Our Services

Housing First: History, Philosophy, and Fidelity

This training will focus on the history, development, evidence, and critical ingredients of the Housing First Model.  We will focus on ensuring shared familiarity with the basic principles and values of Housing First, with some exploration of scenarios from your practice to apply this knowledge as time allows. 

Harm Reduction

This training will focus on the process, challenges, and advantages of implementing Harm Reduction.  We will focus on ensuring shared familiarity with the basic principles and philosophy of harm reduction, with some exploration of scenarios from your practice to apply this knowledge as time allows.  This training will explore pragmatic applications of harm reduction, and is aimed at people who work with consumers who engage in risky behaviors and who are not ready for (or reject) abstinence-based treatment programs.

Motivational Interviewing

Motivational interviewing is a client-centered method utilized to enhance motivation for change and resolve ambivalence. These trainings introduce participants to or deepen their practice of the evidence-based practice of Motivational Interviewing (MI), a client-centered method utilized to enhance motivation for change and resolve ambivalence. Training participants learn how MI can be used to engage consumers in services and assess and enhance readiness, willingness, and ability for change. Through interactive exercises, role-play practice, and case examples, participants will learn to apply MI flexibly and effectively.

Trauma-Informed-Services

The goal of this training is to provide tools to staff who work with trauma survivors–tools that will enable them to help participants to develop coping skills and heal from interwoven experiences of violence, abuse, substance use, mental health problems, and homelessness.

Substance Use Management

This training explores the meaning and application of Substance Use Management.  Participants develop a detailed understanding of the concept of drug, set, and setting while considering the role that it plays in a person’s substance use and overall health.  The training helps people communicate with their clients more effectively to identify areas of harm and opportunities for making safer, healthier choices related to their substance use.

Basic Drug Knowledge

These trainings provide in-depth knowledge about the drugs most commonly used by your participants. Understanding the benefits, risks, and potential strategies for using in safer ways can help service providers navigate nonjudgmental conversations with participants about their use. Given that drug use is a part of our participants’ lives, these trainings are designed to help you get comfortable with understanding and talking about these substances. These trainings can also be tailored to a specific drugs or give an overview of a group of drugs. 

Overdose Prevention

In Illinois, drug overdose has replaced motor vehicle crashes as the number one cause of injury-related death. Organizations that work with people who use opioids like heroin and/or people who take opioid pain relievers should be prepared to recognize & respond to an opioid overdose on site and provide overdose risk reduction counseling.

The intended audience includes supervisors, executive directors, medical & nursing staff, counselors, and case managers who work with people who use opioids.

A partial list of topics includes: Overview of models to address overdose nationally; Overdose Education & Naloxone Distribution (OEND)  research & effectiveness updates; Incorporating overdose prevention messaging into regular programming; Overdose recognition and response; Overdose prevention counseling; Addressing overdose with patients who have co-occurring conditions; Perceived ethical dilemmas. 

Harm Reduction Supervision

This training is tailored to administrators and managers who provide supervision in a harm reduction oriented program or agency.  The focus will be on how to best support staff in this difficult work and help them shape their approach to fit the expectations of the harm reduction philosophy.

Harm Reduction Informed Assessment

Attendees will learn about Denning and Little’s (2002) Multidisciplinary Assessment Profile, a comprehensive biopsychosocial ongoing approach to assessment and treatment.  Participants will develop a detailed understanding of the concept of drug, set, and setting while considering the role that it plays in a person’s substance use and overall health.