2024 Keynote Speakers
Dr. Robert Navarra, LMFT, Certified Gottman Therapist, Consultant, Advanced Trainer, and Master Addiction Counselor (MAC), is a popular presenter at national conferences, podcasts, and webinars, including presentations on couple recovery for Hazelden, Betty Ford Foundation, The Association of Addiction Professionals (NAADAC), and at the Evolution of Psychotherapy Conference. He has presented at numerous treatment programs training therapists and addiction treatment professionals nationally and internationally. Additionally, Dr. Navarra teaches graduate classes on addictive disorders at Santa Clara University, California. Specializing in a relational approach of assessment and treatment for couples impacted by an addictive disorder, Dr. Navarra has developed the “Couple Recovery Development Approach” (CRDA) based on his research on couple recovery in the Family Recovery Project at Mental Research Institute in Palo Alto California. Integrating CRDA with world-renowned therapists Drs. John and Julie Gottman’s Sound Relationship House model, Dr. Navarra designed Roadmap for the Journey, a 10-hour workshop for recovering couples. Additionally, in collaboration with the Gottman Institute Dr. Navarra created and designed a one-day Gottman workshop for professionals, Couples and Addiction Recovery, which he offers as a live workshop and is a featured online class at the Gottman Institute. Dr. Navarra’s publications include Systemic Addiction Treatment in Couple and Family Therapy, for the Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy; Family Response to Adults and Alcohol, Addiction Treatment Quarterly, Special Edition (also published as a chapter in Familial Responses to Alcohol Problems); Gottman Level 2 Training Manual. He has also co-authored textbook chapters on Gottman Method with Dr. John and Dr. Julie Gottman and co-authored articles on Gottman Method Couples Therapy with Dr. John Gottman for the Encyclopedia of Couple and Family Therapy. Dr. Navarra and Dr. John Gottman are currently collaborating on research on Dr. Navarra’s relational approach to addiction recovery.
Dr. Jeremiah Weinstock is a licensed clinical psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Saint Louis University in St. Louis, MO. His clinical and research efforts center on addressing the difficulties in helping individuals with addictions make lasting and meaningful changes in their lives. More specifically he focuses on the characterization, assessment, and treatment of gambling disorder. Much of this research is translational, such as measures to assess gambling disorder and randomized clinical trials examining the efficacy of psychological interventions, such as motivational interviewing, cognitive behavioral therapy, and contingency management. Dr. Weinstock has over 65 scientific publications and his research has been funded by the National Institutes of Health and the International Center for Responsible Gaming. He also maintains a small clinical practice focused on gambling disorder.
Alyssa N. Wilson, PhD., BCBA-D, LBA is an Associate Professor of Psychology at California State University, Fresno. She received her Ph.D in Rehabilitation with an emphasis in Behavior Analysis and Therapy from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. She is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral (BCBA-D) and is a Licensed Behavior Analyst in the state of Missouri and Nevada. She is the co-author of The Gambling Disorder Treatment Handbook: A Guide for Mental Health Professionals and chapter in the Social Work Desk Reference v 4 on Gambling Disorders. She is also the co-author of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Gambling Disorders, a guide for clinicians. Dr. Wilson has delivered over fifty national and international presentations related to gambling assessment and treatment, and her research has been showcased on Netflix’s Bill Nye Saves the World. When she is not working, you can find her spending time with family, painting, or cooking a vegetarian friendly meal.
Ty W. Lostutter, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and the Director of the Psychology Internship Program at the University of Washington’s School of Medicine. He earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Washington and has been a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences since 2009. Dr. Lostutter’s extensive research and clinical pursuits revolve around the origins, prevention, and treatment of addictive behaviors and mental health disorders. His diverse research portfolio includes studies on preventing college student drinking, combating gambling addiction, and implementing alcohol and HIV prevention programs for youth in Vietnam. Additionally, he has investigated the intersection of alcohol use, academic performance, and mental health among college student veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq. Dr. Lostutter’s commitment to addressing addiction extends beyond academia. He has dedicated significant time and effort to two non-profit organizations focused on combating problem gambling. Serving as President of the Evergreen Council on Problem Gambling and as a former Board Member of the National Council on Problem Gambling in Washington, DC, he has played pivotal roles in shaping strategies and initiatives to tackle this pressing issue. Throughout his career, Dr. Lostutter has demonstrated a passion for research, education, and advocacy aimed at improving mental health outcomes and reducing the impact of addictive behaviors in communities worldwide.
Jimmy McGill is the Executive Director of the National Peer Recovery Alliance. He previously served as the Director of Peer and Recovery Services for the state of Arkansas from 2018 to 2023, Jimmy’s lived experience has been instrumental in spearheading the development of recovery services throughout Arkansas. Jimmy was a founding member of the SAMHSA Region 6 Peer Support Advisory Committee and the inaugural Chairman for the National Association of Reentry Professionals. Jimmy stands at the forefront of initiatives shaping peer support and reentry advocacy. Overcoming a lifetime of incarceration and a twenty-three-year battle with addiction, Jimmy is now an accomplished author and speaker, driven by a profound purpose. Despite his criminal history, he has graced stages with presidents, provided counsel on drug and reentry policies, collaborated with Arkansas’s supreme court to develop programs, and spoken all across the country. Featured in numerous magazine and news articles, Jimmy’s transformative journey from a traumatic childhood is now a beacon of hope, actively reshaping reentry, and recovery efforts nationwide
Dr. Fong is a Professor of Psychiatry at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA. He is board certified in adult and addiction psychiatry. He is the co-director of the UCLA Gambling Studies Program. The purpose of this program is to examine the clinical characteristics of gambling disorder in order to develop effective, evidence-based prevention and treatment strategies. Dr. Fong is also a member of the Steering Committee of the UCLA Center for Cannabis and Cannabinoids whose mission is to address the most pressing questions related to the impact of cannabis legalization through rigorous scientific study and discourse across disciplines. He is a member of the UCLA Sports Psychiatry Service and is part of the UCLA Sports Medicine Mental Health Team. Lastly, he is the President-Elect of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.
Dr. Ledgerwood is a clinical psychologist, Professor, and Director of the Nicotine and Tobacco Research Division in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences at Wayne State University School of Medicine in Detroit, MI. He has published several research articles on problem gambling focusing on cooccurring psychopathology, impulse control and executive function, treatment outreach, and treatment effectiveness. Dr. Ledgerwood has served on several grant review committees for problem gambling research, he has been Associate Editor for Psychology of Addictive Behaviors and is currently a Regional Assistant Editor for International Gambling Studies.
2023 Presentations
Co-Occurring Disorders in Gambling Disorders – J. Grant
The Benefit of Harm Reduction: In the Treatment of Opiate Addiction – S. Chamberlain and A. Hugill
LGBTQ and Gambling Disorder – M. Malkin
Keynote – Understanding the Gambling Brain – J. Grant
Keynote – Understanding Gambling Motivated Crime – M. Malkin
Keynote – The Fentanyl Pipeline – B. Westhoff
Growing Up Gamers: Treating Gaming Use Disorders – J. Eberle and J. Johnson
Conversations for Suicide Safer Homes – K. Ellison
The Serentity Model of Recovery – D. Olberding
Keynote – Research Matters: From Plan to Practice – M. Vander Linden
Keynote – The Ever-Evolving Responsible Gaming – M. Vander Linden
Keynote – The Changing Landscape of Addictions – H. Chapman
Assessing Change: Measurement Based Care in Gambling Treatment