January 27, 2011
SIUC to host conference on addictions, treatment
CARBONDALE, Ill. -- The Process Addictions, Impulse Control and Compulsive Behavior Conference 2011 is coming to Southern Illinois University Carbondale Feb. 10-11 and there is still time to register to attend.
The two-day conference at the Student Center brings to the area a wealth of knowledge and information about addictions and their treatment. Organizers say it is an excellent learning opportunity for University students and also a chance for professionals to get the latest valuable information while earning continuing education units.
Jon E. Grant will deliver the keynote, “Impulse Control Disorders,” on Thursday, Feb. 10. The presentation includes information about clinical aspects of impulse control disorders, their developmental and biological causes and options for treatment. Grant is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis.
Other Feb. 10 sessions include:
• Growing Up ADHD: Risks for Addiction, with Brian P. Brown. Those with ADHD, especially if untreated, are at higher risk for addictions and this session discusses the impact of ADHD and the need for early, proactive, multidisciplinary intervention. This session also returns the second day. Brown is the associate director of Brehm School in Carbondale and a licensed social worker.
• Using Motivational Interviewing to Facilitate Behavioral Change by Cindy Tubbs. Participants will learn about the elements of motivational interviews during this interactive workshop that will include time to practice what you learn. Participants can attend this session the second day as well. Tubbs is president and CEO of A+DUI Services, LLC in Springfield and a licensed clinical social worker.
• Cannabis and Nicotine Dependence: Individual Differences in Withdrawal Symptoms, Drug Effects and Treatment Responses, by David G. Gilbert. Learn how genes, temperament and psychopathology affect responses to effects of marijuana and nicotine and also how those factors affect withdrawal symptoms. It will also focus on brain and attention biases to emotional stimuli. Gilbert is a clinical psychology professor at SIUC.
• Emerging Research of Pathological Gambling with Mark R. Dixon. Discover the most current research at SIUC regarding gambling addiction and its complexities. Dixon is a professor at the SIUC Rehabilitation Institute and coordinator of the Behavior Analysis and Therapy Program.
• Utilizing Relapse Intervention by Mark S. Carich. This will highlight use of relapse intervention to help clients change addictive patterns and maintain that change. Carich is an adjunct professor at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Mo., and manager of a sex offender program for sexually dangerous persons at Big Muddy Correctional Center.
• Defining Ourselves: The Importance of Terminology in the Addictions Field by Christopher Julian-Fralish. This discussion highlights the current and proposed criteria for addictive disorders, the difference between dependence and addiction, and considerations regarding treatment, research and funding and the limits that exist. Julian-Fralish is coordinator of the Alcohol and Other Drugs Program at the SIUC Student Health Center Wellness Center and is a licensed clinical social worker and certified alcohol and other drug counselor.
• The Inner Relations of Addictive and Impulsive Behaviors in Obese Adults: A New Perspective on Weight Loss Interventions by Alyssa N. Wilson. Learn the importance of integrating addictive and impulsive control procedures into treatment for obesity. Wilson earned her master’s degree in behavioral analysis and therapy at SIUC and is currently working on her doctorate.
The keynote luncheon presentation on the second day is “Anxiety, Fear and the Spiritual Journey” by Terry D. Cooper. Explore the concept of recovery as a spiritual process and how someone having a framework larger than his or her life can be helpful. Cooper is a professor of psychology at St. Louis Community College at Meramac and adjunct professor of religious studies at Webster University, both in Missouri.
The other sessions for Feb. 11 are:
• Screen Time: Compulsive Connectivity Disconnects with Christopher Julian-Fralish. Explore how technology is revolutionizing ways we communicate and whether this is helping or hurting people.
• Eating Disorders: Then, Now and Beyond by Chery A. Hysjulien. She will highlight changes in eating disorders and treatments and the cultural connection relative to treatment. Hysjulien is a clinical psychologist at the SIUC Student Health Center and a registered nurse.
• Spirituality: Distinguishing Healthy and Unhealthy Forms of Spirituality, by Terry D. Cooper. Many things bear the “spiritual” label but not all are beneficial to the recovery process and Cooper explores this topic.
In addition, area experts will lead a panel discussion about addictions, impulse control and compulsive behavior during the afternoon session on Feb. 11.
Sponsors of the conference are the School of Social Work and the Rehabilitation Institute in the College of Education and Human Services, the Center for Rural Health and Social Service Development and the Student Health Center Wellness Center.
The registration fee is $50 per day for professionals receiving continuing education units credit or $90 for both days. Full-time SIUC students can attend for $10 each day or $20 for both days. The registration deadline is Feb. 4.
You can find the registration form and additional information online at https://www.dce.siu.edu. Or, for more information, call 618/536-7751.