. Over two days, participants will engage in six hours of interactive education daily, focusing on practical applications in clinical settings. Topics include foundational knowledge on using the ASAM Criteria, designing ASAM Criteria-based treatment programs, ethical considerations in applying placement criteria, balancing best practices with client preferences, and emphasizing shared decision-making and person-centered care, including when working with legal system-involved and other coerced clients. This training will include up to 3 hours of ethics training.read more
With funding from NIDA, Cynthia Moreno Tuohy and Danya International developed and evaluated a multi-component, multi-media tool for use by addiction and other helping professionals to assist adults and youth improve their life traumas and conflict through skills that are...With funding from NIDA, Cynthia Moreno Tuohy and Danya International developed and evaluated a multi-component, multi-media tool for use by addiction and other helping professionals to assist adults and youth improve their life traumas and conflict through skills that are an intensive set of psycho-emotional-social-spiritual Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) treatments. The goals of these treatments are to understand the processes in the limbic and frontal cortex and how to develop self-regulation by building new neuropathways. Information is based in brain research and CBT treatments that have been effective for treatment and recovery. Other techniques are employed that unify the principles of social learning and emotional intelligence theory. This program affects behavioral learning with emotional development and maturity that results in long-term changes in the brain and behavior.read more
Cynthia Moreno TuohyDr. HHL, BSW, NCACII, SUDP, SAP
☆
Wed 9/2 · 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Substance Abuse Professional's U.S. DOT Alcohol and Drug Testing Regulation Initial Qualification & Requalification Course
● Pre/Post-Conference Training
Post-Conference - 6 CEs
This live, interactive two-day training is designed to provide the required 12 hours of professional development relevant to performing SAP functions for people who wish to obtain or renew their U.S. DOT SAP Qualification.This live, interactive two-day training is designed to provide the required 12 hours of professional development relevant to performing SAP functions for people who wish to obtain or renew their U.S. DOT SAP Qualification. Registration for this live training includes the bound Substance Abuse Professional's U.S. DOT Alcohol and Drug Testing Regulation Qualification & Requalification Course manual and access to a SAP Qualification or Requalification exam to allow the student to demonstrate their knowledge of the required regulations and skills. Participants must achieve a passing score of 75% or higher to qualify to apply for a SAP Qualification.read more
Mita JohnsonEdD, LAC, MAC, SAP
☆
Wed 9/2 · 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
ASAM Criteria & Treatment Decision-Making: What's In, What's Out, What's Different, What's Not
● Pre/Post-Conference Training
Post-Conference - 6 CEs
This interactive training will explore the newly revised ASAM Criteria 4th Edition and allow you to apply theory to practice and enhance your skills in assessment, treatment planning, and care delivery.This interactive training will explore the newly revised ASAM Criteria 4th Edition and allow you to apply theory to practice and enhance your skills in assessment, treatment planning, and care delivery. Over two days, participants will engage in six hours of interactive education daily, focusing on practical applications in clinical settings. Topics include foundational knowledge on using the ASAM Criteria, designing ASAM Criteria-based treatment programs, ethical considerations in applying placement criteria, balancing best practices with client preferences, and emphasizing shared decision-making and person-centered care, including when working with legal system-involved and other coerced clients. This training will include up to 3 hours of ethics training.read more
Malcolm HornPhD, LCSW, MAC, LAC
Angi AllphinLPC, NCC
Built for you by(617)-PATRICK, Champion AI speaker
Let AI help you determine which sessions to attend 🤖
The steps below are for copying all the session descriptions and putting them into your own AI model - Claude, Gemini, ChatGPT, Co-Pilot and so on. This is the best way to do it on your laptop or PC. If you don't have your laptop with you, use the phone feature in red at the top of this page.
Tip: This is a large session list. Claude (claude.ai) handles the full file reliably - if you don't have a window open, start one there. Other tools like ChatGPT and Gemini may silently cut off the data - the verification step in the prompt will catch that.
Paste one of these two prompts. The short one is enough; the longer one gives the AI a role, context about the data, and a clear task.
Pick the 10 best sessions for me and say why.
ROLE: Expert conference advisor for NAADAC EMPOWER 2026 attendees CONTEXT: I'm pasting over 100 sessions for the NAADAC EMPOWER 2026.
I am a licensed addiction counselor and clinical supervisor at a treatment program. I want sessions on ethics, harm reduction and MAT, practical uses of AI in clinical work, and CE credit, plus networking with peers and program directors. GOAL: Pick the top 10 sessions for me. OUTPUT FORMAT: List in chronological order. Do NOT number them sequentially.
Instead, start each entry with its relevance rank in bold, like: Rank #3 of over 100 - Session Title.
Follow with the day and time, then 2-3 sentences on why it fits my goals. VERIFICATION: Before answering, confirm how many sessions you received.
You should have at least 100. If you received significantly fewer,
tell me immediately - my paste was probably truncated.
How cool am I? 😎
Which sessions are right for you?
Describe yourself and what you want from NAADAC EMPOWER 2026. The more specific you are, the better this works.
You can also say how many you want or when you're free - “just my top 3”, “give me 20”, “only Friday afternoon”. You get 10 unless you ask for more.
There is a daily limit on the phone version
so it can stay free for everyone at the event.
However, you can run it as many times as you want using your own AI account at home:
go to the bottom of the page
tap Copy this longer prompt
paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, or Gemini.
Powered by Claude. Your text is sent to Anthropic to generate the ranking, and is logged on this site so the feature can be improved. Please don't type anything confidential.
