Life of Purpose Treatment and The Office of Substance Misuse and Mental Health Recovery Research are excited to announce the University of North Texas Recovery Conference will be held for its fourth consecutive year featuring pioneer speakers. The Recovery Conference is a national two-day event that brings together behavioral health professionals, educators, researchers, students and industry leaders. Held in conjunction with National Recovery Month, the conference will take place September 21 and 22, 2016 at the University of North Texas.
Proceeds from the 4th Annual Recovery Conference will benefit the Office of Substance Misuse and Mental Health Recovery Research. For more information about the conference, please visit: https://recoveryresearch.unt.edu. The conference features 18 expert speakers and 12 sponsors from all over the United States traveling to Denton, Texas. This conference is an opportunity to engage behavioral healthcare professionals, educators, researchers, students and industry leaders from renowned mental health, substance misuse organizations and treatment providers.
“This year’s event is more than just another behavioral health conference,” said Andrew Burki, MSW, Founder and CEO of Life of Purpose Treatment. “The 4th Annual University of North Texas Recovery Conference benefits the recently established Office of Substance Misuse and Mental Health Recovery Research. No conference of this nature has ever been structured to raise funding and promote recovery research before.”
The two-day conference includes a VIP dinner the evening before to welcome speakers and conference attendees to the event. Mr. Earl Hightower is scheduled to address VIP dinner attendees. With over 32 years of experience as an interventionist, Mr. Hightower is the 2013 recipient of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy’s Champion of Recovery Award and a 2014 Keynote Speaker at Congressman Hal Roger’s 3rd Annual Rx Drug Abuse Summit.
The conference begins September 21, 2016 with a keynote presentation featuring Bill Maher, CIP, CADC, ACI, BRI II, an expert and trainer in the field of intervention and substance use disorders. Mr. Maher is one of the founding fathers of the Family Centered Approach™ to intervention and Systemic After Care Coaching™ and has appeared on Good Morning America and has been featured in The Wall Street Journal for his work with substance use interventions. Day one continues with breakout sessions and an afternoon keynote presentation featuring Jenni Schaefer. Ms. Schaefer’s personal and clinical background includes substance misuse, perfectionism and eating disorders. She has published several books, is Chair of the Ambassadors Council of the National Eating Disorders Association, and has appeared on Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Today, and Entertainment Tonight.
Day two begins with an ethics panel moderated by Dwayne Beason, Founder and CEO of St. Christopher’s Addiction Wellness Center. Panelists Mike Neatherton and Paul Alexander, owners of Northbound Treatment Services, and Bobby Ferguson, Founder and CEO of Jaywalker Lodge, will discuss ethics and best practices in the behavioral health field. The second day continues with breakout sessions and conclude with a keynote luncheon featuring Dr. Kevin McCauley, former flight surgeon for the US Navy and Marines and founder of The Institute for Addiction Study, a center of research and training. Creator of the films “Pleasure Unwoven” and “Memo To Self: Protecting Sobriety With The Science Of Safety,” Dr. McCauley’s passion for the study of addiction as a brain disease fuels his advocacy for the rights of people who experience substance use disorders.
About Life of Purpose Treatment
Life of Purpose Treatment is the only primary care, academically-focused substance use disorder treatment facility located on college campuses across the United States. With facilities at the University of North Texas and Florida Atlantic University, the program was specifically designed for emerging adults whose education has been disrupted by substance misuse.