On March 31st and April 1st, members of the Catholic Charities staff attended the annual Conference on Addiction, Recovery, &amp; Families.&nbsp; The conference, presented by Texas Tech's Center for Collegiate Recovery Communities, featured speaker, Dr. Crystal Collier (pictured with Catholic Charities staff member, Elizabeth Salamanca).&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Dr. Collier is a therapist, researcher, and educator who has been working with adolescents and adults suffering from mental illness, behavioral problems and substance use disorders since 1991. Her area of expertise includes adolescent brain development, prevention programming, parent coaching, addiction, family-of-origin work, and training new clinicians.
&nbsp;
Dr. Collier teaches the neurodevelopmental effects of risky behavior in her book The NeuroWhereAbouts Guide&nbsp;and in BrainAbouts, an online prevention program powered by the John Fontain Jr Charity.

Catholic Charities staff member, Elizabeth Salamanca, pictured with Dr. Crystal Collier. 

Staff members attend conference featuring author, researcher & educator