Integrating Harm Reduction into Drug and Alcohol Treatment

"I now know that harm reduction is not just about a client’s behavior. It is also about the clinician’s behavior toward a client."

To find out when registration opens for this class, sign up for our mailing list.

CEUs

This course provides four continuing education units (CEUs). Go here for more information on CEUs.

Course Description

Harm Reduction is a public health approach that helps people identify and reduce the harms in their life caused by drug and/or alcohol use. This course is designed to reinforce your knowledge about the principles of harm reduction and to support incorporating them into your work. The course provides an opportunity to identify the challenges to practicing harm reduction in drug and alcohol treatment. It also identifies several harm reduction skills that can be adapted to the drug and alcohol treatment setting. The course also increases participants’ familiarity with internet-based tools and resources that can further help integrate harm reduction into their work.

Intended Audience

This course is designed for drug and alcohol treatment providers, health care and human service professionals/administrators, nurses, mental health professionals, social workers, and certified addictions counselors who work with people who are trying to reduce the harms associated with their drug and/or alcohol use. Other health and human service workers and educators (including community health workers, family planning counselors, HIV service workers, and outreach workers) who work with individuals who use drugs/alcohol have found the course useful to their work as well.

Learning Objectives

As a result of this workshop, participants will be able to:

  1. Define the principles of harm reduction;
  2. Assess the compatibility of harm reduction approaches and existing services;
  3. Clarify facts and myths about harm reduction in drug and alcohol treatment;
  4. Identify two (2) harm reduction skills they can use in drug and alcohol treatment;
  5. Create a harm reduction referral listing;
  6. Develop a personal action plan for implementing harm reduction at work;
  7. Access internet-based harm reduction materials and resources.

Course Length and Structure

The required time commitment is approximately three hours per week over six weeks (18 contact hours). All course material will be posted on, or linked to, the Internet. Participants receive individualized responses to their homework from the course instructor. Class lectures, reading and homework assignments are posted weekly on Tuesday mornings. Homework is due the Sunday before the next class.

Cost for the Course

Cost $90. CEUs will be provided for an additional $10. Click here for more information on CEUs.

Instructors

Mindy Domb
Jim Hogan

Thank You

Health Imperatives gratefully acknowledges the generosity of The Ittleson Foundation in supporting the development of SPHERE’s online harm reduction course.