Monday, September 20, 2010

Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy II for Substance Using Patients/Clients: Theory, Rationale and Clinical Technique w/ Dr. Tatarsky in Skokie

Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy II for Substance Using Patients/Clients: Theory, Rationale and Clinical Technique.

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September 20, 2010

Dear Colleague,

I invite you to join me for a day of exploring the clinical application of Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (IHRP). Following a well attended first Introductory training on IHRP earlier this year I will be returning to Skokie on October 1, 2020 to give a second follow-up training.

Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy II for Substance Using Patients/Clients: Theory, Rationale and Clinical Technique.

The focus of this training will be therapeutic tasks and their associated skills and strategies. We will be working with a set of Worksheets with exercises for each of the Seven Therapeutic Tasks. Didactic presentation will be augmented by case illustrations, discussion, demonstrations and skill practice. Topics include Overview of IHRP, Awareness/Mindfulness Training, Therapeutic Alliance Skills and Embracing Ambivalence. Just returning from training substance use professionals in China and having recently given trainings in New York City and Appalachian Ohio, I will also share my perspective on adapting IHRP in different institutional and cultural contexts. The training is sponsored by Behavioral Services Center, Skokie, Illinois. Please see the attachéd flyer for a detailed description and registration information.

I hope you can join us.

I look forward to meeting.

Best,

Andrew Tatarsky, PhD
The Center for Integrative Psychotherapy for Addiction
303 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1403
New York, NY 10016
212-633-8157

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Dr. Andrew Tatarsky will give a one-day training on Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy/counseling techniques (IHRP). He will focus on therapeutic tasks, skills and strategies. Topics include Overview of IHRP, Awareness/Mindfulness Training, Therapeutic Alliance Skills and Embracing Ambivalence.

Detailed case illustrations will be shared. Just returning from training substance use professionals in China and having recently given trainings in New York City and Appalachian Ohio, he will also share his perspective on adapting IHRP in different institutional and cultural contexts.

Sponsored by Behavioral Services Center,
Skokie, Illinois
October 1st, 2010

Click here for flyer for detailed description.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Dr. Andrew Tatarsky will give a one-day introductory training, Treating Substance Users Across the Treatment Continuum, An Introduction to ...

Dr. Andrew Tatarsky will give a one-day introductory training, Treating Substance Users Across the Treatment Continuum, An Introduction to Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: Rationale, Theory and Therapeutic Process.

Sponsored by the Center for Integrative Psychotherapy for Addiction and PsychologicA.

Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy Training in NYC in September

The Center for Integrative Psychotherapy of the Addictions and PsychologicA present:

Treating Substance Users Across the Treatment Continuum

An Introduction to Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy:
Rationale, Theory and Therapeutic Process

A Workshop by Andrew Tatarsky, PhD

When: Friday, September 17, 2010, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Where: The Ellis Institute, 45 East 65th Street, NYC, NY 10065-6508
Fee: $100.00

Harm reduction provides a framework for effective psychotherapy with substance using patients across the spectrum of severity. Harm reduction views of problem substance use as reflecting the interplay of biology, personal and interpersonal meaning and social context, is evidence based and is effective.

This workshop will explore my most current thinking on Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy. We will explore how the therapeutic relationship facilitates the exploration of the multiple meanings of substance use and supports an active self-management focus on positive behavior change. The therapy is collaboratively negotiated by patient and therapist so the form, pacing and focus emerge out of the therapeutic dialogue.

We will review the basic tenets of the harm reduction model, its history, evolution, epidemiological and clinical rationales and supporting theory.

We will also explore IHRP’s seven therapeutic tasks:

  • Maintaining the therapeutic alliance
  • Therapeutic relationship as agent of healing
  • Strengthening self-management skills (curiosity, mindfulness and affect tolerance)
  • Assessment as treatment
  • Embracing ambivalence
  • Harm reduction goal setting
  • Strategizing for positive change.

Participants are encouraged to bring clinical material and questions for discussion.

More information about his work can be found at: http://www.andrewtatarsky.com/

For further information and to register, email atatarsky@aol.com or call 212-633-8157.

Andrew Tatarsky has a private practice in New York City as a psychologist specializing in integrative harm reduction psychotherapy with substance users and their families. He is co-director of Harm Reduction Psychotherapy and Training Associates, a treatment and training organization in New York City. He has specialized in the field of substance use treatment for almost 30 years working as a counselor, psychologist, program director, trainer, advocate and author. He is a founding member and past president of the Division on Addiction of New York State Psychological Association, Chairman of the Executive Board of Moderation Management Network, founding executive board member of the Association for Harm Reduction Therapy and founding chairman of Mental Health Professionals in Harm Reduction. He is a member of the Clinical Advisory Panel to the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services. His book, Harm Reduction Psychotherapy: A New Treatment for Drug and Alcohol Problems, has been released in paperback, published in Poland by the Polish Office of Drug Prevention and is currently being translated into Spanish and Russian. He trains nationally and internationally.

CLICK HERE FOR MS WORD DOC VERSION OF TRAINING

CLICK HERE FOR ADOBE PDF VERSION OF TRAININGf

Monday, August 2, 2010

Two One-Day Workshops in Skokie, Illinois: Understanding ASAM Placement Criteria and Beyond & Group Psychotherapy and Recovery from Addiction

Understanding ASAM Placement Criteria and Beyond: One Day Workshop with Andre Chatman, MS, LPC, NCC, CSAC, ICADC

Andre Chatman will be presenting on the following:

  • History of ASAM
  • Dimensions of ASAM
  • Application of ASAM with Dual-Diagnosis Clients
  • Application of ASAM with Court Ordered Clients
  • Practice of ASAM Placement

Mr. Chatman was trained by the editor of ASAM, Dr. David Mee-Lee. Mr. Chatman has over 15 years of extensive experience working with clients in dual-diagnosis and correctional settings. He has directed substance abuse treatment programs and provided supervision on ASAM criteria.

4 CEU’s Offered for LPC’s, LCPC’s, LSW’s, LCSW’s, and CADC’s

AUGUST 18TH, 2010
One day workshop
8:00AM-12:00PM

Click here for workshop registration form

Click here for PDF details of the workshop


Group Psychotherapy and Recovery from Addiction by Jeffrey D. Roth MD, FAGPA, FASAM, Author of the Book "Group Psychotherapy and Recovery from Addiction: Carrying the Message."

Group Psychotherapy and Recovery from Addiction examines:

  • how the group carries the message of recovery
  • the higher power of the group as a symbol of authority
  • the development of prayer and meditation as group analytic functions
  • addiction as a family disease
  • making amends as an export process
  • powerlessness and free association
  • unmanageability and resistance
  • surrender and transference
  • inventory and re-enactments
  • humility and working through
  • The Twelve Steps and The Twelve Traditions of Alcoholics Anonymous
  • and much more!

4 CEU Credits Offered for LCPs, LCPCs, LSWs, LCSWs, and CADCs

AUGUST 18TH, 2010
One day workshop
1:00PM - 5:00PM

Click here for workshop registration form.

Click here for PDF details of the workshop

Sunday, August 1, 2010

The Midwest Harm Reduction Institute presents… "Just Say Know"

Friday, August 27, 2010

9 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Truman College – 1145 W. Wilson Ave, Chicago
Lecture Hall B, Room 3440

Presented by:
Valery Shuman, MAAT, LCPC, ATR-BC;
Ed Stellon, M.S., M.A., CADC; and
Erica C. Ernst, MSW, LSW, EMT-P, CADC

This workshop will focus on the history, demographics, effects, benefits, harms, and treatment options related to alcohol, opiate, marijuana, and cocaine use. The emphasis will be on factual information that will help participants realistically evaluate clients’ drug use, while providing potentially lifesaving harm reduction strategies tailored to each drug.

Please click here for attached flyer for more information and details on how to register.

http://www.heartlandalliance.org/

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

The Center for the Integrative Psychotherapy of the Addictions Presents: Transformational Chairwork: A One-Day Training

Drawing on the clinical wisdom and practice of a wide range of Gestalt and integrative psychotherapists, Transformational Chairwork Training is designed to introduce therapists to the art and science of chairwork or psychotherapeutic dialogues in an active, creative, and clinically-useful manner.

Using didactic presentations, scripted and unscripted role-plays, and live demonstrations, participants will see how to use this technique to address several common clinical situations:

  1. Making Decisions;
  2. Resolving Loss, Grief, and “Unfinished Business”;
  3. Combating the Inner Critic;
  4. Healing from Abuse; and
  5. Working with Addictive Disorders.

This training is focused on empowering both Mental Health Professionals and those who work with Addictions and Co-Occurring Disorders.

The next Transformational Chairwork Training will take place:

Date: Friday, August 6, 2010
Time: 9:30pm - 4:00pm
Location: New York University, Deutsches Haus, 42 Washington Mews
New York, NY 10003 New York, NY

Fee: $60; $30 for Students

For more information about chairwork, please go to: http://transformationalchairwork.com

If you are interested in attending, please contact Scott Kellogg, PhD at scott.kellogg@nyu.edu

(Please forward to interested colleagues and students. Thank you.)

Scott Kellogg, PhD
Department of Psychology
Faculty of Arts and Sciences
New York University
6 Washington Place, Room 403
New York, NY 10003

http://www.psych.nyu.edu/kellogg

http://transformationalchairwork.com

http://gradualismandaddiction.org

http://therapists.psychologytoday.com/rms/67134

Transformational Chairwork Facebook Group:
http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=125616880793831

Friday, July 23, 2010

Group Drug Therapy Can Be Counterproductive for Teens

July 21, 2010

Group addiction treatment can actually lead to more drug use by teens if they are casual users placed in sessions with more experienced addicts, Time magazine reported July 16.

"Just putting kids in group therapy actually promotes greater drug use," said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA).

"I've known kids who have gone into inpatient treatment and met other users. After treatment, they meet up with them and explore new drugs and become more seriously involved in drug use," added Tom Dishion, director of research at the Child and Family Center at the University of Oregon.

Some treatment programs also may weaken the bonds between adolescents and their families, which also can increase the risk of drug use. Plus, teens may view 12-step programs' emphasis on being powerless over drugs as defeatist rather than a call for abstinence and mutual support.

On the other hand, research has shown that more troubled youth can benefit by associating with better-adjusted teens.

Individual and family therapy have been shown to be effective with teens, but group therapy is more common because it is less expensive. NIDA is currently working to ensure that more teens receive such evidence-based treatment.

http://www.jointogether.org/news/headlines/inthenews/2010/group-drug-therapy-can-be.html

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,2003160,00.html

Treatment Programs Report Surge in Prescription Drug Admissions

July 21, 2010

About one in 10 people admitted to addiction treatment programs in 2008 misused prescription drugs, quadruple the rate reported in 1998, ABC News reported July 16.

"People are getting treatment, which is good news. But the bad news is the problem just keeps growing," said Peter Delaney, director of the Office of Applied Studies at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

Researchers found that admissions for prescription-drug problems cut across age, gender, education, and employment status. The findings are drawn from the Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS).

Experts said that prescription drugs are widely available and that many people don't perceive their use as risky. "This has been a trend coming for 10 years," added Steve Pasierb, president and CEO of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. "It should be no surprise that now it is showing up in ER visits and people checking into treatment centers."

http://www.jointogether.org/news/research/summaries/2010/treatment-programs-report.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Drugs/pain-med-addicts-rehab-400-percent-10-years/story?id=11171686

Monday, July 19, 2010

MDMA (Ecstasy)-Assisted Psychotherapy Relieves Treatment-Resistant PTSD in First Completed Clinical TrialBelmont, MA-based Rick Doblin, Ph.D., Preside

Belmont, MA-based Rick Doblin, Ph.D., President of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (www.maps.org, a non-profit psychedelic and medical marijuana research and educational organization that sponsored the study), together with South Carolina-based psychiatrist Michael Mithoefer, MD and colleagues, conducted a pilot Phase II clinical trial with 20 patients with chronic PTSD persisting for an average of over 19 years. Prior to enrolling in the MDMA study, subjects were required to have received, and failed to obtain relief, from both psychotherapy and psychopharmacology.

Participants treated with a combination of MDMA and psychotherapy saw clinically and statistically significant improvements in their PTSD – over 80% of the trial group no longer met the diagnostic criteria for PTSD, stipulated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV (DSM-IV-TR) following the trial, compared to only 25% of the placebo group. In addition, all three subjects who reported being unable to work due to PTSD were able to return to work following treatment with MDMA.

The trial centred on two eight-hour psychotherapy sessions scheduled about 3-5 weeks apart, where 12 subjects received MDMA, and eight took a placebo. Subjects were also given psychotherapy on a weekly basis before and after each experimental session. A blinded, independent rater tested each subject using a PTSD scale at baseline, and at intervals four days after each session and two months after the second session. The clinical response was significant – 10 of the 12 in the treatment group responded to the treatment compared with just two of the eight in the placebo group. During the trial, the subjects did not experience any drug-related Serious Adverse Events (SAEs), nor any adverse neurocognitive effects or clinically significant blood pressure or temperature
increases.

After the two-month follow-up, subjects in the placebo group were offered the option to participate in the treatment process again, to receive MDMA on an open-label basis, acting as their own controls. Seven of the eight placebo subjects elected to receive MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, with successful treatment outcomes similar to the subjects initially randomized to MDMA.

PTSD involves exaggerated and uncontrolled fear responses. To treat these, psychotherapists need to help sufferers revisit traumatic experiences. But patients often suffer intolerable feelings when they revisit the trauma, or numb themselves emotionally, resulting in the psychotherapy having little effect. The goal of using MDMA is to temporarily reduce fear and increase trust without inhibiting emotions, especially painful emotions, allowing these patients a window where psychotherapy for their PTSD is effective.

MDMA’s pharmacological effects include serotonin release, 5HT2 receptor stimulation and increase in levels of the neurohormones oxytocin, prolactin and cortisol.

Importantly, this trial involved concentrated periods of patient-therapist contact (31 hours over two months) including two all-day therapy sessions and overnight stays in the clinic. “These are not usual features of psychotherapy practice in the outpatient setting,” says Michael Mithoefer. MDMA-assisted psychotherapy would require special clinics equipped for longer treatment sessions and overnight stays if an MDMA-based treatment were approved. “This method also involves patient preparation and close follow-up to support further processing of emotions and integration of cognitive shifts that may occur,” Mithoefer adds, stressing that these are vital for safety and therapeutic effect.

Measures like these may prove a price worth paying, however, to alleviate the debilitating effects of PTSD on sufferers in future.

The authors caution that the study does have limitations – for example they did not look at gender and ethnic factors in their sample selection. Another important limitation was that most participants and trial investigators guessed accurately whether they were in the treatment or the placebo group. The placebo had no psychoactive effect and investigators could detect raised blood pressure and other symptoms in the MDMA group. A long-term follow-up to the study just published, evaluating subjects an average of about 40 months post-treatment, is underway.

The investigators have now received the go ahead from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a protocol for a three-arm, dose-response design that they expect will result in successful blinding. This new study is for US veterans with war-related PTSD, most from Iraq and Afghanistan and a few from Vietnam. MAPS is currently sponsoring MDMA/PTSD Phase 2 pilot studies in Switzerland and Israel, and is working to start additional pilot studies in Canada, Jordan and Spain.

# # #

The safety and efficacy of ±3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine -assisted psychotherapy in subjects with chronic treatment-resistant posttraumatic stress disorder: the first randomised controlled pilot study by Michael C. Mithoefer, M.D., Mark T. Wagner, Ph.D., Ann T. Mithoefer, B.S.N., Lisa Jerome, Ph.D., and Rick Doblin, Ph.D. is published today (19th July 2010) in the Journal of Psychopharmacology.

The Journal of Psychopharmacology is published by SAGE, on behalf of the British Association for Psychopharmacology.

A treatment manual by the study’s sponsor, the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies on this topic can be found here: http://www.maps.org/mdma/.

MAPS’ Investigator’s Brochure, reviewing and summarizing the entire published scientific literature on MDMA and Ecstasy, can be found here: http://www.maps.org/mdma/protocol/litreview.html

SAGE is a leading international publisher of journals, books, and electronic media for academic, educational, and professional markets. Since 1965, SAGE has helped inform and educate a global community of scholars, practitioners, researchers, and students spanning a wide range of subject areas including business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology, and medicine. An independent company, SAGE has principal offices in Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore and Washington DC. www.sagepublications.com

Contact:
Dr. Michael Mithoefer 1-843 566-4252 mmithoefer@mac.com
Rick Doblin, Ph.D. 1-617 276-7806 rick@maps.org
Mithu Lucraft, SAGE 44-(0)20-7324-2223 mithu.lucraft@sagepub.co.uk

Article Source - Forbes.com

Friday, July 2, 2010

Integrative Harm Reduction Events in Appalachian Ohio

JULY 12TH, ATHENS COUNTY OHIO

Dr. Tatarsky will conduct a forum for invited state, county & community leaders, Integrative Harm Reduction: A New Way to Think about Substance Use, Mental Health and Public Policy. Sponsored by Integrated Services of Appalachian Ohio.

http://www.andrewtatarsky.com/integrative_harm_reduction_brochure_071210.pdf

JULY 13TH, ATHENS COUNTY OHIO

Dr. Tatarsky will conduct a one day training, Integrative Harm Reduction: A New Way to Think about Behavior Change. For Counselors, Social Workers and all helping professions. Sponsored by Integrated Services of Appalachian Ohio.

http://www.andrewtatarsky.com/integrative_harm_reduction_brochure_071210.pdf

Saturday, May 1, 2010

An Open Letter Calling on International Agencies to Support Amnesty for Maksim Popov

Dear colleague,

I am forwarding the attached letter calling for the release of Maksim Popov, a psychologist and HIV educator in Uzbekistan who was convicted on false charges and sentenced to seven years imprisonment. Please read the letter for more details on his case.

We have been advised by people familiar with the situation in Uzbekistan that the best first step is to publicly call on the organizations that funded his organization to work for his release. So we're asking for additional organizations to sign-on by May 10th, when we will send the letter to the addressees listed.

Dr. Popov is a professional who, like many of us, has dedicated his career to bringing quality care to individuals struggling with HIV/AIDS, substance use problems and other related issues. Please help us right this horrible injustice!

Sincerely,

Andrew Tatarsky, PhD
Harm Reduction Psychotherapy and Training Associates
303 Fifth Avenuem Suite 1403 New York, NY 10016
212-633-8157
www.andrewtatarsky

in support of The International Committee for the Release of Maksim Popov

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AN OPEN LETTER CALLING ON INTERNATIONAL AGENCIES TO SUPPORT AMNESTY FOR MAKSIM POPOV

April, 2010

Nemat Shafik, Director General Country Programmes, DFID
Michel D. Kazatchkine, Executive Director, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria
Karl Hofmann, President and CEO, PSI
Michel Sidibé, Executive Director, UNAIDS
Helen Clark, Administrator, UNDP
Anthony Lake, Executive Director, UNICEF
Rajiv Shah, Administrator, USAID
Robert B. Zoellick, President, World Bank
Hillary Rodham Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State
Robert Blake, Assistant U.S. Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs
Representative Howard Berman, U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affairs

Dear colleagues:

We, the undersigned, are writing to express our deep concern over the imprisonment of Maksim Popov, an HIV prevention educator, psychologist, and director of a small NGO in Uzbekistan who was falsely convicted in June 2009 of charges including “evasion of taxes and other compulsory payments” and “the involvement of minors in the use of narcotic drugs.” He was sentenced to seven years imprisonment as a result of his HIV prevention efforts.

Mr. Popov was the director of the non-governmental organization IZIS, which was funded by the USAID, UNICEF, UNAIDS, the Global Fund, the U.N. Development Programme, and the Department for International Development (UK). IZIS conducted activities such as counseling services, provision of sterile injection equipment, training for an AIDS education hotline, and anti-drug education for youth. These services are desperately needed in Uzbekistan, which has the highest HIV prevalence in Central Asia, and where over half of those living with HIV are between the ages of 15 and 30.

The court cited Healthy Lifestyles. Teacher’s Guide XXI, a booklet funded by UNDP, UNAIDS and USAID, and imported into Uzbekistan by Population Services International (PSI), stating it was used “with the aim of committing indecent acts against people he knew to be under age 16…bearing propaganda promoting homosexuality and prostitution, as well as pornographic images, among youth.” HIV and AIDS Today, a brochure written and funded by UNICEF and PSI that included a discussion of same-sex relations and the use of condoms, was also cited. All copies were seized by authorities and burned. The court’s verdict stated that HIV and Men who have Sex with Men in Asia and the Pacific – a publication of UNAIDS – was “categorically in contradiction with the mentality, the morality and moral foundations of society, religion, customs and traditions of the people of Uzbekistan.”

We find it unconscionable that the bilateral donors who funded his work have abandoned him, and we are calling for concerted diplomatic efforts to secure his immediate release. The bilateral agencies, international donors, and NGOs that supported and encouraged Mr. Popov’s work must take steps to protect him and win his amnesty. The international fight against AIDS cannot succeed if local partners are forsaken when the political winds shift.

We request a report on what steps your organization is taking to get Mr. Popov released as quickly as possible. Please contact us at releasepopov@gmail.com. We must all work together to right this horrible wrong!

Sincerely,

The International Committee for the Release of Maksim Popov:

cc:

Representative Gary Ackerman
Representative Tammy Baldwin
Senator Bob Casey
Representative Joe Crowley
Howard Diamond
Christopher Bates, Office of AIDS Policy
William Clinton, CHAI
Representative Barney Frank
Senator Karen Gillibrand
Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
Paul Hunt, U. N. Special Rapporteur on Health
Senator John Kerry
Representative Nancy Pelosi
Representative Jared Polis
Senator Harry Reid
Senator Charles Schumer

Signers (list in formation):

ACT UP/NY
ACT UP/Philadelphia
ACRIA – AIDS Community Research Initiative of America
African Services Committee
AREA – American Run for the End of AIDS
Association for Human Rights in Central Asia, France
ATAC – AIDS Treatment Activists Coalition
AXIOS Eastern Orthodox Christian AIDS ministry
CHAMP – Community HIV/AIDS Mobilization Project
CitiWide Harm Reduction
CIVICUS – World Alliance for Citizen Participation – Sonia Zilberman
Comité IDAHO, Paris
Committee for the Release of Prisoners of Conscience, Uzbekistan – Bahadir Namazov
ECAB – European Community Advisory Board
The Expert Working Group, Uzbekistan
Fiery Hearts Club, London – Mutabar Tadjibaeva
Global Network of PLWHA/North America
Harm Reduction Psychotherapy and Training Associates
Harm Reduction Coalition
Health GAP (Global Access Project)
Human Rights in Central Asia – Nadejda Atayeva
International Crisis Group
Mothers Against Death Penalty and Torture, Uzbekistan – Tamara Chikunova
NAPWA – National Association of People with AIDS
NYCAHN – NYC AIDS Housing Network
Program for Wellness Restoration
Topeka AIDS Project
TAC – Treatment Action Campaign, South Africa
TAG – Treatment Action Group
Unitarian Universalist United Nations Office
Uzbekistan Initiative, London
"Veritas" Youth Human Rights Movement of Uzbekistan
VOCAL – Voices of Community Advocates & Leaders

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy Activities 2010

Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy Activities 2010

Harm Reduction Psychotherapy Group has openings

This group is open to adults with a range of substance use issues who are in a variety of stages of change. The group will provide a safe, supportive space to explore the nature and meaning of members’ substance use and how it relates to the full range of other personal and life issues people face. The group also has a strategic focus on assessing harm, embracing ambivalence about change, setting harm reduction goals and developing individualized plans for positive change. A general goal might be for members to develop their healthiest relationship to substances whether that is safer use, reduced use, moderation or abstinence. The group enables open exploration, sharing of strategies and focus on interpersonal process in the group. A variety of techniques are taught including: “Urge Surfing”, awareness and relaxation training, self-monitoring, Decisional Balance, ”Microanalysis” of use patterns, the “Ideal Use Plan”, the “Game Plan” and “18 Alternatives”. We also explore how relational issues get enacted in the group and can get reworked in the group process.

Tuesdays 6-7:30 PM

Fee: $75.00

Supervision and Training

Monthly Supervision Training Group on Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy (IHRP) for Professionals has Openings

This group provides training and case supervision in my approach to Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy for people with drug and alcohol concerns. My approach understands substance use problems as being intertwined with the unique complexity of the person in context. IHRP is based on an integration of relational psychoanalytic and cognitive-behavioral theory and technique. IHRP blends a skills building focus on cognitive and behavioral change with an exploration of the multiple meanings and functions of substance use and other risk behaviors in the context of a therapeutic relationship that anchors the process and is also an agent of change.

The approach reflects my 30 years of work in the area of substance use specializing over the last 15 years in applying harm reduction philosophy to psychotherapy. The harm reduction principles that inform this approach are: meeting the patient as a unique individual, the primacy of the therapeutic alliance, abandoning the abstinence requirement and any other preconceived agenda for the patient, special attention to social, personal and induced countertransference, working collaboratively to assess and identify problems, clarify goals and strategies that best suit the patient's needs, recognizing small incremental positive change as success and meeting the patient with empathy, respect, acceptance and flexibility. In this spirit the form, structure and timing of the therapy emerge out of the therapeutic process rather than being predetermined.

The group combines case presentation with selected readings as appropriate to the members.

Fee: $60.00 The group meets currently on a monthly basis on Mondays, 12-1:30 PM.

************************************************************************

The Center for Integrative Psychotherapy of the Addictions and PsychologicA

present:

Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy and Transformational Chairwork

A one-day combined introductory training in these two approaches and how they complement each other by:

Andrew Tatarsky, PhD and Scott Kellogg, PhD

When: Friday, May 14th, 2010, from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM

Where: The Ellis Institute, 45 East 65th Street, NYC, NY 10065-6508

Fee: $80

Dr. Andrew Tatarsky is a leading developer of Harm Reduction Psychotherapy. His integrated approach to treatment utilizes the best of the psychodynamic, harm reduction, cognitive-behavioral, and experiential traditions in addiction treatment. This approach is very useful because it empowers the psychotherapist to simultaneously treat problems with substance use and the emotional difficulties that may underlie or drive it. His training will include a didactic overview and case consultation with material provided by attendees.

More information about his work can be found at: http://www.andrewtatarsky.com

Drawing on the clinical wisdom and practice of a wide range of Gestalt and integrative psychotherapists, Dr. Kellogg will introduce therapists to the art and science of chairwork, or psychotherapeutic dialogues, in an active, creative, and clinically-useful manner. Using didactic presentations, scripted and unscripted role-plays, and live demonstrations, participants will learn how to use this technique with addictive disorders and when treating problems related to loss and grief. More information about his work can be found at: http://transformationalchairwork.com

If you are planning on attending, it would be helpful if you would let us know in advance.

Please e-mail Dr. Tatarsky at: atatarsky@aol.com For more information, please call 212-633-8157.

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Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy Workshops and Trainings

Over the last several years I have been offering workshops and trainings in the U.S. and internationally for groups that wish to get a deeper immersion in harm reduction philosophy, it’s epidemiological and outcome research support, theoretical basis and applications to psychotherapy and counseling. This approach integrates a skills building focus to cognitive and behavioral change with an exploration of the multiple meanings and functions of substance use and other risk behaviors in the context of a therapeutic relationship the anchors the process and is also an agent of change. There is an emphasis on group participation and learning both theory and technique. Trainings are delivered in the collaborative spirit of harm reduction. These trainings can be delivered from half day to five full day formats depending on the needs of the group. Trainings can be tailored to the specific needs of the agency and client population.

Modules include:

  • History and Evolution of Harm Reduction Philosophy and History
  • Clinical Challenges and Limitations of Traditional Treatment
  • Clinical and Epidemiological Rationales for Harm Reduction Psychotherapy
    • Theoretical Basis of Harm Reduction Psychotherapy
    • Biopsychosocial Process Model of Addiction
    • Multiple Meanings of Drug Use
    • Motivational Stages of Change
  • Clinical Philosophy of Harm Reduction Psychotherapy
  • Overview of Integrative Harm Reduction Psychotherapy
  • Building Alliances with Drug Using Patients for Physicians
  • Therapeutic Tasks
    • Establishing and Maintaining the Therapeutic Alliance
    • Therapeutic Relationship as Agent of Change
    • Facilitating Self-management Skills: Curiosity,self-awareness and affect tolerance
    • Assessment as Treatment
    • Exploring and Embracing Ambivalence
    • Harm Reduction Goal Setting
    • Techniques for Facilitating Positive Change

For more information call 212-633-8157. More information on my approach can be found on my website, www.andrewtatarsky.com