About / May 10 / Cosden co-coordinates SAMHSA conference

May 18, 2010
For immediate release

Merith Cosden of the Gevirtz School at UC Santa Barbara serves as local co-coordinator of a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration conference

Merith Cosden of the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education at UC Santa Barbara is serving as a co-coordinator of a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA) conference in Santa Barbara, May 17-19 for grantees studying treatment for pregnant and parenting women. The conference, titled “Transforming our Approach to Substance Abuse Treatment: Becoming an Integrated Trauma Informed System of Care,” is host to over 100 grantees representing projects in over 20 states across the country, including a number of representatives from local projects.

Nancy Gottlieb, MFT, from Santa Barbara County, who also served as local co-coordinator, and Merith Cosden, will present the outcomes of their SAMHSA funded programs during the conference. Among attendees and presenters are H. Westley Clark, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., Director of SAMHSA for the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment; Renee Zito, M.S.W., Director for California Alcohol and Drug Programs; Laurie Markoff, Ph.D., Director of Trauma Integrated Services for the Institute for Health and Recovery; Hortensia Amaro, Ph.D., Director of the Institute on Urban Health Research; and Stephanie Covington, Ph.D., Co-Director for the Institute for Relational Development, Center for Gender and Justice.

Merith Cosden is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Counseling, Clinical and School Psychology in the Gevirtz School. Professor She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of New Mexico in 1980 and joined the faculty at UCSB in 1988. She is a licensed psychologist and supervises students in the Hosford Clinic. Her research covers several areas. Cosden studies child abuse prevention and treatment in conjunction with a community-based agency that serves children and families exposed to violence. She also conducts evaluation research with court-based programs for adults with substance abuse or co-occurring disorders, perinatal treatment programs for women with co-occurring disorders and their children, and psychoeducational programs for college students with drinking problems. Finally, she has longstanding interest in the social and emotional functioning of individuals with learning disabilities and ADHD, focusing on differences in self-understanding and self-esteem among children and adults with these disabilities, and, more recently, the impact of having a cognitive disorder on the process of psychotherapy.

[Merith Cosden is available for interviews; contact George Yatchisin at 805 893 5789]
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Merith Cosden of the Gevirtz School at UC Santa Barbara serves as local co-coordinator of a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration conference