Helping more women experience recovery from addiction, trauma, anxiety and stress

Center City, Minn. (February 23, 2022) – Firmly in the midst of a nationwide mental health crisis, the U.S. needs more trained, skillful professionals to help those struggling with mental health and substance use—a reality that has inspired a new collaboration between the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and the SHE RECOVERS Foundation to host the first-ever SHE RECOVERS Professional Symposium in Miami.

"Empowering Women to Recover & Thrive: A Symposium for Healing Professionals" will explore promising new paths and culturally responsive approaches to help more women experience recovery from addiction, trauma, anxiety and stress, emotional challenges and other mental health conditions. The event for healing professionals will take place Thursday, April 21, at the Biltmore Hotel in Miami, Fla., immediately preceding the SHE RECOVERS Conference, which will bring together 600 women of all ages and backgrounds who are interested in exploring a wide range of recovery approaches centering on mind, body and spirit.

Hazelden Betty Ford—the nation's leading nonprofit system of substance use disorder treatment, mental health care, recovery resources and related prevention and education services—is the presenting sponsor of the professional symposium and will present much of the training.

The symposium will feature:

• Jennifer Storm—survivor, advocate, victims' rights expert, and author of best-selling memoir, Blackout Girl—who will provide a keynote address
• Stephanie Covington, PhD—clinician, author, organizational consultant and lecturer—who will deliver opening remarks
• Dawn Nickel, founder and chair of the SHE RECOVERS Foundation
• Quyen Ngo, PhD, executive director of the Butler Center for Research, a part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
• Alta DeRoo, MD, DFASAM, FACOG, chief medical officer of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
• Randi Tolliver-Moberly, PhD, CADC, clinical director for Hazelden Betty Ford's Professional Education Continuum Solutions team
• Morgan Birch, DO, founder of Pregnancy & Beyond, a highly-integrated recovery-oriented system of care designed for families struggling with opioid addiction

"As professionals in the healing space, we are entrusted to guide and support our clients and patients in becoming more fully the women they want to be—and are meant to be," said Dr. Ngo, who heads up Hazelden Betty Ford's Butler Center for Research and will co-emcee the event with Dr. Tolliver. "This is sacred work, and we have so much to learn from, and with, one another if we are to break down barriers and biases and open more doors to health, connection and happiness for more women."

The symposium is designed for primary care physicians, nurses, midwives, obstetricians, gynecologists, counselors, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists, social workers, coaches, correctional officers, staff and chaplains and all others who provide care and support for women. Interested participants can register now at sherecovers.org/symposium.

Mental Health Mondays

SHE RECOVERS and Hazelden Betty Ford have continued to expand their work together over the past five years. New in 2022, Hazelden Betty Ford experts and Hazelden Publishing authors will be featured in six SHE RECOVERS #MentalHealthMonday sessions, the organization's weekly educational series led by leaders in women's wellness, mental health, and addiction recovery that are offered virtually and free of charge to all women in or seeking recovery.

"We are thrilled to partner with Hazelden Betty Ford on our inaugural professionals' symposium, which is the perfect tandem event to our SHE RECOVERS conference," said Nickel, founder and chair of the SHE RECOVERS Foundation. "Working together, and with the professionals who attend the symposium, we will reach and help exponentially more women. And with projects like our Mental Health Monday events that connect women throughout the year, we can sustain the positive impact even more." 

About the SHE RECOVERS Foundation

The SHE RECOVERS Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit public charity with a growing and evolving community currently consisting of more than 325,000 women in or seeking recovery from substance use disorders, other behavioral health issues and/or life challenges. This lifeline organization connects women through its virtual platforms and in-person community networks, provides resources and supports women to develop their own holistic recovery patchworks, and empowers them to thrive and share their successes. All efforts are designed to end the stigma and shame often associated with recovery so that more women may heal and grow. With a special focus on research, the SHE RECOVERS Foundation can also establish a more robust evidence base related to the efficacy of non-traditional recovery pathways. Its stated purpose is to connect, support and empower women in or seeking recovery.