May 2024 ✧ Volume 3 ✧ Issue 8

On June 13th, our guest Dr. Larry Bryant will discuss LGBTQ+ Older Adults. Dr. Bryant brings a plethora of experiences and knowledge dealing with substance use disorders (SUD), HIV/AIDS prevention and education, diversity, equity and inclusion training, anti-racism training, and sexual orientation education.

Dr Bryant has published over 20 peer-reviewed articles in the such areas of HIV/AIDS, homophobia, racism, and tobacco use prevention.

As a part-time Assistant Professor at Kennesaw State University and Capella University, Dr Bryant teaches courses in SUD, health and wellness and does research and training in the areas of SUD prevention, treatment, and recovery. Dr Bryant also has over 30 years as a person in long-term recovery.

Our discussion with Vida Khavar on June 20th will focus on Family Support. Vida is  a licensed Marriage and Family therapist who has 25+ years’ experience in child welfare, and has assisted many organizations in developing programs that serve children and families. Vida was a consultant for the federal project: RISE, which aimed at improving the lives of LGBTQ+ youth in foster care in Los Angeles County.

Currently the Clinical Director at Family Builders she collaborates with the California Department of Social Services in developing and implementing affirming policies and practices for LGBTQ+ children in foster care.

Vida also leads the Youth Acceptance Project and provides her clinical expertise to several jurisdictions throughout the country. 

Our series concludes on June 27th, with a discussion about Gender Affirming Care with Elliott Orrin Hinkle and Dr. Ashley Austin. Elliott, they/them, is the Principal and Founder of Unicorn Solutions LLC. 

They bring 12+ years lived and professional experience on topics such as child welfare, youth mental health, and the LGBTQIA2S+ community. 

Passionate about wellbeing and accessibility, they are a recipient of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Equity.

Dr. Austin, a cisgender ally to the transgender and nonbinary (TNB) community, is Professor of Social Work at Barry University and Co-creator and purveyor of the AFFIRM Interventions. 

She is actively engaged in research and clinical practice aimed at improving the well-being of TNB children, teens, and adults.  Her clinical social work practice is rooted in an affirmative and compassionate stance and has a focus on supporting clients of all ages in their journeys toward living fully authentic and connected lives.

Our Community of Practice series launched April 25th with a discussion about Using Data Ethically. Participants discussed four guiding principles of Privacy and Confidentiality, Transparency and Trust, Equity, and Maintaining Social Responsibility, followed by a robust conversation about importance and spent time ranking according to preference.

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Real World DEI: A Look at Privilege - May 23rd

In 2017, “White Rage” by Carol Anderson was published. In 2018, “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo came on the scene. This seeming juxtaposition has the common theme of privilege. We invite you to have this conversation in a safe space: What makes many people resistant to the notion of privilege, and how does it help or hurt when people accept it? Does underlying privilege have to be accepted in a community to authentically address DEI issues?

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Real World DEI: A Closer Look at Self-Assessment - June 27th

Learning, unlearning or re-learning equitable and inclusive living is a process, and a personal one at that. Three bias and discrimination tools will be brought to the table, and participants are welcome to bring assessments they may have used. Our conversation will focus on the moments and on-going changes – the a-ha moments – that a good self-assessment creates. We will also discuss how individual self-assessment can transform into organizational assessment.

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Creativity: Your Professional Spark - July 25th

“Don’t wait for inspiration. It comes while working.” – Henri Matisse. Oh, snap! Does it?! Whether it does or doesn’t, let’s talk about creativity, how we stoke it, how we grow it, and most importantly, how we do or don’t, can or cannot, bring our creative selves to our daily work lives. And is your daily work life different from your profession? We will also brainstorm ways to get creativity flowing at work, and discuss guidelines for keeping it on track.

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Leadership: Exploring 2 Types: Servant & Transformational - Aug 22nd

Greenleaf is credited with beginning servant leadership with an essay in 1970, and our field, practiced mostly in a non-profit setting, tends to attract servant leaders. In the 1980s, Bass expanded on Burns’ 1970’s Transformational Leadership theory and added ways to measure its success. There are excellent reasons to practice these styles, and there are challenges as well. We will discuss how we practice these styles (whether we knew we did or not!), other styles of leadership that we use, challenges we experience in leading with these styles, and how we can continue to grow in our leadership journey.

These conversations are held from Noon to 1:00pm (CST) on the 4th Thursday of the month. Join our Community of Practice conversations with hosts Cindy Pharis and Steve Miller.

Prevention Perk, the podcast from Mid-America PTTC produces content that reflects the mission of our network to serve as a prevention catalyst, empowering individuals and fostering partnerships to promote safe, healthy, and drug-free communities.

Welcome, come on in for a perk to your prevention efforts.

Laughter is the Best Prevention Medicine

Nathan Wray a Prevention Coordinator for the Roane County Anti-drug Coalition in Tennessee. He’s also a highly sought after motivational speaker whose life story is nothing short of inspirational.

Nathan speaks from the perspective of lived experience, in hopes of empowering youth, and his story is a powerful testament to the human spirit's resilience. Nathan’s message combines his passion for change with a sense of humor that connects with the audience to make a lasting impact.  In his spare time, he hangs out with his four kids and his beautiful life.

Episode 96

Available Now!

Karie Terhark

Leadership Comes From Within



Karie Terhark, founder of KT Facilitation and a Certified ToP® Facilitator and Mentor Trainer is passionate about fostering collaboration and driving positive change.

In this episode we discuss collaboration, coalition planning, and inclusive decision-making processes. Karie is also evolving as a podcast host, and shares my interest in music, creativity and the journey of self-discovery. She excels at creating safe and inclusive spaces for dialogue, managing diverse perspectives, and ensuring that all voices are heard and valued. 

Episode 97

Coming May 16th

Our five part series on Why Language Matters is now available on our Youtube page. This series explores the vital role that language plays in promoting inclusion and cultural humility in the field of prevention. The topics of exploration include: Becoming a JEDI Prevention Professional, Advancing Equity for LGBTQ+ People through Language, Understanding Neurodiversity in Prevention Practice, The Language of Service: Effective Communication with the SMVF Community, and Tokens are for Arcades: Engaging Youth in a Meaningful and Purposeful Way.



Each segment in our series takes a look at the unique needs of the diverse communities we serve and how to create more inclusive prevention strategies. Click the button below to watch the series and download our companion resource for this series .

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