Click the team member’s name on the left to learn more.

Georgi Educational & Counseling Services’ Swift Avenue office
For directions, click here.

“Craving Management: A New Look at Relapse”

February 24, 2012   9:00 AM-4:45 PM

Description:

For many people with addiction, before there is time to engage the “thinking brain”, something can trigger the “go” circuit leading to cravings. Individuals with weaker “brakes,” may have much greater difficulty managing cravings which increases the risk for addiction, and/or relapse. Better understanding of the brain mechanisms associated with addiction, emotion and motivation are challenging some of the long held beliefs about why people with substance use disorders relapse. This workshop will examine scientific research, the “emotional brain”, the recovery process and effective craving management interventions. Participants will learn new treatment options and skills that enhance and compliment traditional cognitive behavioral interventions to manage cravings.

 PDF Brochure 

Audience:

Your target audience will consist of mental health professionals including substance abuse counselors, social workers, psychologists, marriage and family therapists, school counselors and other professionals interested in this subject.

Location:

Mountain Area Health Education Center, Pisgah Room, 121 Hendersonville Road, Asheville

Faculty:

Jeffrey Georgi, MDiv CSAC CCS

Contact: http://www.mahec.net/AboutUs/re_mental.aspx?a=1

or elizabeth.flemming@mahec.net

1st International US/European Conference

on Alcohol and Drug Abuse:Youths Dying

to Be An Adult

DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED

Algarve, Portugal
Villa Monte Resort Conference Golf & Spa
www.vilamonte.com

Sponsored by Recovery in Reality, Portugal
Sponsored by GECS, United States

(More information on registration will follow)

Why This Conference?

Substance abuse and dependence accounts for one of the major disease groups in Europe within mental health in terms of prevalence as shown in the previous section, but has earned little attention in previous health economic research (Rehm and Gmel, 2001).

Prevalence of addiction in Europe is high and affects more than 10% of the population, with nicotine dependence being the most prevalent, and illicit drug dependence the least prevalent of SUDs. However, data on alcohol and drug dependence are scarce in several European nations, especially in the new admission countries. As SUDs constitute a major public health problem, for healthcare planning as well as for health policy it is indispensable to be able to quantify the problem. Although a fair amount of cost studies exist in addiction in Europe, there is a strong need for further studies in the field. Most studies identified are from the early 1990s and are based on methodology of varying quality. Moreover, most studies are top-down studies incorporating assumptions about the resource use in people suffering from addiction. Moreover, all studies identified were conducted in the major European countries or the Nordic countries, and thus no studies were found from the Central and Eastern European countries.

Five Conference Topics

• Adolescent Brain Development – The Learning Brain
• Review of Problem with Alcohol and Drugs Nationally
• Impact of Alcohol and Drugs
• Treatment and Strategy That Has Worked
• Best Practice For Adolescent Treatments (How Adolescent is Defined)

If you would like to be a sponsor for this conference please contact GECS at jeff@georgicounseling.com.

We work primarily with secondary schools offering assessment, consultation, counseling and systemic intervention.

As an organization GECS recognizes that no two educational institutions are the same.  Each school has its unique personality, strengths and challenges.  Before moving forward toward a solution, GECS evaluates independent schools, identifying the level of substance use and attitudes about alcohol, tobacco and other drugs that might affect levels of use. We do comprehensive evaluations with information from students and their parents, faculty, board members, alumni and their parents in order to help the school “see itself” through an objective lens.  As an important adjunct to the survey data, GECS conducts interviews.  We gather information through face-to-face interviews as well as Web-based metrics.  All information is kept confidential with individual identities protected by federal confidentiality statutes.  We evaluate in order to develop institutionally specific interventions based on the data we gather, which leads to a systemic plan change, which would include:

• Goals
• Objectives
• Intervention/Materials

Program Topics Available for Schools

• The Adolescent
• The Care and Feeding of the Adolescent Brain
• Tobacco – The Gateway Drug
• Process Groups, Cognitive Groups – a comparison
• Limbic Resonance – The Science of Relationships
• Grief and Mourning in Recovery
• Personality Structures/Disorders and Treatment Implications
• Craving Management

Case Study in Education

LaGrange, GA — Georgi Educational and Counseling Services developed a community-wide smoking reduction initative, focusing on middle-school and high-school students. Click below to hear Jeff talk about what he did in LaGrange, Georgia.

http://georgicounseling.com/audio/LaGrange.mp3 (14:30, mp3)

Counseling

Most of our direct individual clinical services are provided by Jeff Georgi & Associates, LLC

Our goal is to provide an open, supportive, and confidential environment for you to address the issues that are concerning you. To schedule a first appointment, called an initial consultation, simply call our office at (919) 286-1600 or email us at jeff@georgicounseling.com

Who can benefit from counseling?

Just about anyone can benefit. No problem is too big or small. Listed below are just a few examples of some common concerns:

• Symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression
• Interpersonal difficulties, family problems, romantic relationship concerns, problems with assertiveness, and other issues
• Bereavement and grief related to the loss of a loved one
• Questions/confusion about identity, self-image, sexuality, gender, or religious concerns
• Concerns about body image, food, eating, or weight, as well as treatment for eating disorders
• Experience with sexual assault, relationship violence, stalking, abuse, or other trauma
• Thoughts of suicide, death, or hurting others
• Behaviors that can be harmful to you, like drug or alcohol abuse or cutting

When to Seek Counseling

While counseling might be helpful in numerous situations, there are some conditions in which we would strongly encourage you to seek counseling services:

• You are unhappy on most days or feel a sense of hopelessness
• You worry excessively or are constantly on edge
• You are unable to concentrate on your daily activities
• You are unable to sleep at night or constantly feel tired
• You have experienced a change in your appetite or your weight
• You have experienced a loss (e.g., a relationship breakup, a parent’s death)
• You have increased your use of alcohol or other drugs (including cigarettes)
• You feel overwhelmed by what is going on in your life
• You are having thoughts about hurting yourself or someone else

Individual counseling facilitates the exploration and resolution of personal problems and issues according to the needs of the individual.

The Spiritual Platform®

The Spiritual Platform® is a construct that helps the patients examine their own spiritual strengths as well as deficits that the disease addiction has caused. In this regard, it is helpful to view spirituality not as an attribute which human beings possess but rather as an activity that we do.

Understood in this way, spirituality becomes an existential expression, a doing thing. Admittedly, this is a significant departure from the often-held mystical view of spirituality. However, once we understand that spirituality is something we do, we can be supported in doing it more authentically.

In this context is helpful to conceptualize our Spiritual ability as a Platform supported by four unique activities performed by human beings. These four abilities are our capacity to make conscious choices, our ability to take growth-producing risks, our facility to develop healthy relationships, and our capacity to experience wonder and participate in awe. These “pillars” of spirituality tend to be eroded by the corrosive energy of addictive disease.

In the map to the right, click the green pushpin for directions.

Georgi Educational & Counseling Services
112 Swift Avenue
Durham, NC 27705
tel: (919) 286-1600
fax: (919) 286-1603

For Evonne Marie Lopes, Executive Assistant to GECS
(919) 824-0072

View Georgi Educational & Counseling Services in a larger map

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Adolescent Development

Keeping Adolescence Healthy: Exploring the Issues Facing Today’s Kids and Communities, White, Aaron, BookSurged Publishing, Charleston, South Carolina, 2008.

“I do not believe it is an exaggeration to say that this is one of the most helpful books about adolescent life you can have in your library.  It covers a wide range of topics and I have found myself using it more as a reference work rather than sitting down and reading it from cover to cover.”

(This book can be ordered from GECS directly – contact us)

Education

Getting the Best Out Of College: a professor, a dean and a student tell you how to maximize your experience, Feaver, Peter and Wasiolek, Sue, Tenspeed Press, Berkeley, CA, 2009.

“You will find this a practical book, which will help you ask the right questions and where to find the right answers.”

Tobacco, Alcohol and other Drugs

Buzz: the straight facts about the most used and abused drugs from alcohol to ecstasy, Kuhn, Cynthia, Swartzwelder, Scott, and Wilson, Wilkie, WW Norton & Co. New York 2008.

“There is no effort to use scare tactics and thus both parents and children can use this book as a point of discussion.”

Personal Stories of Recovery

Beautiful Boy, Sheff, David, Houghton Mifflin Co., New York 2008.

“This is a well-written narrative about a father’s journey through his son’s addiction.  It may chronicle many of the emotions and struggles you have already experienced.  It helps to define the impact of addiction on the entire family and the importance that parents play even in the face of their “powerlessness.”

The Lost Years: surviving a mother and daughters worst nightmare, Wandzilak, Kristina, and Curry, Constance, Jeffers Press, Santa Monica, CA, 2006.

“This is a powerful and disturbing work that chronicles the power of addiction.  It is unique in the sense that it not only shows the horrible price paid by the addicted but also engages the enormous loss associated with loving someone who has his illness.  While we feel this is an important book we should caution the reader that it is both graphic and at times painful to read. This book is also about triumph and courage.”

ADHD

Delivered from Distraction, getting the most out of life with attention deficit disorder, Hallowell, Edward M., Ratey, John J., Ballantine books, New York, 2004.

“Because a number of students struggle with attention deficit issues we included this book as a reference.  There is a chapter specific to transition to college life. I have personally found it helpful and believe both parents and students can use it as a guide through the difficult landscape of ADHD.”

Mindfulness

Calming Your Anxious Mind: how mindfulness and compassion can free you from fear and panic, Brantley, Jeffrey, New Harbinger Publications, Inc, 2007.

“We believe you will this book to be a practical and helpful guide to mindful practice.  Because the available research, about mindfulness has been shown to be so helpful in addressing a wide range of issues within the adolescent life experience, we incorporate mindful practice into every one of our student group therapy sessions.”

Therapy groups are the backbone of sustained recovery and personal growth.

GECS embraces a supportive group format where the student will be able to evaluate his/her relationship with alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs; his/her relationship with other people; and his/her relationship with themselves. Within the group therapy setting the student will share their concerns, learn to actively ask for help while offering help to others, learn about how they affect other people and how other people affect them, learn to speak more comfortably about their emotions, practice better self care skills, and develop deep and satisfying connections with other people committed to recover.

The student will discover that many of their issues are not unique to themselves, and they will connect to others within the group. The student will experience the breakdown of their isolation and withdrawal from others. Neither shaming nor confrontational, GECS uses a Modified Interpersonal approach, which embraces the power of connection and our shared humanity. The student will never be forced to divulge anything in group until they are ready. There are times the student may experience some emotional discomfort or anxiety, and if so we encourage them to talk about it and ask for help. If the student is having difficulty connecting with what others are sharing we encourage them to own their own courage and speak up, for undoubtedly they will be identifying a truth within the entire group.

Why we believe this approach works

You may be asking why our groups are so important. At its most fundamental level we are all born into groups, live in groups, are wounded in groups and eventually find healing in groups. Consequently the group experience is highly valued by the senior clinicians associated with GECS and is an experience we believe holds profound spiritual significance.  Group therapy provides a setting in which a variety of important experiences will occur.

Below are publications related to some of Dr. White’s interests (links download pdfs):

• Understanding adolescent brain development and its implications for the clinician. Adolescent Med., 2009;20:73-90.
• The changing adolescent brain: Implications for education. Education Canada, 2005.
• Adolescence: Booze, brains, and behavior. Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, 2005;29:207-220
• What happened? Alcohol, memory blackouts, and the brain. Alcohol Research and Health, 2003;27:186-196.

Chapters from Dr. White’s book, Keeping Adolescence Healthy: Exploring the Issues Facing Today’s Kids and Communities (BookSurge Publishing, 2008):

• Table of Contents
• Chapter 6: Experimentation, exploration and teen drug use – Putting things in perspective
• Chapter 7: Rethinking underage drinking – What science says about the risks and how to minimize them

Below is an interview with Dr. White on CNN: