Co-occurring disorders, involving both substance use and mental health issues, can lead to severe functional impairment, worse treatment outcomes, higher mortality, and increased risks for homelessness, incarceration, and suicide. Many individuals with these disorders have also experienced trauma, making it essential for providers to not only assess for co-occurring disorders but also screen for trauma and use a trauma-informed approach throughout treatment.
This training is designed to help providers working with youth and young adults develop the necessary skills to understand and treat trauma and co-occurring disorders. The first part of this training will focus on exploring the complex links between substance use, mental health disorders, and traumatic experiences. The second part of this training will focus on developing basic trauma-informed competencies needed to work with trauma and co-occurring disorders effectively.
The target audience for this training includes any person who work with youth and young adults impacted by co-occurring disorders, mental health, substance use, and/or trauma. This training is made for all staff that have previous experience or education on trauma informed care practice and some understanding of how youth are impacted by substance use is encouraged.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Identify characteristics associated with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders.
- Explain the relationship between trauma and co-occurring disorders.
- Perform a basic screening to determine the presence of trauma and co-occurring disorders.
- Provide examples of at least two evidence-based practices that can be used to treat youth and young adults impacted by trauma and co-occurring disorders.
Trainer
Shannon Radford, LICSW
Shannon is an Adult Trauma Specialist for the Institute for Health & Recovery. In her role, she works collaboratively with a variety of organizations to implement trauma-informed practices through consultation, crisis response, and the development and facilitation of trainings that cater towards organizational needs and reflect the most recent research/evidence-based practices.
Shannon has worked in multiple different clinical roles in a variety of settings across the care continuum. Shannon utilized a trauma-informed, psychodynamic, attachment focused, relational approach to provide clients and families a supportive holding environment for healing. Shannon specialized in working with individuals and families impacted by substance use and early relational, developmental, and sexual trauma and supported other clinicians in developing these competencies in her roles as a clinical team lead and clinical supervisor. Shannon received her Bachelor of Social Work degree from Bridgewater State University and her Master of Social Work degree from Smith College. Shannon is a licensed independent clinical social worker in the state of Massachusetts and utilizes her lived experiences of trauma and substance use to provide valuable context to her academic knowledge.
Sponsored By
Mass. Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, Office of Youth and Young Adult Services, Institute for Health and Recovery, & ADEPT Educational Institute, Inc.
Accommodations
If you are Deaf or hard of hearing, or are a person with a disability who requires accommodation, please contact Gina Colon at ADEPT Educational Institute, Inc. at (508) 752-7313; Fax: (508) 752-8111; TTY: (508) 754-0039 or email: gina@adepteducational.org at least three weeks prior to secure accommodations.