From Politics to Practice: Harm Reduction Interventions
Event date: -
Event type: Single day (a day or less)
From Politics to Practice: Harm Reduction Interventions
Tuesday, February 28, 2023 @ 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET
Presented by: Rahim Thawer, RSW
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.
Questions? Email lfernandes@oasw.org