Data sources indicate that opioid overdoses were increasing in late 2019 and continued to accelerate during the pandemic in 2020. While practitioners and programs are encouraged to increase access to medications for opioid or alcohol use disorders (MOUD, MAUD), explaining the effective intervention to communities in need has been identified as a major challenge of behavioral health.

This virtual training will review the impact of chronic opioid use, cognitive impairment, compulsivity factors, and physical dependence for OUD and AUD. Content will discuss myths associated with medications used to treat OUD and review available and effective interventions. In addition, the content will use experiential activities to help participants integrate a person first language approach to accurately explain MOUD to clients and families.