SMART Recovery® Podcast

SMART Recovery finds itself facing the exciting challenge of a phenomenal increase in awareness, acceptance and demand for SMART meetings.  SMART’s meetings are based around a standardized format for open discussion and group interaction, guided by a trained facilitator, and based on CBT, motivational interviewing skills, and exploration and examples of SMART Tools. In order to be a SMART facilitator, one must complete significant training through SMART’s Get SMART FAST -- Facilitator and Support Team Training program. The training is phenomenal and in-depth BUT demand is outpacing our ability to get new facilitators established as quickly as is needed.

SMART recently announced a brand-new option, Hosted meetings. Hosted meetings allow SMART to establish face-to-face meetings much more quickly and easily. Hosts are provided a minimal amount of training, but operate under the mentorship of a trained facilitator. Hosted meetings are conducted following a carefully crafted meeting script and enforce three basic rules: no lengthy statements, no advice, no off-topic discussions:http://www.smartrecovery.org/host-training.

Dr. Horvath also spends some time discussing the upcoming holidays -- tips, thoughts and some words to take into the New Year.

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Dr. Bill Knaus is the foremost authority in the field of overcoming procrastination, and he is also renowned for his work in practical application of rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) for anxiety and has written extensively on the subject, most recently in his newest revision of: The Cognitive Behavioral Workbook for Anxiety: A Step-By-Step Program (2014).

Many of those recovering from substance abuse or other addictive disorders experience anxiety and panic. These “are intense emotions, and in the moments that you experience them it may seem like you are powerless, but nothing could be further from the truth.” Dr. Knaus will discuss practical ways to lessen anxiety and continue to build a strong, satisfying life.  Dr. Knaus will also share a few insights on how to use procrastination technology to reduce anxiety and substance abuse simultaneously.

Dr Knaus is known by many in SMART Recovery as the author of The SMART Recovery Primer, a manual that helped launch SMART. In total, Dr. Knaus has authored more than 20 books. His latest book, End Procrastination Now (McGraw-Hill, 2010), is his fifth and most up-to-date book on how to overcome procrastination. The Procrastination Workbook (New Harbinger, 2002) came from his group work with people suffering from debilitating procrastination.   Dr. Knaus is also a regular contributor toPsychology Today.

This free webinar is made possible by the generous sponsorship of the Lucida Treatment Center of Lantana, Florida.

The focus is on using simple evidence-based tools from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), specifically the tools of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) as conceived by Dr. Albert Ellis, to help anyone, not just those struggling with addiction. SMART focuses its application of these tools on addictive behavior, specifically, but we can use those same tools to help us learn to better cope with underlying issues – stress, worry, anger, anxiety – and free us to create and enjoy the lives we want.

Dr. Michael Edelstein is a SMART favorite for good reason. His direct, elegantly simple guidance and kind, wry humor have delighted his audiences for years. We think you’ll find, as one book reviewer noted, that: “Michael Edelstein cuts through the psychological jargon and makes clear how all of us can effect powerful changes in our psyches, in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.” This will be an interview-style webinar, and we will be soliciting questions in advance.

Dr. Edelstein, a licensed clinical psychologist with over 30 years’ experience, has a private practice in San Francisco, offering in-person as well as telephone/Skype sessions. He is famous as the author of Three Minute Therapy: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life, with David Ramsay Steele, a self-help book for overcoming common emotional and behavioral problems.

More recently, he published Stage Fright (2009), with Mick Berry, Therapy Breakthrough: Why Some Psychotherapies Work Better Than Others (2013), with Richard Kujoth and David Ramsay Steele, and Rational Drinking: How to Live Happily With or Without Alcohol (2013), with Will Ross. You can find all his books on Amazon.com: www.bitly.com/michaele (and donate to SMART through that link.)

Dr. Edelstein is also a long-standing SMART Recovery Volunteer and Explore his website, www.ThreeMinuteTherapy.com and contact him directly.

This free webinar made possible with the generous sponsorship of Lucida Treatment Center

Please visit us at SMART Recovery, and don't forget!  SMART depends on your donations!

Stanton Peele returns to SMART Recovery to discuss Recreating Addiction Treatment in the 21st Century with Dr. Tom Horvath, SMART’s President.

Thought, attitudes, and the treatment of addiction is shifting. Choice and empowerment have slowly become the accepted wisdom as the keys to personal change. This event’s wide-ranging discussion includes discussion on these changes, as well as a look back on the past and a bold look into the future.

“Look beyond the walls of therapy, towards independence and empowerment.” ~ Stanton Peele

As arguably the most compelling speaker on addiction in the world today, Dr. Peele has been on the forefront of these sweeping changes. He has devoted his career to providing people with facts about addiction, regardless of their popularity, and salient approaches, for both individuals and policy, based on those facts. His views are sweeping, and he provides a revolutionary framework that encourages people to look at addiction in the context of their lives, rather than limiting themselves to any single label.

Addiction is never the totality of one’s being.  Here is where so many of Dr. Peele’s views intersect with those of SMART.  Dr. Peele and SMART strongly agree that when an individual’s choices become self-destructive, they can learn to make better ones.

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As friends and family, our intimate connection should make us natural allies. However, we often don’t know how to talk with each other or work together when it comes to the emotionally intense issue of addiction. 

SMART believes that Family & Friends deserve high-quality, compassionate and optimistic support of their own. We know it is possible to get sober. We believe loved ones can help, without becoming codependent, resorting to tough love or enabling. The tools of SMART and CRAFT work beautifully to encourage healthy, productive efforts towards an improved quality of life for all.

Dr. Robert Meyers has pioneered the study of how families can help support those with addiction and is a creator of CRAFT – Community Reinforcement and Family Training, a scientifically validated and widely acclaimed approach. He is currently director of Robert J. Meyers, Ph.D., & Associates.

Dr. Jeffrey Foote has over 25 years of extensive, well-recognized clinical research and is Founder and Director of the Center for Motivation and Change (CMC).

Dr. Tom Horvath has been President of SMART Recovery for 18 of its 20 years. His addiction treatment practice, Practical Recovery, just celebrated its 30th anniversary.

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Dr. Hank Robb is an expert in both ACT and REBT, and in this podcast he shares ways in which some of the insight from ACT complements the tools of SMART Recovery.

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy, or ACT (pronounced as the word “act”) is one of several acceptance based, 3rd generation cognitive behavioral therapies. ACT has been helpful with anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other psychological conditions, all of which can contribute to substance use behavior if not managed well.  ACT is currently being studied directly in populations with addictive behavior.  SMART Tools use the ABCs in REBT as well as Acceptance of Self, Life, and Others, and it is a natural step to incorporate deliberate self-awareness, and emphasize valued living and purpose in our daily lives.  ACT is about moving along and doing what's important, even if it means being aware of, or tolerating uncomfortable thoughts or feelings.  ACT is about maintaining our action focus as well as our perspective on what we value and where we are going. 

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy is a “psychological flexibility model” with 6 key concepts:

1) Self as Context
2) Acceptance
3) Defusion
4) Commitment
5) Values
6) Present Moment Awareness

These six can be captured in the question,

“Given the difference between you and the stuff you are struggling with (thoughts and feelings), are you willing to have that stuff as it is, rather than what it seems to be – monstrous; and right here, right now, act in the service of the Big Picture you choose for your life?”

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Stanton Peele, Ph.D., J.D., is a seminal figure in the addiction field.  Dr. Peele has been a pioneer in applying addiction beyond the area of drugs and alcohol, social-environmental causes of addiction, harm reduction, and self-cure of addiction. If you spend some time with Stanton Peele, it won’t take long to realize that he asks a lot of questions! Here we have taken the opportunity to turn the tables, and Dr. Horvath will be the one with the questions. 

There are several areas in which SMART’s focus and opinions and those of Dr. Peele differ. For instance, according to W.R.Miller "The best predictors of relapse for people treated for alcohol problems are lack of coping skills and belief in the disease theory of alcoholism.” Tom focuses on the former, Stanton on the latter. Listen to these two colleagues and friends discuss this difference in their focus -- and watch the fur fly!

This is an unparalleled opportunity to hear a truly broad-based discussion on addiction in the context of the latest in research and treatment by two unsurpassed experts. We have no doubt that this will be a lively and intriguing discussion, and there will be plenty of time for questions from the audience as well. This is a don’t miss!

Dr. Peele has developed the online Life Process Addiction Program. His most recent book, with Ilse Thompson, is Recover!: Stop Thinking Like an Addict and Reclaim Your Life with The PERFECT Program, available at Amazon. Since the publication of Love and Addiction in 1975, He has presented these ideas and data in a series of twelve books and over 250 professional and popular articles. All Treatment awarded him the Best Academic Addiction Blog for 2012.  Recognition for his academic achievements in addiction has included the Mark Keller Award from the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Drug Policy Alliance.  Dr. Peele lectures internationally on the meaning, treatment, and future of addiction.

Tom Horvath, Ph.D., is a California licensed and board certified clinical psychologist (ABPP).  He has been President of SMART Recovery® for over a decade and is the founder and president of Practical Recovery, a self-empowering addiction treatment system in San Diego. He is past president of the American Psychological Association’s Society on Addiction Psychology, the world’s largest organization of addiction psychologists.  He is also the author of Sex, Drugs, Gambling & Chocolate: A Workbook for Overcoming Addictions (listed by the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies as a “Self-Help Book of Merit”). 

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SMART Recovery's Tools can be applied to any maladaptive behavior.  There are characteristics, however, that distinguish some addictive behaviors from others. Eating disorders and gambling addiction are examples that can involve cognitive, psychologic, and behavioral issues common to other disorders in the SMART community.

Chris Tuell, Ed.D., LPCC, LICDC has worked as a professional counselor in mental health and addictions for the past 30 years.  He holds a doctorate from the University of Cincinnati, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor, and a Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor. He currently serves as Clinical Director of Addiction Services at the Lindner Center of HOPE in Mason, Ohio, and is a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati.  

Ann Hull, MSSW, MBA, LICSW is Founder and President of The Hull Institute.  She is a Licensed Independent Social Worker with over 22 years of experience, specializing in the treatment of eating disorders, obesity and addictions.   Ann received her Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating cum laude.  She also served for 4 years on the Cuyahoga County Community Mental Health Board of Governors, chairing the Planning, Programs and Oversight Committee.  She facilitates free groups in the community previously worked at the Cleveland Clinic's Eating Disorders Program. 

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The Center for Motivation and Change (CMC) approach to helping families, which includes CRAFT, and introduces the CMC's best new tools to help our loved ones. 

The new book, Beyond Addiction, by Jeffrey Foote, Ph.D., Carrie Wilkens, Ph.D., Nicole Kosanke, Ph.D., and Stephanie Higgs is complimented by an amazing interactive web resources: The 20-Minute Guide – especially for parents.

“To change the conversation.  From the language of stigma to the language of growth. From defects to strengths. From shame to pride and an open heart. From punishment and confrontation to an invitation to truly change. And to change that conversation, we rely on science and kindness.”

Dr. Foote is a nationally recognized clinical research scientist who has received extensive federal grant funding for his work on motivational treatment approaches. He has worked in the addiction treatment field as a clinician and researcher since the late 1980s, and has developed a unique motivational treatment approach that incorporates principles of group treatment as well as research-based principles of human behavior change.

Previously, Dr. Foote was the Deputy Director of the Division of Alcohol Treatment and Research at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in NYC, as well as a Senior Research Associate at The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) in NYC. Dr. Foote also served as Chief of the Smithers Addiction Treatment and Research Center as well as Director of Evaluation and Research between 1994 and 2001. Dr. Foote was also team Psychologist for the New York Mets.

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This is a lesson for any harmful behavior – drugs, gambling, eating disorders, smoking, self-harm -- substance-related or not. Bring your questions! We think you’ll find, as one book reviewer noted, that: “Michael Edelstein cuts through the psychological jargon and makes clear how all of us can effect powerful changes in our psyches, in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones.”

Dr. Michael R. Edelstein is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 30 years’ experience and has a private practice in San Francisco, offering in-person as well as telephone/Skype sessions. He is famous as the author of Three Minute Therapy: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life, with David Ramsay Steele, a self-help book for overcoming common emotional and behavioral problems. Most recently, he published Stage Fright: 40 Stars Tell You How They Beat America's #1 Fear, with Mick Berry, Therapy Breakthrough: Why Some Psychotherapies Work Better Than Others, with Richard Kujoth and David Ramsay Steele, and Rational Drinking: How to Live Happily With or Without Alcohol, with Will Ross. He is a long-standing SMART Recovery Volunteer.

Dr. Edelstein is a Training Supervisor and Fellow of the Albert Ellis Institute. He holds a diplomate in Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy from, and is on the Board of Advisors of, the National Association of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapists. He is Past President of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapy. In addition, Dr. Edelstein lectures nationally and internationally, has appeared on television as well as over 300 radio shows, trains professionals, and has published in psychological journals. Dr. Edelstein’s website, www.ThreeMinuteTherapy.com, has rich resources and includes links to some of his past presentations. We are thrilled that he has so generously offered his time to join us.

This free webinar is made available by the generous sponsorship of the St. Gregory Retreat Center of Des Moines, Iowa.

SMART Recovery depends on your donations!
Please visit SMART Recovery or Click the Donate button below.