ISSUP and Faces & Voices of Recovery bring you the Global Recovery Network Webinars, a series of eight webinars taking place over the coming months, grouped under three core themes that explore global perspectives on recovery support.

Theme 2: Returning to Basics

Join us for Part 6: The Power of Storytelling, an interactive session on how storytelling can be used both as a healing practice and as a driver of community and policy change.

Date: Tuesday, 9th September 2025

Time: 2:00 PM London | 9:00 AM ET 

Register for the Webinar

Storytelling is one of the most effective ways to humanize recovery, reduce stigma, and create genuine connections. This training explores why personal narratives matter in recovery spaces, offering guidance on how to share stories with purpose while protecting confidentiality, respecting autonomy, and ensuring truthfulness. Participants will also learn how to navigate risks, center inclusivity, and represent the diverse paths of recovery in their storytelling.

The session goes beyond theory by equipping participants with practical tools for different formats—oral, written, and digital—as well as strategies for engaging with media and handling challenging questions. By the end, attendees will understand how to share stories ethically, authentically, and with confidence, using storytelling as both a healing practice and a driver of community and policy change. Key aspects to be covered include:

• Welcome & Introduction

• Why Storytelling Matters in Recovery

• Ethical Storytelling Guidelines

• Managing Risks and Promoting Inclusivity

• Storytelling for Advocacy and Media Engagement

• Practical Storytelling Modalities

• Wrap-Up and Call to Action

Intended audience:

This webinar is intended for:

• Community leaders

• Peer recovery specialists

• Health professionals

• Professionals in substance use treatment and prevention

• Mental health practitioners

• Researchers

• Policy makers

• Recovery advocates

Learning outcomes:

By attending this webinar, participants will be able to:

1. Understand storytelling’s role in recovery

2. Learn ethical guidelines for recovery-oriented storytelling

3. Gain practical strategies for media engagement and public speaking

Presenter:

Chanda Santana

Chanda Santana is an accomplished nonprofit leader and program manager with over 15 years of experience in recovery support, reentry services, and community engagement. She currently serves as Program Manager at DIVAS Who Win Freedom Center in Athens, Georgia, where she created an innovative seven-phase recovery system, expanded residential capacity, and developed the S.K.I.L.L.S. reentry work program.

Her work has strengthened collaboration across courts, probation, social services, and community partners while providing direct counseling, interventions, and case planning for hundreds of clients.

A Certified Addiction Empowerment Specialist with advanced training in cultural competency, trauma-informed systems of care, and motivational interviewing, Chanda brings both professional expertise and lived commitment to recovery-focused work. Her career spans leadership roles in treatment centers, behavioral health services, and grassroots organizations, alongside consulting experience in marketing and community outreach. Known for her integrity, results-driven approach, and passion for equity in recovery, she is a dynamic facilitator dedicated to helping individuals and communities thrive.

Language:

The event will be in English with interpretation available in Spanish.

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Interpretation

Interpretation Instructions for Spanish speakers:

Access the Spanish Interpretation: https://meeting.interactio.com/link/recovery#app

Enter the meeting code: recovery
Select the language channel: Spanish

A few important details on how to listen to the interpretation:

By phone: The best way is to open the Interactio app and listen to the interpretation on your phone while watching the video meeting through your computer;

By computer: If you want to listen to the interpretation on the same device as the video meeting, you will need to select 'No Audio' in the GoToWebinar Control Panel, and only listen through the Interactio web app at meeting.interactio.com.
 

Webinars and online events delivered and hosted by the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) are provided for informational purposes only. They are educational in nature and do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.