Speaker

The Missing Peace -Men and women experience, respond to, exhibit the symptoms of and recover from trauma differently from women. Therefore, the interventions and treatment services we provide to men must also be different. In addition, many treatment professionals may be unintentionally re-traumatizing male participants thereby increasing their risk of failure in the program. This presentation offers practical guidance and tools for professionals working with men in navigating these challenging areas.

Trauma-Informed Treatment for Men: While men’s addiction and mental health treatment has been quite successful there is great room for improvement. This new framework integrates the latest thinking on addiction and recovery, relational cultural theory, male psychological development, and trauma. Current treatment models and theories fail to adequately consider the relational needs of men; often omit a clear understanding of the impact of the socialization process on men; fall short of adequately addressing the impact of abuse and trauma that is so strongly linked with addiction and the life of the male addict; and often ignore any social context and/or the consequences of political, social, and economic power.

This workshop explores the five important elements to creating effective teamwork: Collaboration, Communication, Conflict Resolution, Crisis Management, and Cross Training. Beginning with the stages of team development the presentation then looks at common challenges teams face in being able to operate at peak performance using these five critical skills. Bringing the offbeat humor for which he is known, Dan provides a thought-provoking presentation while also giving attendees some practical skills to immediately implement to improve team functionality.

Reconciling the Contradictions of Trauma-Informed Practices and Criminal Justice Interventions - The growing awareness of trauma as a defining experience of people in the criminal justice system is leading to increased expectations for the use of trauma-informed practices. However, the two philosophies often have different interests, objectives and approaches which create significant challenges. This presentation will discuss both philosophies and recommend strategies for implementing appropriate trauma-informed interventions without ignoring the requirements of the criminal justice system.

This presentation will provide attendees with a clear definition of recovery and a better understanding of the culture of recovery. Twelve Step groups are the most popular and the most available forms of ongoing recovery support in the community. However, most people do not have a great understanding of the distinct norms and values of the culture. The presentation will cover the stages of recovery and how they overlap with the stages of change and the transition process into the community. Attendees will leave with an understanding of the meanings and expectations of each Step and other components of 12 Step recovery (sponsorship, service work, etc.) In addition, attendees will leave with specific tools to help them better support their clients in achieving long-term sobriety.

This presentation celebrates the reality of change: the idea that change happens incrementally rarely in the form of major breakthroughs. The challenge in life is to believe that each step can lead somewhere and be meaningful. It is too easy to be seduced by the belief that we are supposed to “arrive” – but it is the journey that offers the true wonder of life and each step is its own breakthrough. Dan shares parts of his own personal story – of failure and successes – to illustrate this idea.

This presentation explores the power of the three step process to change, borrowed from the wisdom of the Al-Anon program: Awareness, Acceptance, and Action. The presentation gives a humorous and realistic way that someone can apply it to their lives. Taken apart each element can be counterproductive to change; together the three provide an opportunity for true personal transformation. Dan shares parts of his own personal story to help illustrate the application of this model.

This presentation offers a unique perspective on men and fathers and practical guidance and tools to better support fathers in the child protection system. Sadly, when we think about men in the child protection system it is very often as the perpetrator – whether they are the father or not. This perspective influences how the whole system views, values, treats, and responds to fathers. Furthermore, the link between abuse and trauma is well known but that link is often not taken into consideration in the context of men’s abusive behavior and their involvement in the child protection system. Men and women experience, respond to, exhibit the symptoms of and recover from trauma differently from women. These experiences affect how men father, view fathering, and deal with attempts by others to intervene on their fathering.

This provocative presentation explores the way that fathers are often viewed in the child protection system and how to change that perception to better engage fathers in services and the overall process of reunification. This presentation also explores the importance of trauma-informed services and services specifically created for men to speak to their unique experiences and needs.

There is truth that all of the mystics over the ages have spoken of: all is well. That despite all of the appearance to the contrary and underneath all of the seeming insanity and chaos, all is well. It is a truth that transcends belief. Dan shares parts of his own personal story and offers practical steps one can take to make this truth a core part of your spiritual practice.

We often hear about the paradox of recovery – one must surrender to win but this is often misinterpreted. Surrender is not giving up and there is a power that comes from persistence in following our hearts and our inner voice. Of course, it easier said than done. Dan shares parts of his own personal story and the numerous seeming setbacks he has faced – and continues to face - to illustrate the power that comes from not giving up.

This presentation looks at the power of pain and hardship to become the catalyst for an individual’s success in life. Dan shares some of the most painful and seemingly tragic parts of his own personal story in a candid and humorous way to illustrate the transformative power of attitude as we realize we can rewrite the story of our lives.