Live Intentionally 2025

*DR. STEPHEN LOYD: OPIATE ADDICTION*
 A personal story with practical information- Dr. Loyd will cover the topic of addiction and recovery by telling his own personal struggles with addiction as well as the challenges he currently faces in treating addiction. He will discuss topics such as the neurobiology of addiction, Medication Assisted Treatment, prevention, all while weaving in a personal story of the two treatment paths offered today in the United States. By the end of the talk, the participants will have a better understanding of addiction, treatment, and the current state of recovery.

Dr. Stephen Loyd is an Internal Medicine/Addiction Medicine physician who graduated medical school and residency from the James H. Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University. He currently serves as the Vice-President of the Tennessee Board of Medical Examiners. Dr. Loyd was the Assistant Commissioner (Opioid Czar) for Substance Abuse Services in the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services in Governor Bill Haslam’s administration. He has served as an expert witness in more than twenty federal and state cases against physicians who were improperly prescribing controlled substances.

Dr. Loyd was named an Advocate for Action by the Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP), an office of the President of the United States. He has delivered over five hundred educational lectures on addiction and treatment of opioid use disorder and proper prescribing of controlled substances. Dr. Loyd was an original member (still active) of the Treatment of Chronic Pain Guidelines Committee which defined pain treatment for providers in the state of Tennessee. He has worked as an Addiction Medicine Physician in both the inpatient and outpatient settings, specializing in the treatment of opioid dependent pregnant women.

Dr. Loyd has served on multiple drug courts in Tennessee and remains an active participant in drug court in the 4th Judicial District under Judge Duane Slone. He has worked with multiple community level anti-drug coalitions from Johnson County to Shelby County and has worked with all levels of state law enforcement, mainly the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. He currently serves as Chief Medical Officer for Cedar Recovery in Tennessee, Chair of the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council appointed by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, and the Director of the Office of Drug Control Policy for the state of West Virginia.

Dr. Loyd has been in recovery from opioid and benzodiazepine addiction since July 8, 2004.

Learning objectives:
1. Understand the role of genetics and trauma in the development of addiction
2. Understand the current system in Tennessee regarding opioid addiction and the treatment in a criminal justice system
3. Understand the basic tenants of a recovery ecosystem

*Jenny Black, LMFT: Technology & social media*

In this program we will discuss the impacts of media addiction on human development and relationships.

Jenny Black is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Tennessee, the founder of Media Trauma Care, the co-author of Our Digital Soul: collective anxiety, media trauma and a path toward recovery and the creator and host of Lose the Phone, a podcast series of tips and stories on how to live beyond the screen. She spoke at Tedx in 2022 with a presentation titled The Slow Drip of Media Trauma. She has been quoted in articles from numerous publications including The Wall Street Journal, Real Simple and Fast Company. She has been interviewed on dozens of podcasts like Raising Girls and Boys, 60 Mindful Minutes, Making History and This Undivided Life in addition to having a regular segment on The MomCult Podcast. You can listen to her most recent in depth interviews on Off The Vine with Kaitlyn Bristow and Motherhood Meets Medicine. You can follow her current writing on Substack.

Learning Objectives:
After completing the program, participants will be able to define and identify media trauma, its impact on daily life and have knowledge of steps to take to heal and mediate future harm.

*Laura Deneen, LPC-MHSP: Eating DIsorders and disordered eating*

The purpose of this content is to support individuals in deepening their breadth, knowledge, understand, and treatment of eating disorders and disordered eating. Many individuals across the U.S. struggle with their relationship to food and body. The purpose of this training is to support helpers in caring well for this population.

Laura enjoys working with clients presenting with anxiety, depression, and eating disorders as well as clients desiring to improve the quality of their relationships, heal past trauma(s), and live a life congruent with their values. As a clinician, Laura values building a foundation of safety through curiosity, patience, and collaboration towards shared goals. Her therapeutic style is warm, direct, and compassionate. She challenges and provides feedback when appropriate, and prioritizes reflecting areas of growth, change and healing in clients. Laura believes that a strong therapeutic relationship can be one of the vehicles towards change and honors the vulnerability that occurs within the therapeutic space. She believes that clients know themselves best and supports her clients in accessing their innate wisdom that may be covered by hurts, wounds, or traumas. Laura supports her clients in building body trust and practices from a Health at Every Size (HAES) and trauma-informed approach. Further, Laura believes in her client’s ability to access hope and to implement lasting change in their lives.

Learning objectives:
1.  Identify 3 symptoms associated with a potential eating disorder or problematic relationship with food
2. Develop a deeper understanding of the function and maintenance of an eating disorder
3. Identify 3 interventions to support clients as they begin shifting to peace in their relationship to food and body

Anita Pringle, LPC-MHSP: Sex addictions

Presentation of the impact of problematic and risky sexual behavior

Anita Pringle is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC-MHSP) and Clinical Director/Staff Therapist at The Refuge Center for Counseling. Her passion is to walk with hurting people to a place of health, wholeness and hope. Anita is a graduate of Trevecca Nazarene University with a MA in Counseling, is a Certified Sex Addiction Therapist (CSAT), a Certified Grief and Loss Counselor and is trained in EMDR. She enjoys working with people who struggle with depression/anxiety, grief/loss, addiction, faith issues, codependence, trauma, boundaries and relational issues.

Learning objectives:
1. Understanding Sexual Disorder NOS and Other Specified Sexual Dysfunction do not define or diagnose sexual addiction.
2. Understanding of the presenting issues and co-occuring disorders associated with problematic sexual behaviors commonly called sex addiction.
3.Acquire knowledge of recognized treatment options and therapeutic modalities to support life change in clients who exhibit problematic sexual behavior.

*saul malek: gambling addiction*

Gambling addiction rates have skyrocketed since the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on sports betting in 2018. While gambling is traditionally seen as an in person activity done at casinos, more people are now engrossed by easy to access digital gambling and gambling related games. A gambling problem is more than a distraction- it is a serious health risk with financial, emotional, legal, and relational consequences. In attending this presentation, attendees will learn of the various ways that gambling can harm people and their friends and families, and how they can detect a person’s problematic gambling

Saul Malek is a public speaker focusing on mental health, resilience, positive decision making, and gambling harm prevention. Saul developed a gambling addiction as a college sophomore, losing money, time, relationships, and nearly his life. Since finding recovery in 2019, he has made it his mission to help others cope with life, find purpose, and keep away from maladaptive behavior such as compulsive gambling. He has spoken to schools (both high school and college), athlete mental health organizations, suicide prevention groups, parent groups, popular news outlets (including New York Times, National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting Service, and Dallas Morning News), and conferences including Mental Health America and Texas Network of Youth Services.

Learning objectives:
1. Participants will be able to recognize the scope of a gambling problem beyond financial problems
2. Participants will be able to detect signs indicative of a gambling problem

*David Marcovitz, MD: Addiction psychiatry*

Dr. Marcovitz will give a brief overview of the rationale for including additional psychiatrists in treatment planning for individuals with substance use disorders and will explain how they complement the role of addiction medicine providers and other clinicians

Dave Marcovitz, MD, is an associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Vanderbilt where he also directs the Middle TN Hub for Opioid Use Disorder. He trained at Harvard for psychiatry residency and fellowship after completing undergraduate studies in humanities at Princeton, and medical school at Vanderbilt. After training, he directed an academic division for several years at Vanderbilt where he focused on developing integrated treatment programs, improving team culture and applying management science. He maintains an outpatient practice in Nashville that specializes in general psychiatry, addiction psychiatry and executive coaching. He believes strongly in interdisciplinary care delivery, close collaboration, and a biopsychosocial approach.

Learning objectives:
1. Describe the prevalence of co-occurring substance use disorders and other psychiatric disorders
2. Discuss a basic approach to diagnosing co-occurring disorders in the context of addiction
3. Understand the complementary roles of addiction medicine and addiction psychiatry physicians