Therapist/ Trainer, The Harm Reduction Therapy Center

Annie is a behavior change specialist. She is graduate of the University of Georgia's Master's program in Social Work, though her counseling career began over 15 years earlier. Annie designed and managed the Women's Services program, which provides outpatient and residential treatment services to women and their children.

Annie co-founded the Recovery Cafe a consulting, counseling, and training business in 2oo1. She is affiliated with The MINT (Motivational Network of Trainers); She was recently published in The Clinical Social Work. Most recently she offers training in Motivational Interviewing; an evidenced based interviewing method that motivates people toward behavior change.

Annie will be presenting on Mindfulness at the 2008 Conference, and described her breakout topic as follows:

Many businesses are discovering the benefit of Eastern modification practices such as mindfulness or cultivation a present focus to meet the challenges inherent in a business climate. Relevant research has demonstrated mindfulness practices to effectively decrease stress, and burn out, increase productivity and spark new creative problem solving when the going gets tough. In fact mindfulness practices have demonstrated the ability to change brain function in much the same way that therapy and medications do. Achieving and sustaining a present focus are skills that anyone can learn and enhance relationships of all sorts, because it enhances perceptions of authenticity.