Substance Use: Strategies for OTs and Allied Health Professionals
November 22 @ 8:00 am - 12:00 pm
$100.00 – $345.00
Part 1 November 22 & 23, 2024 – Part 2 November 29 & 30, 2024 – Register for Part 1 or 2 or both! – 8:30 am – Noon MST Each Day
This workshop aims to deepen participants’ understanding of the crucial role allied health professionals play in substance use screening and intervention across diverse practice areas. Interactive sessions will challenge participants’ personal biases and societal stigma, and practical exercises will provide participants with heightened expertise and a comprehensive toolkit to navigate the intersection of healthcare and substance use.
In Part 1, participants will learn about psychoactive substances, mechanisms of action, harm reduction strategies, and the effect of substances on the person and occupation. We will also discuss the effects of substance use and explore the dominant discourse around the treatment of substance use disorders. Participants will be encouraged to challenge their perceptions of substances and people who use substances and to consider how substance use is an occupation.
In Part 2, we will cover screening, assessment, scoring of standardized substance use and mental health assessments, goal setting, intervention planning, and strategies for relapse prevention. These sessions will also review considerations for selecting a therapeutic approach, such as culture and the impact of trauma, and discuss counselling techniques. Participants are welcome to register for each weekend separately but are encouraged to attend all four sessions to gain a more comprehensive understanding of substance use care.
Workshop participation aims:
– Increase understanding of the role allied health professionals play in substance use screening and harm reduction across all practice areas.
– Enhance understanding of substance use as an occupation and the impacts of substance use on occupational performance, occupational engagement, and participation in therapy
– Increase knowledge of Canada’s new low-risk drinking and treatment guidelines and the rationale for these new guidelines.
– Increase knowledge of the mechanisms of action and effects of different substances.
– Increase understanding of the importance of using a trauma-informed and intersectional lens in practice.
– Enhance understanding of how personal bias and stigma can impact clinical practices related to substance use.
– Enhance knowledge and skills to select, administer, and score addiction-related screening and assessment tools.
– Improve skills at blending goal setting and intervention with approaches that address substance use, misuse, and addiction.
– Enhance skills for integrating substance use, misuse, and addiction into treatment planning and development.
– Improve knowledge and skills for advocating for the allied health professional role to address substance use, misuse, and addiction.
Who is this workshop for?
Allied health professionals of all experience levels will benefit from this workshop and will develop strategies to improve their clinical practice through evidence-based guidelines and trauma-informed approaches.
Presenter:
Kimberly Bitz, DScRHL, MScOT (Reg, SK)
Kimberly is an accomplished occupational therapist passionate about advancing mental health and addiction practices and promoting well-being. Kimberly worked extensively as part of the Community Recovery Team at Weyburn Mental Health & Addiction Services for the Saskatchewan Health Authority. In her work with the Community Recovery Team, she advocated for equitable services and inclusion for a vulnerable and diverse population with concurrent mental health and substance use disorders. Kimberly’s doctoral dissertation, “Missed Opportunities: Advancing Canadian Occupational Therapy Practices for Harm Reduction Among Women Who Consume Alcohol,” stemmed from her concerns over the health of Canadian women and her desire to advance clinical practices for vulnerable populations.
Kimberly works with community partners to provide education and promote community engagement and well-being and is an active member of CAOT’s Addressing Suicide in Occupational Therapy and is the President-Elect of the Saskatchewan College of Occupational Therapists. Kimberly is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals through evidence-based occupational therapy practices, research, and education.
