Wednesday, July 23

VSIAS is an education provider for a number of credentialing and academic organizations. VSIAS exercises its ethical responsibility to ensure that contact hours are earned fairly and honestly by awarding contact hours for session attendance only if an individual attends a minimum of 85 percent of that session. VSIAS Faculty can not make exceptions to this policy and will take required professional action in cases of misrepresentation.

PLENARY:

“Ethics and Cannabis in the Clinical Setting: Legalization is Coming”
Michael Gillette, Ph.D.

Level:                   Intermediate
Limited:              Open
Other:                   0.5 Ethics included
Contact Hours: 3.0

Brief Description: This session will consider a series of ethical issues that arise as Virginia moves from its stance of allowing medical marijuana to its future legalization of recreational use of cannabis for adults.  We will review the history of these changes in the law and discuss specific case studies involving client access to cannabis on facility property, dispensing cannabis in agency programs, the prescribing activity of staff members who disagree about its appropriate use, response to positive blood tests for THC both in clients and staff members, and ethical quandaries for SUD services.

Educational Objectives:

• To identify the range of ethical issues that will emerge as the use of both medical and recreational cannabis proliferates in Virginia
• To examine the ethical duties of providers to support client preferences regarding cannabis use.
• To outline the ethical response that employers should take with regard to cannabis use among its employees

Themes Addressed:

• Ethics

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Lunchbox

Pathways Addressing Problem Gambling: Peer Support, Resources, and Recovery Strategies
Elizabeth D. Childress, QMHP-A, RPRS, CPRS-PG-T &
Matthew E. Britt, CPRS, I-FPRS-tot, CPRSPG-tot, ADS  

Level:                     Introductory
Limited:                Open
Other:                    0.5 Ethics included
Contact Hours:  1.0 Contact Hour

Brief Description:
Virginia has experienced a concerning increase in problem gambling as gaming and gambling opportunities continue to expand across the state. Addiction professionals are encountering more individuals and families profoundly affected by gambling-related issues, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive solutions. This presentation will explore how the Virginia Partnership for Gaming and Health (VPGH) addresses this challenge by offering innovative, inclusive recovery pathways, emphasizing the essential role of Certified Peer Recovery Support Specialist (CPRS).

The audience will gain actionable insights into the impact VPGH partnered Clinician therapy, peer support, resources, and harm reduction techniques that help individuals struggling with problem gambling—and their loved ones—achieve meaningful progress on their recovery journeys.

Educational Objectives:     

• Recognize the growing prevalence of problem gambling in Virginia and its impact on individuals, families, and communities
• Understand the critical role of Peer Support in recovery, and how individuals with lived experience empower others to take the first steps toward change.
• Identify effective tools and strategies, including harm reduction techniques, to support people with gambling problems in achieving recovery, regardless of their chosen pathway (abstinence or otherwise).
• Learn about the comprehensive services VPGH offers in addition to Peer Support, including individual problem gambling therapy by trained clinicians, family therapy, updated resources like blockers, self-exclusion, support groups, financial counseling for both problem gamblers and their families and more.
• Possess the resources necessary to refer those suffering with Problem Gambling to services, as well as information on how addiction professionals can partner with VPGH to assist in treating individuals struggling with Problem Gambling.

Themes Addressed:

• Cultural Competency
• Approaches to providing peer recovery support
• Ethics

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Good Times or Hard Times? Unpacking Systemic Barriers and Equipping Therapists with Strategies to Support BIPOC Clients
Tierra W, Ruffin, LPC with a Certification in Grief

Level:                    Introductory
Limited:               Open
Other:                   0.5 Ethics included
Contact Hours: 1.0 Contact Hour

Brief Description: Generational trauma, deeply rooted in centuries of systemic discrimination and exclusion, continues to profoundly affect the mental health and substance use patterns within BIPOC communities, contributing to heightened rates of addiction, PTSD, anxiety, and depression (Conner, 2020). For counselors working in substance abuse recovery, addressing the intersections of historical trauma, systemic barriers, and addiction requires adopting culturally informed practices that honor the lived experiences of African American clients.

Participants will gain practical tools to validate clients’ lived experiences, help them connect their struggles with addiction to broader historical and systemic contexts, and empower them to reframe their recovery journeys through recognizing their inherent strengths and resilience. This session will equip counselor educators and practitioners with strategies to challenge traditional Eurocentric frameworks, address racial trauma, and provide more effective support for African American clients in navigating recovery while confronting the ongoing impacts of generational injustice.

Educational Objectives: 

• Examine Historical and Systemic Influences
  Participants will identify the historical and systemic factors, including policies like the War on Drugs, redlining, and the 1944 GI Bill, that have disproportionately shaped substance abuse rates and mental health disparities within African American communities.
• Enhance Cultural Competence in Counseling
  Participants will explore culturally responsive strategies, such as critical race theory (CRT) and social justice supervision models, to improve counseling practices for African American clients dealing with substance abuse and trauma.
• Validate Lived Experiences and Foster Connection
  Participants will learn techniques to validate clients’ lived experiences and connect their struggles with addiction to broader historical and systemic contexts, enhancing therapeutic rapport and client empowerment.
• Promote Narrative Reframing in Recovery
  Participants will gain tools to help clients reframe their recovery narratives by recognizing their inherent strengths, resilience, and the impact of generational trauma on their journey.
• Challenge Eurocentric Frameworks in Counseling
  Participants will develop skills to critically evaluate and adapt traditional Eurocentric counseling frameworks to better address racial trauma and promote equity in substance abuse recovery for African American clients.

Themes Addressed:

• Cultural Competency

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CHATS: Fostering Connection Among Diverse Groups
Samantha Crockett, MS & Ginny Moorer, M.Ed. 

Level:                     Introductory/Intermediate
Limited:                Open
Other:                    0.5 Ethics included
Contact Hours:  3.0 Contact Hours

Brief Description: Mental health professionals continue to educate communities about the profound impact of trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). However, awareness is only the beginning—what comes next in supporting communities on their journey toward healing and resilience? This hands-on session addresses the essential next steps in the trauma-informed care continuum by introducing C.H.A.T.S. (Connecting Humans and Telling Stories), an innovative series developed by Mount Rogers Community Services in partnership with Emory & Henry College’s Appalachian Center for Civic Life and the Appalachian Community Connectors. C.H.A.T.S. was designed to foster genuine connections, strengthen protective factors, and build resilience in communities.

This interactive workshop introduces C.H.A.T.S. (Connecting Humans and Telling Stories), a three-part series developed by Mount Rogers Community Services to foster connection and resilience in communities impacted by trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Participants will explore practical skills such as active listening, questioning assumptions, and adopting diverse perspectives. Through hands-on activities, attendees will learn strategies to strengthen trust, build belonging, and enhance protective factors for resilience. This session provides actionable tools for deepening understanding, bridging divides, and supporting recovery in households, workplaces, and communities, helping participants advance along the trauma-informed care continuum.

Educational Objectives:     

• Understand Next Steps in Trauma-Informed Care: Explain how C.H.A.T.S. supports progression within the trauma-informed care continuum by fostering connection and resilience.
• Apply Relational Tools in Everyday Practice: Utilize skills for active listening, assumption-checking, and perspective-taking to build trust and empathy in community and workplace settings.
• Promote Inclusion and Belonging: Identify strategies to create inclusive spaces encouraging diverse voices, reducing stigma, and enhancing a sense of belonging.
• Enhance Protective Factors for Resilience: Demonstrate how building relationships through C.H.A.T.S. can strengthen protective factors and promote behavioral health equity.
• Facilitate Dynamic Conversations: Lead or participate in conversations using prompts and techniques from C.H.A.T.S. that encourage curiosity, compassion, and understanding of different perspectives.

Themes Addressed

• Prevention
• Cultural Competency
• Skills

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Utilizing Peer Recovery Services in Jail Based Treatment Programs
Bailey Hilliard, MSW
Virginia Bogese, CPRS
Caitlyn Mundie, CPRS 

Level:                     Advanced
Limited:                Open
Other:                    0.5 Ethics included
Contact Hours:  3.0

Brief Description:  The integration of Peer Recovery Specialists (PRS) within the justice system is transforming how jails address substance use disorders and mental health challenges. This presentation explores the diverse roles PRS play in enhancing recovery and reducing recidivism, focusing on innovative programs utilized within a jail setting.

DBHDS 72 Hour Peer Training – 72 Hours Peer Recovery specialist Training administered in jail setting.

Peer-Run Groups – Within the jail, Peer Recovery Specialists facilitate group sessions daily. This is the foundation of the nationally recognized Helping Addicts Recover Progressively (HARP) Program.

Peer Ride-Along and Overdose Response – Peer Recovery Specialists collaborate directly with local police departments, participating in ride-along programs. These peers accompany law enforcement to respond to overdose incidents and other substance-related crises.

Peer Specialists at Intake for Rapid Release – Upon entry into the jail system, Peer Recovery Specialists engage with individuals during the intake process. Their role focuses on assessing immediate needs and establishing a plan for recovery support services upon release. This “rapid release” approach ensures a seamless transition from incarceration to community-based resources, minimizing the risk of relapse and supporting long-term recovery.

Peer Ethics and Boundaries – CPRS will review peer ethics and boundaries in a correctional setting.

Educational Objectives: 

• Understand the Role of Peer Recovery Specialists in Jails: Highlight how PRS contribute to addressing substance use disorders and mental health challenges within the justice system.
• Explore the Impact of Peer-Led Programs: Examine the effectiveness of daily peer-run groups, including the foundation of the nationally recognized HARP program.
• Discuss Innovative Peer Interventions: Learn about the Peer Ride-Along and Overdose Response initiative, showcasing collaboration between PRS and law enforcement to address crises.
• Analyze the Intake and Rapid Release Process: Understand how PRS engage with individuals during jail intake to establish recovery plans, ensuring a smooth transition to community-based support upon release.
• Promote Recovery and Reduce Recidivism: Demonstrate how embedding PRS throughout the justice system creates a compassionate framework that enhances recovery and supports successful reintegration.

Themes Addressed:

• Ethics
• Approaches to providing peer recovery supports

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Pathways to Progress in Supervision: Intentional, Compassionate, and Parallel Practices
Tara Matthews, Ph.D., LPC          

Level:                     Advanced
Limited:                Open
Other:                    0.5 Ethics included
Contact Hours:  3.0

Brief Description:
This presentation invites you to get creative, intentional, model self-compassion, and to explore the parallel practices of clinical supervision as we seek to reach a new generation of addiction professionals. This collaborative presentation invites your experiences, challenges your current practices, and offers the opportunity to integrate new tools into your supervision toolbox. We will explore common issues in clinical supervision, apply compassionate supervision processes, and integrate the NAADAC and NCC AP Code of Ethics throughout our work together. Intentionally using compassionate and creative tools with supervisees can cultivate ethical, competent addiction professionals, as well as ethical, inspired supervisors.

Educational Objectives: 

• The participant will be invited to review strengths of current supervision practices while seeking creative approaches to add to current practices.
• The participant will be able to identify creative and compassion-focused supervision strategies for common supervisory issues.
• The participant will explore the parallel process of the supervisory relationship and identify the impact on supervisee development.
• The participant will be able to navigate the ethical responsibilities as a clinical supervisor as defined by the NAADAC and NCC AP Code of Ethics.

Themes Addressed:

• Clinical Supervision
• Ethics

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Let’s Talk About Sex! A Trauma-Informed, Ethical Approach with SUD Clients
Madeline Vann, LPC, CSAC, EMDRIA Certified EMDR

Level:                     Introductory
Limited:                Open
Other:                    0.5 Ethics included
Contact Hours:  3.0

Brief Description:
The purpose of this presentation is to increase the confidence of people working in addiction treatment with conversations with their clients about sex in an ethical and trauma informed manner. We often give our clients in recovery the message that we can’t talk about or acknowledge their experiences of attraction, desire, and sex – either in treatment or in early recovery, or, worse, that their sexual experiences and/or interest in sex are shameful or symptoms of another diagnosis. This presentation will provide data on sex and addiction/recovery for psychoeducation purposes, explore the PLISSIT model for broaching the conversation, the ecosystemic approach to understanding the meaning of sex in clients’ lives, the six aspects of sexual health, relapse risk factors related to sex, clients’ experiences of sex work, taking a trauma informed and sex positive approach to discussing sex in addition/recovery,  cultural competency around sex, when to refer to a specialist, and also will raise critically important ethical issues related to sex counseling with SUD clients.  Attendees will leave session with strategies they can immediately implement as well as important questions and issues about which to self-reflect. The presentation format will be PowerPoint with 2-3 experiential activities that can be implemented with clients.

Educational Objectives: 

• Describe the PLISSIT and ecosystemic models for discussing sex in therapy.
• Describe the six aspects of sexual health and how they intersect with substance use and recovery.
• Provide the most recent data related to addiction, recovery, and sex.
• Identify ethical concerns in sex counseling with SUD clients.

Themes Addressed:

• Cultural competence
• Clinical skills
• Ethics

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