Friday, December 4, 2020
9:00 AM – 12:30 PM
Live Online Conference

$49.00 (includes CE credits)
$29.00 (non CE registration
REGISTRATION: CLICK HERE

DMHAS SCHOLARSHIP APPPLICATION: CLICK HERE

Lessons from 2020 for a Better 2021
Professionals working in 2020 have been faced with the triple massive stresses of COVID-19, severe economic recession, and the problems and tensions around racial injustice/civil unrest. As a result, this past year was a particularly challenging one for the world, our country, our state, our programs, our clients, our families and ourselves. The entirety of COVID-19 has been met with restricted movement and contact, making our work harder and often more difficult to adequately deliver. This presentation will review what happened and what we learned in 2020 how we can apply the knowledge to 2021 and beyond.

WORKSHOPS 11:00AM – 12:30PM

Are We There Yet? Moving from Reflection to Action
Natalie Moore-Bembry, EdD, LSW
Microaggressions and discrimination have a lasting impact on the lives of the individuals, groups, and communities we serve. In order to provide effective services, we must understand the experiences of others and unlearn the oppressive, prejudiced, or racist ideologies that may be ingrained in us. But the question is how do we approach this proverbial dilemma? We will explore the use the conceptual tools of the Ladder of Inference, Process of Change, and cultural humility to gain a better understanding of who we are and how “we” impact others.
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Recovery Oriented Systems of Care: A Transformational Paradigm Shift
Morgan Thompson, MSW
This workshop will provide an overview of the features and values of, and rationale for, a recovery oriented system of care (ROSC) approach to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment and recovery support services. Specific emphasis will be placed on the role of peer recovery specialists in the SUD continuum and the types of recovery support services currently offered in the state.
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DBT skills to Navigate Racial Injustice
Nathalie Edmond, PsyD, RYT
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) centers principles that can help us navigate the pain of racial injustice which is contributing to a collective trauma. Those principles that we will dive deeper into is mindfulness; holding multiple truths (dialectics); radical acceptance for that which we cannot change right now in this moment but that we do not agree with; and how to turn towards change and interpersonal effectiveness even when we are overwhelmed or shut down.
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Caring for the Whole Person, Not just the Addiction: Integrating Mental and Physical Health Services in Substance Use Treatment Settings
 Kenneth Pecoraro LCSW, LCADC, CCS and Julie Edwards APN, FNP-c
Substance use treatment services have evolved a great deal in recent years. Th integration of mental health and physical health into addiction treatment has become the new “normal” as a holistic approach to client care has become essential in the modern treatment world. It is well known that the prevalence of co-occurring mental health disorders present in substance use treatment programs is extremely high and continues to rise. In addition, research is also revealing that high levels of medical and physical health issues in substance use treatment is equally as widespread. Therefore administrators, supervisors, therapists and case managers at all levels of addiction care need to be prepared to effectively assess, treat and integrate physical and mental health treatment into substance use programs to meet these growing needs among the individuals and families whom we serve. This seminar highlights the unique and diverse perspectives of three experienced experts in the field who currently work in a fully integrated federally Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) treatment center in central New Jersey. These instructors share the skills, knowledge, experience and research that they have learned about while working in this holistic system of integrated care.
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