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Stress, Substances and Your Brain: Understanding the neuroscience and what you can do
Original Program Date :
In this presentation, Dr. Butler and Dr. Stoehr will discuss the impact and role of stress and substance use from a behavioral and neurobiological perspective. Participants will gain an understanding of the neurological pathways of stress, the behavioral manifestations, how to work effectively with inevitable stress, and when to seek professional help. Attendees will also learn the neurobiological pathways and implications of substance use (especially alcohol and cannabis), how substances interact with stress pathways in the brain, what risk factors signal a person's propensity for use becoming abuse and addiction, neurological addiction pathways, and healthy alternative tools to manage stress.
Chair: Kolette Butler, JD, PsyD - Psychologist, Verdant Hope Therapy & Evaluations, LLC
Co-presenter: James Stoehr, PhD, Professor, Midwestern University
Kolette A Butler, Attorney
Kolette Butler is a native Arizonan and a licensed attorney (inactive status) and psychologist in the state of Arizona. She earned her JD at the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU. After law school she clerked on the Arizona Court of Appeals, Division One. She then took a position with a national firm working on cases for Fortune 500 companies. During her legal career, a family circumstance prompted Dr. Butler to pursue a doctorate in psychology. She earned her PsyD from Midwestern University and has a private practice focusing on trauma, complex family dynamics/high conflict forensic cases, faith transitions, anxiety, depression, and personality disorders. Dr. Butler regularly conducts evaluations for family court. She is a frequent presenter for the State Bar of Arizona, the Association of Family and Conciliatory Courts, Maricopa and Pima County Bar Associations, and was a recipient of the President’s Award from the State Bar of Arizona in 2020. Outside of work, Dr. Butler thrives on nature, being with her people, poetry, and quality time with her dog.
James Stoehr
Dr. James Stoehr has a doctorate in physiology (neuroscience emphasis) from Dartmouth Medical School and is currently a tenured, full Professor at Midwestern University in Glendale, AZ. He holds joint appointments in the College of Health Sciences and the College of Medicine where he teaches and coordinates courses in Psychiatry, Medical Ethics, Evidence-Based Medicine, and Epidemiology and lectures in Physiology, Pharmacology, Clinical Medicine, and Neuroscience. He is a regular speaker for continued education training for several Public Defenders Offices within the state and has been retained as an expert educational witness in more than 50 capital cases in Arizona, California and Nevada. He has authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications in substance abuse, psychopharmacology and health professions education and published a book in 2006 entitled the Neurobiology of Addiction.
