Training offered to deal with substance abuse

Peterborough Drug Strategy is holding a new set of training sessions this fall to support the work of professionals in aid-driven fields.

PDS’s Question of Care training program is offering a first-stage trauma treatment workshop and a dialectical behaviour therapy (DBT) skills workshop.

The workshops are designed to educate staff employed in social work, addiction counselling, mental health and shelters, for example.

Jessica Penner, co-ordinator of PDS, said PDS strives to offer training so local agencies don’t have to create in-house sessions or travel to other cities for education.

“Our focus is to try and bring it here in order to save money for agencies,” Penner said.

The first-stage trauma treatment workshop is a one-day event and the DBT skills workshop is over two days.

They’ll be led by Cheryl Robinson, a registered psychotherapist. She has more than a dozen years of experience working in the addiction and mental health fields.

There are three chances to take the workshops, which start Monday and run until the beginning of December. They take place at the Peterborough Lions Community Centre in East City.

The first stage trauma workshop is happening Nov. 20 and Dec. 14. Participants will learn new ways to integrate trauma-informed practice into their work and share safety and stabilization techniques with clients.

The DBT skills workshop is on Oct. 30 and 31, Nov. 14 and 15, and Dec. 6 and 7. Attendees will have a chance to practice DBT skills before leaving with practical tools for the workplace.

The Question of Care training program is a part of PDS’s work to reduce the negative impacts of substance use through education and skill-based training.

The program launched in 2013, with training sessions running throughout its first two years. During that time, more than 200 citizens received training.

A lack of proper funding stalled further training courses. Sessions used to be free, but due to the funding shortage, PDS now charges for its courses to cover their costs.

The first-stage trauma workshop is $30 and the DBT skills workshop is $60. Some bursaries are available.

PDS is a collaborative effort that formed in 2009. It brings together prevention, treatment, enforcement and harm reduction agencies with concerned citizens.

NOTE: To register for a workshop, go to www.questionofcare.com/calendar/