David and Laura Hutchins are the parents of a Prodigal. They have lived through the many facets of caring and decision making and changes that come with loving a Prodigal, but their son, Ben, still struggled.

They are still on the road of grieving Ben, who died tragically on September 30, 2023. They are just starting to understand what God wants them to share with other kids and parents. They have a message of HOPE to families with complex loss. There is stigma attached to losing a child from an overdose or drug related death. David and Laura look to their Savior to provide the anchor in the storm of stigmatized loss and as they carry this message to others.

Joey is 37 yrs. old and grew up here right in East Cobb. Joey was completely broken by addiction and lost everything he valued.  God has now restored Joey’s life and you can come and hear his remarkable story of how his life was transformed only by the “grace” of God!  Joey facilitates an accountability/discipleship group every week for anyone struggling with addiction or life afflictions and uses his story to help others.

The 4 pillars of my recovery and what helped me ultimately find fulfillment in life are…

• Community

• Gratitude 

• Accountability 

• Giving back/paying it forward

Colin wants to help parents understand the process addictions, where addictive behaviors can include alcohol or other drugs, but can also include addictions to food, gambling, sex, gaming or other compulsive behaviors.

Colin Thomas  is a national certified counselor at Caron Atlanta Outpatient Treatment Center and has a masters of science in clinical mental health counseling and also a minor in addiction and recovery.

Parental pointers from her professional and personal journey.  Hannah will share her personal journey with addiction and recovery and what she has found out to help parents in their struggle with loved ones with mental health and addiction. 

Hannah Brett is the director of Outreach for Turnbridge Treatment program southeast with 15 years experience in the treatment industry focusing her efforts on helping adolescents and young adults in need.

Debra McNinch and Anne Marie Boduch

Debra is the founder of the BATTLECRY prayer movement. She is also a mom, wife, child of the King and author.   Debra thought her life was on track to be perfect, until an unexpected phone call that changed it all.  She will speak of the great loss of the life she dreamed of and how she learned to turn the pain over to the only one who can make beauty from our ashes.  Debra encourages parents to REFUSE to accept the lie that your children won’t come home.  She shares a BATTLE PLAN to help win this war on our families.

Anne Marie is an administrator for “Battle Cry for Moms” and their amazing support/prayer group and she will share part of her story and how she got involved in this on-line support group.

Dr. Lee

Understanding the difference between normal behavior versus the medical diseases of addiction and psychiatric illness is critical to understand your child’s behavior.  Everyone has the capacity to decide what they will and will not do if they are not impaired and it is everyone’s responsibility to take care of themselves and accept the consequences of their decisions. 

Those who are impaired because of mental illness, intellectual deficiencies, autism, and chronic addiction do not make good decisions and need treatment medically and in psychotherapy.  Even these people are responsible for their decisions of accepting treatment or not accepting treatment.  They must have the will to want to change, be honest with themselves and others, and be open-minded enough to listen to those who are trying to help them.  If they are arrested because they broke the law, they will be held responsible for their behavior especially if they have been offered help and they refused even if they are impaired.  They will have to suffer the consequences of their poor judgment, strong self-will, and antisocial behavior.

As parents we feel responsible for our children because we love them.  Sometimes we have tried to help them many times and they had to do it their way with bad outcomes.  Knowing what you can do and what you cannot do requires understanding addictive disease and mental illness as medical diseases in order to know what is the problems caused by the disease and the problems caused by the child’s self-will.  Knowing when you should step in and help financially and when you should not requires understanding the concept of enabling which makes them worse and makes you sick as well. 

This will be a lecture to explain how addiction and mental illness are medical diseases.  I will review the major psychiatric illnesses, the different addictions, and the treatment that is necessary.

About Dr. Steven Lee

Psychiatrist and Addictionologist for 41 years

Medical Program Director, Outpatient Services, Ridgeview Institute, Smyrna, Georgia

History of Joint faculty appointment in Psychiatry and OB-GYN, Emory University

History of Chronic Pain Management

History of being Medical Director:  Peachford, SummitRidge, Ridgeview Institute

History of Program Director Young Adult Services at Peachford and Ridgeview Institute

When we deviate from the standards in our lives and ignore the issues that need to be addressed along the way, we create a Predictable Disaster, especially with our children. 

Dick Forbes is President of Forbes Counseling Services, and has over 30 years experience counseling individuals, couples and families on a variety of issues including conflict, stress, trauma, depression, addiction, and marriage and family issues.

Mike is a recruiting and life skills expert and  is Motivating the Youth of America and teaching their families Valuable Life Lessons at the same time.

13, 7, 150, 680, 20!

These are not winning lottery ticket numbers but they are the numbers that awaken the answer and control the outcome of any storm! So when the storms of life come, you can either go through it or grow through it. Please joins us Thursday, January 25th for an encouraging evening to learn and embrace why everyone experiences 13, 7, 150, 680, and 20!

Oftentimes, people struggle with recovery because 12-step meetings lean towards the spiritual, and the word “god” is frequently mentioned.  Those with a negative connotation towards organized religion, a history of religious abuse, or a lack of understanding about how “a Higher Power” can play a role in them getting sober, will often balk at the role Spirituality and Community can play in one’s journey towards Recovery.  We will brainstorm ways to speak to your loved one about this sensitive and personal subject.

Claire Gropman, MA, LPC-Exec. Director at Caron Atlanta. Before Caron, Claire was the Director of Outpatient Services at Peachford Hospital and Ridgeview.  She has been a psychotherapist for 28 years and the last 8 years earned Certification as a Relapse Prevention Specialist for Drug and Alcohol use Disorders.

What Is the CRAFT Approach?

Community Reinforcement and Family Training (CRAFT) is intended to help family members of addicts learn how to steer their loved ones away from substance abuse. It is a great method for someone who's refusing treatment or refusing to admit they are no longer in control of how much they consume.

Instead of an old-school intervention where the family and friends get together and ask the person to enroll in a rehabilitation program, the CRAFT method encourages close significant others (which the program calls CSOs) to reward their loved one when they choose sobriety or show control.

Another critical aspect of this method is that it encourages families to step back and allow bad consequences to happen when the person consumes.

While the goal is to get the person dealing with an addiction in your life to admit they have a problem and get help, the CRAFT method also helps the loved ones prioritize their mental health and improve their happiness.

About Janet Fluker

Janet is a Licensed Professional Counselor who has served individuals, couples, and families in the Atlanta area for 25 years. She and her husband moved to Decatur after graduating from seminary to serve a local church where she was Minister of Education. She received her master’s degree in counseling from Georgia State University and worked as a pastoral counselor with The Care and Counseling Center of Georgia.  Janet left private practice when she was invited to develop a team of family counselors as Director of The Family Recovery Center at MARR Addiction Treatment Center, a local substance use disorder treatment program. The focus of The Family Recovery Center is on helping families as they struggle with a loved one’s addiction.  She returned to private practice in January 2021, when she joined The Summit Counseling Center.

In her therapy practice, she enjoys working with a diverse group of people, specializing in families and addiction, families with children who have disabilities, divorce, stepfamilies, and pastoral counseling. She is passionate about working with couples and has extensive training using the evidence-based model of Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy.  She also finds fulfillment in guiding the next generation of counselors as a Certified Professional Counseling Supervisor.