Hayden Center – The Neuroscience of Opioid Addiction: A Clinician’s Plan of Attack for the 21st Century Epidemic

Course Description

The Neuroscience of Opioid Addiction: A Clinician’s Plan of Attack for the 21st Century Epidemic – Hayden Center

There is a growing concern about the prevalence of opioid addiction in the United States. Both the illegal use of heroin and the overuse of opioids to treat pain are on the rise. Behavioral health professionals need to quickly equip themselves with proven clinical interventions to battle this epidemic.

Neuroscience research is revealing not only how drugs affect the brain, but how clinical interventions affect the brain as well. Certain areas have been shown to -re-wire in response to particular treatments. Using clinical experience and wisdom along with the latest research findings, Dr. Center will demonstrate the effectiveness of current approaches and their specific applications. Learn techniques shown to reduce cravings and improve decision making capabilities among opioid abusers in your treatment arsenal. You will leave empowered to translate the latest findings into decisions on which treatment to use with your client and when.

1. Explain neuroscientific findings that show the brain structure and functions as it relates to the clinical treatment intervention options for opioid addiction
2. Demonstrate clinical therapy techniques that can be utilized to decrease cravings and improve decision making among those clients abusing and/or addicted to opioids
3. Consider the relationship between a client’s interpersonal and social connections and opioid abuse
4. Compare and contrast the neuroscientific impact on clients who abuse opioid vs. clients who abuse other substances
5. List four evidence-based therapeutic approaches that can be used when treating clients who abuse opioids, and describe how to put them to practical use in-session
6. Describe strategies to tailor treatment plans to the client’s specific needs, and translate the plans into effective clinical treatment interventions in your practice

OPIATE AND OPIOID ABUSE HERE AND AROUND THE WORLD

• Brief history of the problem
• Latest prevalence estimates
• Future Concerns

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PAIN AND OPIOID MISUSE

• Summary of brain centers that are affected by pain
• The pain-opioid Paradox
• Vulnerability factors that are associated with

WHAT NEUROSCIENCE REVEALS ABOUT OPIOID ABUSE VS OTHER SUBSTANCE ABUSE

• The pleasure factor (how dopamine fits with opioid use)
• The social factor (how opioids mimic the chemical responses of social connections)
• The connections between important   decision-making sections of the brain and long-term opioid abuse

MINDFULNESS AS AN ADJUNCT TO TREATMENT

• The brain and decision-making changes that occur with mindfulness
• Practical approaches to incorporating mindfulness to fight opiate addiction

THE FINDINGS: WHICH APPROACHES WORK? WHEN AND HOW SHOULD THEY BE USED?

• Motivational Interviewing
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
• Dialectical Behavior Therapy
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy

TRANSLATE THE LATEST RESEARCH INTO EFFECTIVE PRACTICE

• Practical issues
• Tailoring treatment plans
• 3 case studies