Foster Care Training

This 15-hour course will use lecture, group exercises, video and group discussion to educate participants about drug and alcohol use and how to effectively intervene if children, teens, and their caretakers are negatively affected by substance abuse or dependence. Participants will learn how to identify signs and symptoms of DSM-IV Substance Use Disorders, make treatment recommendations based on current research and practice, intervene effectively and make good referrals, and support teens and caregivers as they get into recovery (and learn what to do if they don’t). Issues of dual diagnosis and parental substance abuse and its effects will be addressed, as will myths and realities about substance use, and overviews of theories of addiction, abstinence-based treatment, Harm Reduction, and Motivational Interviewing.

By the end of this training, participants should be able to:

• Strengthen their ability to identify teens and adults with substance use disorders, engage them in treatment and/or make appropriate referrals
• Identify key indicators of effective and ineffective treatment strategies
• Identify how personal values and biases may influence one’s work with persons with drug and alcohol use disorders and learn strategies for coping with this type of counter-transference
• Identify short- and long-term effects of drug use on mental status and behavior
• Verbalize applications of course learning objectives in an inter- disciplinary work setting