Spring 2021 Prevention Specialist Conference - Prevention Training Services

2021 Schedule

All virtual workshops are scheduled in Central Time. CDT

This virtual conference begins March 29th at 1:00 pm CDT Click to use the time zone converter , then enter Texas, Houston

March	29th	1:00-1:30	Welcome & video by Kevin Sabet, Ph.D., President & CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana
	29th	1:30-3:00	Preventing Drug Use Among Youth and Young Adults: Seven Keys to a Successful Program	1
	29th	3:00-4:30	How to Foster and Maintain Your Emotional Health	2
March	30th	9:00-10:30	Mirrors and Magnifying Glasses: Why You Need Reflection in Your Prevention Programs	3
	30th	10:30-12:00	A Future of Well-being: Military Veterans & Substance Misuse Prevention	4
	30th	1:30-3:00	Preventing Drug Use Among College Students: The Importance of Strategic Planning	5
	30th	3:00-4:30	Cultural Considerations for Working with LGBTQ Youth	6
March	31st	9:00-10:30	Community Drug Prevention Education in the Era of COVID	7
	31st	10:30-12:00	Are We Really That Different?	8
	31st	1:30-3:00	Marijuana Myths	9
	31st	3:00-4:30	Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs	10
April	1st	9:00-12:00	Challenging issues in Prevention Ethics: An Advanced Course	11
	1st	1:30-3:00	Digital Well-being	12
	1st	3:00-4:30	Tips & Tricks for Virtual Facilitation	13
April	2nd	9:00-10:30	Community Level Change Strategies, Environmental Change & Working with Youth, Oh My!	14
	2nd	10:30-12:00	A Virtual Future: Let’s Get Social with Our Social Media	15
	2nd	1:00-4:30	CPS Exam Prep Course	16

Monday Afternoon- March 29th 1:00-1:30 CDT
Dr. Kevin Sabet will open the 2021 National Prevention Specialist Conference with a video about his new book that is set to be released on 4/20/21, Smokescreen: What the marijuana industry doesn’t want you to know. (To preorder Dr. Sabet’s new book please go to https://smokescreenbook.com/. )

Workshop 1) Preventing Drug Use Among Youth and Young Adults: Seven Keys to a Successful Program 1:30- 3:00
Workshop 2) How to Foster and Maintain Your Emotional Health 3:00- 4:30

Tuesday Morning- March 30th
Workshop 3) Mirrors and Magnifying Glasses: Why You Need Reflection in Your Prevention Programs 9:00-10:30
Workshop 4) A Future of Well-being: Military Veterans & Substance Misuse Prevention 10:30-12:00

Tuesday Afternoon- March 30th
Workshop 5) Preventing Drug Use Among College Students: The Importance of Strategic Planning 1:30- 3:00
Workshop 6) Cultural Considerations for Working with LGBTQ Youth 3:00- 4:30

Wednesday Morning- March 31st
Workshop 7) Community Drug Prevention Education in the Era of COVID 9:00-10:30
Workshop 8) Are We Really That Different? 10:30-12:00

Wednesday Afternoon– March 31st
Workshop 9) Marijuana Myths 1:30- 3:00
Workshop 10) Alcohol, Tobacco & Other Drugs 3:00- 4:30

Thursday Morning- April 1st
Workshop 11) Challenging issues in Prevention Ethics: An Advanced Course 9:00-12:00

Thursday Afternoon- April 1st
Workshop 12) Digital Well-being 1:30- 3:00
Workshop 13) Tips & Tricks for Virtual Facilitation 3:00- 4:30

Friday Morning- April 2nd
Workshop 14) Community Level Change Strategies, Environmental Change & Working with Youth, Oh My! 9:00-10:30
Workshop 15) A Virtual Future: Let’s Get Social with Our Social Media 10:30-12:00

Friday Afternoon- April 2nd
Workshop 16) CPS Exam Prep Course 1:30- 4:30

Workshop Descriptions & Objectives

Monday Afternoon- March 29th

Welcome & Video) Dr. Kevin Sabet will open the 2021 National Prevention Specialist Conference with a discussion about his new book that is set to be released on 4/20/21, Smokescreen: What the marijuana industry doesn’t want you to know. 1:00-1:30 CDT

Workshop 1) Preventing Drug Use Among Youth and Young Adults: Seven Keys to a Successful Program

Description: This interactive session will feature an overview of current drug use rates among youth and young adults; a review of the seven keys to a successful prevention program; and an overview of DEA’s resources to support your prevention efforts.

Objectives: State drug use rate among youth and young adults, identify the seven keys to a successful prevention program and list current resources from DEA to support efforts to prevent drug use among youth and young adults.

Prevention Domains 1. Planning and Evaluation & 2. Prevention Education and Service Delivery

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Rich Lucey is a senior prevention program manager in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Community Outreach and Prevention Support Section.

Workshop 2) How to Foster and Maintain Your Emotional Health

Description: Have the challenges of 2020 heightened or dulled your emotional experience? We will explore how to recognize our signs & cues to better navigate our emotional landscape.

Objective: Identify where their emotional health is by recognizing their physical signs, emotional indicators, and behaviors apparent to others in order to “course correct” when emotional health moves from healthy to unhealthy & list 6 areas of emotional health and what supports/resources they already have and what they can add in order to maintain their emotional health.

Prevention Domain 6 – Professional Growth and Responsibility

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 4. Professional and Ethical Responsibilities

Speaker: Maura McGowan, CPS, is the Program Director of the NH Teen Institute.

Tuesday Morning- March 30th

Workshop 3) Mirrors and Magnifying Glasses: Why You Need Reflection in Your Prevention Programs

Description: Reflection can maximize learning and help concepts to stick, but is often skipped over or seen as an afterthought in prevention programs. In this highly interactive webinar, participants will take a close look at the value of reflection, how and why to use it well and how to take reflective practices from basic to transformative.

Objective: Describe the research behind and benefits of including reflection in programs & identify at least two ways to add reflection into programming.

Prevention Domain 2 – Prevention Education and Service Delivery

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Jessica Andrews-Wilson, ICPS, is the Executive Director at GUIDE, Inc.

Workshop 4) A Future of Wellbeing: Military Veterans & Substance Misuse Prevention

Description: This program is filled with real-life examples from a veteran who was deployed to Iraq during his junior year of college. Upon returning, he found himself feeling withdrawn and struggling to socialize. As a coping mechanism for social anxiety, a traumatic brain injury and dealing with PTSD from combat, he relied on substances and developed unhealthy drinking habits. But he didn’t go down without a fight!

This engaging program will unpack who todays veterans are, delve into the military culture, and share veteran-specific risk and protective factors. Participants will leave with four pillars of veteran-focused substance misuse prevention, several free online resources, and training.

Objective: Develop prevention education and skill development activities appropriate for military veterans & be able to serve as a resource to community members and organizations regarding prevention strategies and best practices for military veterans.

Prevention Domains 1. Planning and Evaluation & 2. Prevention Education and Service Delivery

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Dave Closson, MS, is the owner of DJC Solutions, LLC, and Director of the Mid-America Prevention Technology Transfer Center.

Tuesday Afternoon- March 30th

Workshop 5) Preventing Drug Use Among College Students: The Importance of Strategic Planning

Description: This session will feature an overview of current drug use rates among college students; an overview of DEA’s strategic planning guide to preventing drug misuse among college students; and resources from DEA and national organizations to support your prevention efforts. This interactive session will encourage dialogue with the attendees about successes and challenges they face in preventing drug misuse among college students.

Objectives: State drug use rates among college students and identify the Strategic Prevention Framework’s five steps, including the underlying foundations of cultural competence/cultural humility and sustainability and its applicability on college campuses.

Prevention Domains 1. Planning and Evaluation & 2. Prevention Education and Service Delivery

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speakers: Rich Lucey is a senior prevention program manager in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Community Outreach and Prevention Support Section. Dave Closson, MS, is the owner of DJC Solutions, LLC, and Director of the Mid-America Prevention Technology Transfer Center.

Workshop 6) Cultural Considerations for Working with LGBTQ Youth

Description: What are some unique needs and considerations of your young LGBTQ participants, students, or clients? Is your organization as welcoming and responsive to the LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) population as it could be? How does the ongoing process of coming out intersect with the many other ways the young people we work with are defining their identities, values, and goals?

During this workshop, participants will have an opportunity to explore strategies for creating culturally affirming interactions with youth; discuss research findings around commonalities in the coming out experience and why supportive adults matter; dispel myths around sexual orientation and gender identity; and hear from LGBTQ-identified youth and young adults about positive and negative experiences they have had with youth-serving organizations, educational institutions, and healthcare providers.

This training incorporates a module from the ATTC’s A Providers Introduction to Substance Abuse Treatment for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Individuals, 2nd Edition along with a panel discussion and opportunities for participants to share knowledge and practices from their own lived and professional experiences as applicable.

Objective: Utilize research-based language and concepts about the coming out process & identify ideas to develop or enhance current organizational practices around working with LGBTQ-identified young people in culturally responsive ways.

Prevention Domains 4. Community Organization & 6. Professional Growth and Responsibility

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Marissa Carlson, MS, CPS, is the Executive Director of the NH Teen Institute

Wednesday Morning- March 31st

Workshop 7) Community Drug Prevention Education in the Era of COVID

Description: DEA Community Outreach staff will present the various prevention resources, including websites and digital publications available to educators, community leaders, parents, students, and the public. DEA personnel will cover OperationPrevention.com, a no-cost science of addiction program that includes a workplace module for employees and employers, as well as curriculum for youth in grades 3-12, developed by DEA and Discovery Education. Participants will learn about the components of the program that include opioid misuse prevention, multi-drug topics, and the new Native American/Alaskan Native curricula. Participants will also learn how to implement these free digital drug prevention curricula in classrooms and other community settings

Objective: List the components of Operation Prevention, a science of addiction curriculum and how to implement this free resource for students in grades 3-12, and which also includes a Workplace Module for employers and employees; and learn about the brain reward system and its relationship to addiction & list the variety of no-cost drug prevention education resources and digital publications provided by DEA, and how to access them.

Prevention Domains 2. Prevention Education and Service Delivery & 4. Community Organization

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Cathleen (Catie) Drew, Senior Prevention Program Manager in DEA’s Community Outreach Section.

Workshop 8) Are We Really That Different?

Description: This presentation will focus on diversity and multiculturalism. The goal of this presentation is to gain an understanding of mental health related data and substance use data that is shared and experienced amongst diverse populations. This presentation will also provide basic steps on how to approach culturally diverse populations, to discuss substance use and mental health related issues.

Objective: Identify universally experience mental health and substance related challenges experienced by diverse populations. & Approach diverse populations with the knowledge of mental health and substance abuse related needs, and build appropriate relationships with participants to improve the quality of their education.

Prevention Domains 1. Planning and Evaluation, 3. Communication & 6. Professional Growth and Responsibility

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Jonathan Edwards, MEd, LPC Associate, CPS, JSO. is the program director for Hub City Outreach Center.

Wednesday Afternoon– March 31st

Workshop 9) Marijuana Myths (ATOD Specific)

Description: With the Decriminalization of marijuana. Youth perception of harm has increased. This training will provide education on marijuana effects on brain and learning. Participants will receive information on psychological and physical effects of marijuana for youth. Participants will be educated on 10 Marijuana Myths and distinguish facts from myths. This training will also provide information on the various laws regarding Legalization.

Objective: Identify myths regarding marijuana, identify marijuana effects on brain and learning and name psychological and physical effects of marijuana.

Prevention Domains 2. Prevention Education and Service Delivery & 6. Professional Growth and Responsibility

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Rudy Garcia CPS, LCDC

Workshop 10) Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD Specific)

Description: This webinar will provide fast facts about Alcohol, Tobacco, Marijuana, Prescription Drugs, Synthetics, Vaping and Edibles. A list of excellent online resources will also be provided that you can use for your own presentations.

Objective: List the classifications of drugs and describe their effects on the brain.

Prevention Domains 2. Prevention Education and Service Delivery & 6. Professional Growth and Responsibility

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Mitchell Moore BAT, ICPS, LCDC, ADC

Thursday Morning- April 1st

Workshop 11) Challenging issues in Prevention Ethics: An Advanced Course

Description: In this workshop, participants will move beyond basic prevention ethics and consider ethical issues related to the use of social media and the boundaries of relationships with participants in their prevention work. Guidelines for both will be suggested.

Objective: Define social media and dual relationships in prevention ethics, identify at least three ethical issues in prevention related to social media and dual relationships and list guidelines for these in prevention work

Prevention Domains 3. Communication & 6. Professional Growth and Responsibility

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 4. Professional and Ethical Responsibilities

Speaker: Sandra Puerini Del Sesto, M.Ed, ACPS

Thursday Afternoon- April 1st

Workshop 12) Digital Wellbeing

Description: Digital and Virtual Technologies have become priorities in how we communicate, connect, and express our interests. We know the virtual world impacts our real lives in ways large and small, but how does that impact improve, hinder or hurt us? This digital wellbeing course highlights growing concerns in regards to technology use and offers realistic and practical ways to better manage our digital needs and self-care.

Objective: Identify and set micro-boundaries in order to better maintain a harmonious work-life balance. Communicate and educate others on realistic digital boundaries and why they are important for us all.

Prevention Domain 6. Professional Growth and Responsibility

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 4. Professional and Ethical Responsibilities

Speaker: Susie Reynolds Reece

Workshop 13) Tips & Tricks for Virtual Facilitation

Description: If you need ideas for how to take your virtual facilitation to the next level, don’t miss this fast-paced, interactive and resource-filled session. Participants will look at, play with and engage in a variety of tools, websites and resources that can take your virtual facilitation from ho-hum to OH WOW! All participants will receive a link to a resource packet that includes all activities, links and ideas.

Objective: Identify two new ways to use the built-in tools Zoom offers and/or “low-tech” ways to enhance engagement in virtual sessions. Identify two new external tools that can be used to enhance engagement in virtual sessions.

Prevention Domain 2. Prevention Education and Service Delivery

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Jessica Andrews-Wilson, ICPS, is the Executive Director at GUIDE, Inc.

Friday Morning- April 2nd

Workshop 14) Community Level Change Strategies, Environmental Change & Working with Youth, Oh My!

Description: Community Level Change Strategies (CLCS) are evidence-based and truly work when it comes to creating positive change within local environments. But how do we get youth involved in this change? How do we encourage them to use their voices to make needed change become a reality? Join us for this hands-on, engaging webinar that will provide participants with tools and resources to actively involve youth in their communities in meaningful ways to make the world a better place for us all!

Objective: List Community Level Change Strategies and how they work to address prevention needs in communities. Identify ways to incorporate youth voice into CLCS within communities.

Prevention Domains 1. Planning and Evaluation, 2. Prevention Education and Service Delivery & 5. Public and Environmental Change

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Mary Kate C. Chapman MA, ICPS serves as GUIDE’s Associate Executive Director of Positive Youth Development.

Workshop 15) A Virtual Future: Let’s Get Social with Our Social Media

Description: The coronavirus pandemic has dramatically uprooted the way many of us operate, but our communities still need us. Our jobs are more important than ever, and we have new challenges to overcome. Our stakeholders and community members have adopted new ways of doing things, which means our online presence is much more important.

This presentation will provide new opportunities to implement novel and creative ways to level-up your online presence. The presenters will walk participants through a journey that begins with the nuts and bolts of a solid social media strategy and ends with field-tested tools and templates to create captivating content.

Objective: Identify and create an audience-specific social media strategy & custom content including graphics, videos, and captions for multiple social media platforms.

Prevention Domains 3. Communication & 5. Public and Environmental Change

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Dave Closson MS, is the owner of DJC Solutions, LLC, and Director of the Mid-America Prevention Technology Transfer Center.

Co-Presenter: Ariel Norris is the owner of Muse Street Marketing, LLC

Friday Afternoon- April 2nd

Workshop 16) CPS Exam Prep Course

Description: The Prevention Specialist Exam Preparation Course will assist in preparing participants to study for and subsequently take the prevention specialist exam. This course covers the requirements and application process to become a Certified Prevention Specialist. The workshop presenter will discuss the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), authors of the exam, how the exam was developed, and how it is conducted. The workshop will cover the domains and tasks covered in the new exam, study resources, the types of questions that are on the exam and tips for studying and taking the exam. This course will NOT cover exam content.

Objectives: Be knowledgeable about the requirements to become a Certified Prevention Specialist & be familiar with the structure and the content of the exam, the types of questions on the exam, and be able to locate resources to help in preparation for the exam.

Prevention Domain 6. Professional Growth and Responsibility

AADC, ADC & LCDC Domain 3. Counseling and Education

Speaker: Julie Stevens, MPS, ACPS, ICPS

Speaker Bios

Monday Afternoon- March 29th

Welcome & foreword

KEVIN A. SABET, Ph.D. President & CEO of Smart Approaches to Marijuana

Described by NBC as the “prodigy” of drug politics and policy, Kevin A. Sabet, PhD, is an author, consultant, former advisor to three U.S. presidential administrations, assistant professor, and serves as the President and CEO of SAM, which he founded with former Congressman Patrick Kennedy in 2013. He has studied, researched, written about, and implemented drug policy for almost 20 years. He has worked in the Clinton (2000), Bush (2002-2003) Administrations, and in 2011 he stepped down after serving more than two years as the senior advisor to President Obama’s drug control director, having been the only drug policy staffer to have ever served as a political appointee in a Democrat and Republican administration. He has appeared since at the Aspen Ideas and New Yorker festivals, on the Organization of American States blue ribbon commission advising hemispheric drug policy, and in hundreds of forums and discussions promoting the ideas outlined in his first book, Reefer Sanity: Seven Great Myths About Marijuana, published by Beaufort. He has been featured on the front page of the New York Times and in virtually every major media publication and news channel on the subject of drug policy.

Workshop 1) Preventing Drug Use Among Youth and Young Adults: Seven Keys to a Successful Program

Speaker: Rich Lucey is a senior prevention program manager in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Community Outreach and Prevention Support Section. Rich plans and executes educational and public information programs, evaluates program goals and outcomes, and serves as an advisor to the Section Chief and other DEA officials on drug misuse prevention and education programs. Rich formerly served as special assistant to the director for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and worked as an education program specialist in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

Workshop 2) How to Foster and Maintain Your Emotional Health

Speaker: Maura McGowan, CPS is the Program Director of the NH Teen Institute, a non-profit agency whose mission is to empower youth through personal leadership development and community engagement. Maura has worked in the field of prevention since 2002 when she began facilitating prevention education programs for youth and families through the Child Assault Prevention (CAP) Program, Active Parenting Series, and The Parenting Journey. Maura became involved with the NH Teen Institute in 2008 and began volunteering for programs and working on a curriculum updating and development board. In 2017, Maura became Program Director for the agency in charge of youth programming and volunteer engagement. Maura believes strongly in the importance of prevention and works to increase her own knowledge and skills while educating others.

Tuesday Morning- March 30th

Workshop 3) Mirrors and Magnifying Glasses: Why You Need Reflection in your Prevention Programs

Speaker: Jessica Andrews-Wilson, ICPS, is the Executive Director at GUIDE, Inc., a substance abuse prevention and positive youth development agency in Lawrenceville, GA. Jessica has volunteered and worked in various capacities with community mobilization, youth development and substance abuse prevention since her first year at GUIDE’s Georgia Teen Institute program in 1993 as a representative from Brookwood High School in Snellville. During her time at GUIDE, Jessica has held numerous positions, painted two different office spaces green, conducted more trainings and workshops than she can count and, on more than one occasion, spilled coffee on herself before a big meeting. GUIDE’s work focuses on community level change around issues including suicide prevention, underage drinking, prescription drug abuse and vaping prevention, youth development training, youth empowerment and leadership and all things that create safe and healthy communities. Some of Jessica’s career highlights (so far!) include helping to create the Georgia Afterschool and Youth Development (ASYD) Initiative (and continuing to co-lead this initiative), becoming an Internationally Certified Prevention Specialist through the Prevention Credentialing Consortium of Georgia, receiving the Ray Avant Excellence in Prevention Award and conducting trainings with some of the most talented and respected trainers this side of the Mississippi. Jessica earned her Master of Science degree in Organizational Development and Leadership from the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is believes wholeheartedly that she has the best job in the world.

Workshop 4) A Future of Wellbeing: Military Veterans & Substance Misuse Prevention

Speaker: Dave Closson is the owner of DJC Solutions, LLC, a modern-day consulting company with a combined focus of serving substance misuse prevention professionals, law enforcement officers, and military veterans across the United States. He is the author of Motivational Interviewing for Campus Police and was chosen as one of the few Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) #StillServing Heroes nationwide.

Dave is also Director of the Mid-America Prevention Technology Transfer Center which is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. His PTTC serves as a prevention catalyst, empowering individuals and fostering partnerships to promote safe, healthy, and drug-free communities across Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas.

Dave was previously a Training/Technical Assistance Specialist for SAMHSA’s Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT). Before joining CAPT, he was Assistant Director of the Illinois Higher Education Center for Alcohol, Other Drug, and Violence Prevention. Dave brings a unique experience to substance misuse prevention, having served as a campus police officer at Eastern Illinois University. Dave was deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. While spending a year in Iraq with his infantry battalion and his recon team, he earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and was awarded two Army Commendation Medals (one for valor and one for meritorious service).

Tuesday Afternoon- March 30th

Workshop 5) Preventing Drug Use Among College Students: The Importance of Strategic Planning

Speakers: Rich Lucey is a senior prevention program manager in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Community Outreach and Prevention Support Section. Rich plans and executes educational and public information programs, evaluates program goals and outcomes, and serves as an advisor to the Section Chief and other DEA officials on drug misuse prevention and education programs. Rich formerly served as special assistant to the director for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and worked as an education program specialist in the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools.

Co-presenter: Dave Closson is the owner of DJC Solutions, LLC, a modern-day consulting company with a combined focus of serving substance misuse prevention professionals, law enforcement officers, and military veterans across the United States. He is the author of Motivational Interviewing for Campus Police and was chosen as one of the few Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) #StillServing Heroes nationwide.

Workshop 6) Cultural Considerations for Working with LGBTQ Youth

Speaker: Marissa Carlson is the Executive Director of the NH Teen Institute, a leadership development nonprofit working with middle & high school students from around NH & New England in a variety of areas including substance misuse prevention, peer mentoring, and creating positive school & community climate. As part of her role at TI, she oversees and facilitates training for both the youth participants and TI’s youth & adult volunteer program staff. She is a trainer for multiple workshops developed by the CAPT and ATTC systems, including the Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training (SAPST) curriculum. In addition, she is the President of the Prevention Certification Board of NH, the NH Prevention delegate to the IC&RC, and serves as the lead advisor of the Prevention Specialist credentialing committee. She serves on the NH Governors Commission Prevention Task Force, and sits on the advisory councils of the NH Training Institute on Addictive Disorders (NHTIAD) and SAMHSAs New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC). Outside of her work with TI, Marissa is the Associate Artistic Director of Mill City Productions, a theatre company in Western Massachusetts. She graduated from Pomona College with a BA in Psychology, received an MS in Nonprofit Management from Bay Path University, and is a Certified Prevention Specialist.

Wednesday Morning- March 31st

Workshop 7) Community Drug Prevention Education in the Era of COVID

Speaker: Cathleen (Catie) Drew joined the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) in 2006 as the Education Director for the DEA Museum. She is currently a Senior Prevention Program Manager in DEA’s Community Outreach Section. In this capacity, she develops and implements national partnerships with other organizations that help educate the public and communicate the Administration’s drug prevention messages. She is responsible for the oversight of the Operation Prevention drug prevention curriculum (in collaboration with Discovery Education) and the numerous drug prevention publications provided by DEA’s Community Outreach Section. Catie previously worked as an Interpretive Science Park Ranger for the National Park Service, an Environmental Education Specialist for the Smithsonian Institution, and a Marine Biologist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Catie has an undergraduate degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Colorado, and a Master’s Degree in Museum Education from the George Washington University. She lives with her family in Northern Virginia.

Workshop 8) Are we really that different?

Speaker: Jonathan Edwards is a Licensed Professional Counselor Associate, a Certified Prevention Specialist and a certified Juvenile Supervision Officer. He is the program director for Hub City Outreach Center, a Counselor Intern at Garza County Juvenile Center and provides Direct Care at the Texas Boys Ranch. Jonathan Edwards is an intern under David Boyles LPC-S. Jonathan Edwards provides prevention education for at-risk youth and their families, AOD and Crisis counseling, and direct care for youths in the foster system. After receiving his Master’s degree in Mental Health Counseling at Texas Tech University, Jonathan is now working on his doctorate at Texas Tech University in Counselor Education. In addition to this career and academic pursuits, Jonathan enjoys writing books, reading, playing video games and mentoring youth in West Texas.

Wednesday Afternoon– March 31st

Workshop 9) Marijuana Myths

Speaker: Rudy Garcia, CPS, LCDC, has been working in the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment field since 2000. Rudy has had years of experience of providing direct services in Prevention and Treatment. Rudy has also Directed Prevention Programs and Out-Patient Services. Rudy is a Trainer of Evidenced Based Prevention Curriculums as well Required Prevention Specialists Trainings.

Workshop 10) Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD Specific)

Speaker: Mitchell Moore, BAT, ICPS, LCDC, ADC, is a dynamic educator who has a passion for training people and serves those who serve by designing and delivering training and across America. He is an advanced certified prevention specialist and licensed chemical dependency counselor who has extensive experience working with youth and families in both prevention and recovery settings. He has served as a counselor, prevention specialist and executive director of a charitable organization.

In 2019, he was awarded the Texas Prevention Specialist of the Year.

He is currently an independent contractor, a beekeeper, a board member for Prevention Training Services and volunteers his time with the Texas Certification Board.

Thursday Morning- April 1st

Workshop 11) Challenging issues in Prevention Ethics: An Advanced Course

Speaker: Sandra Puerini Del Sesto, M.Ed, ACPS, is a consultant and master trainer who has provided community and strategic planning, program development, and capacity building in all areas of prevention practice throughout the United States. She was the founder and for 30 years the executive director of a statewide, multi-service prevention program and a founder of RI’s largest non-profit treatment program. In addition to her prevention work, she was the founding director of the Institute for Addiction Recovery at RI College. Sandra is a delegate to and the former Prevention Committee Co-Chair of the IC&RC. She is a member of the faculty and advisory board of the New England School of Addiction Studies, a member of the Advisory Board for the National Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC), the National Hispanic/Latino PTTC and the New England PTTC. Sandra is a co-author of SAMHSAs Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training (SAPST) and its Basic and Advanced Prevention Ethics as well as many other courses and webinars. Sandra received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College (Newton), and her Master’s degree in counselor education from Rhode Island College. She also completed a certificate program in non-profit management through Brown University in Providence. Ms. Del Sesto is an advanced certified prevention specialist.

Thursday Afternoon- April 1st

Workshop 12) Digital Wellbeing

Speaker: Susie Reynolds Reece, comedically known as the Southern Fried Asian (because she is southern raised with a crispy Korean coating), is a published author, national public speaker, and violence prevention strategist and consultant. Acclaimed for her expertise in suicide awareness, she is sought after for her knowledge of suicide prevention and postvention, depression, bullying and other issues facing families and youth of today. She is skillfully adept at blending the realms of science and research with experiences and storytelling in order to engage and compel any person to be equipped to confidently stand up for social issues.

Workshop 13) Tips & Tricks for Virtual Facilitation

Friday Morning- April 2nd

Workshop 14) Community Level Change Strategies, Environmental Change & Working with Youth, Oh My!

Speaker: Mary Kate C. Chapman serves as GUIDE’s Associate Executive Director of Positive Youth Development. Mary Kate is responsible for oversight of the Youth Advisory Board; customized training events for both youth and adults; the coordination of various conferences including the Georgia Afterschool & Youth Development Conference; and GUIDE’s annual youth leadership conference, Georgia Teen Institute (GTI). Mary Kate began her journey with GUIDE when she was 17-years-old as a GTI participant. She continued to volunteer and serve as a trainer for GUIDE in various capacities and is now happy to call GUIDE home. Mary Kate is an Internationally Certified Prevention Specialist through the Prevention Credentialing Consortium of Georgia and regularly trains others in the Core Courses required by PCCG.

Mary Kate holds a Master of Arts in Liberal Studies (English) from Clayton State University and a Bachelor of Science in Communications (Media Studies) from Kennesaw State University. She has presented at local, state and national conferences. She is the current Prevention Credentialing Consortium of Georgia (PCCG) Board President and is an active member of the National Society of Leadership and Success.

Workshop 15) A Virtual Future: Let’s Get Social with Our Social Media

Co-Presenter: Ariel Norris is the owner of Muse Street Marketing, LLC, a full-spectrum marketing agency that is driven by the cohesion of marketing arts and sciences. Ariel Norris has utilized digital marketing and an elevated brand approach to help dozens of businesses in various industries roadmap their strategy and maximize the growth of their businesses. Ariel’s marketing roots developed at a young age after getting involved her first tech-based start-up at only 19-years-old. Soon after, she graduated from Butler University Lacy School of Business, spent some time in a corporate marketing career, and then shifted to focus entirely on her growing business now known as Muse Street.

She has had the opportunity to work with larger brands including Delta, David Yurman, and Verizon Wireless to name a few but wanted to take her corporate marketing background and work primarily with established small-to-medium-sized businesses after falling in love with the nature of a small but might corporation and the people who keep them running.

Friday Afternoon- April 2nd

Workshop 16) CPS Exam Prep Course

Speaker: Julie Stevens, MPS, ACPS, ICPS

Julie Stevens is an Advanced Certified Prevention Specialist and was a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor for 20 years. She has served as Director of Prevention for the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and Training Specialist for the University of Oklahoma’s Southwest Prevention Center, and most recently as Executive Director of LifeSteps Council on Alcohol and Drugs.

She is currently Member At Large of the Board of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium. Ms. Stevens serves on the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals and is chair of the Prevention Subcommittee. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Baylor University and a Masters of Prevention Science from the University of Oklahoma. In addition, Ms. Stevens is an adjunct professor for the University Of Oklahoma College Of Liberal Studies.