As a person in long term recovery from depression, trauma, self harm and substance abuse, compassionate and effective treatment of adolescent health is mission critical to Jamison Monroe. He is the Founder and CEO of Newport Academy, a series of healing centers for teens and families struggling with mental and behavioral health issues. With locations in California, Connecticut and New York City, Newport Academy encompasses four state of the art residential treatment programs, two comprehensive outpatient programs, and three nationally recognized therapeutic high schools designed specifically for teens in recovery.
An Executive Producer of a truly game changing documentary about the prescription drug abuse epidemic among our nation’s youth called Behind The Orange Curtain, Monroe, is a regular national news contributor on the topic of adolescent mental health to CNN, HLN, CBS and other major news outlets. Monroe has testified in front of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on the subject of teen prescription drug abuse.
As a cofounder of drugsoverdinner.org, Monroe is a big part of our nation having over 10,000 dinner conversations about the impact of drugs on our society and making a push to end the stigma associated with addictive behaviors.
Monroe’s global impact has been recognized by a host of international dignitaries and his tireless efforts have earned him several accolades including the illustrious Mona Mansell Award, which was presented to Jamison in 2014 by the Freedom Institute for his indelible mark on the addiction community and his passion for positive change.
Monroe currently resides in New York City and serves on the board of directors for several non-profits and some of the world’s most progressive creative thinking projects such as the Inspiration Foundation and the Global Adolescent Project. Jamison Monroe continues to raise the bar wherever his passion and commitment take him.
Episode Outline:
- A Place To Talk About These Things – Jamison, being a person in long-term recovery from depression, trauma, self-harm and substance abuse, discusses what led to these issues, how he lived through them and how he, with a lot of help, was able to turn his life around.
- Going Deeper – Jamison is the founder and CEO of Newport Academy, a series of healing centers for teens and families struggling with mental and behavioral health issues. I talk a bit about my own work at their CT location and how impressed with I was with their recovery model, which includes traditional recovery elements as well as yoga, horses, a yurt, guest speakers and more. Jamison shares his inspiration behind starting the academy as well as creating such an integral and holistic model.
- Emotional Rock Bottoms – Jamison talks about the importance of truly reaching our youth, particularly between the ages of 12-20, which Newport Academy works with. We discuss peeling away the layers as a means to get to what’s truly causing our pain, the difference between emotional and physical rock bottoms and more.
- The Importance of Communication – Jamison talks about some of the important things that parents and family members of children struggling with addiction, depression and/or self-harm can do to help support them and begin the process of recovery.
- Drugs Over Dinner – Jamison and I talk about addiction and the misperception many people have about it, we also dicuss Drugs Over Dinner, the organization Jamison co-founded that’s addressing the impact of drugs on our society and aim to help end the stigma associated with addictive behaviors.
- Getting Clean – Jamison talks about the various ways in which people can get clean, which in some cases includes controversial methods including Ayahuasca and DMT. Jamison also emphasizes the importance of incorporating some kind of therapeutic program into recovery efforts regardless of what gets you on the path in the first place.
- Anonymity – Jamison and I talk about the dogma of being anonymous in recovery and how that’s potentially a part of the stigma and misperception of those who suffer from addiction. We also discuss the importance of letting the world know that people do recover and become very productive members of society.