This presentation describes the interactions between grief and addiction. Complicating factors that influence how people get trapped in addiction or stall in their grief are presented. Dr. Chastain uses his personal and professional experiences to provide illustrations of each process.

Dr. Chastain has worked as an educator, counselor, lecturer, and professor for over 35 years, having held leadership positions in many substance use disorder treatment settings for both adolescents and adults. He served as a core faculty member for the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School of Addiction Studies for six years, adjunct instructor for six years at Madison College, and seven years at Upper Iowa University, Madison Center.

For the Fall 2022 semester at Brevard College, Dr. Chastain will be teaching Introduction to Psychology, Abnormal Psychology and the course he wrote on Grief, Loss, and Death.

Dr. Chastain holds a PhD in Counseling, and a MA in Addiction Studies. Dr. Chastain holds the Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor credential from the state of Wisconsin. He has given numerous conference presentations on the Pathways of Recovery as well presentations on Grief for seven different conferences.

Photo by Matteo Vistocco on Unsplash