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Bridging the Gap from Abstinence- Based Addiction Treatment to Harm Reduction Treatment: My Personal Journey Barry Lessin, M.Ed., CAADC Licensed Psychologist Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor

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Porch to Portland

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War on Drugs = War on People War on people

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Facing the Gap

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Objectives IIlustrate what contributed to the gap, for me, between Abstinence-Based (AB) and Harm Reduction (HR) treatment. Offer a systems approach to facilitate the transition to HR. Share a perspective to allow others to integrate HR into their work.

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My path to HR: Career Summary Training/Workplace dichotomy Career burnout Profound personal experience Public health advocacy

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Client-Centered & Developmental: What I Learned Carl RogersLifespan Development

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Conflicting Views: What I Learned vs, What I Was Doing vs.

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Conflicting Views: What I Learned vs. What I Was Doing vs

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Managed Care: A Two Headed Monster

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Training & Professional Experience A Systems View Family TherapySchool Psychology

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Training & Professional Experience: Path to Independent Practice

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Career Burnout

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Personal Experience: My Nephew

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Perfect storm of: treatment gap addiction stigma system-wide failure

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Personal Experience: My Nephew Tough Love prevented crucial connection to loved ones My expert role was bogus Returned to my roots of addiction treatment

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Transition Begins: Back to the Future (2011)

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Learning About Public Health Policy

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Witnessing the Gap in the Professional Community Drug Policy Alliance 2011 Conference

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Engaging in Public Health Advocacy Grief Recovery After a Substance Passing www.grasphelp.org Broken No More www.broken-no-more.org

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When Grief Support Vanishes

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My path to HR: Career Summary What I learned vs. What I did Career burnout Profound personal experience Public health advocacy

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A-HA Moment!

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From Transition...

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...To Transformation

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Moving forward...

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Systems Interaction: Micro vs. Macro

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Connecting the Dots

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My Burnout Blame Addict How Systems Inform Us:Micro vs Macro Stigmatizin g, criminalizin g system Micro View Macro View

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How Systems Inform Us: Micro vs. Macro MicroMacro More Effective Clinician Empower to educate/change

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Integrating and Evolving...

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Barry Lessin, M.Ed., CAADC Licensed Psychologist Certified Advanced Alcohol and Drug Counselor 1244 Ft. Washington Ave. Suite E2 Ft. Washington, PA 19034 bless1244@yahoo.com 215-694-9146

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Resources In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Gabor Mate Practicing Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, Patt Denning & Jeannie Little Harm Reduction Psychotherapy, Andrew Tatarsky

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Resources www.gradualismandaddiction.org, Scott Kellogg www.gradualismandaddiction.org Coming to Harm Reduction Kicking and Screaming, Dee Dee Stout How to Manage Your Drinking, Kenneth Anderson