CAADE Conference 2021

CAADE Conference 2021

“Educating, Advocating, and

Healing in a Pandemic Era”

August 20 & 21 2021Virtual Conference

The California Association for Alcohol/Drug Educators & InterCoast Colleges proudly present

CAADE Conference 2021 Educating, Advocating, and Healing in a Pandemic Era

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https://pinnacletreatmentcareers.com/


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Table of Contents

• CAADE Opening Message....................................................Page 4

• CAADE Members ...................................................................Page 5

• Welcome from ACCBC..........................................................Page 8

• What is ACCBC?......................................................................Page 10

• Conference Agenda.................................................................Page 13

• Presenter Biographies.............................................................Page 15

• Sponsors.....................................................................................Page 20


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The Phoenix

“The Phoenix is a beautiful, legendary bird that lived in Arabia and, according to myth, consumed itself

by fire every 500 years. A new, young phoenix — just as breathtaking — sprang from its ashes. In

ancient Egypt, the Phoenix represented the sun, which dies at night and is reborn in the morning.

Greek mythology presents the stunning creature in the early morning — at dawn it bathes in water

and sings an enchanting song. So beautiful is this song that the sun god Helios would stop his chariot

to listen. There only exists one phoenix at a time. Upon its impending death, it builds a nest, sets itself

on fire, and is consumed by the flames. A new phoenix springs forth from the pyre. Early Christian tra-

dition adopted the Phoenix as a symbol of both immortality and resurrection. Modern folklore utilizes

the magnificent creature as a symbol of renewal, rebirth, and starting anew.”

The symbolism of this beautiful creature applies to all of us in multiple ways this year. As counselors,

we have always worked to serve those looking to find their own rebirth in recovery. As an

organization, the Addiction Counselor Certification Board of California has now returned from hiatus

with a new accreditation as well as a new commitment that is stronger than ever to serving those we

certify. Let us all celebrate this weekend, both as purveyors of rebirth and as members of the CAADE

family. Whether you have been certified with us since the beginning or are a student attending the

conference for the first time, everyone can celebrate rebirth!

The Rise of the Phoenix


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Welcome from CAADE

Ben Salazar, LMFT, CATC IV CEO/Executive Director, CAADE

Welcome CAADE members, counselors, students, professionals, and all of you loyal followers just interested in supporting our event. The CAADE board of directors and I from the bottom of our hearts thank-you and welcome you to our 2021 virtual conference Educating, Advocating and Healing in a Pandemic Era.

I am Benjamin Salazar and I’m your humble and grateful CEO for the California Association of Alcohol Drug Educators. Thank you for joining us this year. How grateful we are to see you here. I can’t tell you how grateful we are to see you here especially after the pandemic closed down our conference in April, 2020. We were literally two weeks from the conference opening and the governor shut us down. What hurt us most was the disappointment we knew our counselors and our attendees experienced because of the pandemic shut down. The phone calls and emails that we received as a result of that shut down tell the story of your disappointment. What lifted our spirits was the feedback that you would be waiting for us and our next conference and here we are. We wanted this to be face to face but given the current status of the pandemic; we want to keep all of us safe. Our hope is the 2022 conference will be face to face. The theme of our conference this year is Educating Advocating and Healing in a Pandemic Era. How appropriate for the times we are living through.

First and foremost, educating because CAADE has always had the highest educational standards of all the certifying bodies. All our alcohol drug study programs have always been housed in colleges and universities with the highest accreditation possible that means, almost all our community colleges and universities are regionally accredited. Also, the educators who teach our students always are the best of the best, holding masters and Ph.D.’s. We believe an education is a great way of building a positive self-image and esteem for our students especially those who have struggled in the past and an education is something no one can ever take from you. So, you are learning from those with the best education and the clinical experience. We always have believed in our counselors establishing an education first based on sound theory and legal and ethical foundations and then gaining experience through practicum and internship. Never experience before education maybe that’s why our legal and ethical violations have always been at such yearly lows.

Second, advocating for and promoting legislation that promotes the addiction counselor profession. Advocating legislation that will mean supporting reforms for our workforce that will translate into higher wages and better working conditions for our counselors. CAADE also advocates for workforce development. Currently there is a shortage of certified counselors in the workforce. CAADE continues to advocate to add counselors to the workforce whether it be through traditional community colleges or though the OMCP Department of Corrections program, which we are currently proud part of. Also, CAADE continues to advocate at attempts of possible licensure in the future for our counselors as long as it is consistent with advancement in a counselor’s education.

Let us start to heal. It has been a very tumultuous year and few months for many of us. I can’t imagine for some of you it has been very painful year as well, where Covid has struck your household and families with a ferocity, like a thief in the night, taking a loved one before their time. We at CAADE empathize with you and some of us have shared that tragic experience with you as well. Many of us are still struggling and most of us are wondering when it will be over. As counselors and professionals, we have been on those front lines attempting to heal our clients, while we try to heal our ourselves. Covid compounds our profession because as counselors we know how difficult it is to heal by clients by Zoom. It is not the same as that face to face contact that CAADE counselors have grown to learn and practice. Our hope is during this conference that somehow the collective energy of us all being here, focused on our presenters, on each other, bettering ourselves, so we can be better for our clients, we can heal a little more and at the end of these two days, maybe make a friend or two and learn something new. This will allow us as counselors and professionals to continue educating, advocating and healing. well after the pandemic. Thank-you!


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Welcome from CAADE

Wendy Weihl, PharmD President Elect, CAADE Board of Directors

Judy Redman, PhD. (abd) M.Ed.,MBA President, CAADE Board of Directors

Welcome to the 2021 Annual CAADE conference, "Educating, Advocating, and Healing in a Pandemic Era." The last two years have been tremendously difficult for all us, and this is an opportunity to come together to support one another, heal, and also learn. CAADE has led the way in excellence in education for Addiction Professionals for 35 years, and we are going strong! As Chair of CAADE's Accreditation committee, I am proud of the high standards we have for SUD counselor education. SUD counselors are critical to the health and well-being of our world. They have one of the most challenging jobs, and we want each of them to be properly prepared for this vitally important work. I thank all of our staff and volunteers that give so generously of their time to keep CAADE's Mission alive, and to make this conference not only richly educational, but also fun! I look forward to seeing you, and learning with you, Wendy

Greetings! As President of CAADE, it is my distinct pleasure and honor to welcome you all to the 2021 CAADE and InterCoast Colleges Virtual Conference: “Educating, Advocating, and Healing in a Pandemic Era” as we all continue to move forward in this new world. I am so proud and excited that this event will be hosted virtually as this gives the opportunity for our community members to connect in a safe manner as well as expand our reach to include industry professionals, community partners and the future counselors that are in schools that under your guidance and leadership will rise and take the reign for the future of counseling and as many of you continue to provide mentorship for those interested in the field. What you all do in your career each and every day is so vitally important in saving lives. The more counselors we have educated and licensed the more lives we can all effect each and every day in our communities, schools, clinics and facilities. As stakeholders in the field of Substance Use and Mental Health Disorders, treatment and education, we are afforded this opportunity to come together, reuniting collectively, to speak to the challenges that have been exacerbated during the pandemic and the progress that has been made while continuing to have a positive impact on the lives of the people, families and communities we serve. As leaders in the industry it is vitally important that all of our voices are heard and that we continue to remain united in our efforts to educate, certify and work together to achieve the same goals for the advancement and progress in our industry. In closing, I would like to extend my personal and heartfelt thank you to the CAADE Conference Committee for their tireless hard work and dedication to create an outstanding conference for all of us to share, learn and enjoy. I look forward to seeing each of you at our first Virtual Conference!


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Officers President: Judy Redman – InterCoast College

President Elect: Wendy Wiehl – San Diego City College

Executive Director: Benjamin Salazar – Glendale Community College

V.P. Central Area: Vacant

V.P. Liaison Activities: Angela Stocker – College of San Mateo

V.P. Southern Area: Jack Kearney—Training Institute for Addiction Counselors

Secretary: Gus Fierro

Treasurer: Vacant

VP Northern: Vacant

Directors Amber Faille, MSW, ASW

Greg Gooden – CASA, Pasadena, CA

Angie Pelayo – InterCoast College

Daniel Prescott

Michael Webb – Oxnard College

CAADE Staff Benjamin Salazar, MA, LMFT, CATC IV

CEO

Stella Lin , BA, CATC III

Marketing & Outreach

CAADE Board of Directors


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The Addiction Counselor Certification Board of California Welcomes You to the 2021 CAADE Conference!!!

A letter from the Chairman of the Board:

The ACCBC would like to extend a very warm welcome to the CAADE community and we would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your continued support and commitment to this organization and the pursuit of higher education and standards for the addiction treatment profession.

A lot has happened since our last conference and we have a lot to report. On July 17th 2018 we received our notice of being accredited once again by the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA). On March 11th of 2019 we received notification from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) that we were once again recognized as an approved certifying organization in the state of California. Each of these processes came with significant challenges due to changes in state regulations and national standards, these changes took much more time and effort than anticipated and thus the reason for the delay in our return….and now…WE ARE BACK!!!

We are looking forward with great anticipation to the future of our organization and to providing you with the same personalized service that you have always expected from us (YES, you can still call and talk to a human being or actually walk in to our office and talk to someone in person!). Yes, it is true that we have been inundated with calls, emails, and walk-ins to our office. We continue to work diligently to respond to each of you as quickly as we can. We have also added a new on-line system to make things a bit easier (we are continuing to upgrade this system as we get feedback from you). We also understand that some of the processes that you are experiencing are confusing, much of that comes from the new processes we must follow per state requirements. We will attempt to answer many of these questions at the ACCBC info session.

Please join us for the ACCBC info session where we will discuss: • Registration and Certification Updates• Changes to policies• The online platform• And the much anticipated Q&A session

Lastly, thank you does not seem sufficient to express our gratitude to all of those who stood by us during this challenging time, so we are sending all of you positive energy and hopeful/healing vibes!

Sincerely and with great gratitude and respect,

Donnie Watson, CATC VACCBC Chair

And the entire ACCBC Staff and Board

Welcome from the ACCBC


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Addiction Counselor Certification Board of California

Certification Board of Directors:

Donnie Watson, Ph.D, CATC V – ACCBC Chairman

Cyndie Dunkerson, BA, CATC III – ACCBC Vice-Chair

Dayna Krebs, BA, CATC III

Lorrie Linn-Odell, CATC IV

Christopher Gentry

Terese Lang, CATC III

Lisa Marie Celentino, RN – Public Member

Carlton Blanton, Ed.D, CATC V – Emeritus

Lauren Delgado, BA – ACCBC Certification Manager (non-voting)

Benjamin Salazar, LMFT, CATC IV – CAADE Executive Director (non-voting)

ACCBC Board of Directors


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Understanding our organization and why the education of students and the certification of counse-

lors need to be distinctly separate. The California Association for Alcohol and Drug

Educators (CAADE) is the main corporate entity and the Addiction Counselor Certification Board of

California (ACCBC) is an autonomous board (or committee) that falls under the CAADE corporate

umbrella.

Some of you may still have some confusion about what the ACCBC is, who we are and what our

function is. To explain this you must first understand the role of CAADE. The California Association

for Alcohol and Drug Educators (CAADE) has been around for over thirty years, long before addiction

treatment counselors needed to be certified in the state of California. The primary focus of CAADE

was, and still is, to provide the highest possible educational and ethical standards for the addiction

treatment community. This mission has not changed and CAADE is still the leader in this pursuit.

CAADE’s responsibilities are; accrediting academic institutions, vetting and approving CEU providers

that hold higher standards and meet the requirements for CATC renewal, providing educational ma-

terials and exam prep workshops and working with legislators to raise standards and pass laws that

create positive change for the addiction treatment profession.

As the profession grew over the last thirty plus years, the rules changed and counselors needed to

become certified. This was the beginning of a complex shift for CAADE’s role and a substantial change

in the way things needed to be done. CAADE went through the process of becoming accredited with

the National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and began giving the CATC exam in 2007.

This is when the ACCBC came into

existence because the requirements stated that there needed to be a separation between those who

educated counselors (CAADE) and those who certified them (ACCBC).

CAADE was renewed by NCCA again in 2018 and given a five (5) year accreditation to certify coun-

selors, at this point a separation between education and certification was all that was needed. The

rules changed again a few years later that mandated that those who certify be “fully” independent

and autonomous from the educators. That is when the ACCBC took on a much different role for the

organization and began creating its own identity within the CAADE organization. The ACCBC is re-

sponsible for “all” counselor related concerns, exams, registration, certification and all other related

activities.

CAADE is and will always remain the main corporate entity with two separate autonomous but at-

tached arms, “CAADE education” on one side and “ACCBC certification” on the other. What this

means to you:

What Is the ACCBC?


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CAADE will always be the entity that:

• Accredits academic institutions (colleges and career track schools)

• The vetting and approving of CEU providers

• Providing educational materials and exam prep workshops

• Working with legislators to raise standards and pass laws that create positive change for the ad-

diction treatment profession.

ACCBC will always be the entity that:

• Handles “all” registrant and counselor related concerns

• CATC Exams

• Student Registration

• Certification

• Renewal and extensions

• Ethic Complaints and violations

• Verification of Credentials

• And all other registrant and counselor related activities.

We are hopeful that this information is helpful in assisting you in understanding our organization. As

always, feel free to contact us with any questions or if you need clarification of any kind.

Sincerely and with great gratitude and respect for the work you do,

Judy Redman, CAADE President

Wendy Weihl, CAADE President Elect, Accreditation Chair

Benjamin Salazar, CAADE CEO

Donnie Watson, ACCBC Chair

What Is the ACCBC? (cont’d)


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CE Language


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Agenda Continuing Education Hours

& CEU Certificate

Participants have received CEH Certificates in their packets. At the end of each breakout session you will be asked to complete an evaluation and a volunteer will initial or stamp the back of your CEH Certificate. This is the only record of your attendance so be sure to keep your completed certificate for a minimum of five years. Twelve (12) CEHs have been approved by CCAPP (#4S-18-289-0420), CADTP (#162) and NADAAC for the full conference and 3 CEHs for the pre-conference. See below for more information on board approvals.

BBS — Ademco is approved by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences Course meets the qualifications for up to 12 hours of continuing credit for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, or LEPs as required by the California Board of Behav-ioral Sciences.


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Agenda Continuing Education Hours

& CEU Certificate


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Speaker Bios

Steven Shoptaw, PhD Dr. Steven Shoptaw is a licensed clinical psychologist, Professor and Vice Chair for Research in the Department of Family Medicine at UCLA. He is Professor in the Departments of Psychiatry at UCLA and at the University of Cape Town in South Africa. Dr. Shoptaw’s research involves developing medication and behavior interventions for stimulant and opioid use disorder—especially in the context of HIV transmission. He directs two centers at UCLA-the Center for HIV Identification, Prevention and Treatment Services and the Center for Behavioral and Ad-diction Medicine. He leads work with partners in Vietnam and South Africa studying treat-ments for addiction and HIV transmission.

Dr Geeta Brown, PhDDr. Geeta Brown is President of InterCoast Colleges, institutions of higher education that focus on career readiness programs, including certificate and associate degree pro-grams. InterCoast has five locations in California as well as online program offerings. Geeta received her master’s degree in Leadership and her Doctorate in Global Education, both from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Dr. Brown has taught both at the commu-nity college and in vocational education. She is a certified coach and volunteers her time to work with clients who are making career, leadership and other life decisions. She is married and has three adult children.

Anthony Scuderi, PhDDr. Scuderi has over 30 years’ experience in the Behavioral Science and Addictions fields. Originally from Philadelphia, PA, he has held clinical positions ranging from line therapist to CEO and Private Practitioner. He has taught academically at such colleges/universities as: Immaculata University, Pennsylvania, Newman College, Pennsylvania, University of California-Berkeley Extension, University of San Francisco and presently for InterCoast College. He has and does teach courses in the General and Clinical Psychology field for both undergraduate and graduate students, the entire addictions studies curriculum for ICC, with specialties in Group and Individual Counseling techniques, Anatomy, Physiology, Neurology, and Pharmacology. He holds three doctorates, the Doctor of Divinity, Doctor of Ministry in Marriage and Family, and Doctor of Psychology. In addition, he has a Master of Arts in Counseling, A Bachelor of Science in General Psychology and Criminal Justice Administration and an Associate of Arts Degree in Correctional Administration.

Bob TylerBob Tyler has been working in the chemical dependence recovery profession since 1990. After beginning his personal recovery from alcohol and drug addiction in December of 1988, he completed the Alcohol and Studies Program at Loyola Marymount University (LMU). He then worked as a Counselor at St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica until 1997 when he graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology at LMU. He served as Program Director at Life Change Residential Treatment Center for two years, followed by 14 years at Twin Town Treatment Centers where he served as Director of Operations and Clinical Services managing their six Intensive Outpatient Treatment programs – each serving adults and adolescents


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Speaker Bios

Paula Lee Paula Lee has been serving as CAADE’s legislative consultant for the last 10 years. As CAADE’s representative in Sacramento, she led CAADE’s efforts to enact legislation (Assembly Bill 700) that would have, if passed, created a career ladder for addiction counselors recognizing multi-ple levels of experience and education and bringing California certification up to national evi-dence-based standards. CAADE’S other sponsored bill, AB 575 was signed by Governor Brown adding addiction counselors to the list of mandated reporters for elder abuse, and providing counselors with liability protection. In addition to advocating for higher education and pay for counselors, she is the Legislative Director for Californians for Electoral Reform and Advocacy Director for the League of Women Voters Sacramento County where she advocates for democ-racy reforms like Ranked Choice Voting and Proportional Representation to empower voters, end gerrymandering and minimize wasted votes.

Tricia Parido, BS, CATC III Tricia Parido is a Recovery Lifestyle Enthusiast, Speaker, and Writer. She is a Nationally Certified Life Coach, an International Master Addictions Specialist and a Professional Life Interventionist with a Psych Degree in Process Behavioral and Chemical Addiction who loves to help change lives! Specializing in life transitions and post-treatment journeys, Parido is ever committed to serving her clients worldwide find the emotional intelligence they need to conquer their life challenges. As an active business owner of a thriving coaching practice, Turning Leaves® Recovery, Life, and Wellness Coaching, seated in evidence-based practices, she not only teaches her clients how to live the life they desire and “live free”, but she also teaches those that aspire to become professional coaches how to do so, passionately and professionally. Tricia has co-authored a recent release, Stepping into the Spotlight, that went straight to the Bestsellers list and also was published in Raising the Bar, which was featured on Innovators Radio and NBC and has been published on SkillsYouNeed.com, Thrive Global, Elephant Journal and Aspire, a publication by Walden University where she also has presented her expertise to Alumni just as she did at Bernardo Moya’s The Best You Expo.

The Honorable Daniel Lee, DSW Culver City Vice Mayor Dr. Daniel Lee became the first African-American Member of the Culver City Council in its over 100-year history in 2018. A veteran of the US Air Force and California Air National Guard, he currently work s as Project Manager at the James Lawson Institute. Dan-iel has a Master’s Degree in Social Welfare from UCLA and a Doctorate in Social Work from USC. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Move to Amend, the Backbone Cam-paign, Mockingbird Incubator, and the Clean Power Alliance. Daniel’s work is centered around ACES, Adverse Childhood Experiences and Social Determinants and finding ways to address poverty itself as an Adverse Childhood Experience.


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Speaker Bios

Ben Salazar, MS, LMFT, CATC IV Mr. Salazar is the CEO of California Association for Alcohol/Drug Educators (CAADE). He has been a professor and Director of the Alcohol/Drug Studies Counselor Program at Glendale Community College for 18 years. He is also the Clinical Director of Mindful Recovery / No Ho Treatment Center in North Hollywood. Ben is in private practice as Benjamin Salazar, M.S., LMFT #52049 CATC IV when he is not a psychology doctoral student at Cal Southern University.

John Smith, PhD, LCSW Dr. John Smith is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW #19868 CA) and is the Director of Education and Training at Social Model Recovery Systems. He is a Professor of Addiction Counseling at Mt. San Antonio College and he has been in Private Practice in California since 2000. He is a member of the ASAM (American Society of Addiction Medicine) training faculty. He has over 40 years of experience working with mental health and addictions. He is also the author of “Co-occurring Substance Abuse and Mental Disorders: A Practitioner’s Guide” and he is the “Best-Selling” author of “The Authentic Man: A Guide to Happiness and Purpose”.

Greg Dorst, J.D., CADC II Greg Dorst is a graduate of Claremont McKenna College (1977) as well as the University of La Verne College of Law (1983). Greg practiced law in the Inland Empire area until 1997 at which time he selected a new career with new and different challenges in the treatment and recovery industry. Greg has worked as a counselor, supervisor, director and CEO for non-profit healthcare concerns while always keeping an eye on developing new and different ways to help people to heal physically, emotionally and spiritually. Greg uses science, psychology and philosophy in his presentations and brings an interesting new twist to problems and solutions in the addiction treatment world. Currently, Greg consults for institutions who are looking to broaden their recovery reach.

Rebecca GonzalezRebecca Gonzales is the Director of Government Relations and Political Affairs for the National Association of Social Workers, California Chapter. Her primary duties are to lobby the legislature on issues important to social workers and their clients. Prior to her current position, Rebecca worked for the State Assembly where she worked for several members including former Assemblymember Tom Hannigan who once represented Davis, and for two former speakers of the State Assembly, Willie Brown and Antonio Villaraigosa.


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Speaker Bios

Paul SteinbronerPaul Steinbroner is the founder of CNS Productions which produced and distributed over 50 films on the neuropharmacology and physiology psychoactive drugs. He was the publisher of all 8 editions of the textbook Uppers, Downers, All Arounders.

Ed ReadingHe has been a Chair of the NJ State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, he also chairs the Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee, which certifies and licenses addiction counselors. He has taught at several colleges and universities in New Jersey. He has designed both undergraduate and graduate programs, and currently is an adjunct faculty member of the Addiction Studies program at Ocean County College in NJ. He is also the founder and president of the Matt Talbot Institute for Pastoral and Addiction Studies in Toms River, New Jersey. Dr. Reading has been involved in the education and training of thousands of NJ residents, many of whom now serve as addiction professionals throughout the state.He has lectured to Addiction Medical Professionals, Clergy and Addiction Counselors throughout the US and Canada. Nationally he is on the Board of Directors, and is a Past President of INCASE (the International Coalition of Addiction Studies Educators) and was a founding Commissioner of the National Addiction Studies Accreditation Commission (NASAC) which accredits colleges and universities through out the US. He is a Past President and current Board Member of the International Coalition of Addiction Studies Educators (INCASE). He is a former Board Member of the National Catholic Council on Alcoholism and other Drugs of Abuse. He has also been widely published in professional journals and magazines.

J. David LikensJ. David Likens has over 20 years of leadership experience in addictiontreatment and law. He is currently a named partner in the law office of Jeong& Likens, L.C., and previously served as the Chief Executive Officer of ABCRecovery Centers, Ascension Treatment Centers, and most recently theRanch at Dove Tree. David graduated from Southwestern Law School with aJuris Doctorate degree, earned a Master of Business Administration fromthe Quantic School of Business and Technology, and is currently inresidence at the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs working on agraduate degree in social work. In addition, David has earned a bachelor’sdegree in management from the University of La Verne and an associatedegree in addiction counseling from Mt. San Antonio College.


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Speaker Bios

Gregory Gooden, LMFTGregory is a licensed therapist and certified addiction professional. He is the Compliance Officer at Casa Treatment Center where he has worked since 2010. Gregory maintains a private therapy practice, is an adjunct professor at Pacific Oaks College and Glendale College, and he serves on the board of the California Association for Drug/Alcohol Educators (CAADE).He created an maintains a website called Ethics in Treatment (http://www.ethicsintreatment.com), designed to educate clinicians and consumers about what to watch out for in terms of unethical practices

Daniel PrescottDaniel’s professional experiences in substance abuse treatment have ranged from counseling and direct client services, training, supervision, quality control and programmatic audits, to fundraising, strategic planning, advocacy, capacity building and program evaluation. In addition to substance abuse treatment, Daniel has worked with organizations that support persons experiencing symptoms of mental illness, experiencing homelessness, justice-involved, and gang-active / gang-affiliated. He possesses an MSW with a concentration in organizations, communities, and policy settings from UCLA’s Luskin School of Public Affairs, a master of nonprofit leadership and management from USC’s Price School of Public Policy, a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and education from UCLA’s College of Letters and Science. and an Associate of Arts in addiction studies from Pierce College.

Aaron Diaz, DSW Dr. Aaron Diaz currently supervises mental health and substance use programs at Prototypes HealthRIGHT 360 in Pasadena, CA. He recently graduated with his Doctorate in Social Work from the University of Southern California in December 2020. Previously, he attended USC as Business undergrad and started his professional life in real estate finance cofounding a mortgage company in the mid 90’s before leaving real estate to join the Dodgers as full-time employee from 1997 to 2004. Aaron left the Dodgers and transitioned career paths with the goal of serving as a community health advocate for vulnerable populations obtaining his Masters in Marriage and Family therapy from University of La Verne in 2011. Aaron joined Prototypes shortly thereafter as a therapist before transitioning to supervising CALWORKs, CRP AB109 and FSP mental health programs. His research interests include alternatives to incarceration, improving access and utilization of reentry program-ming for those impacted by the criminal justice system; and strengthening ties between providers and their surrounding communities. . His interest in servicing those impacted by the criminal jus-tice system stems from his personal story of substance use that resulted in his custody as an inmate at Twin Towers nearly two decades ago. Currently, Aaron leads his agency’s Medication Assisted treatment (MAT) program that aims to increase access to evidence-based prevention and MAT treatment services to its clients. Aaron is a father of 3 adult children and has a passion for running and cycling. He is looking forward to running his twelfth LA Marathon in November of 2021.


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Sponsors


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Noho recovery is a 501(c)(3) outpatient treatment center located in North Hollywood, CA. We focus on substance use and co-occurring disorders.

Our staff includes licensed therapists and certified recovery workers who coordinate treatments for mild to moderate cases of depression and other mental health disorders by focusing on the root causes as opposed to the symptoms.

We are a loving community of individuals who share not only common challenges, but more importantly, common solutions.

We do not run away from our old behaviors; we simply PURSUE health and balance and allow the addictions to fall away on their own.

Most of our staff have completely recovered from what we were once told was a "life sentence."

We are joyful people raising families, giving back to our community, and using our experiences to guide others.

www.breatheeasyins.com

www.casatreatmentcenter.org

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touchpointproductions.com/hbjr23

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CAADE Conference 2021

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