A-B Tech’s Counseling Department is holding an Addiction, Recovery, Coping (ARC) Event from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 5 in Ferguson Auditorium. There will be three sessions starting at the top of the hour. There will also be a resource fair in the lobby of Ferguson during this time.
10 a.m. Rhythm Health (drumming for wellness)
11 a.m. Bob Cummings and Carol Rose from Red Oak Recovery presenting on neuroscience and stigma of addiction
noon Panel discussion of recovery and coping options in the area
Presenter Bios
Bob Cummings, CSAPC
Bob has worked in the substance abuse treatment and prevention field for over 30 years. In between positions in the field, he worked street ministry with the homeless and homeless addicted population, worked in child protective services, and was the owner and lead teacher of a Shaolin Kung Fu school in Asheville, achieving the level of Shaolin Master Instructor. As the Training and Development Manager for Red Oak Recovery, an innovative, clinically-based addiction recovery program for young adult men and women located in Leicester and in Fairview outside of Asheville, Bob is responsible for making sure that all staff coming to the Red Oak Recovery receive the best and most thorough training in the industry, and continue to upgrade their skills so as to provide the utmost in client care. Bob is a certified Instructor of the QPR Method of Suicide Prevention by the QPR Institute He also utilizes his background in the Chinese martial arts to teach stress skills, communication skills, and physical fitness through kung fu, t’ai chi, pa qua chang, and other traditional Shaolin modalities.
Carol Rose, MHDL
Carol holds a Master’s degree in Counseling from UNC Charlotte. She is the founder of the Collegiate Recovery Community at UNC Charlotte, the first university in North Carolina to offer support to students who are early in their recovery from substance use disorder. Her experience at both UNC Charlotte and UNC-Chapel Hill has included outreach to local and statewide agencies within the recovery, healthcare, and higher education fields in order to extend the continuum of care. The community outreach Carol developed also created opportunities to collaborate and grow valuable partnerships in the area. She currently works as the Collegiate and Clinical Outreach Specialist for Red Oak Recovery, a young adult treatment program specializing in SUD and mental health issues located in Asheville.
Panelist Bios
Michael Fagan, MS, LPC, LCAS, CCS
Michael is the Director of Second Spring Counseling in Asheville, NC which provides a variety of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services. He facilitates individual and family therapy, a full range of DWI services, and conducts weekly substance abuse groups. Michael is an active trainer, workshop leader, and clinical supervisor. Michael has a passion for using experiential therapies in various clinical settings to support positive transformations.
Vernetta Eleazer, MS, LCAS, CCS
Vernetta is the Program Director/ Clinical Supervisor at Swain Recovery Center, a residential substance abuse treatment program for adults and adolescents in Black Mountain, NC. Vernetta is also the Clinical Supervisor/ Therapist at Legacy Freedom Treatment Center in Asheville, NC. She has 30 years of experience working with expressive arts with clients. Vernetta believes all forms of creative expression can be used as a door-way to profound clinical work.
Shannon O’Neill, MA, LPCS, SEP
Shannon is a proud mother, private practice psychotherapist, and clinical supervisor living in Asheville, NC. She has a master’s in Depth psychology from the Pacifica Graduate Institute and is trained in the archetypal psychology tradition of Carl Jung and neurophysiology of somatic psychotherapy. Shannon also works as a professor in the Masters of social work and mental health counseling departments of Western Carolina University. Shannon’s classes are titled “The Science of Addiction” and focus on the role of early relational dynamics in epigenetics and neurobiology. For over a decade, Shannon has treated the spectrum of trauma-based disorders with a unique integration of body-centered modalities with Jungian psychology. Her resume includes positions with OurVoice, the Women at-risk program, the WCCJ men’s program, and the YWCA.