The Academy for Nature and Nurture Presents Guest Speaker: Keaton Douglas

Addiction and recovery specialist Keaton Douglas will lead a discussion on addiction and mental health resilience at an upcoming event hosted by the Academy for Nature and Nurture on Friday, November 8, 2024. The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. in Beck Rooms A and B (Walsh Library).

The onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic and the associated socio-economic fallout have created what is perhaps an unprecedented crisis in mental health. This contemporary crisis manifests itself for many people in very high levels of stress, contributing to symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as other psychiatric issues. Unhealthy coping mechanisms can lead to unwanted, unhealthy activities resulting in behavioral addictions as well as substance abuse addictions.

Sponsored by the Office of the Provost as part of its interdisciplinary Academies initiative, the Academy for Nature and Nurture seeks to build resilience in mental health through combined efforts in biomedical science, psychotherapy, and Catholic theology. The Academy’s research focuses on resilience training for graduate students, aiming to incorporate this concept into studies on children, adolescents and adults to support mental health recovery.

Douglas is a consultant educator, counselor and sought-after speaker specializing in addiction and recovery, particularly at the intersection of Catholic spirituality and recovery practices. She serves as the creator and executive director of the iTHIRST Initiative, a comprehensive program under the Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity that emphasizes spirituality in the prevention, treatment and aftercare for individuals suffering from substance use disorders and their families. With certified iTHIRST Spiritual Companions active across 29 states and beyond, she is dedicated to fostering healing and support for communities in need.

Douglas is also the author of The Road to Hope: Responding to the Crisis of Addiction, a guide addressing the urgent need for the Church to respond to the addiction crisis. Her work equips clergy and lay leaders to support those impacted by addiction.

Douglas discusses topics related to forgiveness, healing and addiction, and has spoken widely at churches and conferences. With a background in performance and marketing, Keaton holds a Bachelor of Science from Georgetown University and an M.A. in theology from Seton Hall University. She resides on a small horse farm in Sussex County, New Jersey, with her husband, Tom and their grown son, Michael.

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