Harm Reduction in the Treatment of Substance Use Disorder:
From Clinical Session to Safer Consumption.
About This Training
This training explores the principles of harm reduction, equipping clinicians with practical strategies to support clients in reducing risks, improving well-being, and making informed choices; whether their goal is safer use, moderation, or abstinence. From integrating harm reduction into therapeutic conversations to understanding safer consumption practices, this workshop will help providers navigate substance use treatment with nonjudgmental, client-centered care that meets individuals where they are. Participants will walk away with practical skills, historical context, and clinical strategies for implementing harm reduction in both individual sessions and broader systems of care.
We will cover...
Socioeconomic and Political Roots of the Opioid Crisis
Foundations of Harm Reduction
Non-Stigmatizing, Non-Discriminatory Language
Cycle of Change and Its Application
We will explore how systemic factors have shaped the current landscape of substance use. Understanding these roots allows clinicians to hold a non-pathologizing lens and locate substance use within a broader context of structural harm.
Key principles of harm reduction and how they challenge traditional abstinence-only models. We’ll discuss how to apply these principles in clinical settings to meet clients where they are; honoring autonomy, promoting dignity, and centering health and safety over compliance.
We'll examine how word choice influences therapeutic rapport, community perception, and policy; offering alternatives to commonly used clinical terms that may inadvertently perpetuate shame or exclusion.
The stages of change model and how it can guide interventions rooted in readiness, not rigidity. We’ll explore how to collaborate with clients in all stages; from precontemplation to maintenance, while integrating harm reduction goals at every step.
Clinical Interventions
From motivational interviewing to safer use planning, you’ll learn evidence-informed strategies that align with harm reduction principles. These interventions emphasize client strengths, self-determination, and the therapeutic alliance as central to healing.
Harm Reduction for Substance Use Disorder
Date: June 17, 2025
Time: 1pm - 5pm
Location: Virtual - Live on Zoom
CEUs: 4 Public Health CEUs offered
This training is approved for 6 Public Health CEUs (required) by the DC Board of Social Work, Office of Professional Licensing, DC Dept of Health (ASWB approval pending).
Cost: $160 - $190
Register by completing the form on this page.