Conference

The Co-Occurring Conference Coalition proudly presents its 24th annual conference on working with clients with co-occurring disorders. A person with a co-occurring disorder is someone who has one or more co-existing mental illnesses in addition to substance use or substance dependence disorders.

Educational Goals

America is in a crisis—violence permeates every aspect of our lives. Violence is at the core of our culture and affects all of us. No one is exempt from its horrible influence. It affects our inner lives and the structure of our external reality. With the increased awareness of the impact of violence and trauma on people’s lives, behavioral health professionals are beginning to consider what this means in their specific settings. There is a growing evidence-base documenting the impact of child neglect and abuse (as well as other forms of trauma) on health, mental health, addiction, and the risk of criminal-justice involvement. Today we also acknowledge the importance of understanding gender in terms of the differences in risk of and responses to trauma. Historically, “gender responsive” referred to services for women and girls. Today we have expanded our understanding of gender and its importance in providing effective interventions to include men, boys, transgender, and nonbinary clients.

This presentation discusses the specifics of becoming gender-responsive for all populations, as well as defining the three levels of trauma work: trauma informed, trauma responsive and trauma specific. It provides an evidence-based model for programming which integrates three foundational theories: addiction, psychological development, and trauma. In addition, it provides a discussion and demonstration of a variety of interactive exercises that can be incorporated with clients. It also offers recommendations for evidence-based resources for all levels of trauma work.

Objectives

Participants will be able to:

1. Describe the six elements creating the crisis in America

2. List the levels of violence

3. Define trauma-informed, trauma-responsive and trauma-specific, as well as gender-responsive services

4. Describe the dynamics and process of trauma

5. Redefine gender and its diversity

6. Discuss the ACE Study

7. Delineate gender differences in trauma and abuse

8. Anticipate psychological and behavioral responses/reactions to trauma

9. Discuss a treatment model which integrates theories of addiction, psychological development, and trauma

10. Demonstrate a minimum of five interactive exercises

11. Describe evidence-based, gender-responsive trauma resources

The Agenda

8:00 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. Registration

Continental Breakfast (included)

8:30 a.m. - 8:45 a.m. Introductions

8:45 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. Overview of the Day, Safety Plan (for today and to use at work), America in a Crisis, Levels of Violence, History of Social Services

9:15 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Evolution of Addiction Services, History of Addiction Services and Trauma, Three Levels of Trauma Work, Relentless and Toxic Stress

10:00 a.m.-10:15 a.m. Break

10:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Q&A, Process of Trauma, ACE Study, Gender Differences, Becoming Trauma Responsive (agency examples)

12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch (included)

1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Trauma-focused Interventions: Theoretical Framework, Core Elements, Treatment Strategies, Interactive Exercises, Retrospective Journey, Inside and Outside of House, Grounding and Self-soothing

2:30 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Break

2:45 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. Interactive Exercises (cont.): Family Sculpture, Anger Funnel, Creating a Vision, Research

4:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Q&A, Closing

The Speaker

An internationally recognized clinician, organizational consultant, lecturer, and author, Stephanie S. Covington, PhD, LCSW is the Co-Director of the Institute for Relationship Development and the Center for Gender & Justice.

Dr. Covington is a pioneer in the field of addiction and trauma. For more than 35 years, she has created gender-responsive and trauma-informed programs and services for use in public, private and institutional settings. Her extensive experience includes consulting for and developing programs for numerous U.S. and international agencies and designing women’s services at the Betty Ford Center. Dr. Covington has also developed programs for people in criminal justice settings and has conducted seminars for behavioral health professionals, community organizations, criminal justice professionals and recovery groups in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Mexico, Europe, Africa, Iceland, Brazil, and New Zealand.

She has published extensively, including ten gender-responsive, trauma-informed treatment curricula. Dr. Covington wrote the first manualized treatment program for substance use disorder treatment and authored the best-selling book, A Woman’s Way through the Twelve Steps.

Educational Credits

Application has been approved for 6.0 Michigan Certification Board for Addiction Professionals (MCBAP, specific to substance use) credits, 6.0 Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative CEUs, and 6.0 Michigan Board of Nursing credits. All sessions must be attended and an evaluation summitted to be eligible for credit. Any questions on the conference or ADA accommodations or grievances, contact Cynthia Petersen at 231-935-3099 or [email protected].