The Meadows Proudly Participates in UKESAD 2011 – London, England
What a tremendous experience we had in London! The Meadows Senior Staff spent the week of May 16th at the 8th Annual UK/EUROPEAN SYMPOSIUM ON ADDICTIVE DISORDERS – better known as the UKESAD 2011 Conference. The conference brought together some of the top minds in the world of addiction treatment and provided an opportunity to network and exchange national and international knowledge with more than 500 attendees.
On Friday, May 20, 2011, Meadows Senior Fellows; Pia Mellody, RN, and Shelley Uram, MD co-presented the Plenary Session. The presentation titled “FACING CODEPENDENCE: WHAT IT IS, WHERE IT COMES FROM AND HOW IT SABOTAGES OUR LIVES” addressed the effects of childhood boundary violations on adult behaviors, including codependent adults lacking skills to mature or enjoy healthy relationships – personal or professional. Dr. Uram discussed the effects of Childhood Trauma on the Brain and further how those early traumas are stored to negatively affect our developmental maturity leading to co-dependent behaviors and addictions.
In addition to our Senior Fellows, our CEO, Jim Dredge, was on hand to meet and greet attendees throughout the conference. People lined up to a book signing by Pia Mellody of her best-selling work. Dr. Shelley Uram hosted an Alumni Lecture titled: Understanding Trauma and the Brain, which attracted a standing-only crowd! Another very popular event was The Meadows Raffle; to which a lucky winner – Alistar Richardson of London – received an I Pad Generation 2 with 32G.
There were some newsworthy issues addressed, including a review of the “Payment by Results” plan proposed by the British Government. This plan would overhaul the reimbursement to alcohol and drug programs by basing reimbursement on treatment effectiveness. This is an issue the U.S. is also debating right now so the U.K outcomes will be interesting to watch.
The experience we had at UKESAD was stimulating and thought-provoking. We are already looking forward to next years’ conference.
