Currently, most clinicians, first responders and other healthcare professionals are unaware of how they can contribute to the perpetuation of stigma. Professionals providing direct care need to be educated about stigma and its impacts, as well as training on how to best fight stigma to improve access to treatment, engagement, and quality of care. Substance Use Disorder (SUD) conversations and education is needed due to a 28.5% increase in overdose death rates during the pandemic reported by CDC on 11/17/2021 (CDC2021).  In previous years, CDC reported overdose death rates in the seventy thousand range, this year’s report shows over one hundred thousand for the same time periods. If you’re thinking what I’m thinking, it is time to talk about promoting healing and long-term sobriety. We as humans, even with Social Work ethics, training and licenses are still prone to biases and stigma, especially with persons who struggle with substance use/abuse/ issues.  This webinar helps participants acknowledge personal biases and strategies to combat counterproductive attitudes that cause harm to the same people our code of ethics, profession and policy is designed to protect. If you’re thinking what I’m thinking it is time to talk about how reducing stigma and personal biases by re-embracing our commitments to service, dignity and worth of person, and value of human relationships. We as professionals have a call and platform to decrease these numbers and empower others to live by providing non-biased service and treatment options for those affected by Substance Use Disorder. Original webinar date: October 10, 2023. CC.

Learning Objectives:

1. Acknowledge personal biases when dealing with a person with substance use/abuse issues.
2. Discuss strategies to combat unhelpful/counterproductive attitudes towards persons with substance abuse issues
3. Engage in healing conversations that motivate and encourage growth and continued sobriety