Substance Use Archives - Westchester Jewish Community Services

Cocaine and Other Stimulants: What Clinicians Need to Know

Miriam Arond2024-11-14T12:59:42-05:00November 14th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: cocaine, stimulants, what clinicians need to know, co-occurring disorders, ed institute, Mental Health, Behavioral Health, Substance Use|

This training will provide an overview of these various substances comprising this category of drugs, their intoxication and withdrawal symptoms, and co-occurring mental health and physical health concerns. Participants will also gain an understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying stimulant use, the clinical presentation of stimulant use disorders, and effective evidence-based treatment approaches to address stimulant use disorders.

Gambling and Other Behavioral Addictions: What Clinicians Need to Know

Miriam Arond2024-10-16T16:50:12-04:00October 16th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: behavioral addictions, gambling, sex addiction, compulsive behavior, medication, drugs, addiction, clinicians, co-occurring disorder, ed institute, Mental Health, Substance Use|

Behavioral addictions include gambling, sex addiction, internet gaming disorder, shopping addiction and food addictions, however the DSM-5-TR only recognizes gambling and internet gaming addiction within this category.

Novel Drugs of Abuse: What Clinicians Need to Know

Miriam Arond2024-09-18T16:03:34-04:00September 18th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: drugs, withdrawal, addiction, clinicians, co-occurring disorder, ed institute, Mental Health, Substance Use|

Novel drugs are synthetic illicit drugs sometimes referred to as designer drugs and are often sold as legal, safe, nondrug products, frequently escaping regulation, resulting in delays in professionals and legislators recognizing their use and impacts.

WJCS Initiates Zero Suicide Model with NYS Office of Mental Health
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WJCS Initiates Zero Suicide Model with NYS Office of Mental Health

Miriam Arond2024-09-09T15:22:37-04:00September 6th, 2024|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, Featured Internal, General|Tags: suicide prevention, suicide prevention awareness month, zero suicide, 988, trauma resources, Mental Health, Behavioral Health, Substance Use, Depression|

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, a yearly reminder of the staggering rates of suicide and the importance of identifying and helping people who are experiencing a mental health crisis. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States with over 49,000 people having died by suicide in the U.S. in 2022 and 13.2 million seriously contemplating suicide, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), the largest provider of licensed community-based mental health services in Westchester County, is closely collaborating with the NYS Office of Mental Health ...

Assessing and Treating Clients with Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Conditions

Miriam Arond2024-08-30T13:00:19-04:00August 30th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: co-occurring disorders, substance use treatment, ed institute, Mental Health, Substance Use|

This training will help providers to be more prepared for the challenges associated with providing treatment to such individuals. Providers will learn how to conduct an assessment of substance use, how to decide what level of treatment is appropriate for specific individuals, assess individuals’ readiness for change, apply evidenced-based approaches to increasing individuals’ motivation for change, assess the functional purposes and impacts of substance use, select and utilize appropriate treatments for individuals with co-occurring conditions, and help individuals reduce the impacts of relapse.

Hallucinogens: What Clinicians Need to Know

Miriam Arond2024-08-07T11:06:41-04:00August 7th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: hallucinogens, psychedelic, LSD, Nicholas Batson, withdrawal, co-occurring disorders, clinicians, drug use, ed institute, Mental Health, Substance Use|

This session will provide an overview of various substances comprising the category of hallucinogens, their intoxication and withdrawal symptoms, and co-occurring mental health and physical health concerns.

Intro to Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

Miriam Arond2024-07-16T11:21:45-04:00July 10th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: bipolar disorder, self harm, bpd, dbt, psychotherapy, PTSD, co-occurring disorder, evidence based, ed institute, Dialectical Behavior, Mental Health, Behavioral Health, Substance Use, Depression|

Dates: 7/30/24 & 8/6/24 Time: 9-10:30am Contact hrs: 5 CEU’s: 5 Enrollment Limit: 20 Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment originally designed for individuals with suicidal or self-harm behaviors. It has come to be an evidence-based treatment for borderline personality (BPD). However, many other clients and disorders have been shown to benefit from DBT, such as depression, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, or alcohol and drug use disorders. It can be applied as a behavioral therapy to any target behavior that the client would want to ...

Nicotine and Vaping: What Clinicians Need to Know

Miriam Arond2024-06-11T13:16:53-04:00June 11th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: nicotine, vaping, smoking, co-occurring disorders, addiction, clinicians, ed institute, Mental Health, Substance Use|

Smoking cigarettes remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States and causes more than 440,000 deaths each year. In addition, vaping continues to grow in popularity and is the most common delivery method of nicotine among teenagers and young adults. Nicotine is the main addictive chemical in both smoking cigarettes and vaping.

National Mental Health Awareness Month

Miriam Arond2024-05-14T14:44:55-04:00May 14th, 2024|Tags: mental health month, mental health challenges, mental health awareness, Trauma, Mental Health, Substance Use|

WJCS observes Mental Health Awareness Month.

Opioids: What Clinicians Need to Know

Miriam Arond2024-04-05T14:14:11-04:00April 5th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: opioids, substance use disorder, co-occurring disorders, clinicians, drug use, ed institute, Mental Health, Substance Use|

Drug overdose now causes more deaths than car accidents and is the leading cause of injury death in the United States. The overwhelming majority of these deaths are due to opioids. This session will give an overview of opioids, including their various types and main intoxication symptoms. Important trends in opioid addiction will be reviewed, including the rise of synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl.

The ABC’s of CBT

Miriam Arond2024-03-20T16:28:14-04:00March 20th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: cognitive heavioral therapy, dbt, psychotherapy, CBT, co-occurring disorder, evidence based, ed institute, Dialectical Behavior, Mental Health, Behavioral Health, Substance Use|

Dates: 4/30/24 & 5/7/24 Time: 9:00 – 10:30 Contact Hrs: 3 CEUs: 3 It has been determined that WJCS staff would benefit from access to a general training specific to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). The cognitive behavioral paradigm provides a unique way to conceptualize pathology and to plan therapeutic intervention. The majority of clinicians practicing today identify that some part of their work is informed by CBT. Research consistently indicates the efficacy of CBT with many psychological disorders and with a diverse range of clients. CBT is often embedded in frequently used interventions at WJCS such as dialectical behavior therapy ...

Recovery is Possible with WJCS
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Recovery is Possible with WJCS

Miriam Arond2024-09-11T13:49:12-04:00March 14th, 2024|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, General|Tags: drug addiction, co-occurring disorders, substance use treatment, outpatient treatment, treatment program, drug abuse, addiction, Recovery, Mental Health, Substance Use|

The number of people suffering from both mental health and substance use disorders is skyrocketing, with approximately 21.5 million adults in the United States experiencing these co-occurring conditions, according to SAMHSA’s 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. Unfortunately, the result of experiencing both disorders can be tragic. Westchester Jewish Community Services (WJCS), the largest provider of licensed outpatient mental health services in Westchester, is now providing comprehensive integrative, evidence-based treatment for county residents experiencing substance use disorders and co-occurring mental health disorders. “People suffering from co-occurring mental health and substance use problems often experience severe and chronic challenges regarding ...

Alcohol Awareness Month

Miriam Arond2024-02-23T14:08:52-05:00February 23rd, 2024|Tags: alcohol, drug abuse, addiction, co-occurring disorder, Recovery, Mental Health, Substance Use|

Alcohol Awareness Month

Psychopharmacology and Co-Occurring Disorders: What Clinicians Need to Know

Miriam Arond2024-02-14T12:01:46-05:00February 14th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: Psychopharmacology, psychology, co-occurring disorder, evidence based, ed institute, Mental Health, Behavioral Health, Substance Use|

This 1.5-hour training will introduce attendees to the concept of co-occurring disorders- the co-occurrence of one or more mental health and substance use disorders that often act in synergistic ways to exacerbate one another leading to more negative outcomes than if individuals had a substance use or mental health disorder alone.

Mental Health & Substance Use: Overcoming the Challenges
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Mental Health & Substance Use: Overcoming the Challenges

Miriam Arond2024-11-26T11:59:56-05:00February 13th, 2024|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, General|Tags: co-occurring disorder, therapy, Trauma, Mental Health, Behavioral Health, Substance Use|

The number of people suffering from mental health and substance use problems are skyrocketing. More than 20% of Americans, including youth, teens, and adults of different socioeconomic groups, are living with a mental illness. Only about half of adults receive treatment. More than 20 million Americans 12 years and older are affected by substance use disorder. These conditions don’t discriminate. They affect people in all socioeconomic groups. "I came to WJCS for therapy at a time of serious distress in my 20’s. I couldn’t afford much, and was able to pay just a very modest amount thanks to financial ...

Marijuana: What Clinicians Need to Know

Miriam Arond2024-03-08T15:33:23-05:00February 5th, 2024|Categories: Courses, Mental Health|Tags: marijuana, clinicians, drug use, Mental Health, Substance Use|

Date: 4/12/24 Time: 9:30 am to 11 am Contact Hrs: 1.5 CEU’s: 1.5 Enrollment Limited to: No limit Method: Lecture, discussion Description: Marijuana and products derived from chemicals within it are used both medically and recreationally by an increasing number of people through the United States. To date, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical use while recreational use has been legalized in 24 states along with the District of Columbia. In this evolving legal landscape, marijuana use has become increasingly prevalent, particularly among teenagers and young adults. ...

WJCS Celebrates Our Peer Specialists
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WJCS Celebrates Our Peer Specialists

Miriam Arond2023-10-19T13:47:21-04:00October 13th, 2023|Categories: Mental Health, Feature, Featured Homepage, General|Tags: peer specialists, peer support, global peer support celebration day, peer support celebration day, Recovery, Mental Health, Substance Use|

October 19th is Global Peer Support Celebration Day. At WJCS, our Peer Specialists play an important role in aiding the recovery of individuals from mental illness and/or substance use. Peer Specialists walk hand in hand with our clients from the perspective of a “shared experience.” The Peer Specialist is in a unique position to truly understand what it is like for someone who struggles with challenges related to mental illness and/or substance use. Our WJCS Peer Specialists assist individuals by using the skills they have learned, the connections they have made, and the resources they know from first-hand experience. ...

ASSESSING AND TREATING CLIENTS WITH CO-OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE USE CONDITIONS

Rose Herschman2021-11-18T09:40:57-05:00November 18th, 2021|Categories: Courses|Tags: substance abuse, Trauma, Mental Health, Behavioral Health, Westchester, Substance Use, Anxiety|

Dates: 12/21/21 & 12/28/21 Time: 9:00 AM – 11:00 AM Enrollment Limited To: 16 Contact Hrs: 4 CEUs: 4 Clients seeking mental health treatment may also have a coexisting substance abuse problem. This may be apparent at intake or emerge during treatment. Symptoms of one disorder are often mistaken for the other. Treatment of individuals who present with co-occurring mental health and substance use issues can present a myriad of challenges for providers. Among the challenges faced by providers treating individuals with ...

WJCS AWARDED $4 MILLION SAMHSA GRANT
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WJCS AWARDED $4 MILLION SAMHSA GRANT

Grace Oshin2021-02-12T15:06:29-05:00February 12th, 2021|Categories: General|Tags: Mental Health, Behavioral Health, COVID, Covid-19, Westchester, Substance Use, Depression, Anxiety|

WJCS was awarded a $4 million Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) grant—$2 million a year for two years—from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The funding will be used to broaden and deepen WJCS substance abuse and mental health services in Peekskill and Mt.Vernon, two of Westchester's most under resourced communities. "The SAMHSA grant will provide integrated care, combining behavioral health, physical health, and substance use services, to low-income individuals who face major emotional and social challenges, including lack of employment, inadequate housing conditions, poor access to health services and substance use and opioid use prevention, ...