Clinical Grand Rounds

Synopsis & Objectives:

Psychedelic assisted therapy is a gamechanger for mental health. Research and data show how effective psychedelics can be to treat addiction/use disorders, depression, anxiety and PTSD.

In this workshop you’ll understand how to:

– Sift through the hype. We’re saturated with the media, start-ups and dubious claims surrounding psychedelic assisted therapy. So much misinformation and unrealistic expectations surround the power and potential these medicines hold. This is your opportunity to gain knowledge and ask questions to become acquainted with more options for improving mental health and wellness.

– Become informed on the landscape & best practices. What’s evidenced-based and legit, what’s legal, what’s on the horizon? From retreats to clinics, mail order and telemedicine, know how to navigate the landscape and know what to look for to meet your needs.

– Learn what to avoid. Back to those dubious claims, practices and sourcing, learn about common pitfalls and mistakes. For example, how do you really know that you’re just microdosing and what you’re even taking?

Synopsis & Objectives:

The Professional Fighters Brain Health Study (PFBHS) is a longitudinal cohort study of boxers and mixed martial arts (MMA) fighters designed to better understand the effects of repeated blows to the head on brain structure and function over time.  This past weekend, we presented our new findings at the American Psychiatric Association conference and with a paper to follow.  We will then be presenting another new set of findings at the Alzheimers Conference in July with another manuscript to follow.

To understand the effects of repetitive blows to the head.  To identify structural brain changes that have been associated with competitive fighting.  To understand mechanisms of brain injury.

Synopsis & Objectives:

Recovery support services are widely available within substance use treatment centers and provide important resources to people in treatment and recovery from opioid use disorder.  However, there has been very little high-quality research on this topic.  This presentation will highlight the Collaborative Hub for Emerging Adult Recovery Research (CHEARR), a cross-organization collaborative initiative that is housed at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.  CHEARR uses a community-based participatory research approach to partner with communities directly impacted by the opioid epidemic to advance research on recovery supports for people with opioid use disorder, with a particular focus on young adults.  The presentation will provide an overview of how partnerships between impacted communities, practitioners, and researchers can advance science and clinical practice on this crucial topic.

Objectives:

• Describe the current state of research on recovery support for young people with opioid use disorder.
• Describe how community-based participatory research can be utilized to develop partnerships between researchers, impacted communities, and practitioners.

Explain the mission and purpose of the Collaborative Hub for Emerging Adult Recovery Research in advancing the science on recovery supports for young adults with opioid use disorder.

Synopsis & Objectives:

Addressing healthcare provider burnout is a moral, ethical, and business necessity for the sake of providers and patients.  High provider burnout has been linked to a number of problematic workplace and personal outcomes such as increased turnover, decreased patient safety and satisfaction, decreased quality of care, and increased provider mental health concerns including risk for suicide.  Substance use treatment providers in particular face unique challenges given the nature of their work.  Given the potential for numerous negative outcomes, it is necessary to understand what burnout is, common contributing factors, how substance use treatment providers are uniquely impacted, and both personal and institutional interventions for mitigating and preventing burnout.

By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Define burnout including its 3 main dimensions and the job demands-resources model.
2. List at least 3 factors which exacerbate burnout for substance use disorder (SUD) providers specifically, and discuss various reports of burnout across disciplines (e.g., physicians, counselors, peer supports)
3. Identify at least 2-3 personal and institutional interventions for mitigating burnout and/or promoting engagement in SUD providers.

Synopsis & Objectives:

The field of genetics is rapidly advancing, and personalized medicine promises to change the way we approach prevention, intervention, and treatment. What does this mean for the field of addiction?  In this talk, Dr. Dick will provide an update on what we know about the genetics of addiction, how new advances are having an impact on our ability to prevent and intervene in substance use disorders, , and how you can apply this knowledge now to help individuals and families.

Following the presentation, participants should be able to:

• Describe how genetic influences impact substance use disorders 
• Explain the current state of gene identification and precision medicine 
•  Identify characteristics that indicate genetic risk 
• Apply knowledge about genetically influenced risk pathways to prevention/intervention efforts

Synopsis & Objectives:

Review of epidemiology and risk factors of teen suicide.  How to develop protective factors, ensure safety and to provide support.

Synopsis & objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants will:

1) ​Acquire knowledge of the process of obtaining informed consent.

2) ​Define the terms competence and capacity.

3) ​Learn the skills necessary to assess capacity

4) ​Apply the four abilities model of criteria for decision-making capacity

5) ​List relevant questions to ask consultees and patients in a capacity evaluation for decision-making.

6) ​Explain the use of substitute decision-makers.

Post-test Questions:

1.​Who should assess capacity?

a.​Treating physician is often the best choice

b.​Consultation with psychiatry is appropriate in difficult cases in which there is a high risk of reaching a faulty conclusion

2.​What should the consultant know before seeing the patient?

a.​Why is the consult being requested?

b.​Why do you think the patient may lack capacity?

c.​What is the patient’s medical situation?

d.​What are the treatment choices faced? Risks and benefits of these choices?

e.​What has already been communicated to the patient?

d.​Capacity to make what specific decision?

3.​Patients are allowed to make bad decisions, and decisions you might not agree with- and they can still be judged as capable of making the decision (True)

Synopsis & Objectives:

Transgender individuals are at higher risk for co-occurring substance use and mental health diagnoses than their cisgender peers.  Many transgender people may avoid substance use treatment as providers lack knowledge of working with this population.  It is recommended that treatment centers and clinicians become aware of the unique needs of transgender clients to enhance treatment programming and create an environment which is inclusive and affirming.  This presentation will review the foundational factors to provide effective clinical treatment to trans and gender non-conforming populations.  This presentation will also review various aspects to transgender clinical treatment while providing recommendations as to how to make treatment centers safe and affirming environments.  

• Participants will identify how the needs of transgender/ gender non-conforming individuals differs from gay, lesbian, bisexual, and other communities.  
• Participants will identify the process of treatment for individuals who identify as transgender or gender non-conforming. 
• Participants will list ways they can create inclusive and safe environments for transgender clients.

Synopsis & objectives:

By the end of the course, attendees can:

1. ​Identify 2 risk factors that can coincide with care transitions for suicidal persons with SUDs
2.  Identify 2 specific risk factors for readmission to inpatient care
3. List 3 care transition protocols as identified by the US Surgeon General’s Call to Action to implement the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention
4. A. Identify at least 1 barrier to implementing best practices to care transfers and

B. Formulate at least 1 preventive solution to mitigate the barrier.

Post-test Questions:

1. ​2 big risk factors when transitioning care for patients who are suicidal and have a substance use disorder:

a. ​Isolation and poor engagement

b.​Continued suicidality and substance withdrawal symptoms

c.    Poor character and lack of friends

d.    A and B

2. ​Some circumstances are ripe for a patient’s readmission to inpatient care. For patients with schizophrenia and a substance use disorder, what might those be?

a. ​Relapse

b.   Patients “not listening” to providers

c.   Family stigma against the patient

d.   A and C

3. ​When discharging a patient from your care, what is the recommended follow-up protocol?

a.​Contact patient within 24-72 hours after discharge and check for safety

b.   Remind them of their upcoming appointment with their community provider

c.   Make sure they have their prescriptions after discharge and have supports in place to adhere to treatment recommendations

d. ​All of the above

Synopsis & Objectives:

Persons working in the helping professions experience a significant amount of loss.  The addiction epidemic is compounding these losses, yet we generally do not talk enough about the impact that loss has on our staff, the dynamics that grief has on us and how we can more effectively support those impacted by loss.  This training is intended for all audiences from peer staff to administrators and is intended to support organizational strategies to help workers to understand and support healing strategies and things to consider when a loss occurs within the program. 

• Discuss organizational strategies to support staff during periods of grief.
• Describe strategies for organizational leadership to assess and incorporate staff wellness support into regular supervision
• List signs to watch for that staff may be struggling with grief
• List resources that organizational leadership can utilize to support staff who experience grief as a result of their role
• Use structured outreach so they are better prepared to communicate with grieving families and loved ones

Synopsis & Objectives:

At the conclusion of this presentation, the participants will demonstrate an understanding of:

Substance use disorders as a disease with multiple treatment options.

The safe treatments available for a pregnant woman who has an opioid disorder, with the best outcomes resulting from opioid agonist medications, methadone or buprenorphine combined with psychosocial treatment modalities.

The risks of alcohol use in pregnancy.

Synopsis & Objectives:

Details coming soon!