Breakfast will be provided.

Opening Keynote Speaker To Be Announced

Recovery and Grief

Dr. Andrea Garraway, Clinical Supervisor QS, CCS, NCC, ICAADC, ICCS Pscyhotherapist, LCMHC, LCAS

Grief is a complex process that we all must experience at one point or another in this journey called life. The bereavement process among patients diagnosed with substance use disorder has been a well-known reality in clinical practice. Loss of family members, overdose, suicide, and family relationships are unfortunate yet common events in families affected by substance use disorders. Untreated grief impacts high-risk behavior. Additionally, it impacts substance use and recovery treatment outcomes. It is important to understand the implications that death and grief can have on the substance use disorder (SUD) population to deliver more adequate treatment.Come prepared to learn about the connection between the psychological impact of grief and its physical equivalents. Additionally, this training offers clinical professionals techniques to understand and address mediators that can influence the type, intensity, and duration of grief, thus diluting grieving overtime.

Mind the Gap

Michelle Geiser, LCAS, LCMHCA

This presentation will look at the trends in use that we are seeing in youth. The increase in youth overdoses, psychosis, and the increasing need for treatment options. The presentation will use a traditional slide show, including videos. This subject matter is pertinent as 9 out of 10 adults facing addiction began using before the age of 18. In order to impact this trend we need to be aware of what youth are experiencing and how to better educate ourselves and our communities.

Existential Supervision: The Role of the Supervisor in Meaning Making

Chaz Franke, MSW, LCSW

Supervisors play a critical role in guiding professionals through the intricate journey of making meaning in the context of helping professions. This session will focus on the ways people can develop staff to stay close to the areas of the field that create meaning for them and drive connection to the work. Participants will: examine the supervisor’s role in creating a supportive and reflective space where clinicians can explore their own existential concerns, fostering a deeper understanding of the therapeutic process and enhancing client outcomes; explore how meaning-making can contribute to more effective interventions and therapeutic relationships; and discuss how this practice is essential as we continue to face a workforce crisis in the field.

Opioid Settlement Funds: A Panel Discussion with County Leaders

Mike Kondratick

Opioid Settlement Funds have been a constant topic of conversation for the last few years, but is the money getting spent? This session will explore effective strategies for allocating and managing opioid settlement funds in combating the opioid crisis at the county level and share insights and best practices, covering allocation decisions, collaborative partnerships, impact measurement, sustainability, and lessons learned.

Lunch will be provided.

Cause I’m Feeling Good: Using Emotional Intelligence Across the Continuum: Part 1

Kym Laube

COVID 19, over-scheduled lives, demanding workloads, and social media can have a major impact on each of us. Our daily stressors can impede self-esteem, impact productivity, and diminish our positive influence on others. This is true for both youth and adults. In school, students need a skill set to effectively cope with the challenges associated with being a young person 2023. In our coalition leadership, we need to operate at our peak capacity and stay inspired as we inspire others. As we become fluent in our “EQ” or emotional intelligence, we strengthen our interpersonal and intrapersonal skills and can have a positive impact on those around us. Corporations are well aware of this and invest training and resources for employees. In turn, those with emotional intelligence statistically earn higher income and rise more quickly to leadership roles, and thrive in them. Come join Kym Laube as we laugh, love, heal together, and learn how to rock our lives as we inspire others.

In this workshop we will:
Recognize the role Emotional Intelligence plays in prevention work
Communicate more effectively utilizing both inter and intrapersonal skills with key stakeholders
Foster and enhance personal leadership to strengthen and develop the work of coalitions

Introduction to Creative Expressive Arts

Sam Lewis, BMT, CPS

An interactive and informative learning experience for professionals using creative expressive arts as an intervention to serve their population. Individual/Group assessment techniques will be covered. Interactive activities will be presented illustrating practical and useful techniques without special music/artistic skills. Take a ways for participants will be new and fresh ideas to add to current interventions to reach positive outcomes and goals. Learning Objectives: 1: Assessment Techniques and how to pick the C/E Arts Interventions for your group/individual2: Types of Interventions: and overview of different types C/E Arts of interventions with video examples.3: Application of Interventions: having volunteers participate in groups and individual C/E Arts role plays and interventions.

Integrating Equity in SUD Services

Nicole M. Augustine, MPH, MCHES, CPS

This Opioid Response Network training provides you with an opportunity to enhance your knowledge and awareness of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) issues. We will explore the impact of structural racism on accessing care, seeking services, and maintaining recovery. This training is an opportunity to reflect on ways to create more welcoming and inclusive places of business for our staff and clients, as well as look at ways organizations can support DEI efforts.

An Insider Perspective: LME/MCO Updates on Policy Implementation

Tracy Hayes, Jennifer Jennings

It has been a busy year for the LME/MCOs in North Carolina as they navigated Medicaid Expansion and the consolidation from six to four organizations. On the horizon now is the implementation of Tailored Plans. This session will provide updates on preparations for Tailored plans, the impact of Medicaid Expansion on SUD services, and highlight issues of concern that the SUD field should consider in this time of transition.

The Lonely Helper

Chaz Franke, MSW, LCSW

In the demanding field of substance use and mental health, professionals often find themselves immersed in the well-being of others, dedicating their energy to support and healing. However, the emotional toll of this work can lead to a sense of isolation and loneliness for those in the helping profession. This session will unpack the complexities of “The Lonely Helper” and delve into strategies for navigating the challenges of isolation and loneliness.

Cause I’m Feeling Good: Using Emotional Intelligence Across the Continuum: Part 2

Kym Laube

COVID 19, over-scheduled lives, demanding workloads, and social media can have a major impact on each of us. Our daily stressors can impede self-esteem, impact productivity, and diminish our positive influence on others. This is true for both youth and adults. In school, students need a skill set to effectively cope with the challenges associated with being a young person 2023. In our coalition leadership, we need to operate at our peak capacity and stay inspired as we inspire others. As we become fluent in our “EQ” or emotional intelligence, we strengthen our interpersonal and intrapersonal skills and can have a positive impact on those around us. Corporations are well aware of this and invest training and resources for employees. In turn, those with emotional intelligence statistically earn higher income and rise more quickly to leadership roles, and thrive in them. Come join Kym Laube as we laugh, love, heal together, and learn how to rock our lives as we inspire others.

In this workshop we will:
Recognize the role Emotional Intelligence plays in prevention work
Communicate more effectively utilizing both inter and intrapersonal skills with key stakeholders
Foster and enhance personal leadership to strengthen and develop the work of coalitions

Environmental Strategies: Policy Solutions that Create Positive Community Changes

Tym Rourke

Advancing public health, from disease prevention to supporting those recovering, is bolstered by a policy and regulatory environment that supports, validates, and enhances community health and wellbeing. This session will explore the critical role of policy change as an “environmental strategy” to prevent youth substance misuse and foster early intervention and other supports to ensure long-term recovery and well-being are supported across the lifespan. Successful examples of policy change be highlighted, with lessons learned that can be translated to any community where policy can work to address the root causes of substance misuse and disorders. Additionally, the session will explore the mechanics of successful policy work for providers, from funding considerations to navigating the board, staff, and the public’s role in policy work.

Learning Objectives:
1. To understand policy actions as a necessary and appropriate “environmental strategy.”
2. Review best practice examples of policy change that have contributed to reducing youth substance misuse and other positive outcomes.
3. To explore the financing, structural, and tactical capacities needed within organizations participating in policy work.

The Transformative Journey from Problem-Centered Therapy to Person-Centered Care

Michael Grohall, LCAS

Within both Substance Use Treatment AND Mental Health Treatment there can be embedded unconscious biases that manifest in how we, as clinicians, talk about the “problem”. Eager to diagnose and help, it is sometimes easy to forget the human being we are treating. Treatment becomes a matter of fixing a problem rather than providing the resources to support person-centered care. A client’s hopes, dreams and desires can be put on hold or even discouraged as we set the terms for their recovery. We may feel a client is being unrealistic or impatient even suggesting, with our best clinical judgement, that they are “putting the cart before the horse”. Yet what we want for our clients can be vastly different from what clients want for themselves. One of the inherent ironies in this therapeutic construct is that when asked what we want for ourselves, a clinician’s answers are often similar to what clients themselves want. The solution? A personal transformation of our treatment approach that over time can effect lasting change in the treatment milieu.

*Sponsored by Pyramid Healthcare

The Ethical Argument for Implementing Multiple Pathways

Pete Rubinas

In this presentation, Rubinas will discuss the various ways that empowerment and autonomy are prioritized in the ethical codes of the various helping professions involved in supporting those who struggle with addictive behaviors, including those who are in treatment for substance use disorder. He will then engage in an interactive conversation with the audience about the ways that our dominant cultural narratives around addiction are often at odds with client empowerment. Finally, he will explain how truly implementing multiple pathways will help clinicians comply with their ethical requirements. This could be as simple as improvements to informed consent practices, but it also could involve actively seeking to enhance what is offered at a given facility.

Spectrum of Signs: Tailoring a Prevention Awareness Campaign for Your Community

Ashley Osborne

In the ongoing battle against opioid overdose, knowledge is not only power but a lifeline. Join for a transformative presentation, “Spectrum of Signs: Tailoring an Awareness Campaign for Your Community,” where we delve into the impactful Rainbow Campaign. This session equips you with essential skills and insights into creating an impactful prevention awareness campaign that resonates with your community.Our Rainbow Campaign is more than just a project; it’s a beacon of hope and a call to action for communities across the nation. We’ll take you on a journey through its inception, development, and remarkable impact on raising awareness about opioid overdose. By the end of this presentation, you’ll be armed with the knowledge and inspiration needed to spearhead positive awareness campaigns tailored to your community’s unique needs. Together, we can make a brighter, safer future for our communities.

The Integration of Individual Placement and Support Services within Addictions Treatment

Jennifer McDougal, PhD, LCAS, LCMHC, Wes Weber, Sara Coltrain, LCMHCS, Doctoral Candidate LCAS, Lewis Gloria, Doctoral Student

This program will present the results of project Engage Eastern North Carolina, where individual placement and support (IPS) vocational services are integrated within addiction services. This presentation will provide a brief discussion of the importance and value of employment on the recovery process and will identify the barriers to employment for those in the catchment area of this project. Beyond the barriers and limitations of employment, this program will explore the implementation of an evidence-based model of vocational services known as Individualized Placement and Support (IPS) in an integrated clinical setting. As part of this discussion the project team will provide exploration of the barriers and successes they endured while developing this project including how this implementation influenced treatment rates for participants in the project. The program will engage in open dialogue and discussions regarding the benefits of integrating this service in a traditional outpatient setting and the barriers that influence the engagement of participants. Throughout this presentation, presenters will elicit questions and comments to assist with understanding of how to implement this evidence-based practice into treatment settings.

From Parity to Patient Protections: How State Insurance Laws Can Improve Access to Care

David Lloyd

Improving Medicaid and commercial insurance coverage of mental health and substance use disorder services is critical to increasing access to care. From enforcing the federal Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act to putting in place important, common-sense patient protections, states have a range of tools to ensure people can get the care they need. Learn about strategies advocates across the country are using to push policy change to make parity and equitable access to care a reality.

Light hors d’oeuvres, networking, and musical entertainment by the lake!

Breakfast will be provided.

Keynote Address: My Journey in Social Services

Maryum Ali

Through a series of stories and visual slides, Maryum Ali will talk about her work with youth and families and some personal experiences, which will include the following topics:

1. The Social Determinants of Health (SDOH)

a. How awareness of SDOH informs our perceptions and our work

b. Impact of various barriers c. Ways to help clients overcome these challenges

2. The Intersection of Addition and the Justice Population

a. Reasons the incarceration population is disproportionate

b. Limited treatment within jails and prisons

c. Why treatment is critical for this population

d. Successful Reentry

3. Best Practices Working with Clients & Youth

a. Client engagement and building rapport (effective communication/listening)

b. Collaborative helping

c. Fostering resilience

d. Skill Development

4. Self-care for inner peace and to maintain work motivation.

Understanding Veterans and Unique Factors Contributing to SUD

Garret Biss, CPRC, MRED

A lack of connection, authenticity, or sense of meaning and purpose are factors that promote addictive behaviors or SUD for many. This is especially true for veterans who are often unprepared for the unique ways these challenges affect members of the military. Learn why these factors are exacerbated for veterans in transition and how to help veterans navigate this high-risk period of their life. This presentation will prepare participants for working with veterans by helping them to meet veterans where they are and provide the support and understanding veterans need for their journey in recovery. The audience will experience a shift in understanding and perspective about this issue that will leave them feeling hopeful and empowered to make a difference in the veteran population. By the end, participants will feel better equipped to serve those who have served us.

Reconnect! Recharge! Revive!

Kym Laube

For over two years our workforce has felt the effects of the Great Resignation, the Great Relocation, and the Great Re-Assessment. Now it is time to Reconnect, Recharge and, in some cases, Rebuild coalitions and committees. This new opportunity can be enhanced with new tools, along with old ones reconfigured, which make our work fun! This new space is ideal time to bring team building, play and challenges to your teams and coalitions. Using aspects from experiential learning- Storming, Norming, Forming, Performing and Adjourning we will learn how to develop thought provoking ways to engage sector members and volunteers to build trust, engage individuals, increase collaboration and problem solve.From fun ways to onboard members, share data, enhance sector communications. participants will have the opportunity to engage in large and small group activities they can bring back and replicate in their communities. This workshop will have you up on your feet and interacting with your peers.

Hiring, Engaging, & Retaining Great Staff: The Key To Organizational Success

Anthony Zipple, ScD, MBA

Staff quality is a powerful predictor of organizational success. We live in an era in which hiring and retaining great staff is a formidable challenge. Without great staff, it is difficult for an organization to be productive, effective, and competitive. This workshop will describe strategies for getting more of the right staff in every role in the organization, increasing their productivity, and keeping them in place longer. The workshop will include discussion of the value of behavioral assessments and related tools for improving organizational health. An opportunity to sample these tools will be provided.

Recovery Friendly North Carolina: Creating Recovery Friendly Workplaces

Jeff Walker and Alexis Triplett

The estimated annual economic impact of substance use across the United States is $442 billion according to the Surgeon General. Through increased health, wellness, and productivity, fewer missed days of work, and higher rates of retention, employees in recovery can save an employer around $8,500 per year (Shatterproof). This session will explore recovery friendly workplaces, why they matter, and how you and your organization can begin the process of becoming one!

Lunch will be provided.

Catching Them Upstream: Intervening Early in Youth Substance Use to Prevent Addiction & Overdose

Kriya Lendzion, LCMHC, LCAS, CPS

Substances trending among youth are becoming increasingly potent, addictive, appealing and easier to conceal. This session will review what adolescents are using most, what risks they pose to developing brains and mental health, and how we can deliver life-saving harm reduction education to our clients. We will discuss motivational interviewing strategies and approaches for partnering with parents that are proven to prevent early use from progressing into disordered use.

Decision Making in Recovery

Richard McDonald, MS, LCAS, CCSI, LCMHC- QS

The principle aim of the presentation is to guide support staff and others in assisting recovering addicts and alcoholics to understand and apply the basic principles and techniques of problem solving and decision making. As a recovering addict and alcoholic I would like to share my faith, hope and experience as to how I was able to travel from making extremely bad decisions that led to several treatment facilities and ultimate relapses to making decisions that led to my recovery and 32 years of living clean and sober. In the EBPI curriculum there is a unit dedicated to understanding the immediate loses for those in treatment and the need for us, as support staff, to understand, know and apply the interventions that will encourage those in the various stages of change to problem solve and make decisions that are germane to positive outcomes, growth and recovery. The presentation will be in a PowerPoint format and an exercise for the attendees.

Nurturing Organizational Culture: A Comprehensive Approach to Agency Well-being

Suzanne Mizsur-Porter

Join us for an enlightening conference session designed to help you navigate the intricate landscape of organizational culture within your agency. In this session, we will discuss steps toward fostering a healthy and thriving work environment for both staff and the individuals you serve. The session will explore how to evaluate your current culture and determine what changes need to be made, help individuals identify what will make a healthy culture for their staff and recognize how formal and informal leaders greatly impact change. Additionally, individuals will be able to reflect on what support looks like at their organizations and how trauma-informed strategies can provide a safe and supportive environment.

Innovating Addiction Treatment Business Models: Strategies for Sustainable Business and Best Service Outcomes

John Coppola, MSW

In the evolving landscape of addiction treatment, developing innovative business models and forging strong partnerships with other service providers and payers are essential for business and service success. This session will provide practical guidance on establishing effective partnerships that can make negotiating contracts, advancing value propositions, and creating a sustainable business infrastructure achievable and successful. Participants will explore strategies for fostering collaborative relationships with payors to align incentives, promote evidence-based practices, and advance the shared goal of improving outcomes for individuals struggling with addiction. Participants will gain insights into designing their business so that it thrives and helps persons receiving services to attain their treatment goals.

Connecting Treatment to Recovery: The Inclusion of Recovery Support Services in the New ASAM Criteria 4th Edition

Beth Fisher Sanders, LCSW, LCAS, MAC, CCS

The newly released ASAM Citeria – 4th edition includes for the first time a chapter on Recovery Support Services i.e. coaching, peers support services, RCOs and recovery residences. RSS standards are now incorporated into the service standards for every level of care, including decision rules for treatment providers in determining the need for placement in recovery residences. The need for recovery supportive housing with a supportive social milieu and/or supportive housing may extend past the need for residential treatment. ASAM and the editorial team collaborated with the National Association of Recovery Residences (NARR) to define how the ASAM levels of care should be integrated with the NARR recovery residence standards. This presentation will give an overview of these additions to the manual and their implementations to create a full continuum of care.

Leveraging New Federal Policies to Expand Equitable Access to SUD/MH Care

Gabrielle de la Guéronnière, J.D.

There has recently been significant change at the federal level related to policy governing access to substance use disorder care, including for people in the criminal legal system. This session will provide an overview of these key federal developments with discussion about work that’s happening in North Carolina and specific opportunities for SUD service providers to strengthen equitable care access. During the presentation, which will include a question and answer session, participants will learn about specific steps they can take to fully leverage these new policy reforms/initiatives to improve equitable health and reentry outcomes in North Carolina.

Be a Magnifying Glass, Not a Mirror: Leadership Lessons for Addiction Professionals

Dock Henry, CAPRC-2, CRS/CHW, CCPS & Nathaniel Metz, EMT-P, CHW

Pulling from over 30 compiled years of leadership, this session is designed to challenge your preconceived ideas of leadership. We will poke fun at “mirror” leaders, the new leadership meme trend and the ALL POWERFUL, ALL KNOWING AND OMNIPOTENT “SERVANT LEADER”. In the process of these fun contrarian antidotes, we will get to the core of what we have found to have true transformational leadership within our organization. We will discuss this through the lens of successes, but more importantly through failures, living through a toxic culture and what it took to turn that culture around 180 degrees.

All About Tianeptine: What Substance Use Providers Need to Know

Penny Shelton, PharmD, FASCP, FNCAP

This session aims to equip SUD providers with the essential knowledge needed to effectively address tianeptine misuse and addiction in their practice. Attendees will delve into the pharmacology of tianeptine, understanding its mechanism of action, therapeutic uses, and the reasons behind its abuse potential. We will explore the growing prevalence of tianeptine misuse, including its availability, patterns of use, and associated risks, providing insight into the populations most affected. The session will also address the regulatory landscape surrounding tianeptine, including legal status, prescription practices, and emerging legislative efforts aimed at controlling its availability and mitigating its misuse. By the end of this session, SUD providers will be better equipped to recognize, assess, and address tianeptine-related issues within their clinical practice, ultimately enhancing their ability to support individuals affected by tianeptine use disorder on their journey to recovery.

Foggy Minds, Toxic Air

Carleen Crawford, CPAHA

This session will review evidence-based and evidence-informed strategies for preventing and treating adolescent and young adults who vape. Participants will become familiarized with new and emerging products and their health impacts, learn about the connection between youth vaping and mental health, and identify free prevention resources. Participants will understand how to engage youth successfully in a quit attempt based on American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations and young adults based on the NC Tobacco Treatment Standard of Care.

Addiction in Black Communities: Causes, Risks, and Treatments

Simone McIntyre, PhD, NCC, LCAS/LCMHC (NC), LPC/LAC (SC), CCM, MAC

This presentation will explore the experiences of licensed professional counselors (LPC’s) who receive referrals from African American pastors. Along with personal experiences, scholarly literature regarding past disagreements of theology and psychology and the barriers African Americans face seeking substance use treatment will inform this presentation. The discussion will include information regarding the process of obtaining referrals from African American pastors. The presenter will also explore how to effectively work within this culture. Objectives of barriers, advocacy efforts, and specialized resources will also be explored. Multicultural implications for interventions/responses will be examined. This topic is significant to the field of addiction counseling because it will help to shed light on how to effectively develop a rapport and encourage collaboration between African American pastors and licensed professional counselors while increasing recovery efforts and understanding the sensitivity of cultural differences and eliminating bias through multicultural competencies and advocacy efforts. Through professional advocacy, scholar-practitioners can promote social justice and the advancement of professional counseling. These initiatives strengthen the profession of counseling, improve the credibility within the field of addiction counseling, and address barriers that interrupt the ability to effectively provide substance use treatment to the African American community. Presentation Structure: A PowerPoint presentation will begin with a review of the research and statistics on African American engagement in substance use services. Then an exploration of licensed mental health professionals’ personal experiences with receiving referrals from African American pastors. Suggestions will be made on how to effectively provide services to this population and the needs that create barriers to engagement. Finally, suggestions for counselor educators within counselor training programs and continuing education opportunities will be explored.

Shift the State, Change the Story: Applying Polyvagal Theory to Enhance Change

Ellen Pallme, LCSW, LCAS, CCS

The focus of the presentation is to apply Polyvagal Theory when working with clients to enhance the coping skills they are being taught. When clients normalize their nervous system response, learn a greater understanding of their response, and apply skills to shift their states back to one of connection, their stories will change. The change in their story will open more internal resources to reach their desired goals. The presentation will provide an overview of the 3 states of the nervous system and how they are related to each other and the biology of the human being. They will be provided with a sample of how to map a nervous system and develop skills for each state. Experiential learning will be incorporated to leave participants with a felt sense of how the theory can shift us out of a state and change our story. Being able to manage emotions is indicative of success in recovery and applying skills with a deeper understanding will create improved outcomes.

Non-Law Enforcement Involuntary Transport: A Look Across States

Jeremy Fine, MD-PhD Student

Non-Law Enforcement Involuntary Transport (NLEIT) models are emerging as crucial alternatives to law enforcement transport for individuals in behavioral health crises. Law enforcement officers typically lack specialized training for such sensitive situations, leading to individuals with mental illness facing a 16 times higher risk of being killed during police encounters. Additionally, criminalization of individuals living with mental illness during transport can breed trauma, self-stigmatization, and hesitancy to seek care. This presentation delves into the variety of NLEIT programs implemented across different states, and discusses the work that needs to be done to determine what makes for an effective NLEIT initiative.

Come join us to make s’mores by the fire!

Breakfast will be provided.

HIV and Substance Use Disorders

Dr. Jonathan Mitchell

This session aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in managing HIV in individuals with concurrent substance use disorders. The session will cover the latest advancements in pharmacological treatments, highlighting potential synergies and challenges in concurrent management and current prevention medications on the market. Participants will acquire valuable insights and practical tools to enhance their ability to provide compassionate, effective, and integrated care for individuals living with HIV and substance use disorders.

The Neuroarchitecture of Family Systems: New Realities for Professionals in the 21st Century

Ward Blanchard, MFT, MBA, CCS, LCAS

The concept of how mental illness and/or SUDs “impacts the whole family” is a common therapeutic ideal most professionals have heard before; however, the professional community is rarely provided the information and education on the neurological changes identified patients, families, loved ones, or other caregivers experience when involved in a relationship with someone suffering from a mental illness or substance use disorder. Ward Blanchard’s presentation reviews the most up-to-date neurological findings in helping professionals understand what exactly the words “family system disease” means, what evidence based treatment options are most effective, and what role professionals play in the treatment of the family.

Workforce Crisis: Strategies and Policy

Becky Vaughn

Today’s biggest barrier to expanding and even providing services is the lack of qualified staff. While there are many reasons including low pay, high caseloads, professional burnout, college loans; there are strategies that other professions have used to address the crisis as well as public policies that could help. Come hear what other states are doing and where advocacy can play a role in tackling this ongoing crisis.

LIVE From APNC

Sara Howe, MBA, MS, CHES, Morgan Coyner, MFA

Keynote address will be provided by Dr. Rochelle Head-Dunham. 

Rochelle Head-Dunham, MD, DFAPA, FASAM, an Endowed Professor at LSU School of Medicine, is an Addiction Psychiatrist with academic appointments as Clinical Associate Professor and Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at LSU and Tulane University Schools of Medicine, respectively. Her past immediate appointments were Assistant Secretary and Medical Director for the Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) within the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH). In that capacity, she represented the state of Louisiana nationally as the Mental Health and Addictive Disorders Authority, serving as both the Commissioner of Mental Health for the National Association of Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), and the Single State Agency Director for the National Association of Alcohol and Drug Abuse Directors (NASADAD).

Dr. Head-Dunham’s academic and administrative leadership has fostered noteworthy advances in the fields of addiction and mental health. She has served as a subject matter expert on various national and state platforms informing best practices for the field of behavioral health. Her clinical accolades include Clinical Faculty of the Year for the 2021 academic year at LSU School of Medicine. In 2019 she was the recipient of the Nyswander/Dole Award from the American Association for the Treatment of Opioid Dependence, INC. (AATOD). Both awards are demonstrative of her career success as a thought leader and strategist for programmatic and provider development, well documented by extensive lectures and trainings, both locally and nationally. Her clinical acumen coupled with her transformative management style has shaped an administrative career that fosters enduring changes for both systems, organizational and individual levels of performance.

Dr. Rochelle Head-Dunham is a New Orleans native who currently serves as the Executive Director and Medical Director for Metropolitan Human Services District (MHSD), a state local governing entity tasked with service delivery for indigent and Medicaid ensured persons living with mental illness, substance use disorders and intellectual/developmental disabilities, residing in Orleans and neighboring parishes.