Back to events

Supporting People With Addictions (Virtual )

Book Now

Conceptualizing Addiction

  • Substance use spectrum
  • Diagnostic criteria for a substance use disorder
  • The role of trauma
  • The physiology of addiction
  • Helpful metaphors
  • Dismantling stigma
  • Harm reduction

Trauma-Informed Assessment

  • Principles of motivational interviewing
  • Conversational guide to assessment
  • Stages of change
  • Relapse management
  • Holistic signs of recovery

Empathetic Intervention

  • The importance of empathy
  • Trauma-informed principles
  • Mapping triggers
  • Boundaried empathy
  • Moral injury

Please email hello@oaksmentalheath.ca for assistance with group registrations, or if you wish to use an alternative payment method. Group discounts and student discounts are available on a case-by-case basis. 

NOTE: This course involves a significant amount of group work. If you are apprehensive about the idea of group work due to social anxiety or any other concern, please notify us. We would be happy to accommodate you as best we can.

This training is part of our Mental Health Essentials for Non-Profits program. Learn more here! 

April Derkson, BSW, MSW, RSW.

April is a registered social worker, therapist, and mental health educator with over 15 years of experience supporting individuals through crisis and growth. She has worked with youth and adults facing complex trauma, addictions, and co-occurring disorders in both community and government settings. Her approach is shaped by both professional and lived experience, and she values facilitation as a space for mutual learning and connection.

View bio