

‘The Healing Power of Stories’ SHE RECOVERS® Professional Symposium Presented in Collaboration with Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation
Thursday September 28, 2023
Palmer House, Chicago
Held in conjunction with SHE RECOVERS in CHICAGO Conference (September 29-October 1)



Keynote Speaker
From Hardship to Heroism: Healing through Science and Storytelling
Lipi Roy, MD, MPH, FASAM
Dr. Lipi Roy is an internal medicine physician board-certified in addiction medicine, a sought-after international speaker, media personality as well as host of the YouTube series, Health, Humor and Harmony. Dr. Roy currently serves as a Medical Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) at Housing Works in New York City as well as clinical assistant professor at NYU Langone Health. During the pandemic, she treated patients with opioid use disorder at a harm reduction clinic in the Bronx. Dr. Roy’s work spans academia, clinical medicine, homeless health, social and criminal justice, public speaking, media and entertainment. As the former Chief of Addiction Medicine for Rikers Island, Dr. Roy oversaw substance use treatment and recovery services at the nation’s 2nd-largest jail complex.
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Previously, Dr. Roy served as a primary care doctor to Boston’s homeless population among whom the leading cause of death was drug overdose. She also served as an attending physician at Massachusetts General Hospital and as faculty at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Roy completed her medical and master’s in public health degrees at Tulane University, followed by residency training in internal medicine at Duke University Medical Center.
Dr. Roy is a dynamic public speaker and media personality whose mission is to educate and empower the public to make healthy decisions. She is a Forbes contributor and former MSNBC and NBC News Medical Contributor, making over 300 on air appearances discussing all health aspects of COVID-19. Dr. Roy has also appeared on multiple media outlets including CNN, The Tamron Hall Show, Charlie Rose, CBS New York and PIX11, and has been featured in The New York Times, Boston Globe, Wall Street Journal, Cooking Light, Oprah.com and many others. You can follow Dr. Roy on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, her website and YouTube channel (subscribe for free!).


Special Guest


Stephanie Covington, PhD
Dr. Stephanie Covington is an internationally recognized pioneer in the fields of addiction, trauma, and gender-responsive care. For three decades she has created and facilitated trauma-informed programs and curricula for use in community and criminal-legal settings across the US and globally. She has published extensively including the best selling, A Woman’s Way through the Twelve Steps, ten evidence-based treatment programs, and the new book, Hidden Healers. Educated at Columbia University and the Union Institute, Dr. Covington is co-director of the Institute for Relational Development and the Center for Gender & Justice in Del Mar, California.
Other Speakers & Presenters


Dawn Nickel, PhD, CPRC


Dr. Masica Jordan, LCPC, CPRS


Meghann Perry


Cecelia Jayme, MBA, MA, LADC


Kelley Kitley, LCSW


Carrie Bates – Emcee
Join us for a day of recovery-focused professional development and learn from leading women’s health experts.
Learn about the latest healing modalities, gain inspiration, spark innovative ideas, and deepen your recovery alongside today’s leaders in women’s wellness and mental health.
Together we will explore promising new paths, culturally responsive approaches, and holistic and inclusive recovery solutions to help more women experience recovery from trauma, substance use, grief and loss, eating disorders, burnout and moral injury, love addiction, anxiety, depression and other mental health issues through the healing power of stories in recovery.
As healing professionals, we are entrusted to guide and support our clients, patients and those we serve in becoming more fully the women they want to be—and are meant to be.
We’re calling in professionals, mentors and fellow travelers who are involved in or curious about:
- Trauma
- Mental health
- Substance Use Disorders
- Individualized pathways + patchworks of recovery
- Embodied movement + somatic practices
- Art therapy + creative expression
- Non-profit outreach + social justice
- Conscious business in the wellness sector


This is sacred work, and we have so much to learn from and with one another if we are to break down barriers and biases, redefine recovery and support women to write new stories of health, connection and joy, in recovery.
The SHE RECOVERS Symposium for Healing Professionals is designed for primary care physicians, nurses, midwives, obstetricians, gynecologists, counselors, therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, nutritionists, social workers, coaches, correctional officers, staff, chaplains, and all others who provide care and support for women. Non-professionals interested in women’s mental health are also welcome to register. Women in or seeking recovery are very welcome to register and attend, as are non-binary individuals and men working in the women’s health space.
This Symposium has been approved by Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies for five CEs.








Symposium Program
*Program subject to additions and minor changes. All times are in CDT.
8:00 – 8:30 AM | Registration
8:30 – 8:40 AM | Welcome with emcee Carrie Bates
8:40 – 9:00 AM | Opening remarks from Dawn Nickel, PhD and Stephanie Covington, PhD
9:00 – 9:45 AM | Keynote speaker, Dr. Lipi Roy – From Hardship to Heroism: Healing Through Science and Storytelling
9:45 – 10:15 AM | Q&A with Dr. Roy
10:15 – 10:30 AM | Break
10:30 – 11:15 AM | Session 1: Meghann Perry – Storytelling in Recovery: A Vehicle for Healing and Change
11:15 – 11:45 AM | Interactive storytelling table exercise
11:45 AM – 1:00 PM | Lunch break + book signing + networking
1:00 – 1:15 PM | Body Aware break with Erica Hornthal
1:15 – 2:00 PM | Session 2: Dr. Masica Jordan – Harnessing Asset-Based Principles to Share Our Vulnerable Stories
2:00 – 2:45 PM | Session 3: Cecilia Jayme, Retaining Our Culture and Strengths Through Storytelling
2:45 – 3:00 PM | Break
3:00 – 3:17 PM | Gray Area, a short film based on Kelley Kitley’s MY self: An Autobiography of Survival
3:17 – 4:00 PM | Session 4: Panel Discussion with Kelley Kitley and others, Recovering Out Loud – Ending Stigma Through Storytelling
4:00 – 4:05 PM | Closing remarks from Dr. Stephanie Covington
4:05 – 4:15 PM | Movement = Medicine with Payton Kennedy
4:15 – 5:00 PM | Book signing with Dawn Nickel, PhD
Our Venue & Hotel Rooms
A Hotel With a Story to Tell.
We can’t wait to introduce you to the effortless beauty and sophistication of Palmer House Chicago. Known as “the Chicago hotel the world knows best,” Palmer House is the longest continually operating hotel and is located in Chicago’s Loop, where business, finance and theatre districts intersect. In recent years Palmer House has undergone a $215 million renovation to ensure that it includes all of the conveniences and comforts 21st century guests expect while also preserving its significant history.
Utilizing the latest technology and practices focused on environmental impact, Palmer House produces solutions that are clean, flexible, and socially responsible.
As a symposium attendee you will be given access to rooms at a discounted rate of $239/night for a single/double suite based on double occupancy. A limited number of rooms are available – be sure to book now!
To book by phone, please call the Hilton Central Reservations Line at 800.445.8667 and request to book under the SHE RECOVERS Foundation at the Palmer House Hilton and quote: SRP code “SHE”
Stay for the Stories : SHE RECOVERS in CHICAGO
SHE RECOVERS is back with yet another ground-breaking signature event. SHE RECOVERS in CHICAGO Our Stories, Our Strength is an innovative three-day experience taking place at the iconic Palmer House Hilton Hotel, September 29 – October 1, 2023. As leaders in the recovery movement, we know that our shared stories not only hold the power to heal and spread hope, but they can also save lives. Most program elements will have a ‘story-related’ component including story-telling training and story showcases highlighting different forms of creative self-expression such as spoken word, embodied movement, music, and art.
SHE RECOVERS in CHICAGO, proudly presented by AWARE Recovery Care & Heal Behavioral Health will redefine recovery and celebrate strength, diversity, inclusion, and innovation…by women for women.







