Join Recovery Movie Meetups for a special Youth Behavioral Health Summit where we bring together leading experts and filmmakers to explore innovative approaches to addressing substance use and risk behaviors among young people, and the role of storytelling and media in shaping healthier behaviors.
The event will feature a live conversation with the producers of Party Foul—a powerful 24-minute entertainment-education film designed to reduce binge drinking and encourage bystander intervention among college students.
Developed through a human-centered design process with youth from across the United States and grounded in Social Cognitive Theory, the film models realistic social situations and practical harm-reduction strategies.
Created by the public health experts at Sentient Research, Party Foul demonstrates how engaging storytelling can promote safer choices, support peers, and spark meaningful conversations about youth behavioral health.
Following a general discussion with our panelists, there will be a screening of the film.
CLAUDIA BLACK: Internationally recognized for her pioneering and cutting-edge work with family systems and addictive disorders, Dr. Claudia Black’s work with children impacted by drug and alcohol addiction in the late 1970s fueled the advancement of the codependency and developmental trauma fields. Dr. Black’s passion to help young adults overcome obstacles and desire to strengthen families continue to form the foundation of the Claudia Black Young Adult Center. Not only is Dr. Black the clinical architect of this groundbreaking treatment program, she is also actively involved with the treatment team, patients, and their families.
PETE NIELSEN: Pete Nielsen is the Chief Executive Officer for the California Consortium of Addiction Programs and Professionals (CCAPP), CCAPP Credentialing, CCAPP Education Institute and the Behavioral Health Association of Providers (BHAP). CCAPP is the largest statewide consortium of addiction programs and professionals, and the only one representing all modalities of substance use disorder treatment programs. BHAP is the leading and unifying voice of addiction-focused treatment programs nationally. Mr. Nielsen has worked in the substance use disorders field for 20 years.Mr. Nielsen is the secretary of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium, and on the publisher for Counselor magazine. He is a nationally known speaker and writer published in numerous industry-specific magazines. Mr. Nielsen holds a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Bus Business Management.
TED MANDELL: Ted Mandell is an Associate Teaching Professor in the Department of Film, Television, and Theatre at the University of Notre Dame where he has taught for the past 38 years. Along with courses in film production, Ted co-teaches the popular course "Drunk on Film: The Psychology of Storytelling with Alcohol and Its Effects on Alcohol Consumption", which has been taught to over 1800 undergraduates in the past six years, and was recently featured on the PBS Newshour.
AARON PLANT: Aaron Plant is the co-founder and Vice President of Sentient Research. He has worked as a public health researcher and program planner for over 20 years, specializing in entertainment-education, technology, and adolescent health. In his career, Aaron has designed and evaluated numerous effective interventions for clients including CDC, NIH, and HHS. He has published over 30 articles in academic journals on sexual and reproductive health, substance use, adolescent health, and the development and evaluation of social marketing, entertainment-education, and technology programs. He received a bachelor’s degree in interdisciplinary studies (folklore) at UC Berkeley in 1998 and a master’s in public health degree from UCLA in 2005.