Clifton Taulbert, author of “Eight Habits of the Heart,” will kick off a week of motivation and inspiration to promote healthy lifestyles at the 38th annual MidSOUTH Summer School June 5 to 10 on the UALR campus.

MidSOUTH is a community service and outreach agency initiated in 1973 that responds to local and state needs for education, training, evaluation, and professional services for counselors and others who deal with people fighting addictions.

The annual event is organized by UALR’s School of Social Work and the Office of Alcohol and Drug Abuse, Prevention in the Division of Behavioral Health Services in the Arkansas Department of Human Services. It offers 24 hours of continuing education and six hours of workforce development for therapists, alcohol and drug counselors, community organizers, prevention specialists, family service workers, educators, employee assistance program personnel, mental health professionals, and others.

Taulbert, who grew up in the segregated Mississippi Delta, is president of Clifton Taulbert and Associates and the Building Community Institute. The institute offers instruction in organizational effectiveness at all levels for its clients, “unleashing the power of community” around the world. He will speak at the first of four general session from 10:30 to noon Monday through Friday in the University Theatre in the Center for Performing Arts.

At Tuesday’s general session, Pat Stilen, LCSW, CADAC, of the Mid-America Addictions Technology Transfer Center (MATTC) will present “Looking to the Future of Behavioral Health: New Designs for Service Delivery and Implications for the Workforce.”

Stilen has directed projects at MATTC since 2000. She has successfully designed and administered substance abuse and mental health treatment services for public and private organizations for over 20 years. Stilen has served on the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment committee responsible for revising the Addiction Counselor Competencies.

Wednesday’s general session speaker will be Mark Sanders, president of On the Mark Consulting, who will discuss “Tired, Wired, and Mired: Preventing Burnout and Compassion Fatigue in the Midst of Change.”

Sanders, LCSW, CADC, is a member of the faculty of the Addictions Studies Program at Governors State University. He is an international speaker in the addictions field.

Once homeless and living on the streets, Roy Juarez Jr. rounds out the general session speakers on Thursday. Juarez battled to leave the streets and graduated from Hardin-Simmons University, only to return to them.

Now an entrepreneur, Juarez is a role model for thousands through his work as an advocate of education in communities across the country.

Cost of attending all days of the summer school is $245. Tuition for three days of the MidSOUTH school is $170;  $125 for two days, and $80 for one day.

To register and for a full schedule of speakers, workshops, and other activities, visit the MidSouth 2011 website or contact MisSOUTH Program Manager Charlotte Besch at 501-569-8459.