Break Through With Youth!

Evidence & Strengths Based Interventions for Working With Youth and Adolescents

FACULTY

 

March 24 - 26, 2010

Historic New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

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Abe French, Principal, Cognitive Consulting & Programming

Abe French, the “practitioners’ trainer” is Program Director at Community Interventions.  He has specialized in behavioral change approaches for more than fifteen years.  Abe has worked as a consultant and technical assistance provider for state, federal and private agencies.  Engagements have included program development, quality assurance, organizational development, peer training programs, cognitive behavioral program training and a variety of other services.  He has delivered programs directly to offenders as a corrections officer in state prisons and as a contracted service provider in jail and community based corrections settings.  Abe continues to work with program development focused upon reducing recidivism and enhancing prison and jail reentry efforts. 

He has worked with staff from Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, South Carolina, Oregon, Indiana and Arizona.  Abe has provided technical assistance to such diverse program approaches as paramilitary “boot camp”, substance abuse treatment venues and therapeutic communities.  As a National Institute of Corrections technical assistance consultant, Abe has helped develop programs in Ohio at the Lucas County Correctional Treatment Facility. 

His background includes motivational interviewing, cognitive reflective communication, thinking report engagement, problem solving, social skills and cognitive restructuring.  He has received training from The National Institute of Corrections, the Thought Institute and The Change Companies.  Among others, he has received training from Dr Jack Bush, Dr. Juliana Taymans, Dr. Barry Glick, Brian Billodeau, Mark Gornik and Steve Swisher.  Abe is a trainer for Thinking for a Change, OPTIONS: A Cognitive Self Change Program, Thinking Matters and Thinking Report Engagement

Abe’s work is both evidence-based and innovative.  He developed Thinking Matters and Thinking Report Engagement programs.  Thinking Matters is a flexible work sheet based cognitive behavioral approach that teaches a basic set of cognitive behavioral skills.  It can be used as an introductory model or expanded into a more intensive model.  Thinking Report Engagement is a five step facilitator skills approach that teaches facilitators to engage program participants to exercise objective self reflection.  These approaches provide cognitive skills that encourage individuals to progress through the change process and motivate lasting pro-social change on a personal level.

Mr. French studied Criminal Justice at Lansing Community College.  He also attended Central Michigan University where he earned his B.Sc. degree in Community Development and M.Sc. in Public Administration.

Mark Lowis, LMSW, MINT, President, MML Consulting

Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW), Mark Lowis began his career as a Law Enforcement and Corrections Specialist in the United States Air Force.  During his 10 years of service Mr. Lowis performed as a Law Enforcement Supervisor and later as a Master Instructor in the Air Force Police Academy.  Following the Air Force he completed a Bachelors Degree in Psychology at the University of Michigan, and the Masters of Clinical Social Work at Michigan State University.  He is a Licensed Social Worker in the state of Michigan and a member of the International Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers, and carries advanced credentials in other evidence based practices.   

In 28 years of practice Mr. Lowis has worked in various mental health and substance abuse treatment programs in both the public and private sector.  His experience includes case management, treatment, supervision, staff development, and management of adult and juvenile justice programs including a very specialized program for Parolee-Sex Offender Alcoholics and Addicts. 

Mr. Lowis has been a leader in the state of Michigan for the integration of treatment for persons with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders.  He is a professional consultant to the Wayne State University School of Medicine - Michigan Fidelity Assessment Support Team (MIFAST), and the Michigan Integrated Treatment Committee (ITC). 

As a management consultant Mr. Lowis has provided solid assistance to various public and private mental health and substance abuse agencies.  As a consultant Mr. Lowis helps design and develop programs, train and develop staff, as well as assist in maintaining audit readiness for credentialing and licensing bodies.  Mark is best known for his knowledge and experience.  He is an effective trainer, motivator, and clinician.  His trainings are full of energy, entertainment, and depth.  Mr. Lowis is becoming the preferred trainer in several specialized areas.  

Dr. David L. Myer, Professor of Criminology and Interim Director, John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Dr. David L. Myers, PhD, is a Professor in the Department of Criminology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP), where he first joined the faculty in 1998. He earned his PhD in 1999 from the University of Maryland, Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice, and previously received a Master of Science in Administration of Justice and a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Shippensburg University.

Dr. Myers has taught more than 15 different courses at the undergraduate, masters, and doctoral levels, specializing in classes on research methods and quantitative analysis, juvenile justice and delinquency, and criminal justice policy, planning, and evaluation. From 1999 to 2002, he served as the criminology master’s program coordinator at IUP, and from 2002 to 2008 he served as the criminology doctoral program coordinator. He has supervised the teaching and research of dozens of criminology doctoral students and has advised a variety of student organizations and community groups.  

Dr. Myers has published two books (most recently Boys among Men: Trying and Sentencing Juveniles as Adults, Praeger Publishers, 2005) and nearly 30 journal articles, book chapters, or other scholarly works. He also has presented more than 35 papers at national and regional conferences and is currently the Editor of Criminal Justice Policy Review (a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal published by Sage Publications). He has received several grants to support his research and previously served as the Director of the IUP Center for Research in Criminology.  

Dr. Myers also has served as the Dean’s Associate in the IUP School of Graduate Studies and Research; the Interim Vice Provost for Research and Dean of Graduate Studies at IUP; and the Interim Executive Director of the IUP Research Institute. He currently is serving as the Interim Director of the IUP Murtha Institute for Homeland Security.  In the community, he has served as Chairperson of Indiana Area Communities That Care, President of the Board of Directors of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Indiana County, and Advisor to Kids on Campus of Big Brothers Big Sisters.    

Bette C. Neville, Ed.D., Former Director of Treatment, AMIKids, Certified Youth Assessment Screening Instrument Trainer, Motivational Interviewing Network Trainer (MINT)

Dr. Bette Neville is an expert among experts!  She worked at the Associated Marine Institutes in Tampa, Florida where she had been serving as Director of Treatment for the previous 5 years until this past June (2009) when she retired.  Her work there helped to lead that organization in the implementation of evidence-based principles and practices.  Thankfully she could not stay away for very long when Joyfields Institute sought her out.  She returns now to help others through training and development at Joyfields Institute.  We are privileged to have her on board as a trainer.  Dr. Neville became a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network Trainer (MINT) after completing the required training and is also a Certified YASI (Youth Assessment Screening Instrument) trainer.  She has served as President and Vice-President for the GA Federation of CEC and also served with AMI, a national organization dedicated to helping troubled youth who have been incarcerated or are at-risk. Her volunteer work has been serving on the Boards of these organizations, helping with resource development, and serving on the national team dedicated to making AMI the best in providing services to troubled youth.

During her time in active service, Dr. Neville worked in many roles including Special Education and Special Projects Director in the Evans County School System of GA.  She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Georgia Southern University (GSU) and earned a Adult Education Certification from the GA Dept of Education.

 

* Agenda & Speakers Subject to change without notice