Dying to Connect: Addiction as an Attachment Disorder
Information
Date & Time
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Educational Goal
Participants are expected to gain understanding in the treatment of addiction.
Description
Addictions counseling has changed drastically over the years as the field has widened to include a merging of theoretical concepts. As the addictions field makes room for a greater, deeper understanding of the addictive phenomenon, continued education changes the way we treat both chemical and behavioral addictions. Understanding the role attachment plays in addictive disorders and the healing power of connection is crucial to the ongoing progress of the ever-evolving addictions field. Ellen will present the concept of how healing attachment deficits through the development of intimate connections creates a path toward more fulfilling lives and healthier relationships.
The modalities have changed and now, the scope of the field itself is changing. Sex and food addictions, gambling and spending, and now even gaming and internet addictions are gaining notoriety as legitimate disorders for addictions counselors to add to the list of issues to address in treatment. Once considered compulsive behaviors, the evidence related to brain changes and genetic vulnerability is growing, but how prepared are we to provide clients who struggle with multiple addictions with the treatment they need? This workshop will help counselors prepare for the changing world of addictions by providing screening tools for identifying process addictions and information related to best treatment practices. Specific strategies for managing and treating multiple addictions in a substance abuse setting will be presented as well as information related to referral sources, specialized training, and educational materials available for various behavioral addictions.
Target Audience
- Counselor
- Marriage & Family Therapist
- Social Worker
- Substance Use Disorder Professionals
Presenters
Ellen E. Elliott, LCAS, LPC, CCS, CSAT, PhD Candidate is the owner and director of Four Directions Counseling & Recovery Center. She is a psychotherapist who has worked in the mental health eld for 30 years and is licensed in North Carolina as an addictions specialist, a professional counselor, and a clinical supervisor for counselors and is nationally certied as a sex addiction therapist. She received her Master’s degree in Community Counseling with an emphasis in Addictions from Appalachian State University after receiving a BSW at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and has specific training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples (EFT), and trauma therapy. Ellen provides counseling in various areas including addictions, sexual issues, trauma, childhood abuse, intimacy and attachment, and relationships. Her goal is to assist people in addressing past trauma and creating the lives and connections they long for.
In addition to counseling, Ellen provides training related to behavioral addictions and trauma treatment as well as supervision for substance abuse and mental health counselors. As a lifelong lover of learning and culture, she is currently pursuing her PhD in Counseling and Human Development where she is completing research related to trauma experiences among indigenous populations in underdeveloped countries. Her interest in South Asia led to her study of specific idioms of distress presented among the Newar people in Nepal for the purpose of better understanding the way historical trauma is experienced in non-Western, underdeveloped nations.