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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. Porch to Portland. War on Drugs = War on People. War on people . Facing the Gap.
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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
War on Drugs =War on People • War on people
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.
My path to HR:Career Summary • Training/Workplace dichotomy • Career burnout • Profound personal experience • Public health advocacy
Client-Centered & Developmental:What I Learned Carl Rogers Lifespan Development
Managed Care: A Two Headed Monster
Training & Professional ExperienceA Systems View Family Therapy School Psychology
Training & Professional Experience:Path to Independent Practice
Personal Experience: My Nephew • Perfect storm of: • treatment gap • addiction stigma • system-wide failure
Personal Experience: My Nephew • Tough Love prevented crucial connection to loved ones • My “expert” role was bogus • Returned to my roots of addiction treatment
Transition Begins: Back to the Future (2011)
Witnessing the Gap in the Professional Community Drug Policy Alliance 2011 Conference
Engaging in Public Health Advocacy Broken No More www.broken-no-more.org Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing www.grasphelp.org
My path to HR:Career Summary • What I learned vs. What I did • Career burnout • Profound personal experience • Public health advocacy
How Systems Inform Us:Micro vs Macro My Burnout Blame Addict Stigmatizing, criminalizing system Micro View Macro View
How Systems Inform Us: Micro vs. Macro More Effective Clinician Empower to educate/change Micro Macro
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
Resources • “In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts”, Gabor Mate’ • Practicing Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, Patt Denning & Jeannie Little • Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, Andrew Tatarsky
Resources • www.gradualismandaddiction.org , Scott Kellogg • Coming to Harm Reduction Kicking and Screaming, Dee Dee Stout • How to Manage Your Drinking, Kenneth Anderson