About Us
The Continuing Education Consortium was started in February of 2001. Ron Vanevenhoven, Director of the Alcohol and Drug Studies program at Glendale Community College, brought together a committee of people from various treatment modalities in the San Gabriel Valley. His vision was to provide quality, low-cost continuing education to professionals in the field of chemical dependency. This group of dedicated professionals formed the Consortium. The founders and their representative agencies included:
| Jim O'Connell |
Social Model Recovery Services, Inc. |
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| Merna Leisure |
Grandview Foundation |
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| Patrick Martin |
Las Encinas Hospital |
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| Marion Price |
LifeChanges Counseling Center |
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| Scott Robertson |
Glendale Adventist Alcohol and Drug Services, GAMC |
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| Patricia A. Sanora |
LifeChanges Counseling Center |
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| Barbara Teller |
Pasadena Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence |
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| Ron Vanevenhoven |
Glendale Community College Alcohol and Drug Studies Department |
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| Jennifer Workman |
Bishop Gooden Home (Now, The Gooden Center) |
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| Don Vena |
LifeChanges Counseling Center |
Issues confronting this group in those months included establishing its name, and logo branding. The topic as to exactly what is a “low cost” workshop was discussed thoroughly, with emphasis on a lower rate for students. Agencies divided up the responsibility of procuring provider numbers for CEU’s. The Mission Statement of the consortium and what membership requirements was established.
Early workshops included:
... A one-day workshop titled, "Medication Misuse/Abuse and Alcoholism in Seniors." This was sponsored by the PCADD and the presenter was Max Schneider MD.
... An adolescent focus with a workshop entitled
"Kids are Different," sponsored by Social Model Recovery Systems, Inc., presented by Patty Ochoa.
... A Relapse Prevention Workshop co-sponsored by Glendale Community College and Grandview Foundation presented by Steve Grinstead, from Gorski's CENAPS Corporation.
Since 2001, four workshops were sponsored per year by the Consortium, all hosted by Glendale Adventist Hospital in their main auditorium. This year the Consortium expanded to five workshops throughout the year. Ethics, spirituality, sexual addiction, pain management, stress reduction, anger management, and dual disorders are some of the topics that have been covered over the years. Other agencies have been added to the masthead as dues-paying members.
A GLIMPSE INTO OUR FUTURE. . .
The CEC plans to continue to review its
procedures and improve its presentations. We are in the process of streamlining the preparation of fliers and registrations. Discussions have been held about having a small conference in 2006. We now have a yearly mini-retreat to plan the calendar for the following year and host a holiday luncheon for members. We welcome input and ideas and are open to suggestions on our post-tests provided at each workshop.
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