The Dawn Farm Education Series serves the Southeast Michigan community with helpful, hopeful, practical information about substance use disorders, recovery, family concerns and related topics. We’d like to ask your help to inform your followers about free, upcoming Education Series programs. The May 2018 programs will mark the end of the 2017 – 2018 Education Series. The series will resume in September 2018 and continue through May or June 2019 – for Dawn Farm’s twenty eighth year of providing free community education! 

The following programs will be presented in May 2018:

Co-Occurring Disorders: Understanding Self-Medication and Complex Recovery will be presented on Tuesday May 15, 2018, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm; by Jeremy Suttles, MSE, LMSW; Clinical Social Worker, University of Michigan Hospital – Adult Inpatient Psychiatry.  Diagnosing and treating co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders can be challenging, as the two are often so entwined that they are difficult to separate. This presentation will provide an overview of what co-occurring disorders are, how they are identified, their prevalence, and the most effective methods of treatment.  Emphasis will be placed on a comprehensive model of recovery that provides for emotional and physical health recovery as well as ongoing sobriety.

Gratitude and Addiction Recovery will be presented on Tuesday May 22, 2018, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm; by Dr. Amy R. Krentzman, MSW, PhD.  “Gratitude” is a frequent topic in recovery circles, a recurrent theme in recovery program literature, and a central component of addiction recovery for many recovering people. Gratitude practices are commonly employed in addiction treatment and in recovery. Dr. Krentzman will provide definitions of gratitude proposed by social scientists, present scientific findings about the benefits of gratitude, cover theories for the ways in which gratitude “works” (in general and in recovery), discuss whether gratitude has a “downside” and lead the audience in gratitude exercises.

Spirituality in Recovery: The Many Paths to Spiritual Fitness will be presented on Tuesday May 29, 2018, from 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm; by Jerry Fouchey, BS, MA, SpA, CADC; Dawn Farm Outpatient and Personal Medicine therapist. Spirituality is considered a central component of recovery in Twelve Step mutual aid groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, and these groups are common paths to recovery for many people with substance use disorders. ”Spiritual” is not the same as “religious,” and Twelve Step recovery groups are inclusive of people of any and of no religious belief. Twelve Step literature points out that recovering people have “tread innumerable paths” in employing spirituality in recovery.  This presentation will encourage participants to clarify a personal understanding of spirituality and understand the role that spirituality can play in recovery. 

LOCATION: St. Joseph Mercy Hospital Education Center Auditorium (ground floor,) 5305 Elliott Drive, Ypsilanti, Michigan.   

WHO’S IT FOR: People interested for any reason, personal or professional – ALL ARE WELCOME! 

COST:  Admission is FREE and open to all.  No registration is required.  A certificate to document attendance can be provided on request. FREE CE credit for addiction professionals is provided.

SPONSOR: The series is organized by Dawn Farm, a non-profit organization that provides a continuum of treatment and recovery support services for people with substance use disorders.  

FURTHER INFORMATION: For information, please contact Dawn Farm:

Phone: (734) 485-8725.

E-Mail:  info@dawnfarm.org.

Web site: http://www.dawnfarm.org/programs/education-series.