PAAP 2025 Conference Focuses on Collaborative Approaches to Address Addiction Treatment Challenges

The Pennsylvania Association of Addiction Professionals (PAAP) will host its 2025 Annual Conference on September 18, 2025, under the theme "Collaborations for Change," addressing critical challenges in behavioral health through unified professional efforts. The event, available both in-person and via live-stream, brings together clinicians, peer support specialists, supervisors, and system leaders to break down silos in addiction treatment.

Dr. Ken Martz, PAAP President and keynote speaker, emphasized that "addiction is not just a disease of the brain. It's a disease of disconnection," highlighting the conference's focus on replacing isolation with collaboration. The timing is crucial as behavioral health professionals face rising acuity, workforce shortages, and increasing demands for trauma-informed and culturally competent care.

Conference highlights include skill-building workshops on emotional intelligence, clinical supervision, and ethical decision-making, along with specialty deep dives on tobacco and gambling disorder integration, stigma reduction, and culturally responsive care. The event features peer-driven dialogues that center lived experience and recovery wisdom, offering CE-eligible content from NAADAC for addiction professionals.

Attendees will gain practical tools for integrating peer support into clinical systems, reshaping language around relapse and recovery, and advocating for health equity in specialized services. The conference aims to equip professionals to lead organizational change amid complex treatment landscapes. Registration is available through https://paaddictionprofessionals.org/registration-information-paap-annual-conference/, with discounts for members and group registrations.