Cultivating Change: Using Multiple Lenses in Engaging Substance-Using Clien

Approved for 4.5 CE Credits!

This is an interactive, multi-presenter day of programming for clinicians working with individuals and families with substance use challenges. This workshop will provide the essentials of a harm reduction/mindfulness approach with Jen Levy, Ph.D., how to use addiction and functional medicine with Sonya Lazarevic, MD, and treatment approaches for families and loved ones of those impacted by substance use issues with Nicole Kosanke, Ph.D.

Addressing Addictive Issues from a Harm Reduction Framework

Following an overview of the current status of the addiction treatment field, there will be a discussion of a harm reduction-informed approach that encompasses a range of positive change goals. Case presentations will address both the underlying meaning and function of addictive issues, along with offering mindfulness-based skills to support the change process. The impact of trauma on the development and treatment of addictive issues will be explored as well. Participants will learn practical skills to work with cravings and reduce risk through guided practices that can be applied in a range of clinical settings.

Conventional and Integrative Approaches in Addiction Psychiatry

The discussion will outline medications prescribed in stages of use, from abstinence to harm reduction, focusing on the most common substances of use. An integrative approach will be mapped out, including layers of care from a functional and regenerative approach. Psychotherapists' role as critical pieces in front-line engagement will be explored. A case example will be used to encourage an interactive discussion.

The Invitation To Change Approach: How to Help a Loved One Change

Being in a close relationship with someone who is using substances is often stressful and confusing. Outlining the Invitation to Change approach will highlight three major areas of research-based strategies for having a positive impact on a loved one: 1) understanding motivation and the change process in a constructive way, 2) using positive reinforcement and effective communication tools, and 3) practicing skills of self-awareness/compassion. Participants will learn practical applications within these categories for how clients can take care of themselves while also influencing a loved one in positive ways.

About Presenter:

Jenifer Levy, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist with a private practice in New York and New Jersey.
Dr. Levy specializes in the treatment of addictive issues and trauma from a harm reduction framework that is collaborative, compassionate, and non-judgmental. Dr. Levy obtained her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Virginia Tech and completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton House Behavioral Health. She previously worked as the Assistant Director of The Center for Optimal Living, an outpatient private practice in NYC, where she coordinated clinical services and training activities along with providing psychotherapy. She also taught and supervised graduate students in psychology as the Assistant Director of the Concentration in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counseling at The New School for Social Research. Prior to that, she was a Supervising Psychologist at the Women’s Health Project at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in NYC.

In addition to offering psychotherapy services, Dr. Levy facilitates trainings on a range of topics related to addictive issues, harm reduction, mindfulness approaches, and working with trauma survivors.

Sonya Lazarevic, MD, is a general, addiction, and integrative psychiatrist with a private practice in New York and Connecticut. She began her career as a clinical social worker in the ’90’s. In the mid-2000’s she attended St. George's University Medical School and subsequently completed fellowships in
addiction psychiatry at NYU and integrative medicine at the University of Arizona. Currently, she is deepening her clinical practice to include functional and regenerative medicine approaches and complements care with essential oils. Since college, she’s maintained a regular meditation/yoga practice and trained in various holistic disciplines.

Dr. Nicole Kosanke is a licensed clinical psychologist with 20+ years of experience treating substance use disorders in individuals and families. Dr. Kosanke utilizes the principles of ITC (Invitation to Change), motivational interviewing, and cognitive behavioral therapy in different therapeutic modalities and resources: group, individual, family, video training, and written materials. She co-authored the book, Beyond Addiction: How Science and Kindness Help People Change, which is a compassionate and science-based family guide for navigating the addiction treatment world, understanding motivation, and using CRAFT skills. Dr. Kosanke also serves as a consulting psychologist and trainer for CMC:FFC, a nonprofit organization providing evidence-based skills training to family members who have a loved one struggling with substance use issues. She is a member of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies and the American Association of Addiction Psychiatrists.

An important note about CEUs: ICP is an approved provider of continuing education credits for social workers, mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, and psychoanalysts through the New York Department of Education. If your license is from a different state, please contact your state’s licensing board to find out if they will accept CE credits for New York State. If your license is from another state, please enter your license number with your state in parenthesis, ie 54321 (CA).

Host or Publisher Institute for Contemporary Psychotherapy