Family Addiction Network
A Compassionate Community for Families with Addiction
Due to concerns having arisen because of the COVID pandemic, if meetings are held
they will be done remotely, via ZOOM.
Opinions of presenters do not necessarily reflect those of the Family Addiction Network.
PLEASE NOTE: For information on past meetings, please go to the Past Meetings page.
Current Meetings 2023
May 16th 7:00 - 8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center (in person)
In the Gene Van Brunt Room
Community Action Forum
Are you frustrated with the gaps in the system?
Do you feel that your needs and the needs of your loved one are not being met?
Would you like to see some changes in how things are being done?
Do you want your voice to be heard?
Do you want to be part of the solution?
Monmouth ACTS (an innovative public-private partnership – the first of its kind in New Jersey – that brings together County employees from the Department of Human Services and community nonprofit leaders to better life in Monmouth County) is partnering with the Family Success Institute to host Community Action Forums around the county. The forums offer an opportunity in the post-pandemic world to re-align our priorities with those of our residents and to access opportunities to advocate on their behalf. The forums are designed to be hosted by partner agencies with small groups of residents. The purpose of the forums is two-fold:
1) To identify priority shifts among our residents as it relates to their ability to care for
themselves and their families
2) To identify widening cracks in the social support system that we may not be aware of.
The forums, though important, are not designed to produce immediate changes to any social program,
rather they are a listening opportunity for us to learn.
The findings will be presented to the full Monmouth ACTS Advisory Council in the fall 2023 meetings. At
that time, discussions can begin to identify ways to address any new priorities or widening cracks.
In an effort to bring these issues forward through Monmouth ACTS to the city and the county, Long Branch Councilwoman Dr. Anita Voogt and our co-founder Susan Marco will guide us through a series of questions and a lively discussion to identify gaps in the system, unmet needs of our loved ones and any other issues that keep you up at night.
West Long Branch Community Center
116 Locust Ave,, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
in the Norwood Room
.
April 18th 7:00 - 8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center (in person)
In the Gene Van Brunt Room
Amy Emley & the Prison Yoga Project
We are pleased to welcome back Amy Emley for our April meeting! She has been a friend and a source of support and resource from the start! She will share her story and how she has come to be a force in the recovery community promoting yoga, mindfulness, meditation and simple human kindness and how these principles have helped her to get sober and maintain recovery.
She currently is the National Program Director for Prison Yoga Project, www.prisonyogaprojest.org. Their mission: “We believe in a healing-centered approach to addressing crime, addiction and mental illness through yoga and embodied mindfulness”.
Amy is also a yoga teacher with over a decade of experience and is presently working on completing her Yoga Therapy Certification. Finding her healing through yoga and meditation, Amy made it her purpose to share these practices with others seeking a journey of recovery and those healing from trauma. In 2014, she founded Root to Rise, a nonprofit that brought yoga and mindfulness to recovery/treatment, mental health, hospital, juvenile detention and other community settings. In 2019, The Phoenix and Root to Rose joined forces to reach more individuals and bring yoga to the growing sober-active movement.
Feel free to bring a friend or family member!
West Long Branch Community Center
116 Locust Ave,, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
in the Norwood Room
.
March 21st 7:00 - 8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center (in person)
In the Gene Van Brunt Room
Keeping the LOVE Alive
For our March meeting, we are happy to welcome Samantha Schliefer to share her wisdom. Read more:
Love is possibly the key ingredient of survival, when you live with or are close to someone suffering with Addiction. Our speaker this month has lived experience as a person in recovery and as one who has loved and been loved by others in the same boat.
Samantha is a woman in long term recovery from opioids since 3/14/2014 and has been working in the field since 2017. At 7 years old her parents divorced leaving her mother to raise her and her sister as a single parent. She later found herself in an abusive relationship. Her substance use began at a young age and then again as an adult in an attempt to cope. She continued using substances until her near fatal overdose in 2014.
Samantha currently works as a Community Prevention Manager for RWJ Barnabas Health Institute for Prevention and Recovery. Samantha has a Master’s degree in Public Health and is a Certified Health Education Specialist. Prior to becoming a Community Prevention Manager, Samantha worked as a Recovery Specialist providing support to individuals who have been diagnosed with substance use disorder within the hospital system by facilitating discussions on issues that directly impact their substance use and health. As a Recovery Specialist she shared her own personal experience with addiction and recovery to inspire individuals new in recovery or struggling in active addiction. The recovery specialists are often the first point of contact for individuals in the hospital who can offer assistance with addiction resources and treatment placement, who understand their needs, can assist in identifying next steps, and help provide solutions to help individuals and families move forward in their recovery journey. Samantha is originally from Middlesex County, and now resides in Ocean County, NJ with her significant other and son.
See you there!
West Long Branch Community Center
116 Locust Ave,, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
in the Norwood Room
.
February 21st 7:00 - 8:30pm
West Long Branch Community Center (in person)
In the Gene Van Brunt Room
Managing the Chaos of Addiction – Underlying Causes and Conditions
We really hope you can join us for this very informative meeting!
Our presenter Mark Patrick Sullivan is very dynamic and has a wealth of information to share with us. The focus of what he will share is about managing the chaos of addiction. What underlying causes and conditions do we need to be aware of to better deal with our loved one.
Mark is, himself, 16 years sober and owns 2 companies; Recovery Coach, LLC helps find sober coach and client connections so people in early sobriety can get back into living life while building a foundation in recovery. Immersion Aftercare, LLC is a program based on incorporating practices of recovery into working practical application.
Mark has a M.S. in Psychology/Counseling Specialized in Cognitive Neuroscience. He has 10 years experience as Clinical Director at several leading behavioral rehabilitation centers and has spent 8 years working with Sony BMI Music as their go to counselor for the entertainment community.
West Long Branch Community Center
116 Locust Ave,, West Long Branch, NJ 07764
in the Norwood Room
.