Caron`s spiritual adviser honored with Father Martin Award

The retiring addiction treatment chaplain at Caron Treatment Centers, Father William Hultberg, was presented the annual Father Joseph C. Martin Award for Professional Excellence on Aug. 2 at the National Conference on Addiction Disorders (NCAD) in St. Louis.

In recovery since the early 1970s, Fr. Hultberg began his work in addiction services in the military, providing treatment for Army and Navy personnel and working at an Army treatment facility in Fort Bliss, Texas. He began working at Caron in eastern Pennsylvania in 1984, first as an addiction counselor and later as developer of a formal pastoral care program as part of Caron's residential treatment services.

Caron's nomination papers for Fr. Hultberg read in part, “Fr. Bill Hultberg conveys passion and commitment when he speaks about the 12 Steps as the spiritual foundation of a program of recovery that 'gives you back your soul' and 'puts families back together.' His lectures and chapel presentations integrate the Steps with frank subject matter including contemporary issues in the addiction field that extend use disorder concepts beyond substances to relationships and behaviors.”

In his remarks to the NCAD audience this week upon receiving the award, Fr. Hultberg urged addiction treatment clinicians and facility leaders to educate local clergy on the dynamics and effects of addiction in their congregations and communities.