The Meadows
Dr. Kevin McCauley is a Senior Fellow at Meadows Behavioral Healthcare. He graduated in 1992 from Drexel University School of Medicine and first became interested in the treatment of substance use disorders while serving as a Naval Flight Surgeon.
Kevin wrote and directed two films: “Memo to Self” about the concepts of recovery management, and “Pleasure Unwoven” about the neuroscience of addiction which won the 2010 Michael Q. Ford Award for Journalism from the National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers.
Kevin lives with his wife, Kristine, in Sedona, Arizona and recently completed a Master’s Degree in Public Health at the University of Arizona.
“4E” Cognition – A New Approach to Addiction and Recovery
This lecture summarizes the current state of addiction neuroscience and how its findings validate the lived experiences of people with addiction. The lecture will then address criticism of the Brain Disease Model of Addiction (BDMA) – namely, that it does not address the social and ecological factors crucial to a complete understanding of addiction and recovery. An enactivist approach based on “4E Cognition” goes beyond the brain to explore the role of the body and environment in choice-making and addiction. Focusing on recent developments in psychoneuroimmunology, computational psychiatry, and embodied consciousness, this “4E” approach answers criticisms of the traditional BDMA without losing its explanatory and predictive power.
Embark Behavioral Health
Dr. Rob Gent, PhD, LPC is the Vice President of Clinical Development & Training and founding member of Embark Behavioral Health. Rob has led the Embark organization in clinical development and growth of numerous programs and is the lead developer of the proprietary CASA Developmental Framework which is pervasive throughout Embark’s programs. Through his dedication to the advancement of clinical development, practice, and research, he has become a nationally recognized expert in the field.
Rob’s dedication has led him to pursue his Ph.D. in Psychology with an emphasis on development and attachment. He remains passionate about neurological, psychological, and physiological development and continues to focus on the advancement of research and the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.
The Neurobiology of Relationship: A Model for Creating Healthy Healing and Development
This presentation will provide an overview for understanding the science of interpersonal relationships and their impact on neurological, physiological, and psychological development. It will define, explore, and provide a methodology for accurately assessing “attuned” therapeutic interventions and address topics such as resiliency, trauma, neurobiological window of tolerance, co-regulation, and self-regulation. Additional concepts of integrative health and systemic functioning will be integrated into this therapeutic methodology to enable clinicians, clients, and caregivers to reliably create healthy healing and development.