NAATP, Treatment Magazine Align to Improve Addiction Outcomes

Recovery Reimagined

A new series called Recovery Reimagined will take on the tough questions facing the treatment community, and provide potential solutions

By William Wagner

The National Association of Treatment Providers (NAATP) and TreatmentMagazine.com have joined forces to examine and offer potential solutions to some of the most pressing issues facing addiction treatment.

Called Recovery Reimagined, the collaboration is designed to spark a forward-thinking discussion on what is and isn’t working in the field and, ultimately, help to improve outcomes. The engine driving Recovery Reimagined is a series of probing Q&A videos and articles with preeminent addiction care figures that will be published both in TreatmentMagazine.com and on the NAATP website.

“We chose the title, Recovery Reimagined, quite intentionally,” says NAATP CEO Marvin Ventrell. “It reflects our willingness and obligation as leaders to take an authentic look at our effectiveness. We believe it is our responsibility to always be reimagining what we can truly be and never rest on our laurels. Teaming with TreatmentMagazine.com gives us, as a treatment trade organization, a tremendous opportunity to reach a broader audience and also address the problem of public stigma that still pervades our field.”

Greg Gibson, co-publisher of TreatmentMagazine.com, says the collaboration aligns with his website’s goal to be a thought leader in the field, as well as to provide access to valuable resources and information.

“We’re thrilled to be collaborating with the NAATP on the Recovery Reimagined series,” Gibson says. “The goal of the series is to bring together key people in the field to reimagine not only what needs to change but how to make that change. Our role will be to spread the word and do our part to inform, educate and work to reduce the stigma that often blocks the path to better outcomes.”

A Sneak Peek at the Collaboration

Topics in the series will range from ethics to the integration of behavioral health into primary care to the expansion of harm reduction and medication-assisted treatment.

“To reimagine recovery, we need to start with redefining it,” says Annie Peters, PhD, LP, director of research and education for the NAATP. “We need to reclaim this term and principle as multiple pathways to individualized healing. Once we do that, we can recognize the need for collaboration and integration across caregivers of all types—from peer specialists to physicians to spiritual guides—in order to welcome everyone and reduce stigma. Only by coming together as a field—having tough conversations and establishing partnerships—can we really offer a ‘no wrong door’ environment, where people struggling with substance use can get affordable, effective and personalized care whenever and wherever they need it.”

Look for the first interview in our Recovery Reimagined series within the next month, featuring John Kelly, PhD, ABPP, who is a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and the founder and director of the Recovery Research Institute at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Photo: Bobby Johnson