We have uncounted and uncelebrated people in recovery who recognize their healing and wellness journey as something other than recovery. Join us as we forge a new path to wellness, recovery, healing, and hope by Ditching the Wagon and Reinventing the Wheel. Explore alternative and often less accepted pathways and expand your understanding of what recovery looks like!  

Panelists:

Mark Guckel, Founder, EntheoRecovery

Mark Guckel, RCPF, is a credentialed recovery coach, paralegal, and educator with lived experience identifying and healing many of the root causes of multigenerational, treatment-resistant substance use with the help of psychedelic medicines.

He has several years of professional experience providing peer support services, helping people find meaning out of their psychedelic experiences, and consulting with entheogenic churches in the United States.

Mark is also a published author, with one of his many stories of redemption featured in “The Grapevine Magazine” (Meeting in Print of Alcoholics Anonymous.  June, 2014).

As a recoveree, he found a curiosity associated with psychedelic medicines in the recovery community and committed to bridging the gap of understanding by founding EntheoRecovery Solutions.  Its intent is to provide creative solutions to treatment/support professionals, practitioners, and participants, as well as advocating for people that may benefit from them.

In his free time, Mark enjoys exploring the wetlands and pastures of Florida and is a founding member of the Psychedelic Bar Association.

Tracie M. Gardner, Senior Vice President of Policy Advocacy, Legal Action Center 

As Legal Action Center Vice President of Policy Advocacy, Tracie spearheads major initiatives and fosters strategic partnerships that support LAC’s mission. From 2015-2017, Tracie served as the Assistant Secretary of Health for New York State, where she oversaw the state’s addiction, mental health and developmental disabilities agencies. Tracie has worked almost 30 years in the health and social services policy arena as a policy advocate, trainer and lobbyist. Tracie received a B.A. from Mount Holyoke College.

Mark Palinski, Recovery Community Center Coordinator, Sunrise Community for Recovery & Wellness 

A person with a former chaotic relationship to substances that chooses to live safer today. I believe that the answer to most of our problems starts and ends with compassion. I advocate and am very passionate about supporting ALL pathways to wellness, autonomy, medication for substance use, Harm Reduction, and treating people like people and not judging them by their struggles.

Mark Sanders, Co-Founder, Serenity Academy of Chicago

Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, is an international speaker, trainer, and consultant in the behavioral health field whose work has reached thousands throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Caribbean and British Islands.

Mark is the author of five books, which focus on behavioral health. Recent writings include Slipping through the Cracks: Intervention Strategies for Clients Multiple Addictions and Disorders, Recovery Management: and Relationship Detox: Helping Clients Develop Healthy Relationships in Recovery. He has had two stories published in the New York Times best-selling books series, Chicken Soup for the Soul. Mark has been a certified addictions counselor for 34 years. He has received numerous awards including a Life Time Achievement Award from the Illinois Addiction Counselor Certification Board and the Barbara Bacon Award for outstanding contributions to the Social Work profession as a Loyola University of Chicago Alumni.

Mark is co-founder of Serenity Academy of Chicago, the only recovery high school in Illinois. He is past president of the board of the Illinois Chapter of NAADAC. He has had a 30 year career as a university educator having taught at the University of Chicago, Illinois State University, Illinois School of Professional Psychology, and Loyola University of Chicago, School of Social Work.