GACA Professional Development

 Virtual Only

Mental Health Summit for Counselors

Thursday, July 16, 2026 - Saturday, July 18, 2026

Up to 19.5 CE Hours Approved by GACA, GSCSW and NAADAC.  Approved for up to 19.5 Clock Hours with NBCC.

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Understanding Co-Occurring Disorders

Presented by Cheryl Francis, LPC, CPCS, CGP, NCC

• 8:45 AM Check-In  
• 9:00 AM Workshop Begins
• 12:15 PM Lunch Break
• 1:00 PM Workshop Resumes
• 4:15 PM Workshop Concludes
• 6.0 CE Hours

Description

Individuals and organizations are often challenged with navigating grief, burnout recovery, and emotional overwhelm. Professionals in the helping fields also seek support in earning and maintaining their credentials. These challenges are especially prevalent in substance use treatment and recovery-oriented settings, where secondary trauma and workforce burnout directly impact ethical care, staff retention, and client outcomes.

Individuals who struggle with substance use disorders are more likely to be diagnosed with a co-occurring mental disorder than those who do not. There are many mental disorders that may co-occur with addiction. There continues to be a gap between the need of those struggling with Co-occurring Disorders (COD) and the actual treatment received. Several reasons contribute to the gap, including a shortage of trained providers, and professional burnout. Providers can bridge the gap of treatment by understanding how to screen, and identify symptoms of a co-occurring disorder.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the complexity of Co-Occurring Disorders (CODS)
2. Knowing how/when to screen and assess for CODS
3. Learn strategies to work with CODS

Presenter

Cheryl A. Francis, LPC, owns The Heart Matters Wellness Services, LLC, offering professional development training, credentialing support, consultation groups, and presentations for organizations, communities, and the healing and helping professions. Cheryl is a Certified Professional Clinical Supervisor, Certified Grief Therapist, and trauma-focused CBT-trained counselor, with experience as an international presenter, author, and speaker. Her work supports behavioral health professionals, supervisors, and organizations committed to sustainable, trauma-informed practice.

Cheryl provides expert mental health support through counseling, workshops, retreats, and motivational presentations. By participating in her workshops, you will gain tools to overcome grief, burnout, and emotional overwhelm, build resilience, and enhance your professional effectiveness. Her goal is to empower you to rediscover inner peace and achieve your objectives. Her workshops provide practical, evidence-informed strategies that support clinician resilience, ethical and trauma-responsive care in multiple environments, including substance use treatment environments.

Introduction to Human Behavior Development

Presented by Dr. Kym Leonard, DNP-BC, CMAC

• 6:15 PM Check-In  
• 6:30 PM Workshop Begins
• 8:00 PM Workshop Concludes
• 1.5 CE Hours
  

Description

This 90-minute introductory workshop provides addiction counselors with a foundational understanding of human behavioral development across the lifespan. Participants will explore how biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors influence behavior, coping skills, relationships, and substance use patterns. The training is designed to strengthen counselors’ understanding of developmental stages and their impact on assessment, engagement, and treatment planning.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify major stages of human behavioral development and the factors that influence emotional, cognitive, and social functioning across the lifespan.
2. Describe how developmental experiences and environmental influences may contribute to substance use, coping behaviors, and co-occurring concerns.
3. Apply foundational concepts of behavioral development to improve client engagement, assessment, and treatment planning in addiction counseling settings.

Presenter

Dr. Kym Leonard is a Board-Certified Doctor of Nursing Practice and a Certified Master Addiction Counselor (who partners with local, national, and international governments and communities to bring awareness to mental health, addiction, and preventative medicine.

Dr. Kym works in private practice in mental health/behavior health, addiction medicine and primary care. She also coaches as a business consultant to novice entrepreneurs, healthcare providers and clinicians. She is the founder of GKM Training Institute which offers two programs: School of Counseling and School of Ministry. We also have a GKMTI-International Division.

Dr. Kym hosts social media pages and YouTube sessions of “ASK DR KYM” which keeps the public abreast on Healthcare: Mental, Physical, and Spiritual matters.

Friday, July 17, 2026

Working with Personality Disorders in Addiction Treatment

Presented by Jim Seckman, MDiv, CMAC, CCS

• 8:45 AM Check-In  
• 9:00 AM Workshop Begins
• 12:15 PM Workshop Concludes
• 3.0 CE Hours

Description

It’s not the “good old days” anymore. Working in the modern addiction treatment facility requires a knowledge and practical expertise of how to work with many diagnoses other than substance use disorder. Some of the most difficult clients addiction counselors will encounter are those with a Personality Disorder. This workshop is intended to train addiction counselors in how to recognize Personality Disorders, successful strategies for working with these clients, and how to take care of themselves with these often confusing and stressful cases.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to verbalize how to recognize a Personality Disorder in a client, based on DSM criteria
2. Participants will be able to verbalize successful strategies for working with these clients in the treatment setting
3. Participants will be able to verbalize how to practice self-care and boundaries when working with these clients.

Presenter

Jim Seckman, MDiv, CMAC, CCS has over 30 years experience in the field of addiction treatment in a variety of settings. He is currently a Counselor with Positive Impact, and has served as Spiritual Life Director, CEO, and Clinical Director of MARR, Executive Director of Breakthru House, Coordinator for Addiction Services at Emory Hospital, Clinical Coordinator for SAFE, President of GARR, and on the GACA Ethics Committee. Jim’s goal for training is to equip counselors with the insight and skills necessary to provide quality services to their clients.

ASAM:  More Changes Again! 

Presented by Diane Diver, MBA, CAC II, MAC, CPS-AD, LCSW

• 12:45 PM Check-In  
• 1:00 PM Workshop Begins
• 4:15 PM Workshop Concludes
• 3.0 CE Hours

Description

The DSM-5 changed the way clinicians diagnose substance use disorder.  Now, ASAM’s Fourth Edition has updated its continuum of care.  This course will review the DSM-5’s substance use disorder criteria and present an overview of changes in The ASAM Criteria Fourth Edition.  This will include a review of ASAM’s guiding principles, the updated continuum of care, and how to use ASAM’s Level of Care Assessment and Treatment Planning tool to develop a comprehensive treatment plan.  Additionally, this presentation will highlight the new topic areas in the Fourth Edition: Early and Secondary Prevention, Telehealth, Integrating Recovery Support Services, Addressing Pain and Cognitive Impairment.

Learning Objectives:

1. Review ASAM’s Definition of Addiction and how this guides the implementation of treatment.
2. Review and understand ASAM’s updated continuum of care with service characteristic standards for each level of Care.
3. Assessment Standards
4. ASAM’s Treatment Planning Assessment

Presenter

Diane Diver, MBA, CAC II, MAC, SAP, CPS-AD, LCSW is the Chief Operating Officer and Chief Clinical Officer at Recovery Place, Inc. Diane has over thirty-five years of experience in the medical field. She has held top posts for companies such as Bayer Consumer Care and Mead Johnson Nutritionals. In her capacity as a counselor, Diane worked at Willingway Hospital in Statesboro, The Recovery House Services in Statesboro, and Coastal Harbor Health System in Savannah before joining the Recovery Place family in 2010.  She received her CAC II in 2004 and LCSW in 2015.  Ms. Diver is responsible for the day-to-day operations of Recovery Place, Inc. and Recovery Place Community Services. She oversees all clinical services.

Saturday, July 18, 2026

Delving into the DSM-V TR

Presented by Britt Paramore, PhD Candidate, LPC

• 8:45 AM Check-In  
• 9:00 AM Workshop Begins
• 12:15 PM Lunch Break
• 1:00 PM Workshop Resumes
• 4:15 PM Workshop Concludes
• 6.0 CE Hours

Description

Being a professional in the field of addiction counseling will require a thorough knowledge of the current diagnostic criteria used by the mental health profession. Understanding accurate mental health co-occurring impressions are a key component of effective counseling. Understanding the DSM-V TR and acquiring interviewing strategies for effectively and efficiently gathering impressionistic information will aid the developing counselor in becoming competent. This course is designed to provide addiction counselors with foundational knowledge in order to be competent in identifying and referring for treatment of the co-occurring disorder using the DSM-V-TR.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify and describe the foundational diagnostic criteria within the DSM-5-TR relevant to substance use and co-occurring mental health disorders.
2. Demonstrate effective interviewing and information-gathering strategies to support accurate impressionistic assessment of co-occurring disorders in counseling settings.
3. Apply foundational knowledge of co-occurring mental health conditions to support appropriate referral, treatment planning, and collaboration with behavioral health professionals.

Presenter

Britt Parramore has served in the addiction and mental health treatment field for 11 years.

During this time, he has worked for state agencies, treatment courts, universities, and in private practice. Britt currently serves as the Executive Director of PathLight Counseling in Woodstock, GA. PathLight began in 2017 with one mission in mind; to help the hurting and see people set free.

Britt holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and is currently working on his doctorate. He is credentialed by the State of Georgia as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Britt is a member of The American Counseling Association, The American Association of Christian Counselors, and The Licensed Professional Counseling Association of Georgia.

Britt lives in Hickory Flat with his wife and two young sons. Britt enjoys a wide range of outdoor sports, and is a Master SCUBA instructor. He is also an active member of the Canton Rotary Club.

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The Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) represents the professional interests of more than 100,000 addiction counselors, educators, and other addiction-focused health care professionals.

Georgia Addiction Counselors Association has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7302.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Georgia Addiction Counselors Association is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.