2026 Women's Recovery Conference: Four Decades of Cultivating Collaboration in a Changing World

The 2026 Women's Recovery Conference offers up to 16 credit hours with a variety of credit options. The conference is designed for those working in substance abuse, mental health, psychology, criminal justice, human services, and other health care professions. The 2026 conference is the 40^th year of this unique event. It will be held in-person all three days, and only on Thursday, May 7^th - the main day of the conference - a livestream option is also offered. Attendance, whether on-site or via livestream, is required to receive professional credit.

During the past decade, we have had greater turnout than ever for this vital conference. In response to recent natural disasters in North Carolina and across the United States, as well as the current economic environment, we are continuing to offer reduced fees for the 2026 Women's Recovery Conference. MAHEC is sincerely striving to support the Western North Carolina community at this time of need and to accommodate more individuals who otherwise would not be able to attend from throughout the US. In 2026, the full conference will be held on a hybrid platform, giving participants the option to register for either on-site or online attendance.

In a further effort to accommodate strained clinical work schedules and challenges with travel and lodging, MAHEC is offering one-day, two-day, and three-day options. On Thursday, a livestream option is also offered. This allows MAHEC to provide mental health credits which are classified the same as in-person, "live" training as they receive vital information, even if they cannot attend on-site.

This is the 40^th year of the Women's Recovery Conference, where gender-responsive care is exclusively presented, focusing on the needs of women in recovery and their families. The Preconference on Wednesday, May 6^th includes four distinct half-day topics.

The main conference day on May 7^th provides gender-responsive care topics addressing care needs relevant not just for North Carolina (NC), but also across the United States.

A special two-part presentation opens the day on Friday, May 8^th, with an introductive North Carolina State of the State Address by the new DHHS MH/DD/SAS Women's Services Coordinator, Hilary Beeler, and an informative presentation by Dr. Evette Horton. Strategies to increase a sense of security for women in recovery and their children, and to foster and maintain community connection are embedded within this vital two-part session. Dr. Horton will introduce the NC DHHS Circle of Security Parenting Project, a mission to help support NC Perinatal & Casaworks residential communities, along with allies and partners. The far-reaching goal is to train 60 substance use disorder professionals in a manualized, evidence-informed parenting curriculum. This brief introduction will provide information on the purpose, status, and hopes of this important state-wide project.

Evidence-based strategies to promote hope, health, and healing are shared, as we continue to live through an unprecedented time of change, intertwining public and social health related crises.

Gender-responsive approaches are taken on mandatory topics such as supervision, ethics, HIV, STIs, and bloodborne pathogens. The conference also offers a choice of innovative care modalities that frontline providers may implement to motivate and empower women, while promoting balance on the inevitably precarious path of recovery. More than ever, community connection, solidarity and accurate information are vital in providing a solid foundation for sustained recovery. The entire conference emphasizes the fostering of strong communities, and the enhancement of psychological and physiological support for women in recovery and their families.

Conference Objectives

At the 2026 Women's Recovery Conference: Four Decades of Cultivating Collaboration in a Changing World, session content supports the following overarching conference goals:

1. Provide concrete information, therapeutic insights, and treatment skills which may be applied to process substance use, behavioral addictions, and dependence on other substances
2. Introduce skills to provide and ensure continuous, ethical care for women in recovery, within current workforce limitations
3. Prepare providers with effective, evidence-based behavioral interventions to help women enter recovery, prevent return to use, and maintain optimal health in long-term recovery, in benefit of recovering women as well as their families
4. Update providers on current North Carolina policies impacting women in recovery and their families, while offering resources for parents and families
5. Detail ways in which systems can be trauma-informed to meet the unique needs of each client
6. List at least three evidence-based modalities of care that foster social, psychological, and physiological well-being in women's recovery while reducing risk of return to use
7. Describe at least three effective evidence-based strategies which meet the gender-responsive needs of women in recovery based on SAMHSA recommendations and recent research findings
8. Describe treatment approaches which foster resilience, build trust, and increase commitment to individualized therapeutic goals of women in recovery, while optimizing health outcomes and building community
9. Provide skills on how to break old patterns which no longer serve the needs of recovering women
10. Explain how to obtain access to community resources that sustain gender-responsive recovery
11. Demonstrate a commitment to honor and celebrate individuality, promote authenticity, and foster genuine collaboration in recovery
12. Provide current information on gender-responsive ethics, infectious disease prevention, provider supervision aimed at meeting the needs of women in recovery

We hope to see you in-person on May 6^th, 7^th and 8^th!

For those unable to attend in person, we will be broadcasting live on Thursday, May 7^th, throughout the day – simply choose this option at registration.