Virtual Webinar

Everyday Harm Reduction: Finding Ways to Become Curious about Changing Habits

1.5 CE Hours Clinical , Substance Abuse Introductory
Everyday Harm Reduction: Finding Ways to Become Curious about Changing Habits

Information

Date & Time

  • -

Learning Objectives

Participants will be able to:

  • Define the term “Harm Reduction.”

  • Identify 3 or more practitioner and/or client activities that can be considered a type of harm reduction.

  • Compare the clinical practice of harm reduction and the Harm Reduction social justice movement, describing at least 1 similarity and 1 difference.

  • Identify at least 2 harm reduction exercises that can be used to explore acceptance, self-compassion, and empowerment.

  • Create a sample goal or next step for change and growth after exploring their own relationship to a substance or behavior.

Educational Goal

The educational goal of this workshop is to help clinicians open up to talking about substance use disorders and other potentially problematic behaviors from a position of curiosity that allows for client exploration and a gradual shift toward alternative (and often safer) alternatives.

Description

“Harm reduction” appears everywhere, from project proposals to newspaper headlines. Although harm reduction (HR) seems to be everywhere all at once, the philosophy and practice of harm reduction are not always clearly understood. Additionally, practitioners have often not received any significant training in HR and are unsure of how to work with this approach when working with help seekers. In this webinar, we will discuss some of the basic tenets of harm reduction. We will also have an opportunity to practice using exercises designed to explore an individual’s relationship to substances and/or behaviors and discuss how the harm reduction approach can lead to meaningful and productive conversations promoting change.

Target Audience

  • Counselor
  • Marriage & Family Therapist
  • Psychologist
  • Social Worker
  • Substance Use Disorder Professionals

Presenters

Kristin L. Dempsey, EdD, LMFT, LPCC

Kristin is a psychotherapist, counselor educator, and trainer in evidence-based psychotherapy practices. Kristin is a practicing licensed marriage and family therapist and licensed clinical counselor. She has worked in various clinical settings: schools, community-based organizations, county mental health, training agencies, and universities and professional schools.

Kristin has trained clinicians and students in motivational interviewing since 2008 and has practiced motivational interviewing since 2001. In addition to training in motivational interviewing, Kristin trains and provides consultation for clinicians in dialectical behavior therapy, trauma-informed care, cognitive behavioral therapy, co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, clinician self-care, and suicide prevention and intervention.

Kristin is lecturing faculty at San Francisco State University, where she teaches addiction counseling. She is an associate professor at the Wright Institute’s Counseling Psychology program, where she teaches counseling skills, developmental psychology, research-based practice, group counseling, and addiction treatment. Kristin has assisted counseling agencies with self-assessment and programmatic change, and her EdD in Organizational Change and Leadership has assisted her in providing systems-level consultation. She is the author of The Harm Reduction Workbook for Addiction, published by New Harbinger Press in 2024. She sees clients in San Francisco and Burlingame, California.

Financially Sponsored By

  • Private Practice Kristin Dempsey