Kevin Bandy: ICADC, CAP and 

Ivo Dimov: LCSW-QS, CAP 

Description:  This presentation delves into specialized therapeutic strategies for mental health professionals treating young adults who have endured traumatic experiences within wilderness programs or therapeutic communities, as well as the impact on the family system. We’ll discuss identifying signs of trauma from abusive treatment practices and crafting a multi-faceted therapeutic approach that includes family involvement. Our expert insights will guide therapists on fostering recovery through trust, trauma-informed care, and resilience techniques, empowering both survivors and their families towards a path of healing and growth. Attendees will gain insights into the unique challenges these patients face and learn effective interventions to support their journey towards recovery and empowerment.

Learning Objectives: 

1. Understand the Characteristics of Abusive Treatment Centers: Participants will learn to recognize the various forms of abuse within wilderness and therapeutic community settings, including emotional, physical, and psychological maltreatment.

2. Identify and Assess Institutional Treatment Abuse: Equip therapists with tools for identifying signs of institutional abuse and assessing its impact on survivors.

3. Recognize Professional Shortcomings in Treating Survivors: Highlight common pitfalls treatment professionals face when working with patients traumatized by these environments, and strategies for overcoming them.

4. Navigate Treatment Barriers for Patients and Families: Discuss the unique challenges and barriers faced by survivors and their families in seeking treatment after institutional abuse.

5. Understand Misattribution of Parental Abuse: Address the complexities of patients presenting signs typically associated with parental abuse, clarifying the distinction when abuse is institutional.

6. Facilitate Guilt and Shame Resolution with Parents: Provide strategies for working through guilt and shame with parents of survivors, fostering a supportive and healing environment for the family unit.

CEU Workshop Agenda

11:00 am Registration and networking
11:30 am Self-introductions
Noon Presentation starts 
12:45 pm Lunch and networking
1:15 pm Presentation continues
2:15 pm Workshop ends

2.0 General CEU Hours

Kevin Bandy: ICADC, CAP - Co-Founder

Kevin co-founded Voyage after two decades of experience in substance use disorder treatment. ​He had previously been Clinical Director at The Hanley Center. Beginning recovery from​​ substance use issues in 1990, Kevin did the hard work of figuring out how to be a teenager in sobriety, reuniting with his family, returning to high school, and finding his place in the local Twelve Step community.
In 1997, he began his career in treatment, accepting an entry level position as peer staff in an adolescent treatment center. Since then Kevin has worked at all levels of care within the treatment continuum, from tech to Executive Director.

Kevin’s passion is working with young men and their families, and he has developed multiple family recovery programs over his years in the field. He believes that recovery is possible for all members of the family and that long term remission must be a team effort. When he is not working with patients or families, you’ll find Kevin immersed in the experiential programming at Voyage. He's a passionate ambassador of recovery in the sun and saltwater of beautiful South Florida, and is committed to helping young men find and nurture their passion while in treatment.

Ivo Dimov: LCSW-QS, CAP - Clinical Director 

Ever since moving to the United States from his native Bulgaria, a small and beautiful country in southeastern Europe, Ivo has believed in the pursuit of happiness and freedom. For more than a decade, he has brought this passion into his work in the field of addiction.

Ivo is a graduate of Florida Atlantic University, where he obtained his Master’s degree of Social work. He is a certified addiction professional, and is in the process of becoming a licensed clinical social worker. He has additional training in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy, and is working on extending his clinical knowledge in the field of bio- and neurofeedback therapy techniques. He has gained valuable experience in many different levels of the field, such as a detox counselor, wellness and experiential activity coordinator, recovery advocate, counselor assistant, and a primary therapist.

As a man in recovery, Ivo personally knows the transformative and healing power of the 12 steps process. He believes in the power of individual and group therapy in addressing cognitive distortions and negative beliefs that contribute to addiction disease. Ivo also has witnessed and believes in the neuroplasticity of the brain, a process which can be enhanced by innovative experiential activities and help young men overcome their addiction.

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