As you may know Lakeside Global Institute has been providing trauma training all throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and in other parts of the country. In fact we have trained professionals in 60 Pennsylvania counties. One of the most prominent problems we are dealing with in Pennsylvania but also in the United States is the devastation brought on by the Opioid Crisis. I have posted on it in several different ways and you can find those posts if you scroll through the Lakeside Connect posts on the topic of opioids.
One of the harsh realities that stands behind the opioid crisis is the fact that a significant percentage of the individuals who have become addicted to opioids have had a trauma history.
It could be physical, emotional or relational in childhood or as an adult. Sometimes opioids are used for pain management and other times it is used as a coping intervention by either prescription or illegally. Whatever the reasons or purpose in taking opioids it is a difficult drug to not become addicted to. The national statistics tell us that we have a long way to go in order to defeat this formidable social problem.
For this reason, we at Lakeside felt it was important to help professionals and others understand the relationship between trauma and opioids. We have completed the filming of Trauma Essentials, a course linking the two. In this training we have filmed addictions professionals discussing this reality in their everyday experiences with those who have struggled with opioid addictions and their trauma histories. Additionally, we have included information on trauma essentials that we believe everyone who deals with addictions need to know.
We have been very fortunate and honored to have Microsoft sponsor this training. They have provided a unique opportunity for this training to be hosted and streamed for no cost. We are currently readying this on-line course for distribution with our new on-line learning management system. We are loading all the information and adding the tools necessary to make this training as engaging as we can so that it will feel like you are in a virtual classroom with our professionals. Our curriculum author, fellow blogger and LGI Program Director, Diane Wagenhals will be leading these discussions which will be both illuminating and informative.
We look forward to the release of this new training in early fall. We believe it is an essential part of our understanding of dealing with our regional and national Opioids Crisis. We hope it will have a significant impact in helping professionals understand that treating opioids must include an understanding of the trauma issues that contribute to a person’s opioid usage. Stay tuned for the release date. We will be announcing it on my blog and on our website in the very near future.
Gerry Vassar
President/CEO
