Coming Together Conference

Welcome – 8:00 am

Alisa Otto, Chief Executive Officer, Community Healing Centers
Dominick Gladstone, Coming Together Conference Event Producer

Morning Breakout Sessions – 9:30 am

Celebrating Multiple Pathways to Recovery
Kara Trainor, Certified Peer Recovery Coach, Recovery Management, OnPoint, Allegan County CMH
Celebrating Multiple Pathways to Recovery
Kara Trainor, Certified Peer Recovery Coach, Recovery Management, OnPoint, Allegan County CMH accompanied by a Peer Panel.

In recognizing that individuals are best served by honoring a person-centered approach towards substance use recovery, it is important to value one’s autonomy to choose what pathway resonates with them the most. Traditionally, twelve-step fellowships like AA or NA have been the mainstay as far as providing vital tools, connection, and building one’s recovery capital. Yet, other groups and programs do exist. This break-out session and panel will explore the concept of multiple pathways and preview a few community-based recovery support groups that may be a possibility for individuals preferring an alternative resource for support.

Integrated Perinatal Care for Birthing People with Substance Use Disorder
Dr. Maria Muzik, Maria Muzik, Professor, Michigan Medicine

This break-out session will discuss the epidemiology of OUD/SUD among perinatal population, and the effects of substance use in pregnancy and postpartum on birthing people and their children. We will discuss barriers to care, stigma, and social drivers of health and recovery. We will discuss how to provide state-of-the art, effective patient-centered, trauma-informed perinatal care that addresses obstetrical, addiction, mental health and social aspects of care and recovery.

Navigating SUD on the Streets of Kalamazoo
Sravani Alluri, Director, Street Medicine Kalamazoo, Assistant Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Western Michigan University Homer Stryker MD School of Medicine
Nic Helmstetter, Associate Professor Internal Medicine, Associate Professor Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Associate Director Street Medicine Kalamazoo, WMed Health

   
Treating substance use disorder is challenging in any setting—but ensuring access to treatment for those who are unsheltered unhoused or precariously housed requires creativity, persistence, and trust. This session shares Street Medicine Kalamazoo’s experience providing addiction care to unsheltered and precariously housed individuals. We’ll discuss how we engage patients outside traditional settings and utilize a harm reduction approach to meet patients where they are at. We’ll offer practical, street-tested strategies that can enhance addiction care in both clinical and outreach environments.

Integrative Approaches to Recovery: Acupuncture for Substance Use Disorders
Mandi Schupbach, Owner, Licensed Acupuncturist, Wellspring Acupuncture

As part of an integrative care model, acupuncture can provide meaningful support for individuals navigating the challenges of substance use disorders and mental health recovery. Research shows acupuncture may help regulate the autonomic nervous system, reduce cravings, ease withdrawal symptoms, and improve sleep and emotional stability. This session will explore both the physiological mechanisms and practical applications of acupuncture, including a demonstration of the National Acupuncture Detoxification Association (NADA) protocol, to show how acupuncture can be incorporated into collaborative treatment plans to support long-term recovery outcomes.

Prevention Has Purpose
Katie Newby, Prevention Specialist, Community Healing Centers

Prevention services are something that most people participate in at some point during their lives. D.A.R.E. – a popular universal program – incorporates scare tactics and police involvement, but recently, the field of prevention has been reexamined and given new focus. In this session, participants will learn what participation in services can look like for youth in all stages of use, how to engage with them effectively, how prevention and harm reduction go hand in hand, and how selective and indicated prevention services differ from universal services.

Afternoon Breakout Sessions – 1:45 pm

The Treatment of Substance Use Disorders and Behavioral Addictions within the VA: Current Approaches and Future Directions
Taylor R. Weststrate, Clinical Psychologist, Substance Abuse Residential Rehabilitation Treatment Program, Battle Creek Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center

This presentation seeks to provide the audience with a brief overview of Substance Use and Behavioral addictions and their relationship with co-occurring mental health disorders within the Veteran population. Current evidence-based approaches, limitations within the field of substance use disorder treatment, and directions for new and progressive treatment approaches will be discussed.

Re-entry with HOPE
Gwendolyn Hooker, CEO/Founder of HOPE Thru Navigation

This session will highlight the ongoing work of Helping Other People Exceed (HOPE) thru Navigation’s work in navigating returning citizens to Housing, Recovery Services, Education, and Self-Sufficiency. We will showcase the Continuum of Care we have created with intentionality, compassion, and most importantly hope. Join us in learning the best practices we have developed, Tiny Houses of HOPE Updates, and are newest BIG Deal!

Promoting the Use of Recovery-Oriented Language: Why Words Matter
Kristen DeVall, Professor, Sociology and Criminology, University of North Carolina Wilmington

The question of why/how language is important to the work that is done within treatment courts and the larger criminal legal system is an emerging area of focus. Sociologists, linguists, and others have examined the role of language within our society and the influence it has on thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors. This presentation will begin with an overview of this work and answer the question of “what is language?” Second, the goals of both the criminal legal system and treatment courts will be outlined. Next, an overview of how language can serve as a vehicle by which we do/do not achieve these goals will be provided. Finally, a historical account of how language has changed over time will be reviewed. Specific attention will be paid to terminology practitioners and researchers should avoid using, as well as alternative words/phrases that promote recovery, healing, and wellness.

“Why Am I Here? This Is Sus.” Engaging Adolescents in the Precontemplative Stage of Substance Use Treatment Chandelle Johnson, Outpatient Clinical Supervisor, Community Healing Centers
Victoria Orbe, Elizabeth Upjohn Community Healing Centers

   
Adolescents in the pre-contemplative stage of substance use treatment often enter services with low motivation and high skepticism—cue the classic “Why am I here?” This skills-based session explores developmentally appropriate strategies for connecting with youth who aren’t yet considering change. Participants will learn how to build rapport, introduce harm reduction, and define realistic treatment goals. Designed for interdisciplinary professionals—treatment providers, legal staff, educators, and medical personnel—this workshop offers practical tools for engaging “resistant” teens. Attendees will leave with fresh insights and more confidence in meeting adolescents where they are (even when where they are is “this is sus”).