Presenters: Jesse Bennett, BSW
Description: This workshop is designed to have an engaging conversation about the principles and practices of Harm Reduction. It will help to inform the community of North Carolina on how to recognize and treat suspected opioid overdoses. Through the development of cultural competency around drug use, we will discuss how our communities can embrace an inclusive, multi-tiered, collaborative model that offers healthy and sustainable living.
Presenter: Sherra’ M. Watkins, PhD LPC, LCAS, CRC, CCS-I
Description: It’s been thirty years since the first drug was approved to treat HIV/AIDS. That was AZT, in 1987. Since then, anti-retroviral drugs have been helping people live longer, healthier lives after their diagnosis. HIV is now a chronic medically managed disease and government officials dare to speak of creating an AIDS free generation. Yet there are approximately 50,000 new infections each year and it is estimated that less than a third of the 1.2 million PLHIV in the US (treatment cascade) are optimally treating their disease or aware of their status. But, just how much has treatment and prevention changed? This workshop will provide an update on HIV disease behavioral health professionals. Part I will review the basic virology and course along with ART treatment. The focus will be on medical essentials that patients, nurses, and therapists need to know. In addition, particular emphasis will be placed on the current face (epidemiology) of this continuing epidemic along with the psychosocial factors (i.e., poverty, stigma, etc.) and frequent comorbid behavioral health problems that need to be addressed to engage and maintain high-risk populations in effective care. Part II will discuss any new changes to prevention messages and treatment. It will discuss the past and new current strategies, prevention, and treatment approaches for working with high-risk populations along with ethical issues related to HIV care.
Presenters: Mark F. Botts, JD
Description: Under state and federal law, SUD treatment professionals owe a duty of confidentiality to their patients. SUD treatment professionals, as well as other lawful holders of treatment information, must be able to apply the law and resolve ethical issues related to confidentiality that arise in their practices. This session provides a comprehensive overview of the law and uses hypotheticals to illustrate how to apply the law in specific scenarios. Among other things, this session will address:
Objectives:
(An additional .5 hour of NCSAPPB credit is available for participants needing 4 hours ethics – must complete additional assignment; NO CRC credit available for this session).
Presenter: Brenden Hargett, PhD
Description: Substance use treatment caseloads have increasingly become more complex and challenging to manage. Traditional approaches have limited the ability of substance abuse professionals to appropriately treat multi-problematic clients that enter treatment programs. Therefore, practitioners must be equipped to properly screen and assess substance use disorders and address any other problems that are closely associated with these disorders.
Persons who abuse drugs and/or alcohol have unique characteristics that involve difficulties in day to day living. These difficulties often include mental illness, family problems, legal problems and others. Treatment providers must be equipped to accurately screen and assess substance use disorders and any contributing problems that can complicate treatment planning. The ability to interview and gather important information regarding trauma histories, impulsiveness, and behavioral problems is paramount.
As substance abuse treatment changes, professionals must meet the challenges presented at the door. It is important that professionals in the field of substance use treatment are kept informed and equipped with effective tools to treat substance use disorders.
This mini track will focus on evidenced based best practice approaches in screening/assessing persons with substance use disorders and will provide effective and practical implications for professionals to use in the changing treatment environment.
Presenters: Ann Dupre Rogers, LCSW; and Katie Goetz, LPC, LCAS
Description: Communities and organizations have become increasingly aware of the role that resilience plays in health, well-being and recovery. Developed as a response to the public health crisis of ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences), Reconnect for Resilience™ provides a non-judgmental perspective on normal, human biological reactions to stress and trauma. Though the concepts are all grounded in recent neuroscience, this training presents material about stress, trauma, the brain, the autonomic nervous system, and well-being tools in a simple, teachable format designed for anyone to learn, regardless of their background. Reconnect tools are useful for self care and can be taught as a peer-to-peer intervention in a variety of contexts. Reconnect is a tremendous resource for individuals coping with chronic stressors such as physical pain and recovery from addiction. This session will provide an overview of the full two day curriculum.
Presenter: Michael Lazar, MSW, CAS-A
Description: This workshop is designed for mental health professionals as an introduction to the latest information (and debate) regarding compulsive sexual behaviors and a clinical overview of the current research and therapeutic interventions. The goal is to move beyond “sex addiction 101” and provide clinicians with a few practical tools to appropriately identify and assess the behaviors that may be causing distress for clients.
This program will incorporate lecture and case studies to help participants better understand the clinical approach for treating addictive behaviors related to sex, pornography, or love. With an increasing number of clients reporting difficulty related to these behaviors, it is important for mental health professionals to be comfortable discussing these topics and able to identify the appropriate resources and referral options.
Presenter: Janeanne Gonzalez, LMFT, CCJAP, CCA
Description: This session will discuss how the criminal justice system has addressed the revolving door created by the war on drugs and embraced the use of drug treatment courts. The treatment court movement started in Miami, FL in the early 1990’s and has grown to over 3,000 courts found in every state, four territories and more than 20 countries. Attendees will be provided with an overview of the basic principles associated with operating a treatment court.
Presenter: Michael McGuire, LCSW, LMFT, LCAS, CCS, MINT
Description: Research suggests clinical supervision is particularly rewarding for the supervisor, somewhat rewarding for the supervisee, and has limited known positive effects for the clients. Join us as we take an energetic, no-holds-barred look at the surprisingly slippery vocation of clinical supervision. This in not for the faint of heart or easily affronted, so please use discretion in choosing this particular mechanism for acquiring your mandated continuing education hours. Dress comfortably and bring your open mind.
(Sponsored by: Behavioral Health Springboard)
(An additional .5 hour of NCSAPPB credit is available for participants needing 4 hours – must complete additional assignment; cannot claim CCRC credit for ethics).