Jerry Moe

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Jerry Moe is a counselor, author, trainer, and public speaker. He is a leader on issues for children living in families impacted by addiction and an advocate that recovery from addiction should include all family members. [1] [2] [3] With a background in sociology, education and counseling, Moe developed a program for kids ages 7 to 12 years old to teach them what addiction is, that they are not responsible for their parents’ illness and to provide them with safe space where they can talk openly with others their age who are going through the same experiences. [4] [5] His program was among the first of its kind and is nationally recognized and emulated by mental health professionals, treatment centers and organizations. [6] [2] He is world-renowned for his work with young children struggling with familial addiction and serves on the advisory board for the National Association of Children of Addiction (NaCOA). [7] [2]

Contents

Early life

Jerry Moe grew up in San Francisco, the youngest of three children in a family that had struggled with addiction for many generations. At 14 he was starting to get into trouble when a teacher intervened and suggested he attend a program for teens affected by a loved one's drinking, Alateen. For the first time, Moe found himself surrounded by other kids his age going through the same experiences, feeling the same guilt, sadness, and confusion.  Eventually, Moe's mother began attending Al-Anon and shortly after, Moe's father obtained sobriety through Alcoholics Anonymous. He lived the last 38 years of his life sober. This experience exemplified for Moe the importance of recovery for the whole family. [6]

Career

Moe began his career in education and realized that young children ages 7 to 12 years old were left out of the recovery process altogether – often being the first to be affected but the last to receive help and support. [6] [3] [8] From his firsthand experience of a childhood and adolescence marred by alcoholism came a deep understanding of why children in that age group might need a helping hand to cope and to avoid alcoholism – or drug dependency – themselves. [6] [9] Moe began developing a psycho-educational program for young children impacted by addiction and found support for the program at Sequoia Hospital in Redwood City, CA, where the new program was successfully piloted for a 6-month period. [6] [10] [11]  Jerry eventually brought his Children's Program to Sierra Tucson, in Tucson, AZ, a drug and alcohol rehab center where he served as Director of Children's Services for seven years. [6] [2] [8]

National Director of Children’s Programs – Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation

Moe began consulting for the Betty Ford Center, now part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation in 1997 after he was contacted by former First Lady Betty Ford. Mrs. Ford was committed to family recovery for addiction, including the youngest people impacted. [12] The Betty Ford Center had recently received $2 million in donations from philanthropist Joan Kroc and Ronald McDonald Children's Charities, and these funds were to be used to develop a program for kids ages 7–12. [6] [2] Eventually Moe was hired to lead the program and joined the center full time. [12] [13] The Children's Program in Rancho Mirage is offered on campus and in elementary schools across the Coachella Valley. [14] On average, the program sees about 1,500 children per year, with overn34,000 children and their family members completing the program. [4] [2]

Moe served as National Director of Children’s Programs at the Betty Ford Center until his retirement in 2021. [9] [2] The Children's Program expanded from Rancho Mirage, CA to Dallas, Texas, Denver, CO, and eventually Minneapolis, Minnesota. [4] [15] [16] [17] [14] Moe continues to advocate for young children struggling with familial addiction, providing training and public speaking on recovery that includes all family members. [1] [18]

Professional Highlights

In addition to his work at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, Moe is one of the foremost experts on counseling for young children in families affected by addiction. [18] [2] [1] He has written dozens of books and articles that are used by families and other professionals throughout the world. [1] Moe has spoken in all 50 states and trained or presented in 24 countries. [19] He has also spoken at the White House and on Capitol Hill, and has been interviewed frequently by local, state and national media. [19]

Moe's work helping young children in families facing addiction has been featured on Sesame Street, [20] [21] Nickelodeon [22] and PBS. His work has also been featured on the Today Show, People Are Talking, NBC's Newsmagazine Cover to Cover, Good Morning, Texas, Nickelodeon News, Time, Parents, McCalls, YM, Parenting, Seventeen, and U.S. News & World Report magazines, as well as the Irish Times, [23] Dallas Morning News, [17] Chicago Tribune, [24] Boston Herald, [25] San Francisco Chronicle, [10] Los Angeles Times, [8] Los Angeles Daily News, [26] Washington Post, [27] New York Times, [28] CNN [29] and USA Today. [30]

Since 2019, Moe has been a significant contributor to ‘Sesame Street in Communities’ [31] [32] and its Emmy- winning initiative on parental addiction. [33] [34] [26] Other major media collaborations that brought huge exposure to the needs of kids in families with addiction included the award -winning 2005 PBS documentary Lost Childhood: Growing up in an Alcoholic Family [35] [19] and the 2010 Nickelodeon News special Under the Influence: Kids of Alcoholics, [22] which won the Emmy Award in 2011. [19] [33] His latest book is 'Through a Child's Eyes: Understanding Addiction and Recovery'. [36]

Moe lives with his family in Palm Desert, CA. He is a cancer survivor, father to three children and grandfather of four. [6]

Positions Held

Awards

Books and Articles

Films and Videos

Champions for Children: Jerry Moe's Legacy and Alliance with First Lady Betty Ford

Jerry Moe helps children recover from the trauma caused by their parent's addictions

Addressing The Stigma Around Substance Use Disorders

Jerry Moe | How children make sense of trauma

SVG Families in Recovery Series

Sesame Street Tackles US Opioid Crisis

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Jerry Moe - Public Speaking & Appearances - Speakerpedia, Discover & Follow a World of Compelling Voices". speakerpedia.com. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "World-renowned Hazelden Betty Ford children's counselor Jerry Moe to retire after 43 years of helping kids in families affected by addiction". www.hazeldenbettyford.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  3. 1 2 "Jerry Moe: Call for More Research on Parent's Addiction Recovery and Its Effect on Children". Partnership to End Addiction. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  4. 1 2 3 "Help for Children of Addicted Parents". www.hazeldenbettyford.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  5. ↑ Children's Program Explains Addiction to Kids , retrieved 2022-03-31
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Barkas, Sherry. "Jerry Moe finds the light in a childhood darkened by alcohol". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  7. ↑ "Home". Nacoa. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  8. 1 2 3 "Kids and the Recovery : Substance abuse: The children of recovering alcoholics and addicts find life can get harder when their parents kick the habit. Some have nowhere to turn". Los Angeles Times. 1989-10-30. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  9. 1 2 3 Gieseke, Winston. "Jerry Moe to be honored with Firestone Award for his work with children". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  10. 1 2 Gross, Joan (1999-02-26). "Addicts' Kids Find Safety at Children's Place". SFGATE. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  11. 1 2 "Prevention Partnership International History". Celebrating Families. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  12. 1 2 Champions for Children: Jerry Moe's Legacy and Alliance with First Lady Betty Ford , retrieved 2022-03-31
  13. ↑ "The Family Grieving Process: How to Heal and Find Meaning within the Madness". www.hazeldenbettyford.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  14. 1 2 Foundation, Hazelden Betty Ford. "Hazelden Betty Ford expands with new program in Minnesota for young children". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  15. ↑ "Betty Ford Center Children's Program, Texas". Recovery Resource Hub from Capacitype. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  16. ↑ "Betty Ford Center Children's Program - Colorado". National Association of Addiction Treatment Providers. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  17. 1 2 "Children of addicts get to know their parents' demons at Betty Ford Center in Irving". Dallas News. 2016-09-25. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  18. 1 2 3 4 5 "Jerry Moe Biography | Booking Info for Speaking Engagements". www.allamericanspeakers.com. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  19. 1 2 3 4 "StackPath". www.wholehearted.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  20. ↑ "Sesame Street Tackles Addiction | Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) Network". attcnetwork.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  21. ↑ "Atlanta team partners with Sesame Street to support kids of parents fighting addiction". 11Alive.com. November 1, 2019. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  22. 1 2 Under the Influence: Kids of Alcoholics, Nick News with Linda Ellerbee, 2010-11-14, retrieved 2022-03-31
  23. ↑ "Your addiction is their problem". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  24. ↑ Daley, Bill. "How to talk to your kids about addiction". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  25. ↑ "Recovery advocates applaud 'Sesame Street' addiction discussion". Boston Herald. 2019-10-11. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  26. 1 2 "Rehab Riviera: Addiction takes up residence on Sesame Street". Daily News. 2019-11-29. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  27. ↑ "A 'Sesame Street' character's mom has an addiction. Experts say that's a valuable lesson". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  28. ↑ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (2019-10-10). "Karli on 'Sesame Street' Reveals Her Mother's Addiction Battle". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  29. ↑ Williams, David (2019-10-10). "A 'Sesame Street' Muppet shares her mother's struggle with addiction". CNN. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  30. ↑ Kennedy, Mark. "'Sesame Street' tackles parental addiction crisis in a way kids can understand". USA Today. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  31. ↑ "Guest Post: Supporting Children". Sesame Street in Communities. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  32. ↑ "Sesame Workshop Launches Initiative to Support Children Affected by Parental Addiction | Sesame Workshop". www.sesameworkshop.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  33. 1 2 "Nick News With Linda Ellerbee: Under The Influence: Kids Of Alcoholics". Television Academy. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  34. ↑ "Addiction takes up residence on Sesame Street". Daily Democrat. 2019-12-01. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  35. 1 2 "Untitled Document". www.nacoa.net. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  36. ↑ "Hazelden Store: Understanding Addiction and Recovery Through a Child's Eyes". www.hazelden.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  37. 1 2 3 4 5 "Hazelden Store: Jerry Moe". www.hazelden.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  38. ↑ "StackPath". www.wholehearted.org. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  39. ↑ "The Joseph L. Galletta "Spirit of Recovery" Award". HVRC. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  40. ↑ "Freedom Institute Fall 2013 Newsletter by ACorroon - Issuu". issuu.com. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  41. ↑ "PODCAST: 2013 Father Joseph C. Martin Award for Professional Excellence presented at NCAD". www.hmpgloballearningnetwork.com. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  42. ↑ Francis, Betty. "'Beamer' mascot raises funds for children affected by addiction". The Desert Sun. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  43. ↑ "Above & Beyond Coastal Gala | Angel Light Academy" . Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  44. ↑ Yingling, Chris (2020-01-17). "Join us for the 2020 Firestone Award Gala on March 13, 2020". ABC Recovery Center. Retrieved 2022-03-31.
  45. ↑ Arria, Amelia M.; Mericle, Amy A.; Rallo, Deanna; Moe, Jerry; White, William L.; Winters, Ken C.; O'Connor, Garrett (January 2013). "Integration of Parenting Skills Education and Interventions in Addiction Treatment". Journal of Addiction Medicine. 7 (1): 1–7. doi:10.1097/ADM.0b013e318270f7b0. ISSN   1932-0620. PMC   3562421 . PMID   23079483.
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