Collegiate Recovery Communities: Presidents, Professors, and Peers

Thursday, April 21, 2022

9:45 AM – 11:00 AM ET

Location: Grand Ballroom ABCD

Presenter(s)

Nathan Payne, MA, CPRS

Director of Collegiate Recovery
Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Services
Tennessee Tech University
SPARTA, Tennessee
James Harper, MS, NCC, CPRS

Assistant Director of Faith-Based Initiatives
Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Lipscomb University
Mount Juliet, TN
DeAndrea N. Witherspoon Nash, PhD, LPC-MHSP, NCC

Assistant Professor and Lead Faculty, Addiction Specialization
Lipscomb University, Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program
Lipscomb University
Nashville, Tennessee
Michael Torrence, PhD

President
Motlow State Community College
Motlow State Community College
Cookeville, Tennessee

Moderator(s)

Monty Burks, MCJ, PhD, CPRS

Director of Faith Based Initiatives
Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Nashville, TN

One in six young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 met criteria for a substance use disorder. The Tennessee Collegiate Recovery Initiative works to spread the principles of recovery, create recovery resources, and empower recovery allies on college campuses across the state. This is accomplished through a two-hour Recovery Ally training that incorporates data on behavioral health conditions relevant to the college-age audience, information about recovery and its implications for student success, and stigma and stereotype-busting facts to promote a culture that’s open and accepting of students in recovery. So far, the initiative's Recovery Allies include faculty and staff at 11 universities and six community colleges across the Volunteer State. This session will discuss in detail the step-by-step process to build a collegiate recovery ecosystem. Presenters will describe the partnership with a private, faith-based university and public college.

Learning Objectives:

Explain how the Tennessee Collegiate Recovery Initiative developed its dual relationship with the academic community and recovery community
Identify recovery support services in the local community and partner them with an existing academic community framework
Discuss how to leverage their position/occupation as a resource in building and sustaining new and established collegiate recovery communities