The Curriculum Design Primer training immerses participants, with varying degrees of curriculum design experience, in curriculum development basics. The course builds on what participants might already know about curriculum design. It challenges them to deepen their knowledge by practicing skills and then applying these skills as they develop curricula. It is anticipated that individuals will apply what they have learned during the workshop in their designing and facilitating work "back on the job."

What is cultural humility and how is different from cultural competence? How does cultural humility help ground our practice of harm reduction? How can cultural humility help us uncover and more deeply process issues of power and privilege? If these questions interest you and you are looking for an approach to build your team, deepen your social justice work, and commitment to equity this is the session for you! This workshop will involve self-reflection, role-plays, dialogue, and action planning. This will be a highly interactive retreat style workshop. Please come open to learn, engage, and build community.

People who are looking for help in managing, reducing, or stopping their problem alcohol use are usually faced with only a 12-step or AA abstinence-only model. Harm reduction embraces abstinence as an option for people, but it also creates a space for alternative ways of engaging people and other means of self-care for people who identify themselves as “problem drinkers”. Additionally, harm reduction calls for a non-judgmental approach to helping a person make their own goals, and for providers to encourage “any positive change” on their journey towards drinking behavior change. We will begin with a brief overview of alcohol and its medical and social implications when abused, as well as provide an overview of various models for managing and/or stopping alcohol use. This course will several opportunities to practice the skills we learn: Specifically, we will learn how to introduce goal-setting into our work, as well as use techniques such as employing “cost-benefit analysis,” decisional balances” and setting up “drinking goals” (worksheets will be provided, as well as ample time to practice them). Finally we will review alcohol and the special needs of our clients who live with both HIV and hepatitis C, and learn how to apply the above skills to these individuals.

In this context, a “boundary” is the ability to know where you end and where another person begins. Professional boundaries are important because they define the limits and responsibilities of the people with whom you interact in the workplace. Boundaries will have no meaning if your actions don’t back up your words. This training will use a harm reduction framework to explore, develop and practice setting and maintaining professional boundaries. We will focus on need based and strength based vocabulary that reflects non-judgmental intentions. This daylong training was developed for people at all levels working in service-oriented organizations. The instructor will use interactive exercises to accomplish the following

Injection drug users are at increased risk for viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, B, and C). This full-day workshop will provide an overview of the epidemiology, prevention, transmission, testing, disease progression, and treatment options for viral hepatitis; with an emphasis on hepatitis C, for service providers working with current and former drug users in a variety of settings. Workshop participants will learn strategies for incorporating viral hepatitis into their work, including discussing safer injection practices, promoting liver health, and finding testing, vaccination, social support, syringe access, and treatment referrals in a resource-limited environment.

Young adult IDU are at high risk for HCV, and across the country there have been reports of increased rates of injecting, HCV and overdose among young adults. This training is based on the UFO model, a successful research-based intervention that has been providing HCV education and prevention services with young adult IDU in San Francisco, CA for over 14 years.

The Harm Reduction Weeklong Intensive consists of 35 hours of instruction and is designed as a solid primer to the history, philosophy, practices, and applications of harm reduction for service providers, researchers, administrators, and health care workers. Learning activities are interactive and include presentations, discussions, exercises, and readings. This week-long series is designed to be a progressive series of knowledge and skills building, from which participants will come away with a strong foundation in harm reduction theory and practice. By taking a comprehensive training in a short period of time, participants will benefit from an integrated training curriculum, learn with a cohort of others, and minimize travel costs. Detailed training descriptions follow.

For individuals who have been incarcerated successfully reentering their community can be challenging. For many formerly incarcerated people it means starting all over again. Not only do they have to reconnect with family, friends and loved ones, but often they have to reengage with housing, employment and medical services. Navigating their personal lives and keeping their commitments with the criminal justice system (the courts, probation or parole department and other entities) can be overwhelming. Once someone is released from jail or prison their involvement and ties to the criminal justice systems oftentimes continue.