Opioid Learning & Response Collaborative Training

Stigmatization of substance use disorders has widespread consequences for those struggling with substance use disorders and remains the largest barrier to the initiation and maintenance of treatment and recovery services and access to other forms of healthcare. This course focuses on understanding the stigma of substance use disorder, its impact on patients, and strategies we can follow to help reduce the stigmatization of substance use disorder treatment.

It is designed for people excited to adopt a high standard of treatment practiced at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. This evidence-based program draws from experts who are dedicated to providing clinical care, education, and research in the field of substance use disorder treatment, prevention, and recovery.

We will cover the underpinnings of stigma and examine how we as professionals can help reduce stigma, which is considered to be the primary barrier preventing someone from seeking treatment.

Objectives

• Review what stigma is related to substance use disorders.
• Identify different types of stigma, including intervention stigma and stigma related to medications for substance use disorders.
• Discuss the impact stigma can have on people and our practices.
• Identify ways we can work to reduce stigma related to substance use and/or disorders through the language we ALL use.

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The Family Engagement training explores the impact of family involvement and support on an individual’s success in recovery, as well as the benefits for involved family members. Training participants will learn about the impact that substance use can have on a wide range of family members and about common barriers that impede family engagement in the treatment process. We introduce training participants to resources and strategies that can bolster safe and effective communication with and among family members, leading to improved relationship-building and a more resilient family system to support the identified patient in their recovery journey.

Objectives

• Understand and describe specific ways that substance use disorders impact families and the benefits of collaborative family work.
• Identify common barriers to meaningful family engagement in the treatment process.
• Describe a variety of strategies and skills for creating effective family collaboration, as well as the potential benefits of these strategies.
• Learn and practice how to apply tools for effective family engagement at direct practice and organizational levels.

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The Opioid Learning and Response Collaborative (OLRC) will be hosting a Regional Networking Event on November 4th in Effingham, Illinois. Attendees will connect with other professionals working in prevention, harm reduction, street outreach, and treatment to build relationships and break down silos. Attendees will hear about the impact the OLRC has had over the last year, as well as exciting new events, resources, and training the OLRC is planning.

Take part in World-Café-style networking that highlights community strengths and showcases collaboration (over competition) to address challenges that emerge within the community. Participants will work in teams and collectively to identify the successes in their community and how to expand effective efforts to help bridge gaps that exist. Participants will leave with skills to break down silos within the continuum of care in their communities, guidance on accessing and utilizing OLRC resources, and new connections in their working lives.

This event is open to all interested parties, with a focus on individuals with lived experience, peer workers, those who supervise PLEs, and direct service workers.

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This training will help learners meet the benchmark for professionals collaborating with the justice-involved population. This training will address key topics and provide an understanding for delivering consistent, trauma-informed care services for the incarcerated and reentry population with substance use disorders.

During this interactive training designed for clinicians, attorneys, judges, and probation and parole officers, participants will be provided with an overview of the history, definition, and impact of substance use disorder(SUD); its prevalence in the justice-involved population; and the difficulty justice-involved individuals, JII, encounter when released from incarceration. Included in the training is data regarding JII and the factors that contribute to SUD, including the neurobiology of addiction, adverse childhood experiences, and how trauma-informed care can decrease recidivism and improve job performance.

Objectives

• Discuss the history of the criminal justice system's provision of substance use treatment services within justice-involved settings and after reentry.
• Explain the neurobiology of addiction and the use of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to treat OUD.
• Discuss the impact that stigma and language have on an individual’s capacity and desire to seek and actively participate in substance use disorder treatment.
• Explain the neurobiology of addiction and the use of medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) to treat OUD.
• Describe the relationship between trauma, substance use disorder, and criminogenic behaviors with an explanation of adverse childhood experiences.
• Define trauma-informed care and how such an approach can improve outcomes for justice-involved individuals during and post their incarceration.

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The fourth edition of Teen Intervene provides an easily administered, low-cost SBIRT program that helps teens self-identify as at risk for substance misuse, offers a brief intervention plan, and guides referrals to treatment.

Teen Intervene is designed expressly for young people ages 12-19 who display the early stages of substance use problems. Tested, time-efficient, and evidence-based, the program is ideal for education, mental health, youth treatment, and juvenile justice settings.

Powered by stages of change theory, motivational interviewing, and cognitive-behavioral therapy, Teen Intervene gives young people insight into their unhealthy choices around substance use and a self-identified off-ramp from increasingly high-risk behaviors. Teen Intervene offers a full screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) approach and complies with DSM-5.

The program features a robust facilitator's guide that outlines each session, including background information on the motivational models and the SBIRT process, and lists insurance codes for billing. In addition, detailed scripts for sessions are provided in the guided interviews and discussions. Teen and parent/family resources include the most current information available on a variety of drugs and their side effects.

Objectives:

• Understand the impact and current trends of adolescent substance use
• Learn how to deliver Teen Intervene within the screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) framework
• Recognize the difference between the standard Ten Intervene module and the new Teen module
• Apply best practices for effective delivery of Teen Intervene

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Veterans have their own culture and rich life experiences that can present unique challenges and opportunities to civilian community mental health care providers. It is crucial to be informed about culturally humble practices and have a basic understanding of co-occurring disorders that are seen when working with this population, as well as resources available to mental health clinicians.

This interactive training will provide an overview of what makes the Veteran population truly unique, including the impact of rank, enlistment, branch of service, and potential deployments. Special populations will be discussed along with the impact of Military Sexual Trauma, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. This training will assist community providers in understanding key aspects of the Veteran experience, which may help establish connection, build trust, and inform treatment planning.

Objectives

• Identify the factors that contribute to military culture and lead to the development of Veteran identity and camaraderie within this population.
• Acquire knowledge regarding the potential higher risk of suicide among Veterans.
• Recognize co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders that are commonly treated among Veterans.
• Define resources available to civilian mental health clinicians.
• Describe frequently used interventions, including MI and safety planning.

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This six-session ECHO series is designed to strengthen the capacity of rural organizations and workforce professionals to effectively address opioid-related harm within the unique social, structural, and resource contexts of rural Illinois. Rural communities experience disproportionate impacts from overdoses while facing persistent challenges, including workforce shortages, limited funding, geographic isolation, transportation barriers, and heightened stigma related to substance use and recovery. Through a combination of brief didactic presentations, participant-driven case discussions, and facilitated peer learning, this ECHO series centers practical, culturally responsive, and trauma-informed strategies that can be implemented in resource-limited rural settings. Topics include expanding harm reduction and outreach in rural communities, strengthening and supporting the rural peer workforce, increasing access to and understanding of medication-assisted recovery (MAR), advancing equity and culturally responsive care for marginalized rural populations, and building organizational sustainability and evaluation capacity. The series emphasizes stigma reduction, community-centered approaches, and cross-sector collaboration, while honoring lived experience and rural expertise. Participants will leave with concrete tools, shared strategies, and strengthened connections with peers and subject-matter experts, enhancing their ability to deliver equitable, effective, and sustainable opioid-related services in rural communities.

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