Learning Wednesday: The Opiate Epidemic: Understanding the Treatment Options

Course Description:
 

Opiates, whether prescribed or taken illegally, have direct impact on the health and mental health of people across New York State. These impacts, when medicinal can seem miraculous; however, when they are misused, the results are disastrous. This webinar will describe the problem of opiate use disorder in NY State, present the common pathways to addiction, and conclude with prevention and treatment strategies that can be utilized to fight this epidemic.

Goals:

1. Participants will learn the incidence and prevalence of opiate addiction.
2. Participants will learn what the contributing psycho-social factors are to opiate addiction, as well as pathways to opiate addiction.
3. Participants will learn how social workers can fight this epidemic through specific prevention and treatment strategies.

Presenter:

Dr. Joseph Hunter, PhD, LCSW is a highly experienced and well-educated behavioral health leader with over 16 years of combined state and federal government employment experience, primarily as a subject matter expert in the behavioral health field in the areas of substance use disorders and suicide prevention; he possess strong leadership and team building skills that have contributed to the development of numerous specialized innovations in the areas of clinical practice, research, and treatment programming; and, he is an experienced and talented educator for graduate students, as well as seasoned professionals. His education includes a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology (1989), a Masters Degree in Social Work (1993), and a Ph.D. in Social Work (2010).

In 2005, Dr. Hunter was awarded the SAMHSA Dissertation Grant to complete his study on adolescent substance use disorder treatment. In 2011, Dr. Hunter was selected for two-year post-doctoral fellowship, and as a result was recognized as a VA/Hartford Geriatric Social Work Scholar. This year, Dr. Hunter has received distinguished recognition for his innovative work in behavioral health.

Dr. Hunter serves as the VA Suicide Prevention Coordinator at the Stratton VA Medical Center in Albany, NY, currently on detail to the National Suicide Prevention Office. In addition, Dr. Hunter joined the University of Southern California (USC) School of Social Work as part-time adjunct lecturer in 2013. Currently, as an Adjunct Assistant Professor, he teaches Masters of Social Work (MSW) courses in the areas of: clinical practice with service members and veterans, evidence-based clinical practice in mental health settings, mental health and human development, and mental health research. He is also a New York State approved provider of online and in-person continuing education for licensed social workers in New York State, offering training privately and for the National Association of Social Workers (NASW).