The Power of Parenting and Family Connections: Preventing and Addressing Addiction, Self-Harm, and Suicide
– Presented by Kenneth Perlmutter, PhD; Alicia Smart, PsyD; Nicole Gottuso, LMFT, SUDCC

Understanding the complex worlds of our teenagers, and the peer, social, cultural, and social media pressures they navigate every day, can feel like an impossible task for parents. The situation becomes especially daunting when your teens struggle with substance abuse, self-harm and/or suicidal thinking, threatening, or action. Dr. Perlmutter will offer parents approaches to such situations with a focus on harnessing parental power while promoting the best connection possible with all members of the family system.

Dr. Kenneth Perlmutter is a Family Systems Psychologist with more than 30 years’ experience treating complex psychological disorders including addiction. He founded the Family Recovery Institute in 2008 to provide individual and family treatment services, clinical training, consultation, and supervision. His book, Freedom from Family Dysfunction: A Guide for Families Battling Addiction or Mental Illness, was published in 2019.

Dr. Alicia Smart serves as Clinical Director for Guidepost DBT Center in Corte Madera. She is a and Certified Linehan DBT Clinician who brings a wealth of experience to providing specialized care for mood and personality disorders, grief and loss, anxiety, relationship challenges, and trauma. She has formally trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Radically Open Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (RO-DBT), Prolonged Exposure Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (PE-DBT), Emotion-Focused Psychotherapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and DBT for Children (DBT-C).

Dr. Smart has emerged as an authority in DBT, providing DBT training sessions at multiple reputable organizations, including Child Training Insitute, Marin County Community Mental Health, Apple Family Works, Community Options for Family and Youth, Bayside Marin, Alta Mira, Mind Therapy Clinic, and Marin CAMFT. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from New York University and a Doctorate in Psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

Nicolette Gottuso is Clinical Director for Muir Wood Adolescent and Family Services, where she oversees a 28-bed residential facility for boys with co-occuring mental health and substance use disorders. As a Licensed Marriage and Fmaily Therapist (LMFT) and Substance Use Disorder Certified Counselor (SUDCC) she has worked \in the field of substance use disorders for more than seven years. She has previously worked with the homeless people of Marin County as well as provided in-home services for families and children struggling with mental health and behavioral issues. In addition to her certification in subtance use counseling she is trained in Depth Psychology. She uses a client-centered, humanistic and transpersonal approach to therapy. Nicolette is a frequent presenter on understanding trends in adolescent substance use and provides training for Muir Wood staff on trauma-informed approaches to treatment for adolescent addiction and emotional disorders.