The first annual Winter Conference of Minnesota Addiction Professionals, the state affiliate of NAADAC, was held at Metropolitan State University in Saint Paul on February 9, 2018. The conference, with the theme of working with refugee and immigrant populations, provided a unique opportunity to learn about four different immigrant groups in Minnesota that live with the impact of trauma from their experiences as refugees and immigrants.
Presentations covered cultural aspects of treating clients who are Spanish speaking, Hmong, East African and Karen. The conference, attended by over 150 behavioral health professionals and members of refugee and immigrant communities, was co-sponsored by the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, Minnesota’s single-state authority.
Presenters Ehtaw Dwee, Shana Sniffen, Mao Xiong, Christine Kemo, Yussuf Shafie and José Picón cap off the Minnesota Addiction Professionals Winter Conference with a panel. Portraits in the background represent an exhibition entitled When Home Won’t Let You Stay and are the work of James Bowey.