Health Matters Webinars
Kane County Health Matters is a series of presentations and conversations featuring local health experts covering a wide range of topics such as common health conditions, general health, behavioral and mental health, and wellness. Be the first to learn about new
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Community members are invited to explore how substance use disorder, problem gambling, and other process addictions intersect—and how individuals, families, health departments, treatment providers, and communities can work together to address them.
Topics include key definitions, shared risk factors, the role of trauma and shame in addiction, why people may switch between addictions, integrated treatment approaches, relapse prevention, and how to build a “healing forest” through collective community support. Spanish interpretation will be available.
By the end of this presentation participants will be able to:
- Understand substance use disorder and problem gambling more fully.
- Articulate the risk factors for substance use disorder and problem gambling.
- Work together as a community to address problem gambling and substance use disorder
About the Presenter
Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC is an international speaker whose presentations have reached thousands throughout the United States, England Canada, Africa, Spain, West Indies, Lithuania and Guam. Mark has a 30 year career as a university educator having taught at the University of Chicago, Loyola University of Chicago, Illinois State University Schools of Social Work and the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. He is the author of 5 books on recovery and he has had two stories published in the New York Times bestselling book series, Chicken Soup For The Soul. Mark is the recipient of four behavioral health lifetime achievement awards including the prestigious NAADAC Enlightenment Award. He is the 2023 winner of the Faces and Voices of Recovery Innovations in Recovery Award.
View recordings of past events
February 20, 2026: What Families Need to Know About Lead Poisoning
View presentation slides in Spanish
April 2, 2025: Protecting Children: Recognizing, Reporting, and Responding to Child Abuse
Passcode: X73pRTK1
December 18, 2024: Living Well in Kane County: Resources for Older Adults and Caregivers
Passcode: A4%Jeg2&
July 24, 2024: Watch Me Grow! Supporting Children Through the 5 Domains of Child Development and Kane County Health Department Free Early Childhood Programs
Passcode: ^NvxFQ97
April 24, 2024: The Effects of Domestic Violence on Children
Passcode: wC4J*C80
March 20, 2024: Substance Misuse and Overdose
March 13, 2024: Impact of Trauma on Children
Passcode: EVYUXn0$
February 28, 2024: Parent Discussions on Substance Use Prevention
Passcode: &a6KUvwQ
