Clinical Strategies for Working with Individuals Who Use Drugs: How to Be Informed without Being an Expert

Presenter: Joe Pereira, LICSW, CAS

Course Description

This will be a live webinar on Zoom on March 9, 2026 from 6-8 PM Central Time. If you cannot attend live, pre-register to view the recording once it becomes available after the 9th.

This workshop explores practical, compassionate ways clinical social workers can engage and support people who use drugs. Grounded in harm reduction, trauma-informed care, and anti-stigmatizing practice, it focuses on building trust, meeting clients where they are, and addressing substance use within broader social, medical, and structural contexts. Participants will gain concrete strategies for assessment and engagement that promote dignity, safety, and client-defined goals.

Learning Objectives

  • Participants will understand the importance of using non-stigmatizing language/terms associated with drug use to promote engagement with their clients who may be using substances.
  • Participants will be able to apply practical, evidence-informed clinical strategies, such as harm reduction principles, when working with individuals who use drugs.
  • Participants will learn how the model of “drug, set and setting” can be used to assess a client’s relationship with drugs.

Presenter Bio

Joe is a licensed clinical social worker and addictions specialist who has been practicing for over 35 years. He has worked in a variety of settings including correctional settings, the court system, residential programs, EAPs and outpatient mental health clinics. Joe was a co-founder of Outlook Associates of New England, a practice started to assist persons with anger control problems. He is currently in private practice in Arlington, MA offering individual and group therapy as well as training and consultation with a focus on anger management to adults and adolescents. Joe has given numerous trainings locally as well as nationally and internationally on the treatment of anger management problems as well as workplace conflict, chemical addictions and stress management. He was interviewed by The Wall Street Journal on the topic of working with people with anger control issues and has made an appearance on the Boston local news show “Chronicle” discussing”the topic of road rage. He also was involved with the Massachusetts Medical Society on developing a program for disruptive physicians. Joe has been a lecturer at the Boston University Graduate School of Social Work since 2013.

How to Register

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Member Discount

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Clinical Strategies for Working with Individuals Who Use Drugs: How to Be Informed without Being an Expert

March 9, 2026
from 6:00 pm
to 8:00 pm

Attend Live Webinar

  • This live webinar is fully interactive. Attendees may ask and answer questions throughout the presentation and participate in instructor-led discussions.
  • CE REQUIREMENTS: To earn 2 CE credits, participants must log in at the scheduled time, attend the entire course, and complete a course evaluation.
  • Certificates of completion will be provided once the evaluation is submitted.
  • Your purchase includes access to the recorded version for one year.
  • Choose this option ONLY if you are able to attend LIVE.
LIVE WEBINAR

Purchase Recorded Version

  • CE REQUIREMENTS:
    To earn 2 CE credits (recorded, non-interactive), you must watch the entire video. You will not be able to fast-forward or rewind.
  • During the video will be 3 slides with a keyword. The keyword will be on the screen for 20 seconds. Write the keywords down as you will be asked what the keywords are in the survey
  • Certificates of completion will be provided once the video reaches 100% watched, after you mark each lesson "complete" and after submitting the survey. This webinar is setup as a digital course and the course needs to be "100% complete" in order for the completion certificate to unlock. Once the PDF is available, please save it to your computer.
  • This includes  access to the recorded version for 1 year.

We have discovered people have been abusing the system and so this is the new approach. Thanks for your understanding.

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Recorded webinar will be posted within 48hrs of live event date. Your purchase includes access to the recording for one year.

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