Colors of Recovery - Melanie Heu Artwork

All Ears on Addiction: An NAATP Podcast

The addiction treatment industry is facing complex issues, including insurance utilization, parity enforcement, ethics violations, outcomes research gaps, social stigma, and barriers to access along racial and socio-economic lines. At NAATP, we believe that addiction, or substance use disorder, is a bio-psycho-social-spiritual disease that develops and deepens in isolation. Progress in our field, as with recovery itself, can only be achieved through community. That is why we have created All Ears on Addiction, a monthly podcast series, to promote communication, collaboration, and resource sharing between industry stakeholders. Together, we can advance treatment and save lives. In season one of All Ears on Addiction, NAATP brings you Colors of Recovery. Join co-hosts, Zina Rodriguez and Tania Bhattacharyya, as they explore topics related to mental health, addiction treatment, and recovery as it intersects with diversity, equity, and inclusivity for LGBTQ+ communities and communities of color.

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All Ears on Addiction: An NAATP Podcast

Colors of Recovery - Melanie Heu

August 27, 2021 • National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers • Season 1 • Episode 8

Colors of Recovery's 8th episode features an interview with Melanie Heu, Clinical Manager for ASHA at Great Lakes Psychological Services. Listen to Heu discuss her family's moving experiences as Hmong refugees that emigrated from Laos to Canada, as well as the financial and workforce challenges she has seen in working with refugee and other ethnically/linguistically diverse communities in treatment settings.

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Melanie Heu is a second-generation Hmong refugee immigrant who is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Licensed Alcohol Drug Counselor in Minnesota. Heu is the Clinical Manager for ASHA at Great Lakes Psychological Services and is a part time Adjunct Professor at St. Catherine’s University where she teaches a class on Addiction and Recovery. Over the last 12 years of her career, Heu has developed mental health and addiction treatment programs to serve individuals and families from marginalized populations. Heu has trained and supervised several BIPOC, bicultural and bilingual emerging behavioral health professionals. She also trained many organizations on diversity and equity in the context of addiction treatment. Heu is the Midwest trainer for Driving with Care, which is a four-volume evidenced based Guided Change program that reviews cognitive behavioral treatment for addressing impaired driving behavior. Besides her dedication to work, Heu partakes in a variety of regular physical and creative activities to enhance focus and to keep grounded. She absolutely loves hiking, dancing, Jiu Jitsu and learning to speak other languages. Heu is bi-lingual and fluent in English and Hmong.

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