The Centre for Social Sciences Research (CSSR) and the  Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa  (IDCPPA) at the University of Cape Town invite you to join us for a lunchtime seminar on 4 November 2025 at 12:45pm. The seminar will be presented by Professor Leon Holtzhausen and Professor Townsand Price-Spratlen.

About the Seminar:

How Participation in Twelve-Step Programs and Mutual-Help Groups Influence Long-Term Recovery

In this mixed methods study (i.e., survey, in-depth interviews, field site events), we seek to understand how continued participation in 12-Step programs (e.g., Alcoholics Anonymous [AA], Narcotics Anonymous [NA], Cocaine Anonymous [CA]) informs long-term recovery and abstinence.

We also want to understand which 12-Step program activities (e.g., the working of particular steps, sponsorship, service work, prayer and meditation, etc.) are the most useful for long-term recovery, and the degree to which these and other participation(s) lead to a deeper sense of purpose and spiritual growth.

Speakers

Leon Holtzhausen, PhD, practiced clinical social work in a Super Maximum Prison for over six years. He has served as Deputy Director (Corrections) Research, and is a member of the Accreditation Committee of the Department of Social Development. His research explores the effects of adverse childhood experiences on crime and altruistic behavior.

Townsand Price-Spratlen, PhD, Professor of Sociology. contemporary work focuses is His on marginalized populations, incarceration, and related health disparities. His 2024 Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly article explores how grief informs long-term recovery from substance use disorder (SUD).

  4 November 2025
  12:45 - 14:00 SAST
   CSSR Seminar Room, 4.29 Robert Leslie Social Science Building, UCT

Hosted by the Centre for Social Science Research and the Institute for Democracy, Citizenship and Public Policy in Africa