03/23/2024
Public Service Announcement—(2 nd edition)
Subject: Substance Use Disorders: Help for Parents, Families, Spouses, and Partners.
Release Date: For Immediate Release
Alcohol and drug abuse and dependence annually afflicts millions of people in the United States.
The incidence of both is increasing at an alarming rate. Abuse and dependence not only
negatively impacts the user, but has an equally negative impact on parents, families, spouses, and
partners. Unfortunately, competent professional help is often difficult to find.
There will be a free public seminar on substance use disorders especially tailored for parents,
families, spouses, and partners beginning April 2 nd and continuing each Tuesday for three
additional weeks. The goals of the program are twofold: a) to improve the well-being of family
members of problematic users and b) to teach them how to restructure their relationship with
problematic users in ways that may enhance the user’s motivation to change. It is a systems
approach that is founded on the theory that any significant change in one member of a family
will inevitably change their relationship with all others.
The contents of the sessions are similar to those that are routinely held for families at the world
renowned Hazelden-Betty Ford Center for Teens, Young Adults and Families, in Minneapolis.
The seminar will be held at the Paris Seventh-day Adventist Church. Due to the sensitive nature
of topics that will be discussed attendance is limited to 20 adults. Pre-registration is required.
The seminar will be for four evenings and each interactive session will last approximately two
hours. The sessions will begin at 5:45 pm. Because of the early start time a complimentary light
supper will be served. Alternatively, attendees are permitted to bring their own dinner. No
material or services will be marketed or sold.
The presenter is Jerry Lee Holt, MA MPH. Mr. Holt is licensed in alcohol and drug counseling,
and in professional clinical counseling. He earned one of his Master’s Degrees at Hazelden
Graduate School of Addiction Studies and another at Loma Linda University School of Health.
He completed 900 hours of clinical training at the Hazelden-Betty Ford Center for Teens and
Young Adults. There, a similar seminar costs thousands of dollars for each family member.
A co-presenter is Dr. Ketty Holt, PhD., RN. Other licensed healthcare professionals will assist.
“Although this seminar will be held in a church it is not ‘faith based’,” said Mr. Holt. “It is
clinical information for people who are living with someone whose use is problematic,” he said.
“Because of the social stigma associated with these problems, a precondition of attending is an
explicit pledge by participants to preserve the confidentiality and privacy of other attendees.”
Mr. Holt has published professional monographs on the topics of substance use disorders,
personality disorders, and clinical considerations in urine drug testing laboratories. In addition to
having a long history as a practicing clinician in an outpatient treatment facility that specialized
in co-occurring mental health and chemical use disorders, he has made numerous professional
presentations on these topics at Bethel University Graduate School of Psychology, in St. Paul
and at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota.
If you know someone who may benefit from attending please inform them of this seminar. For
information on dates, for prescreening, and for registration phone Sandy at 731.336.9205 or
Susan at 615.429.5387. All calls are confidential.
