Download 2012 Adolescent Conference Highlights

2012 Adolescent Conference Highlights
Featured Speakers
Jay John a professional speaker; poet; author; and youth mentor and advocate. Jay has
addressed hundreds of thousands of youth and adults nationally and internationally. Jay is a
doctor of psychology, and previously was a professor of social psychology at Howard University
from 1995 to 1998, and associate director for the National Center on Permanency for African
American Children from 1999 to 2001. Jay was born into foster care in Albuquerque, New
Mexico. He attended Lewis & Clark College in Portland, Oregon, and earned his doctorate from
the University of California, Santa Cruz in social psychology, focusing on identity development
and intergroup relations.
Shay Bilchik is the founder and Director of the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at
Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute. The Center's purpose is to advance a balanced,
multi-systems approach to reducing juvenile delinquency that promotes positive child and youth
development. The Center's work aims to focus the nation's leaders, across systems of care and
levels of government, on the key components of a strong juvenile justice reform agenda. A
particular focus of the Center's work is on youth known to both the child welfare and juvenile
justice systems. Mr. Biochip was the President and CEO of the Child Welfare League of
America, a position he held from February of 2000.
Wesley Walters has been actively involved in child advocacy for over 25 years. She was the
Director of the Miami-Dade County Juvenile Services Department before being appointed the
Secretary for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice. Ms. Walters developed and heads a
National Demonstration Project with the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Justice
and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and national researchers in the field of juvenile justice. In
2004, Ms. Walters was honored at the "In the Company of Women" ceremony and presented
with the Mayor's Pioneer Award for her leadership and work in juvenile justice.
Featured Workshops and Presenters
Pharmacology Update: The Latest Trends in Substance Abuse - Paul Doering, MS, is an
Emeritus Distinguished Service Professor in the Department of Pharmacotherapy and
Translational Research at the University of Florida, College of Pharmacy. Mr. Doering received
his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Florida in 1972 and continued his
training at the same institution, earning the Master of Science in Clinical Pharmacy in
1975. Upon graduation, he accepted a position in the University’s Department of Medicine as a
research assistant where he designed, implemented and evaluated a program of adverse drug
reaction monitoring in the obstetric patient. Doering has been recognized four times as Teacher
of the Year. In 1995, Doering was promoted to Distinguished Service Professor, the university’s
highest honor; he was the first professor in the College of Pharmacy to be recognized in this way.
Avatar Assisted Therapy - Dick Dillon’s career in the field of mental health begins on “the other
side of the desk” but is literally a storybook tale. In 1981, Dick became a patient at a
Midwestern U.S. drug and alcohol abuse facility, finally confronting a 10 year-long problem
with chemical dependency. The impact was profound, and after 28 years of continuous
recovery, he is well known as a leader in the addictions field. Soon after graduation from the
treatment program, Dick began working with other people in early recovery, first as a volunteer
alumni coordinator, then as an addictions counselor. Additionally, he has focused on
technological innovations that are shaping the future of treatment including Avatar Assisted
Therapy. In 2000, Dick joined Preferred Family Healthcare, Inc. which was then, as now, one of
the most progressive and fast growing mental health service providers in the United States.
The Adolescent Brain and High Risk Behaviors - Michael Nene is a consultant in Substance
Abuse Prevention and Education, with over thirty-two years' experience in the field. Former
Director of the Training Institute of Narcotic and Drug Research, Inc. (NDRI), Mr. Nene’s
particular areas of expertise include Psycho-pharmacology, Adolescent Chemical Dependency,
Relapse Prevention, Gender Differences in Communication, and Managing Violent
Incidents. Mr. Nene’s understanding of adolescent issues is drawn from twelve years' experience
as a teacher and coach at the junior high and high school levels, including three years with the
Adirondack Mountain School, a residential school for boys. He is a certified instructor in
violence prevention and management with the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI). He has been a
consultant for two of the major television networks and has appeared on the ABC program
“20/20”.
Adolescent Community Reinforcement Approach - A-CRA: An Evidence-Based Treatment
Approach - Jennifer Smith Ramey earned her M.S./E.D. degrees from the University of North
Carolina at Greensboro in Counselor Education in 1996. A Licensed Professional Counselor
since 1999, she has worked with a variety of populations including adolescents with co-occurring
mental health and substance abuse disorders. She has worked in the behavioral healthcare field
for the past nineteen years. She is a certified G.A.I.N (Global Appraisal of Individual Need) local
trainer, a certified MET/CBT (Motivational Enhancement Therapy/Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy) supervisor and therapist, and a certified A-CRA (Adolescent Community
Reinforcement Approach) supervisor and therapist. She has also been trained in DBT
(Dialectical Behavior Therapy) for adolescents, Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT), and
she is a forensic evaluator for the Commonwealth of Virginia. Jennifer has worked on two
Targeted Capacity Expansion SAMHSA grants (MET/CBT/FSN and A-CRA/ACC) as Clinical
Supervisor and Project Director (A-CRA/ACC). Jennifer is the Program Manager for the
Substance Abuse/Co-Occurring Program at Central Virginia Community Services Child and
Family Department. In 2009, the A-CRA/ACC program at Central Virginia Community Services
won a national SAMHSA Science to Service award.
Post Conference
The Post Conference -Within Girl Differences: Honoring Each Girl and Young Woman’s
Lived Experiences will be held on April 25, 2012. The National Girl’s Institute (NGI) will
facilitate the Post Conference, a one-day intensive training event including workshops that
highlight differences of young women of color; the needs of girls who have experienced trauma
and loss; and effectively interventions for meeting the needs lesbian, bisexual, questioning and
transgendered youth.