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Bridging the Gap: From Abstinence-Based to Harm Reduction Treatment

Explore the journey of transitioning from abstinence-based addiction treatment to harm reduction, offering a systems approach and personal insights for integration. Follow the path of a psychologist and counselor as he navigates personal experiences, career burnout, and advocacy in public health.

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Bridging the Gap: From Abstinence-Based to Harm Reduction Treatment

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  1. Bridging the Gap from Abstinence-Based Addiction Treatment to Harm Reduction Treatment:My Personal Journey • Barry Lessin, M.Ed., CAADC • Licensed Psychologist • Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor

  2. Porch to Portland

  3. War on Drugs =War on People • War on people

  4. Facing the Gap

  5. Objectives • IIlustrate what contributed to the gap, for me, between Abstinence-Based (AB) and Harm Reduction (HR) treatment. • Offer a systems approach to facilitate the transition to HR. • Share a perspective to allow others to integrate HR into their work.

  6. My path to HR:Career Summary • Training/Workplace dichotomy • Career burnout • Profound personal experience • Public health advocacy

  7. Client-Centered & Developmental:What I Learned Carl Rogers Lifespan Development

  8. Conflicting Views:What I Learned vs, What I Was Doing vs.

  9. Conflicting Views:What I Learned vs. What I Was Doing vs

  10. Managed Care: A Two Headed Monster

  11. Training & Professional ExperienceA Systems View Family Therapy School Psychology

  12. Training & Professional Experience:Path to Independent Practice

  13. Career Burnout

  14. Personal Experience: My Nephew

  15. Personal Experience: My Nephew • Perfect storm of: • treatment gap • addiction stigma • system-wide failure

  16. Personal Experience: My Nephew • Tough Love prevented crucial connection to loved ones • My “expert” role was bogus • Returned to my roots of addiction treatment

  17. Transition Begins: Back to the Future (2011)

  18. Learning About Public Health Policy

  19. Witnessing the Gap in the Professional Community Drug Policy Alliance 2011 Conference

  20. Engaging in Public Health Advocacy Broken No More www.broken-no-more.org Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing www.grasphelp.org

  21. When Grief Support Vanishes

  22. My path to HR:Career Summary • What I learned vs. What I did • Career burnout • Profound personal experience • Public health advocacy

  23. A-HA Moment!

  24. From Transition...

  25. ...To Transformation

  26. Moving forward...

  27. Systems Interaction:Micro vs. Macro

  28. Connecting the Dots

  29. How Systems Inform Us:Micro vs Macro My Burnout Blame Addict Stigmatizing, criminalizing system Micro View Macro View

  30. How Systems Inform Us: Micro vs. Macro More Effective Clinician Empower to educate/change Micro Macro

  31. Integrating and Evolving...

  32. Barry Lessin, M.Ed., CAADC • Licensed Psychologist • Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor 1244 Ft. Washington Ave. Suite E2 Ft. Washington, PA 19034 bless1244@yahoo.com 215-694-9146

  33. Resources • “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts”, Gabor Mate’ • Practicing Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, Patt Denning & Jeannie Little • Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, Andrew Tatarsky

  34. Resources • www.gradualismandaddiction.org , Scott Kellogg • Coming to Harm Reduction Kicking and Screaming, Dee Dee Stout • How to Manage Your Drinking, Kenneth Anderson

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