Episode 61: Special Episode:

Loving Leverage™

A Live Virtual Clinical Roundtable on Compassion, Accountability, and Real Change

When does support help… and when does it keep someone stuck?

Most people try to love addiction out of someone.

And without realizing it, that love can quietly turn into enabling.

In this special roundtable episode, we brought together clinicians, family advocates, and individuals in recovery to explore one of the most difficult questions in addiction and mental health care:

When does support actually help—and when does it keep someone stuck?

This is not a lecture. It’s a real conversation about what loving leverage looks like in practice.

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ABOUT THIS EPISODE

Loving Leverage™ is one of the most misunderstood dynamics in recovery.

Used poorly, it becomes control.
Avoided entirely, it becomes enabling.

In this conversation, our panel explores what it actually looks like to apply leverage in a way that supports real change without damaging trust.

You’ll hear perspectives from clinicians, family advocates, and individuals with lived experience, covering both the emotional and practical realities of this work.

WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

  • Why repeated threats without follow-through often backfire
  • The difference between control and relational influence
  • How to set boundaries rooted in safety, not punishment
  • Why alignment across families, providers, and support systems matters
  • How to recognize relapse risk and inauthenticity after treatment
  • What clinicians navigate when partners want different outcomes
  • Why treating the entire family system improves long-term success

PANELISTS

This roundtable features a diverse group of voices across clinical, family, and lived experience:

  • Dr. Stephanie Emde, PsyD, CSAT – Chief Growth Officer, Valiant Living
  • Michael Dinneen, CSAT – CEO & Founder, Valiant Living
  • Ed Tilton, MPA, CAC III, ATP – President, Begin Again Institute
  • Jamie Powell – Betrayed Partner Advocate
  • Brooke Donohue – Family Advocate, Valiant Living
  • JR Gallegos, LSC, LSW – Director, Valiant Detox

Hosted by Drew Powell, PSAP-Candidate

If there’s one thing this conversation makes clear, it’s this:

Love without boundaries can keep people stuck.

But leverage without care can break trust.

The challenge is not choosing one or the other.

It’s learning how to hold both.

Join the Next Roundtable

If this conversation resonated with you, we’d invite you to join us live.

We host these clinical roundtables every month on the third Thursday, and they are always free.

Our next conversation:

The Future of Complex Case Management

A deeper look at how we support high-acuity cases, align care across systems, and improve long-term outcomes.

👉 Register for the next roundtable:
valiantliving.com/roundtable

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These conversations are meant to be heard.