Title: ATOD Specific Series
Format: Virtual via Zoom
Dates: May 20-22, 2026 & December 1-3, 2026
Time: 9 am- 4:00 pm CST
Continuing Education Hours: 18 in IC&RC Domain 6: Professional Growth and Responsibility, ATOD Specific
Price: $425
Registration Link: Click here to register
Schedule
May 20
1) 9:00-12:00 Substance Use Disorder: It’s what we are preventing.
2) 1:00-4:00 Alcohol Effects on the Brain & Body
May 21
3) 9:00-12:00 Wires Crossed: How the Nervous System Adapts to ATOD and How Prevention Rewires It
4) 1:00-4:00 tbd by the DEA
May 22
5) 9:00-12:00 When Use Feels Normal: Prevention in an Era of Socially Acceptable Drugs
6) 1:00-4:00 Old Drugs, New Threats®
All virtual workshops are scheduled in Central Time. Use the time zone converter , then enter Texas, Houston
Course Descriptions
May 20
1) Substance Use Disorder: It’s what we are preventing. This workshop will provide information on the classifications of drugs, there effects on the brain and body, and distinguish between use, misuse, addiction & substance use disorders.
Upon completion of this training the participant will be able to: 1) List the 5 drug classifications. 2) Distinguish between use, abuse, addiction and substance use disorder.
Presenter: Mitchell Moore
2) Alcohol Effects on the Brain & Body. Alcohol use and abuse affects the brain by changing blood flow patterns. Small doses of alcohol incite cerebral activation, while higher doses decrease brain activity by constricting blood flow. This workshop discusses the possible retrograde amnesia, anterograde amnesia, confabulation, and other effects on the brain resulting from excessive alcohol use.
- Examine the effect of alcohol on the human brain
- Examine the effect of alcohol on the human body
- Discuss the difference between alcohol’s effect on adolescents and adults
- Discuss statistics related to adolescents and adults
- Discuss alcoholism as a disability.
Presenter: Julie Stevens
May 21
3) Wires Crossed: How the Nervous System Adapts to ATOD and How Prevention Rewires It
Presenter: Jen Schneeman
4)
Presenter:
May 22
5) When Use Feels Normal: Prevention in an Era of Socially Acceptable Drugs. Alcohol, tobacco, prescription medications, and marijuana often occupy a unique place in prevention conversations—not because they are harmless, but because they are socially accepted, legally regulated, or increasingly framed as wellness tools. At the same time, emerging conversations around psychedelic-assisted therapy and the quiet persistence of illegal drugs like cocaine complicate traditional prevention narratives.
This three-hour training invites prevention professionals to move beyond substance-specific messaging and examine social acceptability, legality, and cultural framing as key conditions that influence risk, perception, and behavior. Participants will explore how normalization shapes beliefs, use patterns, and community response—and how prevention strategies must adapt when “danger” no longer looks dangerous.
Using case examples, facilitated dialogue, and reflective activities, this session equips participants to address substance use in ways that are credible, culturally responsive, and grounded in prevention science—without resorting to fear-based or outdated messaging.
Participants will be able to: 1) Analyze how social acceptability, legality, and cultural narratives influence substance-related risk across alcohol, tobacco, prescription drugs, marijuana, and emerging therapeutic substances. 2) Identify and respond to social, cultural, and legal conditions that increase substance-related risk, rather than relying solely on drug-specific education or awareness campaigns.
Presenter: Steve Miller
6) Old Drugs, New Threats® One of the most dangerous public perceptions is, “I did it when I was a kid and I turned out fine.” Fast forward a few decades, and today’s youth drug landscape looks very different. Many of the trends filling headlines and flooding social media are in classes all their own. Novel and re-imagined products and devices now pose new and evolving threats to teens and young adults. While awareness is only part of the solution, addressing these trends requires an informed and engaged community response. This session will explore the latest youth drug trends, emerging products and devices, and the ways industry practices and social media are fueling these risks.
Participants will be able to: 1) Identify current and emerging youth drug trends, including novel and re-imagined products and devices impacting teens and young adults. 2) Describe how drug culture, industry tactics, concealment strategies, and social media marketing influence youth substance use
Presenter: Melissa Moore
Presenters:
Julie Stevens MPS, ACPS, ICPS. Julie is an Advanced Certified Prevention Specialist and was a Licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor for 20 years. She has served as Director of Prevention for the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, and Training Specialist for the University of Oklahoma’s Southwest Prevention Center, and most recently as Executive Director of LifeSteps Council on Alcohol and Drugs. She is currently Member At Large of the Board of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium. Ms. Stevens serves on the Texas Certification Board of Addiction Professionals and is chair of the Prevention Subcommittee. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Baylor University and a Masters of Prevention Science from the University of Oklahoma. In addition, Ms. Stevens is an adjunct professor for the University Of Oklahoma College Of Liberal Studies.
Mitchell Moore BAT, LCDC, ACPS, ADC. Mitchell is a dynamic educator who has a passion for training people and serves those who serve by designing and delivering training and across America. He is an advanced certified prevention specialist and licensed chemical dependency counselor who has extensive experience working with youth and families in both prevention and recovery settings. He has served as a counselor, prevention specialist and executive director of a charitable organization. In 2019, he was awarded the Texas Prevention Specialist of the Year.
Jen Schneeman MBA, C-IAYT, CMHC, CDCA Jen is a soul-driven scientist and a co-founder of Real Human Performance. With 22 years in health and human performance, Jen thrives as a chronic fatigue and trauma-informed nervous system specialist facilitating stress management, energy optimization and posttraumatic growth.
First as a science + tech advisor with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Sciences Office and later as a Deputy at the Air Force Research Lab, Human Performance Wing, Jen managed a portfolio of collaborative programs to understand the unique impact of nutrition, disease, brain injury and stressors on humans and how that impacts susceptibility and resistance to other diseases.
She authored Self Care and Resilience (SCAR), a personalized nervous system-based burnout resilience program to reclaim energy and expand capacity. Jen guides real humans to live life fully without the stress of nonstop thoughts, intense emotional triggers and exhausting energy leaks.
Jen collaborates for care and brought mindful yoga therapy to three VA Medical Centers, PTSD and TBI residential programs, addiction treatment centers, treatment courts and support groups. Jen facilitates this mindbody resilience programs for medical professionals, caregivers and survivors of sexual assault, addiction, PTSD and TBI.
She launched therapeutic mindbody connection programs within two NFL teams, three military branches, dozens of organizations and hundreds of medical, mental health and caregiving professionals. After COVID, she expanded the program to real humans just like us.
Jen coaches Ohio Youth in Hey I’m Here Ohio, a diverse youth-led movement on a mission to grow resilience in Ohio’s young people.
Jen uses humor, lived experience and proven methods to deliver stress management, burnout resilience and post-traumatic growth solutions that enable people to live with more awareness, control, self-trust and peace. Jen guides people to understand their unique nervous system in order to boost distress tolerance, manage chronic pain and thrive amidst the inevitable daily stressors. Jen helps people remember their spirit, live a soul-driven life and burnbright after burnout.
Steve Miller BA, CRPS Steve is a leader in substance use prevention and mental health promotion, who bridges technical training with real-world application. Recognizing the people-centered nature of behavioral health, Steve bridges creativity and science to strengthen the workforce and individuals. His mission is to destigmatize substance use disorder and mental health by simplifying the professional language into a kitchen-table type conversational approach that fosters hope, healing, and connection.
Melissa Moore MS, CPS, Melissa has worked in Public Health for over 25 years, leading prevention and coalition efforts in multiple diverse communities. Emphasizing the need to go beyond education to address the factors that contribute to substance abuse, Ms. Moore has helped lead assessment, planning, implementation and grant writing efforts to transform the way communities tackle this daunting burden. An expert in engagement and communication, Ms. Moore is always looking for opportunities to take great ideas and move them into tangible actions answering the age-old question…We recognize this is an issue, now what can we do about it?