Youth and Marijuana Webinar Series. Part 2: Effective Youth Engagement to Enhance Prevention, Treatment and Recovery

Transcription

1 Youth and Marijuana Webinar Series Part 2: Effective Youth Engagement to Enhance Prevention, Treatment and Recovery

2 Talking and Listening to Youth about Cannabis

3 Background Introduction Experience with cannabis use disorder Reason for sharing my story to help inform your practice to help others who may be struggling with similar issues

4 How did you know your were suffering from CUD? Struggled with the idea that pot addiction is real Not a real addiction Went through terrible physical and physiological withdrawal Awareness of addiction Talked about openly among family and community Used cannabis to eliminate bad feelings Coping mechanisms Self medicating

5 How did you know your were suffering from CUD? School presentation from someone in NA with lived experience Left phone number on board and called him gave me someone to speak to Went to first 12 step meeting Had to use cannabis to get through daily activities Used cannabis at work Called in sick Sold personal and stolen goods to pay for cannabis

6 Stages of Change: Community Involvement Youth Service Bureau: Spoke with a counselor there Operation Come Home Support from community; moving in Floated from drop-in to drop-in

7 Stages of Change: Community Involvement Still struggling with triggers from the community where I lived Got a job with OCH FarmWorks Detox Considered applying to Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre Waiting lists

8 Stages of Change: Inherent Paradox Realizing there were real consequences of my actions Not eating Trust was broken (e.g., people began to stop trusting me) Struggled to stop: every part of me wanted to stop Knew why I should stop but couldn t stop Agreement with counselor at this phase Knew that I needed to take this to the next level In and out of detox

9 Beginning the Journey to Recovery OCH helped with application to DSYTC Relationship with Katie Barriers: Dave Smith Youth Treatment Centre Needed money Non-smoking DSYTC gave me a taste of sobriety Activities that kept me busy during the day Meal prep Suspended and Kicked out of DSYTC

10 The Journey to Recovery OCH helped me get back into DSYTC Headed back to DSYTC Knew what it was like on the outside Built confidence Healthy relationship with staff Learned how close trauma and addiction were related Developed alternative coping mechanisms

11 The Importance of Feeling Fulfilled Got a job Tim Hortons Day activities Remove myself from trigger situations Speak with counselors and psychiatrists Support from my boss

12 Suggestions for Conversations How to create a trustworthy relationship Not sharing information Safe space for me Support from staff No judgement and were not disappointed when I relapsed The staff met me where I was at Willing to just listen Helped me with the smaller strugglers Taught life lessons with experiences

13 Talking to Youth about Cannabis Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges Daniel Dacombe Rehabilitation Counsellor Addictions Foundation of Manitoba

14 Goals Understand why communication about Cannabis has broken down Understand how to build rapport with youth Understand how to communicate key messages about Cannabis

15 Why don t youth trust us about Cannabis?

16

17 Myths Youth have heard messages from adults about Cannabis for years Sometimes these messages have been inaccurate or based on bad science Pro-pot propaganda has flooded the internet with information some accurate, some not

18 Myths Several negative myths about Cannabis have been disproven Pot causes brain damage (1974 Dr. Robert Heath Monkey Experiments) Pot overdoses Pot as a Gateway Drug This has made youth mistrustful of anything adults have to say about Cannabis

19 Myths Unfortunately, there are also several positive myths about Cannabis that are popular among Canadian youth. It s not addictive It s not harmful It s natural, therefore safe We heard about these myths in the previous webinar (CCSA research) They are pervasive and contribute to positive youth perceptions of Cannabis

20 Breaking Barriers, Building Bridges How do we do both? We can t argue, direct, or force youth into compliance or understanding of the facts We can t expect them to listen to us without relationship There is only one key to this lock: Empathy

21 What is Empathy? "Being empathic means that for the time being you lay aside the views and values you hold for yourself in order to enter another's world without prejudice." Dr. Carl Rogers Empathic: An Unappreciated Way of Being

22 Empathy Building Empathy Meeting youth where they are at Engaging honestly with interests Seek to understand the reasons for their actions, including Cannabis use

23 So What does this mean for talking about Cannabis? Be aware when a youth is using Cannabis because of being: Stressed Depressed Struggling with symptoms of mental illness Feeling the effects of trauma Having a rough day then our communication with them may be flawed (through no fault of our own) When we say I want you to stop using Cannabis, what they hear is I want you to stop feeling better.

24 So We have to understand why youth are using Cannabis Glasser s Five Basic Needs: survival, love/belonging, power, freedom, and fun We have to communicate that understanding in a way they can receive Especially for youth who use cannabis to relieve stress, mental illness, or trauma We have to earn the right to be heard What does this mean for talking about Cannabis?

25 Empathy Though we had shared the hour, we experienced it and remembered it idiosyncratically. For one thing, we valued very different parts of the session. My elegant and brilliant interpretations? She never even heard them. Instead, she valued the small personal acts I barely noticed: my complimenting her clothing or appearance or writing, my awkward apologies for arriving a couple of minutes late, my chuckling at her satire being empathic is so much a part of everyday discourse popular singers warble platitudes about being in each other s skin, walking in the other s moccasins that we tend to forget the complexity of the process. It is extraordinarily difficult to know really what the other feels; far too often we project our own feelings onto the other. Dr. Irvin Yalom, The Gift of Therapy

26 Some Communication Tips DO GIVE THEM ACCURATE, FACTUAL INFORMATION TALK ABOUT UNDERSTANDING THE BENEFITS SOME PEOPLE RECEIVE FROM USING ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS DISCUSS HOW THEY CAN RESPOND IN SITUATIONS WHERE THEY ARE FEELING PRESSURED/CRAVINGS TO USE ALLOW THEM TO PRACTICE CRITICAL THINKING AND COME UP WITH REASONS FOR WHY THEY WANT TO BE DRUG FREE DON T MORALIZE CANNABIS USE DON T OVERLOOK THE REASONS WHY SOME PEOPLE ARE ATTRACTED TO DRUG USE, BUT ADDRESS IT AND TALK ABOUT ALTERNATIVES. TELL THEM TO JUST SAY NO AND LEAVE IT AT THAT LECTURE AND GO ON ABOUT ALL THE REASONS WHY YOU WANT THEM TO BE DRUG FREE

27 Key Messages for Youth Focus on: Brain Development Delayed Use Remember: We aren t saying Cannabis is RIGHT or WRONG We aren t saying never use Cannabis We are saying that its healthiest and safest to delay use as long as possible

28 [Counselling] is a vital art that demands more of its practitioners than the clever exercise of their brains. Into its practice also goes the heart, and there are occasions when genuine human feelings take precedence over the rituals and dogmas of the craft. Dr. Robert Lindner, Inside Therapy

29 Questions?