Trauma And Addiction To Be Focus Of Conference

CENTER CITY, Minn., Sept. 28, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The incidence of trauma and abuse has truly reached epidemic proportions, and those who suffer trauma sometimes turn to alcohol or other drugs to manage post-traumatic stress symptoms like nightmares, anxiety, insomnia, and dissociation.

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That's why Hazelden, the nation's leading provider of addiction recovery services and information, will host a daylong conference on "Treating Trauma and Addiction," October 5 in Seattle at the Marriott Waterfront.  The conference will bring together clinicians, counselors and other healing professionals to explore approaches to the problem of trauma sufferers, www.hazelden.org/traumaconference.

Presenters at the conference will include New York Times best-selling author William C. Moyers, vice president of Public Affairs and Community Relations for Hazelden and author of the upcoming "Now What? An Insider's Guide to Addiction and Recovery"; Stephanie S. Covington, Ph.D., co-director of the Institute for Relational Development and the Center for Gender and Justice, and an expert in the field of women, trauma and addiction; and Laura Ferguson, M.D., an addiction psychiatrist at Hazelden in Springbrook, Ore., which specializes in treating trauma and addiction.

As Hazelden's vice president of Public Affairs and Community Relations, Moyers leads the organization's policy and advocacy activities. He uses his own experiences to highlight the power of addiction and the power of recovery.  Moyers is the author of Broken: My Story of Addiction and Redemption (2006), a memoir that became a New York Times best-seller and is now in its third printing  His new book, Now What? An Insider's Guide to Addiction and Recovery will be published in October by Hazelden.  In this new book he navigates the maze of addiction: how to find help, what it means to recover and the importance of openly sharing our stories with the public and the next generation.  William has appeared on Larry King Live, The Oprah Winfrey Show and Good Morning America, and his work has been featured in the New York Times, USA Today and Newsweek magazine. William also produces a nationally syndicated column on addiction-related issues for Creators Syndicate.

Stephanie S. Covington, PhD, LCSW, is co-director of the Institute for Relational Development and the Center for Gender and Justice.  She is a nationally recognized clinician, author and lecturer, and a pioneer in the field of women's issues, addiction and recovery. She is the author of numerous books and curricula, including Beyond Trauma, Women and Addiction, and Helping Men Recover: A Program for Treating Addiction.

Laura Ferguson, MD, is an addiction psychiatrist at Hazelden in Springbrook, Oregon.  She has board certification in both General Psychiatry and Addiction Psychiatry through the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Ferguson served as the director and psychiatrist for the Women's Trauma and Recovery Center at the Puget Sound Veteran's Administration Health Care System and as an assistant professor at the University of Washington.

About Hazelden
Hazelden, a national nonprofit organization founded in 1949, helps people reclaim their lives from the disease of addiction. Built on decades of knowledge and experience, Hazelden offers a comprehensive approach to addiction that addresses the full range of patient, family, and professional needs, including substance abuse treatment and continuing care for youth and adults, research, higher education, public education and advocacy and publishing. Learn more at www.hazelden.org.

SOURCE Hazelden