April 2, 2025 - Harm Reduction - From Principles to Practice, LIVE INTERACTIVE WEBINAR (This Course is NBCC and ASWB Approved)

The goal of this interactive workshop will discuss all aspects of harm reduction.  Participants will be able to identify at least 3 principles of harm reduction work.  Participants will be able to define harm reduction.  Participants will also be able to differentiate between a successful harm reduction approach and less successful approaches and identify at least two reasons behind unsuccessful approaches.  Participants will be introduced into the diagnostic criteria of the DSM and dimensional criteria of the ASAM 3, in the lens of determining the need of admission to treatment and continued care need from a harm reduction treatment perspective.  Participants will be able to identify three different medicated assisted treatments (MAT), and discussion of medicinal marijuana being added as an MAT option.

For more detailed information on this course, click here.

8:30 AM - Sign-in

9:00 AM – Definitions (10 minutes)

1. Definitions of Addiction, Recovery and Harm Reduction.

9:10 AM – Overview of Harm Reduction (20 minutes)

1. History of harm reduction.
2. Helping to understand just what is harm reduction.

9:30 AM – Successful and Less Successful Attempts at Harm Reduction (45 minutes)

1. Naloxone – A harm reduction case study.
2. The starting point and history of naloxone.
3. Routes of naloxone administration.
4. Positives and negatives of what naloxone does.
5. Less successful harm reduction strategies:  Medicinal Marijuana to stop Opioid Overdoses and South Dakota Methamphetamine Campaign.

10:15 AM – (15 Minute Morning Break)

10:30 AM – Principles of Harm Reduction (45 minutes)

1. 8 principles of harm reduction.
2. Harm reduction strategies – compassionate stance.
3. Harm reduction strategies – pragmatic stance.
4. Differences between the two HR stances.
5. Criticisms of harm reduction.

11:15 AM – Diagnosing and Assessing using the ASAM 3 Criteria and DSM-5 diagnostic criteria using a harm reduction lens. (45 minutes)

1. Brief overview and purpose of the ASAM 4 criteria.
2. The principles of the ASAM 4 criteria.
3. ASAM 4 criteria dimensions and assessment considerations.
4. DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders.
5. Differing criteria with stimulants, opioids and sedative/hypnotics.
6. Using the DSM and ASAM criteria using a harm reduction lens small group exercise.

12 PM - Lunch (On Your Own)

12:30 PM – Harm Reduction Psychotherapy Strategies (30 minutes)

1. Therapies commonly associated with harm reduction.
2. Atheroetical harm reduction counseling strategies.
3. Stages of Change in the harm reduction lens.
4. Motivational interviewing in the harm reduction lens.

2 PM – Myths and Realities of Harm Reduction (30 minutes)

1. 5 myths surrounding harm reduction work and the reality behind each myth.

1:30 PM - (15 Minute Afternoon Break)

1:45 PM – Harm Reduction Clinical Tenets (45 minutes)

1. 14 things all clinicians should embody when doing harm reduction work.

2:30 PM – Harm Reduction FAQ (30 minutes)

1. Harm reduction FAQ section.
2. Question/Answer Period.

3 PM – Question/Answer Period, Discussion of how to obtain certificate of completion