The Mental Health, Addictions & Brain Injury Program is Open for Registrations!
The Ontario Brain Injury Association in collaboration with Brock University has developed a Certificate Training Program to provide professionals with the tools and knowledge to assist clients with recovery and function in everyday life following acquired brain injury.
Program Description:
This Level 2 course is designed to increase your understanding of the relationship between traumatic brain injury, substance misuse and mental health challenges, and to assist you in developing a greater appreciation of the factors which make brain injury rehabilitation more challenging when a co-morbid disorder is present.
In particular, this course will present an in-depth discussion on the incidence of substance misuse (e.g., increased alcohol consumption, cannabis use, etc.) among individuals with a history of TBI, emphasizing both pre-injury influences (e.g., personality characteristics, maladaptive coping, etc.) and post-injury influences (e.g., neurochemical imbalances, physiological contributions, etc.) on addictive behavior.
In addition, the course will examine cases of tri-diagnosis (e.g., TBI, addiction, and depression), focusing on the interplay among biochemical, structural, and environmental disruptors. Further, the instructors will highlight factors that complicate these relationships (e.g., age-at-injury, multiple head injuries, etc.), especially among individuals with a history of mild traumatic brain injury, and will review practical considerations for individuals working with this complex population.
This will be achieved through both lecture and case study formats. Individuals with a history of TBI often experience additional risk factors for the development of addictive behaviors and their variable neurocognitive challenges are often exacerbated by alcohol and drug use; our goal is to help you develop a more sophisticated understanding of the needs of this vulnerable population to ultimately improve their functional recovery and social reintegration.
Objectives of the Course:
- To extend your knowledge of brain function with respect to addictive behaviours and the brain’s response to trauma. Topics to be covered include:
- The neural basis of addiction and reward.
- Effects of brain injury on reward pathways (e.g., neuroinflammation, dopamine signaling).
- The physiological effects of concussive injury and its impact on risk-taking and substance misuse among individuals with mild traumatic brain injuries.
- The interplay among biochemical, structural, and environmentally-induced neural disruptions.
- To expand your appreciation of the pre-injury and post-injury influences on addictive behaviour and mental health. Topics to be covered include:
- The significance of brain injury during childhood in the development of addictive behaviours and mental health challenges.
- The factors that impact clinical presentations and the assessment of addictions and behavioural presentations after injury.
- To expand your range of knowledge on how traumatic brain injury impacts substance abuse and mental health treatment and how substance misuse impacts recovery from injury. Topics to be covered include:
- How to prioritize treatment issues in situations where there are dual or tri-diagnoses
- Interactions with prescription medications
- What kinds of addictions are typically present after traumatic brain injury
- To expand your range of knowledge of evidence-based interventions and models of care that may be applied to individuals living with acquired brain injury and co-occurring addictions and mental health issues. Topics to be covered include:
- How to screen for substance use disorders
- Evidence based interventions for substance use
- Case management and Integrated care
Date & Time:
- November 13, 2024: 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST
- November 14, 2024: 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST
- November 15, 2024: 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. EST
Professors:
Dr. Dawn Good and Dr. Carolyn Lemsky
Rate:
- $575 Early Bird Rate!
- $600 (Full Fee)
Contact Leah Hughes for a Group Discount!
Please direct all inquiries to:
Leah Hughes, Training Coordinator & Strategic Initiatives
Ontario Brain Injury Association,
PO Box 2338,
St. Catharines, ON L2R 7R9
Ph: (905) 641-8877 ext. 102 or 1-855-642-8877
Email: training@obia.on.ca