Connections by APNC

On the season finale of Connections’ second season, Morgan and Sara are joined by Gene Ettison from the United Way of Rutherford County to discuss how he is connecting people transitioning out of incarceration with peers who help them adjust to their new life. Listeners will understand how empathy and compassion is the way forward when assisting individuals recently released from incarceration.

This week, Sara and Morgan sit down with Chaz Franke, therapist and social worker, to discuss how competent supervision and mentorship can guide professionals through periods of distress at work. Listeners will gain a new understanding of the supervisor position and how to reframe their mindset from quantity of work to quality to avoid burnout.

On this episode, Morgan and Sara are joined by Tym Rourke of Third Horizons to discuss the differences between the infrastructure in place to treat children with cancer and the infrastructure (or lack thereof) in place to treat children with substance use disorders. Listeners will learn about the inconsistencies in treatment based on the type of disease that manifests and how we can ensure that all illnesses are attended to with the same urgency.

This week, Morgan and Sara are joined by Emmy Knowles, the Director of Collegiate Prevention at APNC, to discuss the protective factors on campuses to ensure student safety regarding alcohol and other drugs. Listeners will gain insights into the state of college campuses and prevention programming in North Carolina and the Leadership Academy at APNC, which is working to introduce young people to the field. 

On this episode, Morgan and Sara are joined by Chris Hart, Chief Data and Analytics Officer at Third Horizon Strategies, to discuss how our field tracks our work and how to collect and utilize data without losing sight of the real people we are trying to help. Chris also describes his time working with collegiate recovery when it was not a common practice. Listeners will learn about how people who work with data and strategy keep humanity at the forefront of their minds and how overlooking the people we are trying to help can go against the reasons that the data is being collected in the first place.

This week, Sara and Morgan are joined by Erin Bowman, CEO of the Julian F. Keith Alcohol and Drug Abuse Treatment Center, in front of a live studio audience to discuss blazing a trail for peers to create a career in the field and the ways that peers can help create a safety net for patients going through treatment. Listeners will learn how implementing peers substantially helps the peer and the patient.

This week, Sara and Morgan are joined by APNC team member and Director of Scholastic Recovery, Jarmichael Harris to discuss his journey as a trailblazer in North Carolina collegiate recovery and how the state became a national example. Listeners will gain new insight into what it takes for a collegiate recovery program to succeed on campuses and what students need to feel safe and heard. 

September is National Recovery Month! All month long, Connections will be bringing you interviews about various aspects of recovery. To kick this off, this week, Sara and Morgan are joined by fellow APNC's Director of Outreach, Michael Roberts, to discuss his personal story of recovery and the journey from active addiction to working in the substance use field. Mike brings his real-world experience as a person in recovery and the owner of a recovery home to talk about how to help people in active use and when to establish boundaries when somebody you love is repeatedly causing you harm.

In this episode, Sara and Morgan, in front of a live studio audience, continue last season’s conversation with Nathaniel Metz and Dock Henry from Phoenix Recovery Solutions to discuss how recovery professionals can establish themselves not just in a community but as part of the community. Listeners will gain insights on establishing a wide network of connections in a community and how listening to people directly can change an organization’s approach to offering help.

On this incredible season premiere, hosts Morgan and Sara chat with Dr. Beth Harmer, Vice President of the Board of APNC and Director of the Masters of Social Work program at Western Carolina University, to discuss her experiences with social work students. She provides insights and guidance on how graduates can ingratiate themselves in the field and how employers can treat the students to increase job retention. Listeners will learn about the daily life of students getting their MSW and gain an overall understanding of the current job field.