Rosecrance is pleased to offer webinars featuring our licensed, experienced, and compassionate professionals. Check back for new Webinars as they become available.
The Dangerous Truth about Today’s Marijuana
Tuesday, January 11, 2022
11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.
CEU info: 1.5 continuing education credits
The webinar
Laura Stack, the founder of Johnny’s Ambassadors, will be discussing the loss of her son, Johnny, the dangers of today’s potent marijuana on adolescent brain development, and the connection of youth marijuana use to mental illness and suicide.
The presenter
Laura Stack is Johnny Stack’s mom and his lead ambassador. In the business world, Laura is better known by her professional moniker, The Productivity Pro®. She is a Hall-of-Fame Speaker and corporate spokesperson for many major brands. Laura is a bestselling author of eight books on productivity and performance topics with a large social media following, and she has given keynote speeches and training seminars to major corporate, association, and government audiences for over 30 years. On November 20, 2019, Laura suddenly acquired the undesired wisdom of knowing what it’s like to lose one’s child, when her 19-year-old son, Johnny, died by suicide. He suffered from delusion from marijuana-induced psychosis and thought the mob was after him. Laura’s world took a 180. She filed for and received 501c3 nonprofit status for Johnny’s Ambassadors, Inc., with the mission to educate parents and teens about the dangers of today’s high-THC marijuana on adolescent brain development, mental illness, and suicide. Described as a woman with unstoppable drive and unwavering purpose, Laura hopes to help other parents, grandparents, teachers (and frankly all adults with teens in their lives) by honestly and boldly sharing Johnny’s story of his high-potency marijuana use, psychosis, and suicide.
Chris and Kathi Sullivan present “Taylor’s Message” and “Not in the Playbook”
Tuesday, January 18, 2022
The webinar
Kathi lost her 17 year old daughter Taylor to underage drinking after a series of poor decisions from many in October 2008. Chris lost his six-year career as a professional football player in 2002 after a series of poor decisions surrounding substances. Substances, such as alcohol, opiates and heroin were key factors that tore both these families apart, yet brought those together years later for a greater purpose to spread awareness. Awareness of the disease of substance use disorder, underage drinking and mental health wellness. Awareness of how choices, good or bad, can follow you for years to come.
As Chris and Kathi share their stories of recovery, parts of their messages become the audiences. Through their heart felt recollection of their lives, humbly sharing their losses and gains, the audience witnesses a Mom’s view as well as a man in long term recovery journey from a heroin/alcohol addiction to a life of recovery. Messages of hope, good choices and the ripple effects of the disease of addictions are heard loud and clear.
The presenters
Kathi & Chris Sullivan. Kathi Meyer began to speak about alcohol awareness and the importance of making good choices in 2009 after her daughter passed away from underage drinking. She met her future husband, Chris Sullivan, when she presented at her first parent night. A former NFL player, Chris was attending not as a parent, but as a man suffering from substance use disorder, anxiety and depression. They say through tragedy, beautiful meetings can happen. That was the case with Kathi and Chris’s struggles surrounding substance use. Their powerful messages were destined to join forces in more ways than one! Kathi’s perspective as a mom combined with Chris’s perspective as someone with a long time heroin/alcohol addiction and mental health concerns touches many aspects of the listener. Kathi and Chris consider it a gift to be a small part of the ripple effect that happens from sharing! We never know how one word, one message, one act of kindness can change the outcome of someone’s life and make a positive change in this world.
“There’s more to it… What’s going on with us.”
Wednesday, January 19, 2022
2-3 p.m.
The webinar
Rosecrance Florian Program Director Dan DeGryse will present the fight/flight/freeze response in terms of our physiological response. He will outline how our HPA axis functions and the chain reactions it sets in motion. He will explain how years of this response from countless emergency responses throughout our careers can lead to overexposure to adrenaline and cortisol that may lead to some short term and long-term consequences. These may include heart disease, weight gain, sleep issues, and mental health concerns, to name a few. He will offer some statistics on suicide and PTSD in the fire service and share some proactive approaches to address these. Lastly, He will outline an approach every fire department can implement to improve recognition and addressing the mental and physical health concerns facing our fire & ems personnel.
The presenter
Dan has over 29 years of experience as a firefighter with the Chicago Fire Department, serving as an officer for 23 of them. Dan presently holds the rank of Battalion Chief/EMT. He also served as the coordinator of the Chicago Firefighters’ Union Local 2 Employee Assistance Program for 14 years. Dan has extensive clinical experience providing individual, group, and family therapy with both adults and adolescents in the area of addiction and mental health issues. Dan is a Certified Employee Assistance Professional (CEAP), a Certified Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (CADC), a Certified Labor Assistance Professional (LAP-C), a Certified ARISE Interventionist (CAI) and holds advanced training in Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM). Dan has been a member of the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF) Labor/EAP Committee since 2002. Dan is recognized as a Master Instructor for the IAFF Peer Support Program. Over the years, Dan has operated in the capacity of peer supporter in his department and many others, including the efforts following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack in New York.
A life beyond my wildest dreams and more
Tuesday, January 25, 2022
11:30 a.m.-1 p.m.
CEU info: 1.5 continuing education credits
The webinar
Michael Oldenburg will share briefly about his story of addiction and trauma and then about his journey of recovery, treatment, therapy, school. Successes in personal and business life and how recovery and getting help was an important part of that process. This talk will help participants understand that recovery from trauma and addiction is possible and the importance of continuing treatment and recovery
The presenter
Michael Oldenburg has his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and is a Licensed Professional Counselor. Michael is also a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor and a Co-Occurring Disorders Professional Level one. Michael has been with the Rosecrance team since 2006 and has worked in inpatient treatment with the Florian Program and has also run outpatient substance abuse groups. Michael currently works as a trauma therapist. Michael also served in the U.S. Army from 2000-2006 with combat deployments to both Iraq and Afghanistan.
Substance abuse from a sibling’s perspective
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
11:30 a.m.- 1 p.m.
CEU info: 1.5 continuing education credits
The webinar
Ashleigh Nowakowski will share her experience as a sibling, living through her brother’s substance use, recovery and relapse. She will share the unique challenges that siblings face as families navigate substance use. Lastly, she will also provide some helpful information on how to cope with these challenges and provide support to those who are living through it.
The presenter
Ashleigh Nowakowski has been working in the substance abuse prevention field since 2009. Her work includes speaking in middle and high schools, educating parents, teachers and community members and working with high risk youth. Ashleigh entwines her personal experience of living with a sibling’s addiction into all of her presentations. She is passionate about preventing young people from going down a path that could have negative impacts on their life. Ashleigh has her Master’s degree in Public Administration.
Benefits of art therapy & other experiential therapies for PTSD, anxiety, and similar diagnosis
Monday, February 14, 2022
2-3 p.m.
The webinar
Rosecrance Alumni Coordinator Jada Miller will review what experiential therapies are and how they can be used as coping skills and grounding techniques for first responders. Some therapies covered will be Art Therapy, equine-assisted services, meditation, which includes the use of both non-verbal and verbal expression. Case study examples of specific directives will be shared to shed light onto the subject and to gain further understanding of the benefits of these modalities.
The presenter
Jada Miller is the Alumni Coordinator for Rosecrance. She is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois, and a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Wisconsin. Jada is also a Registered Art Therapist and Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.
Jada received a bachelor’s degree in art education from UW-Milwaukee and a master’s degree in art therapy and counseling from Mount Mary College in Milwaukee. Jada has worked at Rosecrance since 2010 where she facilitates group and individual sessions, as well as other experiential therapy activities. She leads our program of bringing our military Veterans to engage in Equine-assisted Therapy. Additionally, Jada has fulfilled the role of primary counselor for various populations and facilitated specialty groups on anxiety, trauma, and grief and loss at both our adult and adolescent campuses, and our substance abuse and mental health campuses.