Products and Resources Catalog

  The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The September 2022 issue celebrates National Recovery Month and the start of National Hispanic Heritage Month (observed Sept.15-Oct.15). This issue also features new products, such as the Alcohol Is Still a Drug webinar series flipbook and the MHTTC Network's Cultural Inclusiveness and Equity WISE companion training series. Don't miss SAMHSA Assistant Secretary, Dr. Miriam Delphin-Rittmon's video address in honor of National Recovery Month. You will also find links to all the upcoming events and trainings for the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. 

  The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The August 2022 issue features content related to the nationwide transition to the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Great Lakes MHTTC's newly released Classroom WISE Discussion Guide, the new CDC drug overdose disparities report, and SAMSHA's "Talk. They Hear You."® youth substance use prevention campaign. You will also find links to all the upcoming events and trainings for the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. 

    The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The July 2022 issue features content related to Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, World Hepatitis Day (July 28), Naloxone Vending Machine (NVM) Implementation, and the new Comprehensive Culturally Responsive Glossary. You will also find links to all the upcoming events and trainings for the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. 

The National Hispanic and Latino PTTC is happy to share with you this resource from the Center of Excellence on LGBTQ+ Behavioral Health Equity (CoE LGBTQ+ BHE). Our center supported the CoE LGBTQ+ BHE and we are proud to share these resources are now available in Spanish and Portuguese. This animated video, reviews basic terminology that is important to know when working with people who have diverse sexual orientations or gender identities. This terminology includes sex assigned at birth, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, and more.   English   Spanish   Portuguese     This glossary of terms related to sexual orientation, gender identity, and expression (SOGIE) is a resource for behavioral health practitioners to better understand language commonly used in LGBTQ+ communities. It should be noted that people use terms in different ways, and the best practice is always to honor language an individual uses to identify themselves. English: Spanish: Portuguese: We invite you to visit the CoE LGBTQ+ BHE webpage to learn more: https://lgbtqequity.org/resources/ 

The New England ATTC co-hosted the Recovery Science and Harm Reduction (RSHR) Reading Group meeting on April 28, 2022 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM. This discussion reviewed the article, “Diagnostic remission of substance use disorders: Racial differences and correlates of remission in a nationally representative sample.”  View the April 2022 RSHR Reading group meeting summary that includes a brief article summary and key themes that arose in discussion with the participants.

    The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The June 2022 issue features content related to Pride Month and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Awareness Month, the Counselor's Corner blog, the Checking In Podcast: Understanding PTSD in First Responders, and a complete calendar of events. 

The Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center (CE-ATTC), funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and operated by The Danya Institute, contracted with The College for Behavioral Health Leadership (CBHL) to develop a report describing and defining EquityGrounded Leadership for use by behavioral health leaders in Health and Human Services Region 3 states. This report builds on the Institute’s ongoing efforts to improve diversity, increase cultural competency, and address population-specific needs of people receiving and delivering behavioral health services in Region 3. CBHL partnered with Just Health Collective and the Prevention Institute to develop this report. The purpose is to define and describe equity-grounded leadership, incorporating the experiences and perspectives of Region 3 behavioral health leaders via a survey, key informant interviews, and focus groups; make the case for the importance of focusing on equity as an foundational element of leadership; and offer recommendations for local, state, and national leaders and policy makers. Region 3 is a diverse region including Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. With a population of nearly 31,000,000 people, the region consists of a mix of dense, urban metropolitan areas and rural communities. Two-thirds of the population overall is White, and one-third are residents of color, but significant diversity is seen by state and community. Clear racial disparities exist in three indicators of health equity—poverty, education, and home ownership—across the region. Data on regional diversity of the behavioral health workforce and leadership are unavailable, but anecdotally are widely believed to comprise White females. WEBINAR Thursday, March 24, 1:00 PM, will provide an overview of the report development and outcomes, key takeaways for organizations and communities, and a description of and discussion about the importance of equity-grounded leadership. We will also seek your feedback on what is needed next to support equity-grounded leadership in Region 3. PRESENTERS: Oscar Morgan, Interim Executive Director, The Danya Institute, Project Director, Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Dr. Jei Africa, Director, Marin County Behavioral Health and Recovery Services Kathy Poston, Chief Engagement Officer, Just Health Collective, LLC Ruben Cantu, Associate Program Director, Prevention Institute This publication was prepared for the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center (CE-ATTC) under a cooperative agreement from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). All material appearing in this publication, except that taken directly from copyrighted sources, is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission from SAMHSA or the authors. Citation of the source is appreciated. Do not reproduce or distribute this publication for a fee without specific, written authorization from the CE-ATTC. At the time of this publication, Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, PhD, served as Assistant Secretary of Mental Health Services and Substance Use and the Administrator of SAMHSA. The opinions expressed herein are the view of CE-ATTC and the authors and do not reflect the official position of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), SAMHSA. No official support or endorsement of HHS, SAMHSA for the opinions described in this document is intended or should be inferred.

  This event took place virtually on Tuesday, October 5th, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM (ET).    The New England ATTC hosted the inaugural SAMHSA Region 1 Diversity Inclusion Project Showcase (DIPS): Promoting Recovery-Oriented Organizations! This showcase was introduced by Assistant Regional Administrator Taylor Bryan Turner, with remarks by national and state leaders Tom Coderre, Deidre Calvert, and Nancy Navaretta. Moderators Dr. Haner Hernandez, Michele Stewart-Copes, and Daryl McGraw introduced four recovery-oriented community-based organizations that serve historically marginalized communities: Recovery Support Services; New Life II Ministries; Stairway to Recovery; and STEPRox Recovery Support Center. Learn more about the showcase here. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________   The video recording of this session may be accessed by clicking on the "view resource" button above. Please click here to access the event agenda and here to access each community-based organization's presentation slides, which shared their organization’s mission statement, services, successes, challenges, and contact information.    ________________________________________________________________________________________________________   For more information about the history of the DIPS initiative, please contact SAMHSA's Public Health Fellow Tim Jean at [email protected].    

  This event took place virtually on Tuesday, October 5th, 2021 from 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM (ET).    The New England ATTC hosted the inaugural SAMHSA Region 1 Diversity Inclusion Project Showcase (DIPS): Promoting Recovery-Oriented Organizations! This showcase was introduced by Assistant Regional Administrator Taylor Bryan Turner, with remarks by national and state leaders Tom Coderre, Deidre Calvert, and Nancy Navaretta. Moderators Dr. Haner Hernandez, Michele Stewart-Copes, and Daryl McGraw introduced four recovery-oriented community-based organizations that serve historically marginalized communities: Recovery Support Services; New Life II Ministries; Stairway to Recovery; and STEPRox Recovery Support Center. Learn more about the showcase here. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________   The event agenda and each community-based organization's presentation slides of this session may be accessed by clicking on the "view resource" button above. Please click here to access the showcase recording.   ________________________________________________________________________________________________________   For more information about the history of the DIPS initiative, please contact SAMHSA's Public Health Fellow Tim Jean at [email protected].    

    The Great Lakes ATTC offers this training for behavioral health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, Oh, and WI. This training is offered in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.   DESCRIPTION: Behavioral health programs that thrive in the future will be those that do the best job of creative an inclusive organization. Staff appreciation, feelings of inclusion, and happiness have a direct impact on quality client care. In this skill-building virtual presentation, participants will learn why cultural humility is a more realistic goal than cultural competence. Topics will include how to help your co-workers feel appreciated, how to have a discussion of differences, microaggressions, micro-insults, and micro-invalidations; and a six- step strategy to repair damage if you insult a co-worker. Join this webinar to learn how to be a diversity change agent in the workplace and create an inclusive organization.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Repair damage if you inadvertently commit a microaggression or insult in the workplace. Help co-workers feel appreciated regardless of differences. Be a diversity change agent. Create an inclusive organization.       TRAINER Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, is the State Project Manager for the Great Lakes ATTC. Mark is also an international speaker, trainer, and consultant in the behavioral health field whose work has reached thousands throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Caribbean and British Islands.

        The history of formerly enslaved black people in the United States and their descendants have a unique place in the United States. While slavery is often thought of as a thing of the past, the institution was a far-reaching financial cornerstone and slaveholding states had an outsized influence on the nation’s formative years. The trauma of slavery, its social stratifications, and the rationalizations for its existence has been perpetuated by other social assaults such as Jim Crow, domestic terrorism through organizations such as the Klu Klux Klan, and discriminatory housing policies from the federal government. In understanding the entrenched, pervasive nature of these issues, it is imperative to draw upon the contributions of historians and sociologists.    The ongoing impact of these events contributes to present-day social determinants of mental health for African-Americans such as black disproportionate exposure to poor academic opportunities, families, and communities disrupted by mass incarceration, exposure to violent communities, and the stressors of incessant micro and macro-aggressions. Additionally, the rationale for the justification of slavery, the inferiority of blacks, is one that remains prevalent in American messaging, whether it be through the educational system, from politicians, or through media representations. In this presentation, a structural competency approach will be applied to explore the ongoing impacts of slavery and institutional racism, the ways in which these issues can impact patients and clinicians, and the medical and mental health professional's role and responsibility in not only being aware of but combatting these issues.      Objective 1: Understand the historical and present-day context of structural racism and its role in the social determinants of health Objective 2: Describe the implications of population mental health including assessment, diagnosis and treatment Objective 3: Identify actions that can be taken by public servants to identify and address the mental health ramifications of structural racism. ======================================       Sarah Y. Vinson, M.D., F.A.P.A. is a physician who specializes in adult, child & adolescent, and forensic psychiatry. She is the founder of the Lorio Psych Group, an Atlanta, GA-based mental health practice providing expert care and consultation. Dr. Vinson is also the founder of Lorio Forensics, which provides consultation in a wide variety of cases in criminal, civil, and family court cases. After graduating from medical school at the University of Florida with Research Honors and as an Inductee in the Chapman Humanism Honors Society, she completed her general psychiatry training at Cambridge Health Alliance/Harvard Medical School. While there, she also received specialized training in trauma through the Victims of Violence Program. She then returned to the South to complete fellowships in both child & adolescent and forensic psychiatry at Emory University School of Medicine. In addition to providing mental health care services such as psychotherapy, consultation, and psychopharmacology through her private practice, Dr. Vinson is an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics at Morehouse School of Medicine. Just two years after joining the faculty she was honored as Psychiatry and Faculty of the Year in 2015. She is also Adjunct Faculty at Emory University School of Medicine. She has been elected and/or appointed to national and statewide office by her professional peers. She is the Past President of the Georgia Council on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Treasurer of the Georgia Psychiatric Physicians Association. Additionally, she is an Advisor for the Judges Psychiatry Leadership Initiative.  She has been a speaker at national conferences including the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Annual Meeting, and The National Urban League Annual Meeting. Dr. Vinson has received numerous awards in recognition of her service and leadership including the University of Florida College of Medicine Outstanding Young Alumna Award and the APA Jeanne Spurlock Minority Fellowship Alumni Achievement Award.

  An organizational tool to assess the needs, both internally and externally, around the culturally and linguistically appropriate services (CLAS) standards.

The January 2021 Dialogue contains articles on: Addiction: New Year. New Hope. Black History Month | Mental Health: Addressing Mental Health in the Black Community | Prevention: Substance Use Prevention and Mentoring | ORN: Mentoring | Region 3 Spotlight: Danya's new ORN hire. Additional sections include upcoming training and webinar events, behavioral health observances, new resources, and Region 3 news. The Dialogue is designed to inform behavioral and mental health professionals of news and upcoming events in the Central East states. This electronic newsletter is disseminated bi-monthly on the first Tuesday. You are encouraged to provide us with any feedback or submit articles and topics for discussion in future issues of the newsletter, [email protected]. Sign up to receive the Dialogue in your mailbox.    

    S2 E4 | Addiction Equity X Policy Progression In this episode, we focus our attention on recognizing the 10th anniversary of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) and the Kennedy-Satcher Center for Mental Health Equity in the Satcher Health Leadership Institute at Morehouse School of Medicine. The collaboration jointly released “Evaluating State Mental Health and Addiction Parity Statutes,” with 32 states receiving a failing grade for statues designed to ensure equal access to mental health and addiction treatment. We spoke to Megan on the next steps, broke down some jargon, and defined the basics of Addiction Equity. We promote and raise awareness on how to be involved in the addiction community to garner policy change in the Southeast.  Resources:  Evaluating State Mental Health and Addiction Parity Statutes: A Technical Report The Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act YelloPain - My Vote Don't Count (A civics lesson via hip hop song)       Megan Douglas, JD is the Director of Health Policy for the National Center for Primary Care (NCPC) and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Community Health and Preventive Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) in Atlanta, GA. Megan is a licensed attorney whose research focuses on studying how laws and policies can be used to improve health and eliminate health disparities. She has expertise in health information technology, Medicaid, primary care, behavioral health, and health equity. Megan is also the course director for the Health Policy and Advocacy rotation, offered to MSM medical students and residents, which teaches them about the policymaking process and ways to leverage clinical experience to inform policy.  Megan received her law degree from Georgia State University (GSU) College of Law, where she interned with the Supreme Court of Georgia, the Georgia Hospital Association, and the Health Law Partnership (HeLP), a medical-legal partnership assisting low-income patients of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta with legal needs that impacted their health. After graduation, Megan became a joint fellow with the Satcher Health Leadership Institute’s Health Policy Leadership Fellowship program at MSM and the Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders (LEND) program at GSU. Megan serves on the Advisory Council for HeLP and the Community Advisory Council for the Center for Leadership in Disability at GSU.    

      This skill-building virtual presentation is sponsored by the Southeast ATTC Regional Center and will focus on strategies to create an inclusive organization in substance use disorders and mental health treatment settings. Topics covered include the definitions of diversity, cultural competence, and cultural humility; reasons cultural humility is a more realistic goal than cultural competence; how to create a welcoming environment for clients seeking substance use disorders treatment from a diversity of cultural backgrounds; how to have a discussion of differences; how to help your co-workers feel appreciated regardless of differences; microaggressions, micro-insults, and micro-invalidations in the workplace; a 6 step strategy to repair damage if you insult a co-worker; how to be a diversity change agent in the workplace; how to create an inclusive substance use disorders and mental health program in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina. Treatment providers, peer support communities, and community-based organizations in Region 4 are encouraged to register for free.   Repair damage if you inadvertently commit a microaggression or insult in the workplace Help co-workers feel appreciated regardless of differences Be a diversity change agent in substance use disorders and mental health settings. Create an inclusive substance use disorders and mental health organization ..................................................................     Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, is an international speaker, trainer, and consultant in the behavioral health field whose work has reached thousands throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and the British Islands. Mark has been a certified addictions counselor for 34 years. Mark is co-founder of the Serenity Academy of Chicago, the only recovery high school in Illinois. He is past president of the board of the Illinois Chapter of NAADAC.   

          This virtual dialogue is sponsored by the Southeast ATTC Regional Center and will focus on how partnerships between primary care and behavioral health and comprehensive strategy can lead to health equity in underserved communities that are experiencing SUDs in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina.     Dominic Mack is a Professor of Family Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine (MSM) and serves as Director of the National Center for Primary Care (NCPC). Dr. Mack provides oversight of NCPC’s portfolio of big data health equity, health services, and HIT research. He leads the promotion of health equity through research, training, and application of innovative technology solutions that advance primary care systems to improve population health. He is founding director of the Georgia Health Information Technology Center (GA-HITEC) and Georgia Health Connect (GaHC) health information exchange and also directs Health Policy within the NIH Transdisciplinary Collaborative Center at MSM. Dr. Mack spent over 20 years practicing medicine and providing medical leadership in metropolitan Atlanta with many years of service in the Federally Qualified Health Center system. He works to develop national partnerships in rural and urban communities and takes a team-based approach to implement and sustaining community-based interventions for better outcomes. Current programs focus on progressing collaborative partnerships across communities to impact Diabetes and Substance Abuse outcomes. He is the founder and past president of Mack Medical Consultants, a for-profit company dedicated to the improvement of business practices in medical organizations.

          Season 2 Episode 2: Crossing the Prevention Bridge to Treatment and Recovery: The SUD Equity Journey This episode is a product of the Southeast TTC Critical Thought Leaders Collaboration. This podcast episode is sponsored by the Southeast ATTC Regional Center and will feature, Nicole Augustine, MPH, MCHES, CSAPC, who has been working in the field of prevention since 2001. She has a Master of Public Health degree from The George Washington University School of Public Health. We focus on health equity/health disparities from the lens of innovation and how to connect substance use prevention to treatment/recovery efforts. We speak with Nicole Augustine on how the environment can pose barriers and challenges for organizations to properly serve in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina. Furthermore, we have a chance to discuss a national discussion (Addiction and Prevention Technology Transfer Center collaboration) surrounding emerging issues around COVID-19 and social determinants of health (SDH) for the substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery workforce. The initial listening session framed the ongoing and emerging issues and subsequent strategic discussions to engage key communities, the intent was to gather strategies and resources to identify emerging best practices that can support underserved and/or communities of color. Nicole also introduces her position and future projects of purpose.        Nicole Augustine, MPH, MCHES, CSAPC has been working in the field of prevention since 2001.  She has a Master of Public Health degree from The George Washington University School of Public Health.  As a prevention consultant, she has several years of experience facilitating prevention education curriculums and providing technical assistance to coalitions in the development of environmental strategies.   Nicole is a passionate prevention provider, committed to supporting initiatives designed to address the complex substance use issues affecting our society.  Additionally, Nicole is committed to seeing an increase in the number of credential prevention professionals, as a means of ensuring the delivery of evidence-informed practices.

    LISTEN NOW   Season 2 Episode 1: The New Normal: Ethnic Sensitivities and SUDs   This podcast episode is sponsored by the Southeast ATTC Regional Center and will feature, Joy Ssebikindu, LPC graduate from Vanderbilt University (BA, Sociology and Child Development) and MEd in Clinical Mental Health counseling. We focus on health disparities in the southeast, the African American substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery experience. As well as, the role of faith-based communities in recovery, and levels of care in Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina.     Joy comes with over a decade of professional experience in working with children, adolescents, adults, and their families at all levels of care (ranging from inpatient to outpatient clinical care).  As a Licensed Professional Counselor, she specializes in working with individuals, couples, and families who have issues with communication, family transitions including divorce, trauma, depression, anxiety, substance use, and disordered eating/eating disorders.  Currently, as a Treatment Placement Specialist with Acadia Healthcare, she walks every day in her passion. "I'm not here to keep you from freaking out. I'm here to be with you while you freak out, or grieve or laugh or suffer or sing. It is a ministry of presence. It is showing up with a loving heart."  This mantra sits at the core of all that Joy Ssebikindu does, both personally and professionally.

An Ecological Snapshot of Racial Inequity: How We Got Here and Where We Need to Go Together   "An Ecological Snapshot of Racial Inequity: How We Got Here and Where We Need to Go Together" was a webinar presented on September 22, 2020 with guest speaker, Mr. Albert Thompson from Howard University. This webinar was part of the ATTC and PTTC Networks’ listening session and strategic discussion series on emerging issues around COVID-19 and social determinants of health for the substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery workforces.   Download Presentation Slides          

Great Lakes Current July 2020: Monthly e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. 

The New England ATTC hosted this webinar for the Western Connecticut Mental Health Network (WCMHN).  WCMHN is a division of the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and this was a specific request from this state-operated Mental Health authority. Over 200 staff were invited to attend, including psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, rehabilitation and mental health workers that provide services for persons with long term mental illness and addiction disorders. This event supports ongoing dialogue and understanding of the many societal forces, including structural racism, that contribute to health disparities in our community and the population struggling with addiction and mental illness.

    SATTC Ask the Expert (July Session: Implicit Racial Bias and Microaggression as they Relate Behavioral Health Treatment and Recovery including SUDs) - Dr. Nzinga A. Harrison ....................................................... Resources Mentioned: KAISER FAMILY FOUNDATION  - Repository On Health Disparities  PEDQ QUESTIONAIRE Patricia G. Devine, Patrick S. Forscher, Anthony J. Austin, and William T. L. Cox.  J Exp Soc Psychol. 2012 Nov; 48(6): 1267–1278. Long-term reduction in implicit race bias: A prejudice habit-breaking intervention   ..................................................... A well-respected physician and educator, Dr. Harrison is the CoFounder and Chief Medical Officer for Eleanor Health, an innovative provider of comprehensive treatment for opioid and other substance use disorders. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology with Spanish and Chemistry minors at Howard University, completed medical school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and General Psychiatry Residency at Emory University. She is Board-Certified in both Adult General Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine and has spent her career treating individuals with Serious Persistent Mental Illness and Addictive Diseases. Currently, she holds adjunct faculty appointment at the Morehouse School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and provides expert consultant services to the Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center. She is Co-Founder of Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform, Inc. and Campaign Psychiatrist for Let’s Get Mentally Fit, a public education and stigma-reduction campaign.  

    Keynote Presentation from the Annual Inter-Faith Institute on Recovery     Nzinga A. Harrison, MD A well-respected physician and educator, Dr. Harrison is the CoFounder and Chief Medical Officer for Eleanor Health, an innovative provider of comprehensive treatment for opioid and other substance use disorders. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Biology with Spanish and Chemistry minors at Howard University, completed medical school at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and General Psychiatry Residency at Emory University. She is Board-Certified in both Adult General Psychiatry and Addiction Medicine and has spent her career treating individuals with Serious Persistent Mental Illness and Addictive Diseases. Currently, she holds adjunct faculty appointment at the Morehouse School of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and provides expert consultant services to the Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center. She is Co-Founder of Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform, Inc. and Campaign Psychiatrist for Let’s Get Mentally Fit, a public education and stigma-reduction campaign.

    A little about the product:  The investigator, co-author Dawn Tyus, sought to learn about the realities, needs, strengths, and challenges of African American women in treatment and recovery. And she did it by asking women in long-term recovery about their own experiences and observations in treatment and early recovery, and about the wisdom they had earned through the years. Those interviews yielded a wealth of knowledge, experience, and ideas for treatment and recovery support. They will form the backbone of a collection of guidelines for treatment and peer-based recovery support for African American women, to be published this year (2020) by the Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center (Southeast ATTC) at Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta. But first, this article introduces eleven extraordinary women and some of their early treatment and recovery experiences and lessons