Leading expert on alternative strategies for addressing teen substance abuse, behavioral issues to speak Jan. 23 at SU

Leading expert on alternative strategies for addressing teen substance abuse, behavioral issues to speak Jan. 23 at SUJanuary 15, 2009Michele Barrettmibarret@syr.edu

The Department of Health and Wellness in Syracuse University’s College of Human Ecology, in conjunction with Nancy Edwards and Associates Educational Consulting, will host a program with Brad Reedy, one of the leaders in innovative and effective strategies for addressing teen substance abuse and other behavioral problems, Friday, Jan. 23, from 9-11:30 a.m. The program-which is free and open to all interested faculty, students and local community members-will be held at the Goldstein Student Center, 401 Skytop Road (South Campus).

Limited free parking is available at the student center. The program does not require registration. Participants will earn (2) CEUS for CASAC, CPS and CPP.

Reedy is director of Second Nature Wilderness Programs and has worked with representatives in Washington, D.C., related to legislation on treatment parameters and wilderness therapy. Reedy’s presentation is particularly pertinent for teachers, social workers, counselors, school psychologists, youth workers and other professionals working with adolescents. He will provide a close-up look into the evolving nature of the therapeutic industry, including wilderness therapy, particularly as it pertains to adolescents, young adults and their families.

Wilderness interventions have been shown to be highly effective in gaining the attention of adolescents, especially those resistant to conventional therapies. Clinical expertise and a strong therapeutic focus provide opportunities to assess and intervene in the lives of adolescents experiencing problems, helping them cultivate resiliency, frustration tolerance and anger management, healthy and respectful communication skills and intense practice in goal setting and achievement.

Reedy completed a Ph.D. in marriage and family therapy at Brigham Young University, and his clinical and research interests include treatment with sexual abuse victims, family trauma and associated processes, chemical dependence, personality disorders, sexual perpetrators and developmental psychology. He currently sits on the National Association of Therapeutic Schools and Programs Board and the Utah Board of the Department of Child and Family Services.

For more information on the Jan. 23 presentation, contact Dessa Bergen-Cico, assistant professor in the Department of Health and Wellness, at (315) 443-0250 or dkbergen@syr.edu.

About the College of Human Ecology at Syracuse University

The College of Human Ecology is dedicated to excellence in professional academic education and integrates Scholarship in Action as a philosophy and method in all of its degree programs. The college brings together a rich history of academic programs whose signatures of social responsibility and justice join new and evolving majors reflective of educating global citizens whose leadership can-and does-change the places and peoples where they live and work.

Previously known as the College of Human Services and Health Professions until it was renamed in 2007, the College of Human Ecology hosts seven departments with strong roots in SU history: Child and Family Studies; Health and Wellness; Hospitality Management; Marriage and Family Therapy; Nutrition Science and Dietetics; Sport Management; and the School of Social Work.