Vermont Substance Use Conference 2025

Description: This session will describe the disproportionate outcomes experienced by justice impacted individuals and their families. Participants will learn about the process of institutionalization and what they can do address trauma and restorative justice within the context of providing Substance Use Disorder and Mental Health services to this population. Moreover, this session will cover the multiple pathways of recovery, harm reduction, and additional strategies for participant engagement and retention in care.
Learning Objectives (Participants will be able to):
1. Describe criminal justice involvement and the impacts on individuals with SUDs and their families;
2. Describe institutionalization, trauma, the multiple pathways of recovery, harm reduction, and restorative justice; and
3. Describe 3-5 strategies for participant engagement and retention in care and recovery processes.

Work in substance use can often lead to stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. In this session, attendees will  learn the signs of these common stressors and how to relieve them. This interactive session will help you better understand why these stressors occur and how we can care for ourselves while continuing to care for others. You’ll gain universal tools to help reduce these stressors so that you can share with your colleagues across the continuum of substance use work.

Yes, it can be challenging to get people to attend talks on substance use prevention. This may be because of shame and stigma around the topic of substance use disorder, because they are dealing with substance use problems themselves or in their family, or because they erroneously believe all kids drink or use drugs and there’s nothing we can do about it. The talk that has become one of Jess’ most popular is a talk on Gift of Failure topics - increasing motivation, engagement, competence, self-efficacy and self-advocacy in kids - while giving audiences evidence-based information on how increasing motivation, engagement, competence, self-efficacy and self-advocacy in kids also reduces their risk for substance use. Audiences come for The Gift of Failure topics and leave with information on substance use risk, preventative factors, and myth-busting revelations regarding adolescence and substance use (e.g. sipping at home increases risk for developing substance use disorder, as do those “kids are going to do it anyway, we might as well do it in our home and take keys away” parties. Call it what you want, I call it Process Over Product: Increasing Motivation, Engagement, Competence and Self-Efficacy in Kids.