As one of Hollywood’s most entertaining funnymen, you would think TOM ARNOLD has a lot to laugh about. But life has never been easy for this comedian, producer and actor. He has struggled with addiction and multiple health scares for decades. Sober for nearly 20 years, Tom relapsed after a motorcycle wreck led to an addiction to painkillers in 2007. He relapsed again several years ago and sought treatment once again. This summer, he celebrated five years of sobriety and the loss of 75 pounds after a mini-stroke. Now sharing his incredible journey with others, Tom imparts a powerful message of hope to those who have been affected by addiction. Walking proof that it is possible to recover and dramatically improve your life, health and relationships, Tom discusses his path to recovery and how there is always hope—no matter what stage of addiction you’re in.

Dr. Lipi Roy is an internal medicine and addiction medicine physician, keynote speaker, Forbes Contributor, sought-after medical media personality and host of the YouTube series, "Health, Humor and Harmony." She currently serves as a Medical Director at Housing Works in New York City as well as clinical assistant professor at NYU Langone Health. During the pandemic, she treated patients with opioid addiction at a Bronx harm reduction clinic. Dr. Roy’s work spans academia, clinical medicine, homeless health, social and criminal justice, public speaking, media and entertainment. As the former Chief of Addiction Medicine for Rikers Island, Dr. Roy oversaw substance use treatment and recovery services at the nation’s 2nd-largest jail complex. She completed medical and master’s in public health degrees from Tulane University, and her residency in internal medicine at Duke Medical Center.

During her 300+ on air appearances as an MSNBC and NBC News medical contributor and commentator, Dr. Roy spoke at the intersection of COVID-19, public health, addiction, mental health, politics, burnout and social justice. She has also appeared on CNN, The Tamron Hall Show, Charlie Rose, CBS New York and PIX11, and has been featured in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Cooking Light, Oprah.com and many other media outlets. Dr. Roy’s mission is to educate and empower the public to make healthy decisions by merging her passion for medicine with media and entertainment.

Trish Barrus, Ph.D. is an industry influencer in positive psychology and Assistant Professor at the University of Utah where she helped create the nationally acclaimed Positive Psychology Undergraduate Certificate program. She is a practicing clinician and owner of Riverwoods Behavioral Health, Provo, UT providing groundbreaking mental health and addiction programs. In addition to her business accomplishments, Dr. Barrus serves on several state of Utah committees for the opioid abuse problem and is the State Commissioner on Mental Health for the Utah Digital Health Commission. She has recently published a workbook for those with addiction the “10 Principles of Recovery- A Positive Psychological Approach to Addiction and Life “- 2021.

Mark O. Bigler, LCSW, PhD is a Professor and chair of the Department of Social Work and Gerontology at Weber State University. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and sex therapist and has worked with couples in private practice for several years. In addition, he has devoted a good share of his professional life to HIV/AIDS prevention and clinical services in Utah and in New York City in both substance abuse treatment and AIDS services settings. His scholarship and professional activities also focus on harm reduction and international drug policy. He has been a full-time faculty member in the Department of Social Work and Gerontology at Weber State University since 1999 and has served as the department chair since 2005.

Dr. Joel Bush began his interest in addiction treatment during his United States Army career as a physician resident training in Family Medicine. His passion for treating patients with addiction continued to grow as he completed a Fellowship in Addiction Medicine at the University of Maryland in Baltimore, and then began treating soldiers and their family members who suffer from addiction. He completed his 15-years of active-duty service in 2018 and transitioned to the Utah Army National Guard where he now reviews drug tests for all soldiers in the state of Utah as part of their substance use prevention effort. Currently he works at Wasatch Behavioral Health in their Substance Use Disorder Division programs where he treats patients with medications for their substance use disorders. He prefers a direct relationship with each of his patients, helping those who struggle with any addiction including heroin or other opiates, cocaine, alcohol, marijuana, or any other substance use problem.

Jason Coombs is a person in long-term recovery and the Founder and CEO of nationally accredited Brick House Recovery. He earned a Master of Professional Communications (MPC) degree and recently his new book, Unhooked: How to Help an Addicted Loved One Recover, achieved the Amazon Best Seller award.

He is a professional TEDx speaker, consultant, and leadership expert. He is also an Ironman 70.3 finisher and loves the outdoors. Jason and his wife enjoy living in a small town outside of Boise, Idaho with their twin toddlers. He would love to connect with all of you in the Recovery Movement group on Facebook.

Matthew Draper, PhD, currently works as a Professor of Psychology in the Department of Behavioral Sciences at Utah Valley University. He earned a doctorate in Counseling Psychology from the University of Texas at Austin, and previously served as Director of Clinical Training at Indiana State University and formerly as CMHC Program Director at UVU. His research interests focus on Buddhist and Christian phenomenologies and how these ideas can be applied within a psychotherapy settings. Clinically he has worked in counseling centers, refugee trauma clinics, hospitals, and supermaximum-security prisons. He currently serves as a part-time clinical director in a dual-diagnosis addictions treatment center to apply the principles he teaches, and to inform his mentorship of his students in and out of the classroom.

Chaz has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from McKendree University, and a Master of Social Work degree from Saint Louis University (SLU). Chaz received his clinical license in 2009. He is a therapist and clinical supervisor for Light Source, a small group practice in Belleville, Illinois. Chaz is also adjunct faculty in the Saint Louis University MSW program.

Chaz has been practicing therapy full time since 2007. Since the beginning of his career as a therapist, he has worked with trauma and its long reaching effects. This work has included extensive work with all ages and all walks of life. Chaz specializes in self compassion and integrating Eastern thought and philosophy into the therapeutic process. He has presented on topics including, but not limited to: Trauma, Wisdom and Self Compassion, Mindfulness, Self-Care, Transference and countertransference, and Early Intervention and Listening skills. Chaz provides both clinical and beyond supervision to clinicians across many settings to help further their ability to find their voice in the field and maintain engagement in their work.

Michael Esteban Gerald is currently employed as an Assistant Professor in Rehabilitation Counseling at Utah State University (USU) in Logan, UT. Michael currently directs the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling service line, which provides clinical mental health counseling services for persons with Chronic Illness, Disability, and Developmental Disability. Michael earned a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Rehabilitation Counseling from California State University, Fresno. Michael then earned a PhD in Rehabilitation Counselor Education from the University of Iowa.

Michael's primary area of academic study is Counseling Ethics, and his research has largely centered around ethics and ethical practices in non-traditional settings. In addition to academic training, Michael has been working in the field for the past decade as a human services provider. Michael is currently a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC-Iowa), Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (CMHC-Utah), and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC). Michael has provided clinical mental health services as a Crisis Counselor, Substance Abuse Counselor, Correctional Mental Health Provider, and Private Practice Mental Health. Michael has taught courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level on Ethics, Counseling Theories, Mental Health Diagnosis, Treatment Planning, and Psychosocial and Medical Aspects of Disability. Michael has provided presentations to various conferences and agencies on a variety of topics related to ethics, counseling special populations, and general human service provision.

Dr. Aaron Hunt, MPH, PhD, is an Assistant Professor and Health & Wellness Specialist for Utah State University Extension working to improve outcomes for people impacted by substance use disorders. He earned his PhD in Public Health from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. His current work is focused addressing opioid use disorder in rural communities through increasing access to prevention, treatment, and recovery services. He is passionate about reducing stigma related to substance use and promoting the use of harm reduction activities with partners across the state.

Jamison Law, EdD, currently works as Assistant Clinical Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at UVU and has worked as a LCMHC since 2006. As such, he brings substantive clinical experience in trauma work, dual diagnosis, and much more to not only his clinical work, but also integral in his teaching, instruction, and supervision. His goal as a Professor is to help better prepare the future generations of clinicians through instruction, mentorship and supervision to be more trauma-informed, best-practice focused, and more competent.

Dr. Panos is the director of the UVU Substance Use Disorder Certificate Programs. She has decades of experience in the treatment field.

Lindsay Robinson is currently an MSW student at Weber State University.

Jeffrey Quamme is the Executive Director of the Connecticut Certification Board, a workforce development organization that serves the substance use disorder prevention, treatment and recovery industry with competency based credentialing. He is a sought after trainer on a national level, author and podcaster, who is not afraid to point out the credibility issues the industry faces with a focus on improving practice and outcomes. He received his undergraduate education in psychology at Eastern Connecticut State University, with graduate education in Social Work at the University of Connecticut and Nonprofit Effectiveness and Leadership at Charter Oak State College.

Amanda graduated with her master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling (MRC) in 2012. In August 2022, Amanda qualified as an Associate Clinical Mental Health Counseling Licensure for the state of Utah. In December 2021, Amanda accomplished 3 milestones, including passing the National Counselor Exam (NCE), becoming a Board-Certified Coach (BBC), and a Fellow with the American Institute of Health Care Providers as a Certified Stress Management Consultant. When Amanda is not at work, she enjoys taking care of her family, reading mystery novels, and watching Pittsburgh Steeler football. Amanda has a contagious laugh, and her favorite show is America’s Funniest Home Videos.

Dr. Rosenfeld is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist in Illinois, a Certified Reciprocal Alcoholism and Other Drug Counselor, and Human Services - Board Certified Professional. He is a Professor in the Addiction Counselor Training Program within the Human Services Department at Elgin Community College.

Dr. Rosenfeld is currently on the Board of Directors of the International Coalition for Addiction Studies Education, on the International Standards Committee for the International Consortium of Universities for Drug Demand Reduction, and on Editorial Advisory Committee of “Advances in Addiction and Recovery; the official publication of NAADAC.” He has conducted many presentations, and has numerous publications.

Tess Stanton is the Training Administrator for the Rocky Mountain ADA Center. She specializes in in-person training facilitation for groups within the center’s six-state region. In her role, Tess develops customized and comprehensive training programs while guiding both large and small groups throughout several ADA-related topics including general ADA standards, ADA and the workplace, responsibilities by both public and private entities under the law, along with additional topics such as disability etiquette and more. She also acts as public media spokesperson for the Rocky Mountain ADA Center. Stanton holds a Bachelor of Arts in Professional Communication and a Master of Arts in Communication from the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs.

Michaela Thackeray, works as a Research Assistant whose research foci include compassion-focused individual and group psychotherapy, Buddhist Psychotherapy, and exploring holistic psychotherapeutic methods to ameliorate suffering. Michaela has invested the last two years conducting research with those with severe mental illness using an adapted version of Paul Gilbert's Compassion Focused Therapy. Direct Comparison of Alliance and Cohesion in Group Therapy: A Structural Equation Model Meta-analysis showcase her latest authored work on analyzing relationships within group therapy. Furthermore, Michaela advocates that a phenomenological approach to lifestyle and therapeutic practice will significantly impact practitioners, clients, and entire communities.

Dr. Mason Turner is the Senior Medical Director for Behavioral Health for Intermountain Healthcare based in Salt Lake City, UT. His leadership in mental health care focuses on the development and evolution of strategic innovations in behavioral health care delivery that enhance quality of care and clinical excellence and are guided by principles of equity and inclusion of the patient/consumer voice into all aspects of the behavioral healthcare ecosystem. As a clinician, he specializes in addiction medicine, consult-liaison psychiatry and treatment of personality disorders. He has received extensive training in resiliency-and systems-based approaches for improving the mental health and well-being of refugees, asylum seekers and torture survivors.

Dr. Turner earned his AB degree in psychology from Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH, and completed his MD degree at the University of Texas, Southwestern Medical Center/ Parkland Hospital in Dallas, TX. He completed his residency in psychiatry at Harvard University Medical School through Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital, in Boston, MA, with additional training in psychotherapy at the Center for Psychoanalytic Studies at Massachusetts General Hospital and addiction psychiatry at McLean Hospital. He is board certified in Psychiatry and certified in Addiction Medicine through the American Board of Preventive Medicine.

Dr. Fulton Velez is a physician and health economist with a background in clinical practice and more than 20 years of research experience in health services and health economics in both academic and industry settings. During his career, he has worked across multiple therapeutic areas including metabolic disorders, infectious disease, endocrinology, reproductive health, neurology, ENT/allergy, and substance/opioid use disorders.

He currently leads and manages the HEOR team at Pear Therapeutics, where his team designs and conducts health economics outcomes research, ensuring the launch readiness of Pear’s novel prescription digital therapeutics, reSET®, reSET-O®, and Somryst.

Mindy Vincent is the Executive Director of the Utah Harm Reduction Coalition.

Dr. Tia White, DSW, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker, researcher, program and curriculum developer, and training instructor. With a Doctorate and master’s in social work her education focus has been on the best ways to holistically empower communities, develop programs, initiate, translate, and apply research, and engage public safety in specialized clinical treatments.

Over her career, she has been a certified Utah crisis worker and has worked as a community crisis interventionist and field trainer for a mobile crisis outreach team (MCOT). Tia has spent several years in regional emergency departments, leading patient crisis intervention efforts and directly supporting medical providers. She has 22+ years of experience working with a variety of populations and social systems including international service-learning, forensics, individuals with disabilities, severe and chronic mental illness, geriatrics, child welfare, juvenile justice, and schools. Additionally, she is a passionate educator and has been an adjunct instructor for several years at two local universities.