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COURSES via
Ontario Association of Social Workers

From Politics to Practice: Harm Reduction Interventions

Tuesday, February 28, 2023 @ 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

Harm reduction is increasingly becoming the preferred approach when working with people who use substances given that abstinence is only one possible goal on a larger, more realistic continuum. However, while many of us know “our politics” around harm reduction, it can be useful to collectively reflect on how we define problem substance use (“addiction”) and build a framework to understand the context of drug and alcohol use in our communities. We will discuss the multiple functions of drugs and alcohol lives and consider when use is a problem and when is it not. Many frontline service providers have not had the opportunity to process their own personal values, questions about what constitutes “harm”, their role in supporting clients, and the fears and barriers they may experience in implementing programs and services that are harm reduction-based. This workshop will allow for a values exploration, a space for honest and perhaps difficult conversations, and concrete tools that explore what specific harm reduction strategies can look like before, during, and after use.

Presented by: Rahim Thawer, RSW

Cost:

• OASW Members: $199

• Non-Members/Allied Health Professionals: $249

SIGN-UP HERE

Course Outline

9:00 - 11:30:
Lesson 1: Context of drug and alcohol use
o Topic 1: Normalized substances
o Topic 2: Identifying a problem
o Topic 3: The role of connection: rat park experiment, the crystal meth project

Lesson 2: Values and attitudes exercise
o Topic 1: Etiology of substance use problems
o Topic 2: Population-specific experiences and collective trauma
o Topic 3: Human rights, responsibilities, failures, systemic bias
o Topic 4: Decriminalization, legalization, and drug policy issues

11:30 - 12:30:
Lesson 3: Exploring harm reduction in practice
o Topic 1: Substance use continuum
o Topic 2: Drug, set, and setting
o Topic 3: Stages of change model
o Topic 4: Safer drinking guidelines
o Topic 5: Perspectives on crystal meth use
o Topic 6: Substance-induced psychosis

1:00 - 3:15:
Lesson 4, part one: Intervention tools and tensions - therapeutic and practical
o Topic 1: Housing first models
o Topic 2: Needle exchange and safer drug kits
o Topic 3: Overdose prevention sites
o Topic 4: Smoking cessation: quit dates, costs community-specific approaches
o Topic 5: Complexities of cannabis

Lesson 4, part two:
o Topic 6: Readiness Ruler from Structured Relapse Prevention
o Topic 7: Decisional Balance from Structured Relapse Prevention
o Topic 8: Inventory of Drug-Taking Situations from Structured Relapse Prevention
o Topic 9: ABC Behavioural Analysis from Structured Relapse Prevention

3:30 - 4:30:
Lesson 5: Intervention tools and tensions - pharmacological
o Topic 1: Methadone maintenance programs
o Topic 2: Reversing overdose for opiates
o Topic 3: Smoking cessation
o Topic 4: Reducing alcohol cravings
o Topic 5: Unpairing methamphetamines and sex

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Empowering Trans Clients Through Affirming Care:
A Guide for Social Workers Navigating Surgery Planning

Monday, March 13, 2023 @ 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET

As of March 2016, the Ontario Health Insurance Plan (OHIP) changed the funding criteria for transition-related surgeries by allowing “qualified providers” throughout the province to assess patients for surgery. Registered social workers have been designated as one of five professionals that are able to provide readiness assessments for trans/GNC people seeking lower/genital surgeries. This workshop will briefly review of trans/gender 101 material, including the importance of challenging cis-centrism in primary and mental health care systems. We will review the WPATH Standards of Care and Ministry of Health & Long-Term Care requirements and explore what surgery planning visits can look like between clinical social workers and clients. Participants will receive concrete examples of questions they can ask to support client readiness for surgery and to develop strong support letters.

Presented by: Rahim Thawer MSW, RSW and Nolan Blodgett MSW, RSW

Cost:

• OASW Members: $199

• Non-Members/Allied Health Professionals: $249

SIGN-UP HERE

Course Outline

Module 1: Overview
o Topic 1: Trans and nonbinary mental health – literature review
o Topic 2: Identities, experiences, and mental health label
o Topic 3: Social and medical transitioning
o Topic 4: Ontario social workers supporting trans and nonbinary clients

Module 2: Medical Transition
o Topic 1: Hormone replacement therapy
o Topic 2: Masculinizing and feminizing procedures
o Topic 3: System navigation and funding approval

Module 3: Social Work Counselling
o Topic 1: Social transitioning and counselling
o Topic 2: HRT and counselling
o Topic 3: Lower surgeries and readiness counselling
o Topic 4: Writing strong support letters
o Topic 5: Microaggressions in direct practice

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