Interactive Story Session: Youth Substance Use & Trauma Informed Conversations

Formerly titled Substance Use Simulation - no change to course content

Engage in an interactive story session focused on youth substance use and trauma-informed conversations. Delve into the narrative of Blake, a young person who experiences an overdose while experimenting with substances. Following his transfer to the hospital, Blake's journey unfolds around themes of consent and confidentiality, social support, and concurrent disorders in youth.

Throughout the session, experience pivotal moments including clinical interactions with a social worker about care planning, conversations between Blake and his father, and exclusive interviews with the actors portraying them.

Key Learning Objectives:

• Use effective communication techniques while providing patient- and family-centered care to youth who use substances.
• Apply harm reduction based strategies while working with patients and families to offer community resources and support.
• Integrate information from the health and social history and assessment to create a care plan.

Format & Delivery:
Interactive video-based session with pause periods for reflective discussions and valuable insights from peer educators with lived/ living experience. Facilitated by a Nurse Educator and Peer Educator, this session is available online or in person (alternating throughout the year).

Takeaways:

• Understand the impact of family dynamics on a young person’s substance use journey.
• Strategies for patient and family- centered care planning.
• Enhanced empathy and understanding when engaging with youth who use substances.

Session dates generally open a few months prior to the course date, so if you do not see a session date listed that works for you, please feel free to reach our team at RegionalAddictionProgram@vch.ca, or check back again at a later date.