For the first time since two organizations consolidated, the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals hosted the CCAPP First Annual Conference. The California Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (CAADAC) and California Association of Addiction Recovery Resources (CAARR) merged in October of 2013, creating the largest association representing alcohol and drug counselors and programs in the state, with more than 9,500 members.
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“I saw a fellowship of counselors that truly enjoyed their work,” explained Nolyn Pascal, Solid Landings Behavioral Health Outreach Coordinator. “It’s powerful to be around a genuine group of people who want to help place clients in the appropriate treatment center and a general sense of gratitude for the work we are blessed to be able to do.”
The internationally recognized organization focused the conference on specialty treatment topics including pharmacotherapy, ethics, and co-occurring disorders. But the conference topics weren’t the only interesting focus; the attendees had their own stories to tell.
“Hope is possible,” stated Pascal. “I heard several stories from counselors, outreach coordinators, and other treatment professionals who were once broken and hopeless and now have been able to turn their personal struggles with addiction into a career full of passion, and strength.”
The first annual conference was not only a milestone for the organization, but also for Solid Landings Behavioral Health’s Team Development Manager, Rhette Piazza, who was one of the speakers at the event.
“It was an honor to be selected to present “Treatment Planning for Spiritual or Cultural Barriers in Substance Abuse Treatment” at the inaugural CCAPP conference,” expressed Piazza, “Just to be recognized by the selection committee for this conference was rewarding in and of itself. I found the conference to be a great opportunity to rethink substance abuse treatment and the delivery of recovery services. It is always enlightening to mingle with colleagues from facilities throughout California, to speak on the political issues relevant to our field, and to see all the amazing vendor exhibits offering products to make the delivery of substance abuse treatment services better for our clients.”
The opportunity to network and inspire one another is one of the greatest motivations at the conference. “It’s always inspiring to see people on the frontlines learning new and innovative ways to work with clients and help the addiction community,” explained Pascal. “Attending conferences such as CCAPP keeps us on the cutting edge of innovative new modalities. We are able to reach out to various treatment centers and industry professionals to help one another and increase our list of resources to ultimately better serve our clients.”
