New for Southwestern Ontario

Addiction: New Insights and Practical Tools
A custom 2 day workshop about addiction with an added segment on opioids.

November 24 & 25, ( Thursday & Friday )
8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
The Best Western Stoneridge,
6675 Burtwistle Lane, at 402 & Colonel Talbot Rd.
London, ON
$ 310 + hst - inlcudes lunch and panels of people with direct experience

What:
A 2 day workshop with the goal of helping you become more comfortable and effective in your work around addiction and trauma issues. Based on the popular 1 day CAST Canada Practical Tools workshop we have added input from people with direct experience as well as added material on opioids  ( opiates, heroin, 'oxy's, percoset, etc ) 

Suggested Accommodations:

The Best Western Stoneridge is offering a special room rate of $89.99*  per night. It comes with a lovely continental breakfast, free internet and free parking. Contact the Best Western directly - CAST canada is not involved in any way with the accommodation.
    Ph - (519) 652-6022
     web page = Best Western Stonridge
     *  Mention CAST Canada for the discount!!

Highlights
CAST Canada panels allow time for your questions to be answered.  Room discussion on important topics is an important part of the workshop. Included in the 2 days,

-  Panel of people with direct experience with various addictions, several around opiates
- Applied harm reduction strategies for general helping professionals ( such as employment, housing, etc ) based on input from people who have been there and who are there
-  Panel of  mothers of those effected
-  Local methadone prescribing physician will present and take questions
-  Video shot by a cluster of opiate users before during and after recovery - brutal and hope filled.
- Full room discussion on topics chosen by participants  

Who Should Attend?
You are a frontline worker, program planner or any helping professional whose clients often have addiction and/or trauma issues. The day is popular with shelter and housing workers, O.W. and ODSP workers, therapists, correctional officers, housing support, Children's Aid, probation officers, professors and students.EAP professionals ...

The Tools:

• Developed by workers like you in direct conversation with consumers at over 50 panel discussions
• Easy to remember, easy to use
• Holistic, helpful and respectful
• Designed to empower your client in a safe and healthy way
• Presented with background and tips on how to work with the issue from start to finish
• Come with language suggestions from consumers

What will be covered ? A sample:

•  " Just what is addiction? "
•  " What is the role of trauma, loss and unresolved grief?"
•  " Whom are we here to help?" - New, helpful insight
•  'Harm reduction' - supporting people appropriately in your unique environment
  
•  " How do I ask? " - when and how, to ask about difficult details such trauma & substance use.
•  " The Role of Relapse" - Learn to handle this volatile but common event in a productive way.
•  " The Nature of Cravings" - Important information to help you understand, empower your client.
•  " Roles, Goals & Boundaries" - Easy steps to insure a positive and comfortable relationship!

Opioid Issues:
As we cover all addictions special material will be added around opioid issues in general and specific to  south western Ontario. Along with some video created by people in recovery a local methadone prescribing physician will present and take questions.

The Organic Origin of the "Practical Tools"

Since 2004, CAST Canada has held more than 75 panel discussions in which frontline workers have explored what worked and what didn’t, gathering a deep, intuitive understanding of the process of addressing  trauma, addiction and recovery.   More than 1,800 frontline workers from central Ontario collaborated with CAST Canada volunteers to distil this special knowledge into relevant, practical ideas.  These were then workshopped further by small groups of workers around the province in the ToolBuilder Series.  The result is this set of finely tuned, practical tools. 

Yours,
                                       Tom Regehr

             Email CAST Canada                    Call 1-705-749-6145.