The New England ATTC in partnership with the Community Care Alliance of Rhode Island is hosting this training on 5/15/24 from 12:00 am to 3:00 with subject matter expert Taylor D'Addario. Screening, Brief Intervention & Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is a screening and intervention tool that focuses on the one in five people who may use alcohol or drugs in unhealthy ways but who do not have a substance use disorder (i.e., dependence).  Research shows that people in this category successfully change their use with feedback and brief intervention counseling, using SBIRT methodology.  This training reviews the substance use continuum, evidence for SBIRT, and components of SBIRT. [This is a private, targeted technical assistance (TA) event.  If you are interested in similar TA please contact [email protected]]

Description: Significant challenges exist in providing safe and adequate care to the patient with co-occurring chronic pain and opioid use disorder. Establishing trust with and empowering this patient to be an active participant in their health is a difficult but necessary step. During this session, we will identify specific polarizing factors of chronic pain and OUD that make this work difficult and discuss strategies to enhance collaboration between patient and caregiver/prescriber that focus on the risk/benefit ratio in longitudinal care. Objectives: Identify the three health conditions that should be addressed at every encounter with the chronic pain – opioid use disorder patient. Pain. Drug Dependence. Mental Health. Establish a plan of action for the patient with chronic pain – opioid use disorder that addresses benefits/risks over a defined time period. Be familiar with different treatment strategies for patients with different pain conditions: acute pain, post-op pain, and chronic pain. Craig Uthe, MD is a board-certified family physician with the American Board of Family Medicine and a member of the American Society of Addiction Medicine. He is the Medical Director of Professional Well-Being at Sanford Health and the Chief Well-Being Officer for the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine. For over twenty-five years, Dr. Uthe has been a medical advisor to the SD Health Professionals Assistance Program, an organization that provides management services to health care professionals with potentially impairing illnesses & addictions. Dr. Uthe and his wife, Joyce, have three grown children and, more importantly, two grandsons, Luciano and Leonardo, who they enjoy spoiling upon every opportunity.

The New England ATTC in partnership with RICARES is providing a basic/universal TA session titled “The State of the Research on Opioid Outcomes Among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Other Sexuality- and Gender-Diverse Populations: A Scoping Review” on 5/16/24 from 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM. Not much research has been published about lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and other populations within the LGBTQ umbrella (LGBTQ+) impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD) and overdose. In this paper, the authors summarized current publications in this topic area and looked for gaps and potential areas of future research. The authors concluded that more research is needed to understand how the opioid epidemic affects LGBTQ+ people, especially gender diverse individuals. Also, more research needs to be done so that harm reductionists and recovery scientists can understand how race, ethnicity, and age connect and intersect in promoting opioid disparities (worse health outcomes) for LGBTQ+ people. This kind of research could help create affirming OUD treatment and other services for LGBTQ+ people. Register now! Article link:  https://drive.google.com/file/d/11Z2D4vd6vjU6xv7NTFYR85KmrmT1M73f/view

The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. The May 2024 issue features content celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Hepatitis C Awareness Month, and National Prevention Week. You will also find links to upcoming trainings focused on the therapeutic benefits of humor in treatment and recovery, prevention efforts in rural communities, and trauma-informed care for transition-age youth. Make sure you're subscribed to our email contact list so you never miss a month of The Great Lakes Current newsletter, and thank you for reading!  

Discover the Benefits of DBT for Individuals in Substance Use Disorder Recovery   Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) has emerged as a powerful evidence-based approach to addressing the complexities of substance use disorders, offering a comprehensive toolkit that extends beyond conventional methods. In this six-hour training, participants will delve into the core principles and techniques of DBT, exploring how they enrich SUD treatment by fostering mindfulness, enhancing interpersonal skills, regulating emotions, and bolstering distress tolerance. This training package includes a 6-hour PowerPoint presentation (full curriculum) and a 13-page handout packet. There are various options for presenting the 6 hours of content, including through a 1, 2, or 3-hour workshop, a single full-day (6-hour) training session, or two 3-hour sessions, which allows for convenient scheduling while maintaining satisfactory coverage of the material. All materials contained in this training package are 508 compliant.   Learning Objectives: At the end of this training, participants will be able to: Distinguish two (2) specific behaviors that DBT is designed to treat and the origins of DBT Describe the four (4) groups of skills utilized in DBT (Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance) Identify two (2) ways in which DBT skills can be useful for substance use disorders Apply one (1) specific DBT Skill pertaining to one of the four (4) DBT skills Explain two (2) specific ways in which DBT can be integrated into an SUD treatment setting In-Depth Description of Training:  Originally developed to address chronic suicidal ideation and borderline personality disorder (BPD), DBT blends cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) with a dialectical philosophy, emphasizing acceptance and change simultaneously. Over time, research has shown its effectiveness in treating a spectrum of mood disorders including depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), eating disorders, and importantly, substance use disorders. This training explores how DBT goes beyond its original purpose, becoming a pivotal intervention in reshaping behavioral patterns and becoming a crucial tool in reshaping behaviors, particularly concerning substance misuse. Through this structured curriculum, participants will gain insights into the four core skill sets (modules) of DBT: Mindfulness, Interpersonal Effectiveness, Emotion Regulation, and Distress Tolerance. Throughout this training, participants will examine the nuanced ways in which each skill set intertwines with SUD treatment, promoting a holistic approach toward recovery. Mindfulness, as the cornerstone of DBT, encourages individuals to embrace the present moment, detaching from harmful thought patterns and impulses. Interpersonal Effectiveness skills equip individuals with strategies for building healthy relationships, crucial in navigating support networks during recovery journeys. Emotion Regulation skills teach mechanisms for managing intense feelings, providing tools to modulate emotional responses without resorting to substance use, while distress tolerance skills empower individuals to withstand cravings and urge to use, fostering resilience in recovery. Moreover, this training underscores the importance of DBT in addressing co-occurring mental health disorders, breaking down barriers to recovery, and promoting sustained abstinence from substances. By fostering engagement, trust, and collaboration, DBT sets the stage for long-term success, enabling individuals to reclaim agency over their lives and forge a path toward lasting wellness. In summary, this six-hour training serves as a roadmap towards integrating DBT principles into SUD treatment, equipping participants with the knowledge and skills necessary to effect transformative change in the lives of those grappling with substance misuse.

This is the recording and slides for the webinar presented April 24, 2024