National Family Support Technical Assistance Center 

A growing body of research on the effects of adverse and positive childhood experiences, along with neuroscientific evidence emerging from the National Institute on Drug Abuse and other research groups, have made it increasingly clear that the roots of addiction risk and resilience are planted very early in life. This webinar will describe the early and broad factors that influence a child’s risk and resilience for substance use and addiction and what is needed to more effectively address these issues going forward. To better protect our nation from experiencing the next substance use and addiction crisis, we must intervene at the earliest stages of life and continue through all stages of development, address the root causes of substance use, and promote youth health and resilience via a family-based approach.

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Learning Objectives:

• Establish a framework for an earlier and broader approach to addressing youth substance use and addiction
• Describe the impact of early experiences on neurological, cognitive, and emotional development
• Explore the protective factors that can forestall and mitigate the effects of adverse experiences, including COVID, on children’s risk for substance use and addiction
• To develop tools that families can use as they support their loved ones

Meet the Presenters:

Greg Dicharry (Louisiana)

Greg Dicharry is the national youth empowerment director at Magellan Health. In 2008, Greg developed the MY LIFE (Magellan Youth Leaders Inspiring Future Empowerment) program, one of the nation’s leading programs for youth who experience mental health, substance use and/or foster care- related challenges. Since establishing MY LIFE in Arizona, Greg has worked with communities in Pennsylvania, Florida, Louisiana, Nebraska and Wyoming to implement 20 additional MY LIFE programs, which have impacted thousands of youth participants.

Greg was introduced to the world of mental health while living in Hollywood pursuing his dream of working in the entertainment industry. It was there he experienced his first manic episode and was hospitalized and diagnosed with co-occurring bipolar and substance use disorders. In 2004, Greg became committed to recovery and completed a certified peer support training program. Soon after, he was hired to oversee that same program and trained over 100 individuals to work as peer support specialists. He also started 12-step recovery groups at the Arizona State Mental Hospital Forensic Unit and two juvenile detention centers in Arizona.

Linda Richter, Ph.D.

Linda Richter, Ph.D., is the Vice President of Prevention Research and Analysis at Partnership to End Addiction, where she has worked for over 20 years conducting research on the nature, scope, predictors, and consequences of all forms of substance use and addiction, especially among young people. She leverages this research to help raise awareness among parents, educators, health professionals, and policymakers about best practices in substance use prevention and addiction care.

Dr. Richter has more than 40 peer-reviewed journal publications and 10 book chapters. She serves on substance use advisory panels and regularly presents at local and national professional conferences as well as to schools and communities about youth substance use. Dr. Richter received her doctorate in psychology from the University of Maryland.