Our March 5, 2025 Zoom Pathway Session with Shawn Robinson was informative and hopeful. During the session, Shawn described how the Enders Island Recovery Residence strengthens recovery for young adult males post chemical detox and an inpatient treatment program. When Shawn gets a call from a parent, it’s usually in desperation. The family “has tried everything”, and nothing has worked.

On Tuesday, February 11, we hosted Steve Paymer for our Drug-testing Pathway Session at St. Mark’s. Steve reviewed substance testing options, and the pros and cons of each. This was an outstanding one-hour session, with both education on testing modalities and Steve’s inspiring personal story to boot. Steve started the session by noting that drug and alcohol monitoring, if done

On Wednesday, January 22, NCPSG hosted Joe Feldman, President of Cover My Mental Health, for a discussion on overcoming insurance obstacles to behavioral health care. After describing a number of specific actions that family members or loved ones can take, Joe answered questions from parents. Joe is a mental health advocate who is one of the few who can claim

On Tuesday, December 10, 2024, we hosted Uri Berger, PhD, for our last Pathway Session of the year. The Zoom session was a success, as the Failure to Launch (FTL) topic is timely and there were plenty of good questions during the Q&A. In our support group meetings, I have heard dozens and dozens of stories of young adult males

On Wednesday, November 12, we hosted Maria Kratsios, LCSW, and Founder & Chief Clinical Officer of Nest Behavioral Health, for a Pathway Session on trauma. Maria is a well-respected psychologist, educator and speaker who is passionate about healing trauma using a holistic, polyvagal theory-based treatment approach. Maria set the stage for the Zoom session by first describing her own personal

On Wednesday, October 16, we hosted Amanda Craig, PhD, for a Pathway Session on setting healthy boundaries to promote recovery. Dr. Craig is a licensed marriage and family therapist and board-approved clinical supervisor with a clinical focus on issues impacting our relationships. To start off the meeting, Amanda set the stage by defining a boundary as a “property line” where

On Wednesday, June 12, 2024, we hosted Hope Payson, LCSW, LADC, a trauma & addiction therapist, for a virtual Pathway Session over Zoom. The meeting was well-attended, and Hope allocated plenty of time for Q&A. Hope addressed her area of specialty, which is the intersection of trauma with substance use disorder. She stated that while she works with plenty of

On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, we hosted Jim Funnell, a trust & estates attorney, for an in-person Pathway Session on financial planning for a loved one with a mental health or other disability. The meeting was well-attended, and Jim allocated some more of his time afterwards for individual Q&A. Jim addressed some of the common entitlement programs that exist, including

On Wednesday, April 17, 2024, we hosted Tim Walsh of Adventure Recovery (AR) for an in-person Pathway Session on how outdoor movement and skills can promote recovery. There was a good mix of recovery coaches and parents in attendance. For some time it has been recognized that the brain can be impacted by community, moving in the outdoors, and spending

On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, we hosted Raquel Harrison, MD, a local Lifestyle Medicine and emergency physician, for an in-person Pathway Session on managing cortisol for health and recovery. Lifestyle Medicine is a relatively new medical specialty based on the vital role that lifestyle choices play in preventing and reversing chronic diseases. Thee are six pillars of lifestyle medicine: plant-forward