Nancy Johnston, LPC, LSATP, With 30 years of clinical experience, Nancy Johnston is the author of Disentangle, When You’ve Lost Your Self in Someone Else (Authorhouse, 2004). Ms. Johnston specializes in treating adolescents and adults.
When You've Lost Your Self: The Use of Mindfulness in Trauma Treatment
These morning mindfulness sessions will give participants the opportunity to learn and practice the basics of mindfulness: deep breathing, gentle stretching, and body scanning. Mindfulness helps the individual be in the present moment, and has also been used with trauma survivors to help them center, connect with the Self, and process cognitive and emotional experiences more effectively.
Objectives:
- Quiet your mind
- Relax your body
- Be in the present
The New Frontier - Recovery Support Services
Recovery Support Services are a vital component in the continuum of care for recovery from addiction. This workshop will present a comprehensive exploration of Recovery Support Services, and will include an overview of several types of Recovery Support Services, an introduction to some of the tools and methods in current use, and the opportunity to ”learn by doing”.
Objectives: As a result of the workshop, participants will be able to:
- Explain the principles of Recovery
- Define Recovery Support Services
- Understand the role of Recovery Support Services as part of the continuum of care
- Name and explain the types of “social supports” utilized in the delivery of Recovery Support Services
Offender Criminogenic Needs and Substance Abuse Treatment
Research over the past 25 years has shown that substance abuse treatment for offenders can result in improved public health and safety outcomes. Critical to achieving these outcomes, however, is an understanding of the key treatment process components associated with better outcomes. Of particular interest are those components that should be targeted for change (e.g., offender attitudes), also referred to as "criminogenic needs." This workshop will include a summary of relevant research, provide a conceptual model for identifying these components, and describe a measurement system to assess and monitor changes in criminogenic needs.
Objectives:
Participants will
- Learn about research studies that identify key substance abuse treatment ingredients;
- Gain insight into how treatment ingredients fit within a larger conceptual framework;
- Understand how criminogenic needs can be identified and monitored.
What Works? Responding to Substance Abuse in the Context of the Juvenile Justice System
(Continued in the afternoon)Effective intervention with juvenile offenders presents many challenges, requiring assessment of risk factors and tailoring interventions to meet the unique characteristics of individual youth and specific communities.. Substance misuse is one of the most common problems that contribute to youth entering the juvenile justice system. This training workshop will address current knowledge about effective approaches for treating juvenile offenders, especially those engaged in substance use. Participants will discuss applications for the community circumstances in which they work.
Objectives:
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will:
- Understand the relationship between substance misuse and juvenile offending including current empirical and theoretical perspectives;
- Understand the “What Works” principles in reducing offending;
- Apply the “what works” approach to substance use problems including screening and assessment and treatment approaches; and
- Explore variations related to special population characteristics such as youth with co-occurring disorders mental health disorders
Clinical Supervision: An Active and Individualized Approach
(Continued in the afternoon)This workshop will examine the interpersonal aspects of clinical supervision,
dynamics of the supervisory relationship, and methods and processes that focus on individualized needs. Highlighted will be effective leadership skills and the use of active techniques in developing counselor self-efficacy. This workshop will use didactic presentations, discussion, small group exercises, role plan and case studies.Objectives:
Upon completion of the workshop participants will be able to:
- Understand the significance of the supervisory alliance, the various roles supervisors play to support such alliance, and supervisory tasks that support the adoption of evidence-based practices.
- Identify and articulate one’s own model of clinical supervision
- Develop an individualized approach to assessing and evaluating counselors, including the use of observation and “live” supervision.
- Demonstrate an ability to participate in and encourage the mutual development of behaviorally-based professional growth goals for supervisees.
- Develop knowledge of characteristics and skills of effective mentoring and leadership in the supervisory role.
Motivational Interviewing Clinical Skills Training
(Continued from Wednesday and continued in the afternoon)This two-day workshop is designed for practitioners who have at least six hours of introductory training in Motivational Interviewing. After a brief review of the fundamental spirit, principles and methods of MI, the workshop will provide an intensive opportunity for clinical skills development. Participants will learn strategies to help clients explore ambivalence regarding problematic behavior, reduce resistance, discover their own reasons for making changes, build confidence in their ability to change, and take steps towards a brighter future. The workshop will be interactive, and participants will observe, experience, and practice basic MI skills. Participants are expected to attend both days of this workshop. (Limited to 20 participants)
Objectives:
At the end of this workshop, participants will have an
- Increased understanding of the fundamental spirit, principles and methods of Motivational Interviewing;
- Increased skills in applying Motivational Interviewing (e.g. use of OARS, reducing resistance, eliciting change talk, moving clients towards taking action) in clinical settings;
- Practiced clinical techniques to be used with clients from a variety of backgrounds, and in a variety of clinical settings; and
- Learned to further develop their MI skills in MI from the clients they serve.
Energy Medicine ~ Reiki Healing
(Repeated in the afternoon)Learn to “read” your clients through the unspoken word. Identify you personal reactions to stressful situations. In this workshop, participants will gain insight about the relationship of their energy to their own life experiences. The workshop will provide health care professionals with an understanding of the metaphysical aspects of energy that affect behavior, attitudes, perceptions and overall well being. through the growing field of energy healing. The workshop includes didactic presentations, experiential activities, and practical applications of energy principles for counselors to use with clients.
Objectives:
At the conclusion of this workshop, participants will have:
- Gained and understanding of conventional and alternative approaches to energy systems;
- Learned about the human energy system and the relationship of its energy centers (chakras) to addiction, physical and emotional health
- Explored opportunities for self-development and healing that can impact clinical outcomes
Two Therapy Models for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Abuse: Present versus Past-Focused
(Continued in the afternoon)
This presentation will present two models for treating co-occurring PTSD and substance abuse. The first, Seeking Safety, offers 25 topics to address PTSD and substance abuse in the present, with a focus on coping skills (cognitive, behavioral, and interpersonal). Examples of topics are: Honesty, Creating Meaning, Setting Boundaries in Relationships, Getting Others to Support Your Recovery, Compassion, and Asking for Help. The second, Creating Calm, offers 17 topics to address PTSD and substance abuse, with a focus on past processing of feelings and memories. Examples of topics are: Telling Your Story, Suffering, Balancing Dark and Light, Seeing Clearly, and Transforming Pain. Both models will be explored in detail, empirical results will be reviewed, and specific treatment interventions will be demonstrated. Specific treatment challenges will also be discussed, including how to pace and combine the models, clinician training, adaptation to special populations, and “tough cases”.
Objectives:
At the end of this workshop, participants will
- Understand how PTSD and substance abuse are connected;
- Be able to describe two models for treating PTSD and substance abuse: Seeking Safety (a present-focused model) and Creating Calm (a past-focused model); and
- Have explored indications for each, based on client, clinician, and setting.
Ripples: How Parental Substance Abuse Affects Children and Families
When a parent has a drug or alcohol problem, the effects are felt far and wide. This session will explore the many ways children and families are affected by a parent's active addiction, treatment participation, recovery and reunification options, and possible relapse. Special attention will be paid to kinship care and involvement in the child welfare system.
Objectives:
After attending this presentation, attendees will understand:
- The ways children are affected by all stages of the substance abuse continuum;
- How family systems and homeostasis are affected by the various stages of the substance abuse continuum; and
- How the child welfare system impacts families throughout the life cycle of substance abuse.
Lucy Zammarelli, MA, CADC III, NCAC II, Director of Mental Health Services at the Willamette (Oregon) Family Treatment Services, where she supervises clinical services for mental health and substance abuse services and directs a treatment program for adolescent girls.
Adolescent Trauma and Substance Abuse Toolkit
(continued in the afternoon)Traumatic stress and youth substance abuse are strongly linked, and children and youth with traumatic experiences are at a higher risk for developing substance use disorders and other emotional and/or behavioral problems. The purpose of this session is to raise the level of awareness of the unique needs of youth who have experienced a traumatic event and who are also abusing substances. All participants will receive a copy of “Understanding Links between Adolescent Trauma and Substance Abuse: A Toolkit for Providers”. This product was developed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network's Adolescent Trauma and Substance Abuse Committee and the Boston University Adolescent Traumatic Stress and Substance Abuse Treatment Center. The Toolkit provides information to service providers in the mental health and substance abuse fields to help them work effectively with adolescents, their families, and their systems of care to assess and treat co-occurring traumatic stress and substance abuse problems.
Objectives:
Participants will
- Gain an understanding of the nature of adolescent substance use and co-occurring traumatic stress;
- Be able to identify cultural and gender diversity issues that may impact treatment approaches for youth;
- Gain information for asessing adolescent substance abuse and effectively adressing these issues with family and community members;
- Understand several evidence based practices that have been effective in treating substance use and co-occuring traumatic stress.
LeAnne Brant is the Supervisor of the Office of Consumer and Family Affairs within the Mental Health Substance Abuse Division of the Virginia Beach Department of Human Services.
Frank Brant co-authored Friends and Family Education in 2003 and is the primary class facilitator. He has served on numerous state-wide, national and international committees related to improving the credentialing process and ensuring the highest possible standards set forth and met by professionals in the field.
Friends and Family Education - Train the Leader
(continued from Wednesday and continued in afternoon)This two day session trains facilitators to provide the Friends and Family Education curriculum. Friends and Family is a series of six two-hour classes that provides education about substance use and addiction, co-occurring disorders, how addiction affects family members and relationships, facilitator tools to enhance personal responsibility, and community resource information. The goal of the program is to help those whose lives are affected by the substance use of a significant other take the focus off the behaviors associated with the disorder and put the focus on their responses to those behaviors. These changes can lead to a more dignified, emotionally healthy and productive life.
Objectives:
Participants will
- Learn the significance of education when substance use disorders are present in the family or in friends.
- Participate in a curriculum and methods for teaching that provide education for the friends and family members of persons who have substance use disorders to learn
- The effects of addiction on the person with the disorder
- The effects on family dynamics and relationships
- How friends and family members can benefit from modifying their expectations and responses to addictive behaviors.
- Learn about resources that are useful for families affected by substance use disorders.
- Learn marketing strategies for the Friends and Family Education classes.
Grad Course EDUC C29: Substance Abuse and Society
(continued Monday through Friday)This graduate course offering by the College of William and Mary provides three hours of graduate course credit. A comprehensive overview of the physiological and pharmacological effects of drugs will be presented. Models of addiction and prevention will be examined. Screening, assessment, and treatment planning will be covered. This course meets the substance abuse education requirements for the LPC in Virginia.
This course requires different registration procedures and tuition payment; please email info@vsias.org for latest information. It begins Monday morning and ends Friday at noon. Participants must attend all sessions to receive credit.
Day 4 of 4: Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training
(must attend full week, limited to 25)
What Works? Responding to Substance Abuse in the Context of the Juvenile Justice System
(Continued from the morning)
Clinical Supervision: An Active and Individualized Approach
(Continued from the morning)
Motivational Interviewing Clinical Skills Training
(Continued from the morning)
Energy Medicine ~ Reiki Healing
(Repeated)
Two Therapy Models for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Substance Abuse: Present versus Past-Focused
(Continued in the afternoon)
Howie Vogel, Founder and Executive Director of Double Trouble in Recovery (DTR) and serves as Deputy Director of Dual-Diagnosed Affairs at the Mental Health Empowerment Project, Inc. in New York State.
Andrew Rosenblum, Ph.D., Director of the Institute of Treatment and Services Research at the National Development and Research Institutes, has extensive experience conducting substance abuse research studies.
Mutual Aid for Co-occurring Disorders: Theory, Practice and Outcomes of Double Trouble in Recovery (DTR)
This workshop will describe a mutual aid self-help fellowship (Double Trouble in Recovery - DTR) for persons who have a co-occurring addiction and mental health disorder. Topics to be addressed include: development and description of DTR; self-help processes and outcomes associated with DTR; results from two evaluations of DTR (a prospective longitudinal study and a controlled clinical trial). The two presenters are a consumer/clinician who developed the DTR model and who has helped set up dozens of DTR fellowships; and a research scientist who evaluated the effectiveness of DTR.
Objectives:
Workshop participants will:
- Recognize the need to introduce self-help fellowships to persons with co-occurring disorders;
- Learn basic principles on how a self-help fellowship works and how to set-up such a fellowship;
- Identify self-help processes that are likely to emerge when consumers participate in a fellowship;
- Gain knowledge of DTR’s impact on substance use and medication adherence.
Connect Program
The Connect Program is a comprehensive community-based prevention program that serves youth and their families. This session will describe the program’s development and evolution, and will provide an opportunity to engage in a panel discussion with representative Connect program youth participants.
Participants will:
- Learn effective community-based prevention program strategies
- Understand the importance and necessity of program evolution
- Learn, firsthand, the impact of community-based prevention.
LeAnne Brant is the Supervisor of the Office of Consumer and Family Affairs within the Mental Health Substance Abuse Division of the Virginia Beach Department of Human Services.
Frank Brant co-authored Friends and Family Education in 2003 and is the primary class facilitator. He has served on numerous state-wide, national and international committees related to improving the credentialing process and ensuring the highest possible standards set forth and met by professionals in the field.
Friends and Family Education - Train the Leader
(continued from morning)
Grad Course EDUC C29: Substance Abuse and Society
(continued Monday through Friday)This graduate course offering by the College of William and Mary provides three hours of graduate course credit. A comprehensive overview of the physiological and pharmacological effects of drugs will be presented. Models of addiction and prevention will be examined. Screening, assessment, and treatment planning will be covered. This course meets the substance abuse education requirements for the LPC in Virginia.
This course requires different registration procedures and tuition payment; please email info@vsias.org for latest information. It begins Monday morning and ends Friday at noon. Participants must attend all sessions to receive credit.
Day 4 of 4: Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training
(must attend full week, limited to 25)
Lucy Zammarelli, MA, CADC III, NCAC II, Director of Mental Health Services at the Willamette (Oregon) Family Treatment Services, where she supervises clinical services for mental health and substance abuse services and directs a treatment program for adolescent girls.
Adolescent Trauma and Substance Abuse Toolkit
(continued from the morning)
