Title: Spring Prevention Professional Conference 
Format: Virtual via Zoom
Date: March 25-27, 2025
Time: 9 am- 4:30 pm CT
Continuing Education Hours: 18 CEH’s in Multiple IC&RC Domains
Price: $385 $260 before February 25th
Registration Link: Click here to register
To use this time zone converter click the link and then enter your location on the left and Austin Texas on the right.
Schedule:
March 25th
9:00-10:30 1) The Art of the Ask: Crafting Concise Communication
10:30-12:00- 2) When the Grant Goes Away: Keys to Sustainability
1:30-3:00 3) Micro Moments, Major Impact: Engaging Youth in Prevention
3:00-4:30 4) Prevention Program Planning: How Logic Models Can Help!
March 26th
9:00-12:00 5) Tell Me Your Story: I’m All Ears!
1:30-3:00 6) Maximizing Impact with Limited Resources: Doing More with Less
3:00-4:30 7) Reinvigorating the Spirit: Overcoming the Impact of Addiction on the Family ATOD Specific CEHs
March 27th
9:00-10:30 8) Population-level Universal Prevention Across the Youth System of Care
10:30-12:00 9) Recharge Your Batteries: Microbreaks, Restoration and Sleep Hacks to Rejuvenate Today
1:30-3:00 10) Turn UP Your Youth Engagement!
3:00-4:30 11) Community Engagement through Fundraising: Building Sustainable Support
All virtual workshops are subject to change. They are scheduled in Central Time, CST, Use the time zone converter , then enter Texas, Houston
Course Descriptions:
1) Crafting Concise Communication 1.5 hrs. in Domain Three- Communication
Can you effectively communicate your programs value in under a minute and invite people to get involved? Delivering a concisely crafted message intended to inspire potential partners into action is a skill that will set you apart from others.
In my forty years of service to the prevention field I have watched many passionate people ramble on at length about their program in aimless manner. Their meandering without a clear direction often left potential supporters confused about the value of their program. Even fewer knew the “Art of the Ask” and missed golden opportunities to expand their support base.
Crafting concise communication does not just happen. It is a learned skill that leaves a lasting impression. You will leave this workshop empowered knowing that you can describe your program in under a minute and inspire potential partners to join you.
Skill: Participants will learn how to design a concise message to enhance community connection.
Objectives: Participants will be able to name the 3 components of a concise effective message and deliver their message in under 2 minutes to a variety of audiences.
Presenter: Mitchell Moore, BAT, ACPS, LCDC, ADC
2) When the Grant Goes Away: Keys to Sustainability 1.5 hrs. in Domain 4- Community Organization
Most of the funding for prevention programming comes from federal, state and local government grants. Often local foundations and businesses contribute financial support for programs aligned with their interests and goals. Inevitably the funding comes to an end, although the problem does not go away.
Organizations must constantly pursue funding streams in order to sustain the level of services they are committed to. Planning for sustainability must begin at the onset of the development of a program or strategy and continue throughout the implementation and evaluation of all activities.
This workshop will discuss predictors and barriers to sustainability, and strategies to ensure the continuation positive outcomes.
Skill: Participants will be able to identify keys to increasing organizational capacity for sustainability.
Objectives: Participants will be able to identify predictors and barriers to sustainability and understand the value of community support in ensuring coalition or program sustainability.
Presenter: Julie Stevens, MPS, ACPS, ICPS
3) Micro Moments, Major Impact: Engaging Youth in Prevention 1.5 hrs. in Domain 2 – Prevention Education and Service Delivery
Do you want to make a real difference in the lives of young people? It’s not about the big events, but the small moments. This presentation reveals the power of micro-interactions in youth substance use prevention. Join us as we explore three impactful strategies: the simple act of greeting students and how it can lead to transformative change (including helping a student quit vaping!), using lunchroom quizzes to spark conversations and boost substance use knowledge (even if they get the answers wrong!), and how hallway interviews with just a phone and tripod can unlock crucial insights into youth perspectives. Get ready to discover how small connections can lead to big prevention wins.
Skill: Participants will learn how to engage youth in substance use prevention through micro-interactions in their own setting.
Objectives: Participants will be able to articulate the potential long-term impact of consistent micro-interactions on youth engagement and substance use prevention outcomes.
Presenter: Nathan Wray Speaker/Teen Mental Health First Aid Instructor
4) Prevention Program Planning: How Logic Models Can Help! 1.5 hrs. in Domain 1 – Planning and Evaluation
The planning process is an essential part of any prevention program’s success. In fact, ineffective program planning – or a complete lack of planning – can eliminate an organization’s ability to provide high quality services, reach measurable outcomes, and ultimately, know whether or not their program is having a benefit to its recipients.
Logic models are one tool in the prevention professional’s toolbox for program planning. However, many prevention professionals are confused by logic model terminology and the overall logic model framework, and different logic models utilize contradicting terminology, adding unnecessary confusion.
This session demystifies logic models by clarifying logic model terminology, the appropriate use of logic models, and how to utilize logic models to give prevention professionals a means for evaluating programmatic effectiveness.
Skill: Participants will learn how to utilize a logic model framework to enhance prevention program planning and evaluations.
Objectives: Participants will be able to define the theory of change process and logic model terminology and articulate the benefits of using a logic model framework for prevention program planning and evaluations.
Presenter: Andrea Hoff MPA, GPC, OCPC, ICPS
5) Tell Me Your Story: I’m All Ears! 3 hrs. in Domain 3 Communication
What’s your story? For most of us, we don’t think we have an interesting story to tell, let alone think of one that has impact and can make a difference. Believe it or not, your story is your most valuable possession, and somebody is waiting to hear you tell it. You probably never thought about it before, but if you’re on social media, you’re telling a story; it’s only in bits and pieces.
This workshop will help you bring your story together. Why is this important to prevention work? If you can tell your story, you can tell the story of your coalition, and to tell that story is to make prevention real in people’s minds. Discovering your why is powerful; sharing your why is impactful.
Bring your story and the story of prevention to life in your community by making it relatable to those who need to hear it.
Skill: Participants will learn intra-personal communication skills.
Objectives: Participants will be able to engage stakeholders to better understand the role of prevention and the importance of supporting community based prevention and understand their personal “why” statement and share a story about their lives as it relates to the work they do in prevention
Presenter: Steve Miller, CRPS
6) Maximizing Impact with Limited Resources: Doing More with Less 1.5 hrs. in Domain 2 – Prevention Education and Service Delivery
In today’s prevention landscape, professionals are often tasked with achieving ambitious goals while working with limited resources. This session equips participants with practical strategies to scale their initiatives effectively without increasing costs.
By focusing on resource-sharing, innovative partnerships, and time-saving tools, attendees will learn how to optimize their impact while maintaining quality and efficiency.
Whether you’re leading a small coalition, managing a tight budget, or navigating staff shortages, this session provides actionable insights to help you do more with less and sustain long-term success.
Skill: Participants will learn how to optimize resources, leverage strategic partnerships and implement time-saving tools and techniques.
Objectives: Participants will able to identify opportunities to share and repurpose resources, reducing costs while maintaining the effectiveness of their prevention programs and build and sustain partnerships that amplify their reach and impact without increasing budgetary demands.
Presenter: Dave Closson MS
7) Reinvigorating the Spirit: Overcoming the Impact of Addiction on the Family 1.5 hrs. in Domain Six- Professional Growth and Responsibility- ATOD Specific CEHs
Substance use disorder doesn’t only affect the individual—it ripples out, deeply impacting families, relationships, and communities. In this session, we will explore the emotional, psychological, and social toll that addiction can have on family members, and how they can begin to heal. Participants will gain insights into the challenges faced by loved ones, from enabling behaviors to feelings of guilt, grief, and confusion.
Through guided discussions, practical strategies, and supportive exercises, this session will provide tools to help families regain their strength, foster healthier dynamics, and rebuild trust. By learning about boundaries, communication techniques, and self-care practices, participants will be empowered to transform the hurt and hardship of addiction into opportunities for growth, compassion, and resilience.
Skill: Participants will learn how to transform the hurt and hardship of addiction into opportunities for growth, compassion, and resilience.
Objectives: Participants will be able to help families regain their strength, foster healthier dynamics, and rebuild trust.
Presenter: George Comiskey, Psy.D., LCDC, ICPS
8) Universal Prevention Across the Youth System of Care 1.5 hrs. in Domain 2 – Prevention Education and Service Delivery
This dynamic workshop will showcase how multiple states have successfully equipped thousands of professionals—including educators, counselors, therapists, juvenile justice staff, youth development specialists, recovery and rehabilitation experts, as well as parents and caregivers—with practical skills and strategies to enhance their daily work with young people. Join us to discover how these states have implemented universal prevention on a broad scale by providing adults across the care system with evidence-based training that fosters positive outcomes for youth.
Skill: Participants will learn how to identify outcomes of trauma-informed evidence-based universal prevention.
Objectives: Participants will be able to identify stakeholders across sectors in need of evidence-based skills training to develop and retain the workforce and identify steps to initiate a population-level initiative across sectors.
Presenters: Natasha Battle and Frances Witt
9) Recharge Your Batteries: Microbreaks, Restoration and Sleep Hacks to Rejuvenate Today. 1.5 hrs. in Domain Six- Professional Growth and Responsibility
With a heart for service and much work to accomplish in the prevention space, it can sometimes be challenging to rest and sleep well. Many caregivers and prevention specialists find themselves in a cycle of go-go-go and then collapse.
As a buffer zone, learn simple microbreaks to reset between clients and visits. Harness the benefits of a 30-minute deep restoration to let naturally discharge stress (down regulate) and have the capacity and containment to appropriately activate (up-regulate) when it is time to lean in and serve!
Skill: Participants will learn how to utilize one restoration practice to discharge physical, mental and emotional tensions and practice two sleep techniques to walk yourself down the doorway of sleep instead of collapsing into it and waking unrested.
Objectives: Participants will be able to apply five techniques for workday microbreaks and know when to choose the one that serves you best.
Presenter: Jen Schneeman MBA, C-IAYT, CMHC, CDCA
10) Turn UP Your Youth Engagement! 1.5 hrs. in Domain 4 – Community Organization
What does it take to start a student-led club that actually sticks?
The Youth Launch Framework is your key to avoiding common pitfalls and ensuring you attract the students who are passionate, committed, and driven to make a difference.
Skill: Participants will learn how to effectively engage and recruit youth into coalition meetings, activities and events.
Objectives: Participants will be able to list five strategic steps to build an impactful and sustainable youth program that has a culture of impact, resourcefulness and accountability.
Presenter: Jake White BA
11) Community Engagement through Fundraising: Building Sustainable Support 1.5 hrs. in Domain 4- Community Organization
Skill: Participants will learn how to develop a community based fund raiser that can be used to engage community members into their prevention program.
Objectives: Participants will be able to describe how effective fundraising initiatives foster deeper connections within their community, leading to stronger and more sustainable support.
Presenter: Mitchell Moore, BAT, ACPS, LCDC, ADC
Presenters:
1) Mitchell Moore BAT, ACPS, 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, a grant writer 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 and volunteers his time with Prevention Training Services and the Texas Certification Board.
2) Julie Stevens MPS, ACPS, ICPS 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.
Ms. Stevens serves on the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals and is chair of the Prevention Subcommittee. She has served as Member At Large of the Board of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium and Advisor to the Prevention Committee. 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 serves on SAMHSA CSAP’s Substance Abuse Prevention Workforce Assessment College/University Stakeholder workgroup and SAMHSA CSAP’’s Certification Stakeholder workgroup. She also serves on the PTTC Network Coordinating Office (NCO) Advisory Board.
3) Nathan Wray is a dynamic leader in the prevention field with over seven years of experience driving impactful change in youth substance use prevention. An award-winning prevention coordinator, Nathan is known for his innovative approach to collaboration, empowering communities, and fostering sustainable solutions.
As the creator of the 5 P’s Coaching Program, he equips educators, coalitions, and youth leaders with actionable strategies to engage and inspire young people. A recognized youth engagement expert, Nathan has successfully built programs that resonate with students, helping them develop resilience and make positive life choices. https://www.nathanwrayspeaks.com/
Nathan’s expertise in cross-sector collaboration has made him a sought-after speaker, consultant, and trainer. His ability to connect with diverse stakeholders—from schools to community organizations—has led to measurable successes, including a 60% reduction in middle school vaping citations in multiple school districts.
4) Andrea Hoff is the Owner & President of You Thrive Training & Consulting, LLC, a company that provides training and consulting services in the areas of behavioral health prevention, nonprofit leadership, and fundraising.
Andrea has worked in the behavioral health field for almost 30 years, is certified in Ohio as a behavioral health prevention consultant (OCPC) and international behavioral health prevention specialist (ICPS) and is a certified QPR Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Instructor and Substance Abuse Prevention Skills Training (SAPST) Instructor.
She is a coach for the Ohio Coaching and Mentoring (OCAM) Network, and she uses the Gallup Clifton Strengths assessments in her coaching work. Andrea is also a certified grants professional (GPC) with extensive experience in grant writing. She is a Past President of the Miami Valley, Ohio, Chapter of the Grant Professionals Association (GPA) and is an approved GPA speaker.
During her career, Andrea raised over $50 million to support a variety of behavioral health services. She graduated summa cum laude with her Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Dayton.
5) Steve Miller CRPS is a passionate advocate for substance use prevention and mental health promotion. As the Creator of Voices and Vision of Prevention, he draws upon his education in marketing and from a diverse career in radio, television, and professional fundraising, However, it was his lived experience as a person in long-term recovery that inspired his dedication to prevention.
Steve’s mission is to integrate his professional experiences with his passion for music, art and storytelling. He believes in the transformative power of creativity to foster meaningful conversations, reduce stigma, and strengthen the knowledge and skills of the prevention workforce. This mission reflects his unwavering commitment to elevating discussions around prevention and mental health, collectively inspiring positive change.
6) Dave Closson MS, the owner of DJC Solutions, LLC, a consulting company dedicated to serving substance misuse prevention professionals, law enforcement officers, and military veterans across the United States.
With a focus on sustainable habits, aligned experiences, and next-level excellence, Dave helps others achieve their full potential.
As the author of “Motivational Interviewing for Campus Police” and one of the few Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) #StillServing Heroes nationwide, Dave is a nationally recognized expert in his field.
He was the very first Director of the Mid-America Prevention Technology Transfer Center, where he served as a prevention catalyst, empowering individuals and fostering partnerships to promote safe, healthy, and drug-free communities.
Dave’s unique experience in substance misuse prevention comes from serving as a university police officer at Eastern Illinois University and being deployed as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During his year in Iraq with his infantry battalion and recon team, Dave earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge and was awarded two Army Commendation Medals (one for valor and one for meritorious service).
With a Master’s in Technology, Training and Development, and a Bachelor’s in Environmental Biology, Dave is a lifelong learner who is committed to pushing his own limits and helping others do the same. Through training, coaching, and consulting, Dave is making a difference in the lives of those he serves and helping them achieve lasting transformation.
7) George Comiskey began teaching English, Speech and Drama in inner-city Kansas City, MO in 1983. Before coming to Texas Tech, George was the Director of the Safe and Drug-Free Schools/Communities office for Lubbock ISD.
George is an Associate Professor of Practice in the Community Family and Addiction Sciences department. He has the honor of working at the Collegiate Recovery Program at Texas Tech University since 2002, where he works with students in recovery, develops programs and provides outreach to the community.
George is is an Internationally Certified Prevention Specialist, a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor, has worked in the prevention and addiction field since 1990 and is a person in long-term recovery.
8) Frances Witt is an Outreach Specialist for the PAXIS Institute with nearly a decade of experience in PAX programs, including direct implementation and roles at the county and state levels. Frances holds a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work from the University of Cincinnati and is an Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist Assistant.
8) Natasha Battle is a PAXIS Programs Specialist. Natasha previously worked as a PAXIS Trainer, a PAX Tools Community Educator, and a PAX Partner. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Human Development with a focus in Psychology. Her career has been devoted to prevention education, victim advocacy, and adolescent intervention in the fields of domestic violence, sexual assault, and substance misuse. Natasha currently lives in New York state and enjoys nature, travel, and the arts.
9) Jen Schneeman MBA, C-IAYT, CMHC, CDCA is a soul-driven scientist and a co-founder of Real Human Performance. With 22 years in health and human performance, Jen thrives as a chronic fatigue and trauma-informed nervous system specialist facilitating stress management, energy optimization and posttraumatic growth.
First as a science + tech advisor with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Sciences Office and later as a Deputy at the Air Force Research Lab, Human Performance Wing, Jen managed a portfolio of collaborative programs to understand the unique impact of nutrition, disease, brain injury and stressors on humans and how that impacts susceptibility and resistance to other diseases.
She authored Self Care and Resilience™ (SCAR), a personalized nervous system-based burnout resilience program to reclaim energy and expand capacity. Jen guides real humans to live life fully without the stress of nonstop thoughts, intense emotional triggers and exhausting energy leaks.
Jen collaborates for care and brought mindful yoga therapy to three VA Medical Centers, PTSD and TBI residential programs, addiction treatment centers, treatment courts and support groups. Jen facilitates this mind body resilience programs for medical professionals, caregivers and survivors of sexual assault, addiction, PTSD and TBI.
She launched therapeutic mind body connection programs within two NFL teams, three military branches, dozens of organizations and hundreds of medical, mental health and caregiving professionals. After COVID, she expanded the program to real humans just like us.
Jen coaches Ohio Youth in Hey I’m Here Ohio, a diverse youth-led movement on a mission to grow resilience in Ohio’s young people.
Jen uses humor, lived experience and proven methods to deliver stress management, burnout resilience and post-traumatic growth solutions that enable people to live with more awareness, control, self-trust and peace. Jen guides people to understand their unique nervous system in order to boost distress tolerance, manage chronic pain and thrive amidst the inevitable daily stressors. Jen helps people remember their spirit, live a soul-driven life and burn bright after burnout.
10) Jake White BA is a national speaker and sought-after expert in the field of youth drug prevention. As the co-founder of Vive18, an author and podcast host, he helps students overcome peer pressure with confidence so they can become resilient, passionate leaders for their schools and communities.
With over a decade of experience, Jake has contributed significantly to the substance use prevention field with works like “The Vive18 Playbook” for student leaders, “Beyond Alcohol Drug & Vaping” curriculum and toolkit, and “The Opposite Direction: How My Parents Kept Me Off Drugs and Alcohol.”
His insights and life changing message have not only been featured in prestigious news outlets like USA Today and ABC, but also showcased on the stages of the DEA’s Youth Summit and various universities across the country.
Jake is the founder of Vive18 – a Youth Drug Prevention Initiative, and Party.0, a movement dedicated to sober events, demonstrating his community-focused approach to drug prevention. His initiatives have led to the launch of 25 new student clubs, furthering his impact into new communities and schools.
Jake White’s journey is more than just a career; it’s a mission to ignite leadership and purpose into young lives for a substance-free future.
11) Mitchell Moore BAT, ACPS, LCDC, ADC