Mental Health, Substance Use and Addiction: A Closer Look 

Tuesday, Oct. 17, 2023, 9 a.m. to noon (check-in begins at 8:30 a.m.)
LLCC-Medical District, 130 W. Mason St., Springfield

Presenter(s): Gateway Foundation staff; Jennie McCormick, MA, LCPC, CADC; Sandra Beechler, MA, CRADC, PCGC, CODP 1, DOT-Q-SAP; Dr. Clayton Parks, MD 

This session can help anyone who experiences comorbidity of substance abuse and mental health diagnoses. 

CE Credit (3 CEUs): LCSW/LSW, LCPC/CPC, OT/OTA, RN/LPN

Illinois Certification Board (ICB) CE approval: Counselor I or II, Preventionist I or II, CARS I or II, CODP I or II or III, PCGC II, CCJP II, CAAP I, CRSS I or II, CVSS II, CPRS I or II, MAATP I or II, RDDP, CFPP II   

Registration

Register: Oct. 17 program

Registration is required for attendance. Please note: seats are limited!  
The registration fee is $49.
Oct. 10, 2023, is the last day to register for this program. The last day to cancel and receive a refund is Oct. 3. 

Program info

Topics covered include understanding:

• Addiction
• The connection between mental health and addiction
• Signs and symptoms of addition
• The differences between substances

Objectives

Participants will have a better understanding of the complexities associated with substance use and dual-diagnosis. Presenters will take a close look at mental health diagnosis and symptoms and discuss how it relates to substance use/addition. They will detail how to identify risk and signs and symptoms of addition, how to approach an individual in need, common substances and the complications associated with each substance. Participants will gather a better understanding of co-occurring disorders, approaching addition, common treatments and community resources.  

About the presenters

Jennie McCormick, MA, LCPC, CADC, has more than eight years of experience working in the mental health and substance abuse field with both adults and adolescents. As an advanced admissions counselor, she has experience in working with families, completing intake interviews, conducting interventions, sharing program information, training staff members, completing diagnostic assessments, completing insurance authorizations and identifying appropriate levels of care for individuals. McCormick has additional experience designing military anger management courses and assisting with internal program design. 

Sandra Beecher, MA, CRADC, CODP 1, PCGC, is a qualified substance abuse professional. She is the senior business development coordinator at Gateway Foundation and has been active in social service for more than 25 years. Her comprehensive knowledge of the trajectory of addiction combined with her innovative insights and unique perspective is informed by her honesty, integrity and a wealth of life experience. This is the foundation for Beecher’s energetic, forthright and engaging approach, which reflects her passion for serving as a valued professional resource and working with and advocating for individuals suffering from the disease of addiction and their families.  

Dr. Clayton Parks, MD, psychiatry, earned his medical degree from Southern Illinois University (SIU) School of Medicine in 2015 and completed an internship in combined internal medicine and psychiatry at University of Iowa. Dr. Parks finished his psychiatric residency at SIU in 2020. He is a proud member of the Gateway team, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Addiction Medicine. His research has focused on psychiatric complications of chronic medical illnesses, acute blood pressure disturbances from taking antipsychotic medications, the use of kappa opioid antagonists and other anti-stress pharmacologic treatments to prevent relapse, mental health stigma, and complementary and alternative (CAM; i.e., not your typical Western medicine approach) approaches to treat mental and substance use disorders. Parks' professional experience includes treatment of substance use and co-occurring mental/medical disorders, integrated psychotherapy, proprietary methamphetamine addiction treatment protocol, Buprenorphine (Suboxone, etc.) induction and maintenance treatment, alcohol intoxication and withdrawal monitoring, expanded options for tobacco/nicotine cessation treatment, anti-relapse medications and supplements.