Sonia K. González, MPH, HRC Consultant Course Fee: FREE When a youth drug user goes for rehab, how can we support them after they have returned to their local communities? This session is for service providers working with young people after they have returned from rehab, and explores theoretical and practical approaches to provide practitioners with tools to support youth sustainability in sobriety through counseling, case management, and other forms of provider-client interaction. This session will include both theoretical and interactive forms of learning with discussion of deterrents to sobriety, as well as family and peer pressures. To register online: https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1627/l/eng/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=57094

Injection drug users are at increased risk for viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, B, and C). This full-day workshop will provide an overview of the epidemiology, prevention, transmission, testing, disease progression, and treatment options for viral hepatitis; with an emphasis on hepatitis C, for service providers working with current and former drug users in a variety of settings. Workshop participants will learn strategies for incorporating viral hepatitis into their work, including discussing safer injection practices, promoting liver health, and finding testing, vaccination, social support, syringe access, and treatment referrals in a resource-limited environment.

Doneley Meris & Zoe Wahba, HIV Arts Network, Inc. Course Fee: FREE This training will explore the intersections of sexuality, diverse sexual practices and behaviors, expressions of intimacy, and HIV prevention education among adolescents and young adults. It will examine innovative strategies on how best to communicate with youth about safer sex negotiations; self and peer advocacy for safety in Internet dating and exploration; and establishing healthy relationships. Trainees will advance their clinical and advocacy skills to work more effectively in assessments, peer education, and the advancement of harm reduction in HIV prevention education, care and treatment. To register online: https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1627/l/eng/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=57090

This workshop will demonstrate and discuss the techniques for working with crack users, a community of people traditionally neglected by service agencies. The workshop will focus on specific outreach tools, materials, and harm reduction tactics that have been successful with this population. Attendees will leave this workshop with practical ideas that they can apply to their own settings and the people they work with.

Paula Santiago, HRC Staff Course Fee: FREE *CASAC credits available for this course Harm reduction is a set of practical strategies that reduce negative consequences of drug use and improve the quality of the client’s life. The harm reduction approach incorporates a spectrum of strategies which include safer and managed use, as well as abstinence. This approach helps providers effectively meet their clients where they’re at. Participants who attend this training will: understand the principles of harm reduction, participate in activities designed to assist them in exploring attitudes and beliefs about harm reduction, and develop practical skills and interventions that can be used in their work with substance users. To register online:https://salsa.democracyinaction.org/o/1627/l/eng/p/salsa/event/common/public/?event_KEY=57091

This workshop will look at the most common street drugs being used and the behaviors that are connected with these substances. Participants will be shown particular skills for engagement while working with someone who is using. Attendees will leave this workshop with the basic knowledge of street drugs and the basic pharmacology of those drugs. We will also look at how certain drugs interact with other drugs and the importance of delivering appropriate information and resources to reduce any harms that maybe perpetuated through their use.

Mental Health 101, will be a full-day overview intended to be a “crash course” in mental health. It is created for all service providers working with clients with mental health and substance use issues. The training will cover an explanation and overview of the assessment system used to diagnose and direct mental health treatment. Special focus will be given to clinical disorders such as schizophrenia and personality disorders and strategies that can aide service providers in working with these particularly challenging populations will be covered. In addition, the common classes of medications used to treat mental health issues will be discussed and demystified. Effects of illicit drugs and their relationship to mental health disorders will be covered too. The training is intended to familiarize service providers with some of the confusing jargon used by the mental health system and increase their ability to feel comfortable working in conjunction with their client's other medical and mental health providers. The training will be interactive so please be sure to bring case examples and questions. You will leave the training feeling more confident and better able to advocate on your client’s behalf.

Many in the harm reduction community have interesting backgrounds. As we evolve as a community so do our personal and professional needs. In order to establish a safe space for all we need to de-pathologize sex and body work as well as understand the correlation between substance use and this vocational identity. We also need to review some of the tools needed in order to change professions should we choose to do so. This day divided will include a morning session focusing on many different levels of sex and body work, the correlation between substance use and the vocation, in addition to the costs and benefits of choosing this profession. In the afternoon we will focus on new roles, yours or theirs, and the tools needed to succeed.