Harm reduction concentrates on the impact of addiction on the individual and the network of people that surrounds them, and it is founded on a set of key principles that are designed to reduce the risk of harm and enable the individual in question to improve every element of their life. Harm reduction is a set of policies and practices intended to reduce the negative effects of drug and alcohol use. This treatment is described in his book, harm reduction psychotherapy. Harm reduction treatment is a controversial method of rehabilitation usually in regards to drug addiction and sex education. Like earlier paradigmshifting ideas, such as the disease concept and the selfmedication hypothesis, harm reduction has the potential to significantly im. Harm reduction therapy in alcohol addiction recovery. Tatarskys harm reduction psychotherapy is a straightforward harm reduction application book that starts its chapters from a panoramic birdseye view and then clinically bombdives into the application specifics. In harm reduction therapy, any treatment goal that helps reduce harm to an.
Denning and little clearly position harm reduction as a current. Practicing harm reduction psychotherapy wiley online library. Harm reduction therapy is the treatment approach of the harm reduction movement. The role of harm reduction in recoveryoriented systems of. For more information regarding these slides, please contact me at.
New edition from guilford press ordering for automatic. Except for the united states, every national government in the western world endorses or provides needle exchange programs. Revised harm reduction gradualism and the mechanisms of. For more information and training resources on harm. Harm reduction is often made an unnecessary controversial issue as if there was a contradiction between prevention and treatment on one hand and reducing the adverse health and social consequences of drug use on the other. Psychotherapy, telephone coaching, and consultation team 12 modifications for suds include. Regardless of the definition, harm reduction is a philosophy, approach, and a set of principles that combined help achieve certain social and political goals.
Harm reduction, positive youth development, and trauma. This article introduces an issue of the journal of clinical psychology. Individually tailored solutions to substance misuse. Harm reduction is an evidencebased, clientcentred approach that seeks to reduce the health and social harms associated with addiction and substance use, without necessarily requiring people who use substances from abstaining or stopping. Alan marlatt on harm reduction therapy by victor yalom and rebecca aponte the founder of harm reduction therapy talks about meditation, college drinking, 12step programs, and the limitations of abstinenceonly interventions. But if you start getting them into a harm reduction program and they realize they can reduce their drinking and begin to figure out what their triggers are, they feel a lot more confident that if they want, they could. Download the free spanish translation of harm reduction psychotherapy made available as a pdf by fundacion parentasisand facultad in santiago, chile under the leadership of executive director, dr. In part 2 harm reduction psychotherapy as an integrated treatment, the reader is taken through the principles of assessment and treatment and then given a resume of a number of psychotherapeutic approaches and treatments for addiction including pharmacological management. The book has been released in paperback and kindle, published in poland by the polish office of drug prevention and has been translated into spanish and is available in a. In session devoted to the state of the art of harm reduction psychotherapy.
Practicing harm reduction psychotherapy is an excellent guide for therapists looking to begin or enhance their current mental health practice with harm reduction strategies. An alternative approach to addictions, second edition, by patt denning and jeannie little. Dbt utilizes core modules of mindfulness, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and emotion regulation skills training. This vision of healing is based on a number of foundational concepts. Incorporating harm reduction interventions into global fund proposals 11. Harm reduction encompasses a range of health and social services and practices that apply to illicit and licit drugs. Mar 24, 2011 a new treatment for drug and alcohol problem. Harm reduction strategies to address anxiety and trauma. University of washington harborview medical center. Nov 17, 2014 harm reduction is an oftencontroversial type of addiction treatment for iv drug use, such as heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, opioid painkillers, and prescription stimulants. Harm reduction is an umbrella term for interventions aiming to reduce the problematic effects of behaviors. Integrative harm reduction psychotherapy andrew tatarsky.
A new treatment for drug and alcohol problems, and several professional papers that extend the approach. It has notand it shouldnt and probably never willsupplant the treatment of total abstinence, but, as with treatments for other disorders like depression, rage and even schizophrenia, the idea that there is a. Managed alcohol programs are a harm reduction approach for people with severe alcohol use disorder that provide alcohol in a structured setting. Harm reduction psychotherapy gradualism and progressive. This article discusses integrative harm reduction psychotherapy, one application of harm reduction principles to psychotherapy. The emphasis is on skill sets that help to maintain positive relationships, regulate emotions, and positively handle distressful situations.
Ihrp brings together relational psychoanalytic, active cognitive and behavioral skills building and mindfulness techniques in a harm reduction frame to support positive change. The wisdom to know the difference harm reduction handout. Harm reduction psychotherapy is an approach to treating problematic substance use that utilizes the insights, strengths, and techniques of a wide range of evidencesupported psychotherapies. Principles of harm reduction harm reduction coalition. Although harm reduction was originally and most frequently associated with substance use, it is increasingly being applied to a multitude of other behavioral disorders. Practicing harm reduction psychotherapy, second edition. Harm reduction psychotherapy is an exciting and emerging treatment for a broad spectrum of substance use problems. Harm reduction strategies aim to reduce drugrelated harms not just for. Harm reduction psychotherapies take no a priori position about drug use. A new treatment for drug and alcohol problems, and several professional papers and book chapters that refine and extend the approach. Harm reduction programs exist for several types of drugs, including opioids, alcohol, stimulants, ecstasy, and marijuana. The beauty of harm reduction is its compassionate pragmatism. To purchase, click here to buy a copy of harm reduction psychotherapy on amazon.
In europe, the concept of harm reduction is taken for granted. Exploring the experience of inpatients with severe alcohol use disorder on a managed alcohol program map at st. He has a private practice in new york city specializing in harm reduction psychotherapy with drug and alcohol users and is codirector, with dr. Harm reduction is an umbrella term for interventions aiming to reduce the. We describe the harm reduction paradigm, the context for and history of the development of harm reduction psychotherapy. At its most basic, harm reduction aims to provide care, and in some cases rehabilitation, to active addicts. Gabriela zapataalma, lcsw cadc harm reduction strategies ian. Read more about how and why this book can help you first understand and then stop doing harm. The paper presents harm reductions rationale, principles, treatment implications, and application to psychotherapy. Harm reduction has a commitment to basing policy and practice on the strongest evidence available. An alternative is to do this roleplay in front of the group with one therapist and one client. Harm reduction is finally recognized as a basic concept that needs to inform the treatment of all clients with substance use problems, particularly those who have cooccurring disorders.
Motivational and cognitivebehavioral contributions to harm reduction psychotherapy 8. Harm reduction therapy, and harm reduction therapy groups, particularly the dropin groups discussed in this paper, extend a lowthreshold welcome to people with unresolved substance abuse problems. The book consists of 10 chapters, each consists of a nuanced analysis of the issues at hand with a relevant and indepth case. A resource list for mental health professionals and consumers. At its core, harm reduction is a public health effort to save lives, and presents an alternative perspective between the disease model and the criminal. Andrew tatarsky harm reduction psychotherapy youtube. Harm reduction is a new paradigm that seeks to reduce the harmful consequences of substance use and other risky behaviors without requiring abstinence.
The stonewall project provides harm reduction based counseling, treatment, and support services to gay men, transmen who have sex with men, and other men who have sex with men who are having issues with drugs andor alcohol. Harm reduction is a set of pragmatic strategies to decrease the harmful consequences of highrisk and lowinsight problem behaviors and is appropriate when. Cognitivebehavior therapy and harm reduction for hoarding. For this reason, communities have undertaken harm reduction approaches that strive to resolve the public health problem while assisting the individual to live safely in his or her residence. Harm reduction approaches are practical, feasible, effective, safe and costeffective. Harm reduction has a variety of meanings to different people, which has made developing one general definition very difficult. Essential considerations for selected interventions 7 3. Implementing harm reduction using a learning collaborative model presented by suzy langevin, licsw, ladc i june 14, 2019 suzy langevin, licsw, ladc i director of dual diagnosis services open sky community services 5087550333 suzy. While absolute abstinence may be preferable for many or most substance abusers, very few will achieve it, and even that small group will take time to do so and may relapse periodically. Pdf challenges to implementing the harm reduction approach.
If you say, youve got to stop now, a lot of people go, i cant stop now. This model shift implies the need for a personalized, collaborative integrative harm reduction approach to address the diverse needs of this large undertreated group of people. White, ma, and roland lamb, ma while harm reduction can be viewed as an end in itself with a focus on mitigating harm to individuals, families and the community as a whole, harm reduction. Harm reduction psychotherapy hrp is the category of psychotherapeutic approaches that may vary in theoretical orientation and clinical approach, but share in the commitment to the reduction of harm associated with active substance use without assuming that abstinence is the ideal goal for all problem substance. The psychodynamic matrix of harm reduction psychotherapy 7.
Harm reduction is an approach to treating those with alcohol and other substanceuse problems that does not require patients to commit to complete abstinence before treatment begins. Harm reduction therapy is based on four principles. The book gives a good account of the authors praiseworthy efforts to bring harm reduction a humane pragmatic approach to san francisco both as a public health measure and for individual and group psychotherapy. Harm reduction interventions in substance abuse treatment.
Harm reduction is increasingly accepted among researchers and many clinicians as a legitimate approach to treating substance abuse. Extending the reach of traditional substance use treatment harm reduction is a paradigmshifting idea. Tatarsky will introduce integrative harm reduction psychotherapy ihrp, his integration of harm reduction principles into psychotherapy and substance use treatment. This proved to be right, and the book is a good reference for those who need more of a cookbook approach. The aim of the program is to reduce the harm caused to individuals and communities by drug or alcohol use. Harm reduction strategies with people who engage in selfinjury ian f. Introduction and overview harm reduction is an important new idea in the substance use treatment field. Microsoft powerpoint revised harm reduction gradualism and the mechanisms of change shnny. People who seek us out have tried abstinencebased approaches and found them to be ineffective or undesirable. Mark sehl, of the harm reduction psychotherapy and training associates, a treatment and training organization.
Harm reduction is grounded in justice and human rights it focuses on positive change and on working with people without judgement, coercion, discrimination, or requiring that they stop using drugs as a precondition of support. It presents a combined psychotherapeutic approach for individuals with drug and alcohol use problems. Free pdf manualsworkbooks for group and individual therapy or selfhelp purposes. Extending the reach of traditional substance use treatment harm reduction is a paradigmshifting idea that has the potential to significantly improve. The role of biology in harm reduction psychotherapy iii.
Harm reduction therapy groups harm reduction therapy center. Most harm reduction approaches are inexpensive, easy to implement and have a high impact on individual and community health. Examples of harm minimization public health policies could be the safe sex programs in schools, or the legalization of prostitution and sex work. Harm reduction psychotherapy is the newest approach to engaging and working with substance users and abusers. Chrt the center for harm reduction therapy the center.
Literature on harm reduction approaches and psychotherapy denning, p. The following list is comprised of links to over 100 pdf workbooks, manuals, and guidebooks that are published online and free to use with clients andor. Rather than respond with condemnation or enforcement, harm reduction focuses on minimizing the harmful effects of mental illness and addiction, both on the individual and on society. A book with strategies for harm reduction practicing harm reduction psychotherapy is a book that sets out strategies intended to reduce harm and improve health and wellbeing of individuals who have problems with substance use. Harm reduction is an approach to treating those with alcohol and other substanceuse problems that does not require patients to commit to complete abstinence before. The fundamentals of harm reduction psychotherapy 6. The pros and cons of harm reduction treatment drug rehab. Oriented toward working with the whole person, harm reduction pro. Strategies for implementation of harm reduction in treatment settings.
Patt denning is a successful harm reduction therapist who has been working in the field of mental health and substance abuse for 25 years. They range from needle exchange sites to managed alcohol programs to drugtesting kits at music festivals. Challenges to implementing the harm reduction approach article pdf available in journal of social work practice in the addictions 83. And harm reduction has had a certain impact in the u. The book has been released in paperback and kindle, published in poland and spanish. Harm reduction therapy is a program in which client and therapist work together to identify the most pressing issues to reduce the harm that is being done, establishing goals and implementing gradual, realistic steps to achieve them. Susan e collins, phd university of washington harborview. Harm reduction therapy is suited for anyone who is questioning whether their use of drugs and alcohol is a problem and is seeking effective solutions. The second edition of practicing harm reduction psychotherapy is a book whose time has come. Harm reduction is an innovative approach to substance abuse treatment that focuses on reducing the harmful consequences of drug use. Harm reduction psychotherapy in communitybased settings 10. The role of harm reduction in recoveryoriented systems of care. Individuals chrt the center for harm reduction therapy. Introduction to integrative harm reduction psychotherapy.
102 1068 782 710 1373 1082 1276 77 507 1093 540 1123 351 456 1544 943 386 618 773 515 68 355 871 1027 392 447 48 866 276 367 984 762 606 1487 1030 1113 1430 252