Training Opportunities
We offer a variety of free training opportunities on harm reduction, overdose education and substance use for the public and professionals in various fields. Training descriptions and registration for upcoming dates are listed below.
Click to jump to trainings offered by audience type:
We also offer in-person and zoom trainings for organizations. If none of the above training dates work for your team and you’d like to schedule a training for your agency or organization, please fill out the training request form:
Trainings for Community Organizations & Service Providers
Click to expand to view descriptions and register for upcoming training dates, or jump to the calendar view.
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This training is designed to help clinicians, peers, community health workers and others who work with people who use drugs to build a foundation of Harm Reduction. The skills you will learn are applicable to working with individuals in many settings and with diverse backgrounds. The overarching idea is to broaden how we think about working with people who use drugs, and move away from the notion that if an individual is not interested in treatment or abstinence, there is nothing that we can offer them.
Overview of training:
Harm reduction as a philosophy, movement, and practice
Basic principles of Harm Reduction
Laying the foundation to utilize a harm reduction framework in your own practice
Register for upcoming training:
Please note that you will be directed to a brief pre-training evaluation, and upon completion will be redirected to register for your chosen date. If you have any trouble registering please email enactmo@mimh.edu.
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*While not required, we recommend taking Foundations of Harm Reduction first.*
So you like the idea of harm reduction, but are unsure how to implement harm reduction practices in your work? This training explores communication practices to support individuals in assessing their options and making changes. Gain a better understanding of how to “meet people where they are” and the resources and tools you can offer to support an individual at any point in their relationship to substance use. This training is oriented towards peers, community health workers, outreachers and others who work with people who use drugs, but all are welcome.
Overview of training:
Applying harm reduction principles to your engagement with program participants
Utilizing Stages of Change and Motivational Interviewing from a harm reduction framework
Practical tools and resources for harm reduction
Hands on practice
Register for upcoming training:
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So you’re incorporating harm reduction into your work, but not sure how to encourage greater adoption of harm reduction within your organization? This training is given by Missouri harm reductionists who have worked in various direct service roles and have experience advocating for organizational change.
Bring your own experiences, problems you’re encountering, and harm reduction goals to this training - we’ll have a mix of instruction and workshop time on the following topics:
Understanding your organizational context and identifying effective strategies to build support for harm reduction in your setting
Having effective conversations about harm reduction strategies
Addressing objections and concerns about harm reduction
Connecting with other harm reductionists and resources across Missouri.
There will be an opportunity to join a follow up space with other Missouri harm reductionists, hosted on the platform Discord. If you’d like to join, feel free to download Discord on your phone or computer ahead of time.
This training is designed for people who are already familiar with harm reduction and want to help their workplace or organization embrace harm reduction philosophy and practices. If you’re new to harm reduction or want a refresher, we recommend you check out (1) Foundations of Harm Reduction and/or (2) Harm Reduction In Practice.
Register for upcoming training:
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This objective of the OEND training is to expand the implementation of OEND programs in communities where many are at high risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose. You will leave this training knowing how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose, in addition to learning other applicable harm reduction knowledge. We have also recently added more information about intramuscular naloxone in an effort to educate the public on other naloxone options.
Overview of training:
National and Missouri landscape of the overdose crisis trends
Drug supply trends and the introduction of Xylazine in the opioid supply
Harm reduction and positive language
Overdose risk factors, signs, and symptoms
How to respond to opioid and xylazine overdoses including how to administer nasal and intramuscular naloxone for opioid overdoses
Fentanyl myths
Safer using tips
How to work compassionately with individuals post-overdose
Missouri legislation that protects individuals who use drugs
Local resources available in Missouri for people who use drugs
How to train others to use naloxone and important points to cover
Register for upcoming virtual training:
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In this training we will cover how to use intramuscular (IM) naloxone and go over other important points for distributing IM naloxone. This information is covered in the 1.5 hour OEND training, but this is a refresher option for those already familiar with OEND who want to brush up on IM naloxone administration!
Schedule:
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While many harm reduction and prevention efforts tend to focus on opioid use or Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), this training expands on harm reduction strategies for people who use stimulants or have Stimulant Use Disorder (StimUD). This includes responding to overamping, the term we use to describe an adverse physical and/or mental reaction after using stimulants. The goal of this training is to inform community members and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) service providers on the basics of stimulant use and how to respond to stimulant overamping.
Overview of training:
Stimulant basics: what they are, what they do, and why people use them
Overamping vs overdose, what causes overamping, and overamping prevention
Register for upcoming virtual training:
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While many harm reduction and prevention efforts tend to focus on opioid use or Opioid Use Disorder (OUD), this training expands on harm reduction strategies for people who use stimulants or have Stimulant Use Disorder (StimUD). This includes responding to overamping, the term we use to describe an adverse physical and/or mental reaction after using stimulants. The goal of this training is to inform community members and Substance Use Disorder (SUD) service providers on the basics of stimulant use and how to respond to stimulant overamping.
Overview of Training:
Identifying and responding to emergency and non-emergency physical and psychological symptoms associated with stimulant overamping
Intervention strategies (beyond calling 911) for individuals experiencing severe psychological symptoms
Register for upcoming virtual training:
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In this training, we will delve into the use and utility of FTS as a valuable harm reduction tool. Due to the unregulated, illicit drug supply, consumers don't have access to consistent information about what they are consuming and whether it's what they intended to use.. Fentanyl test strips are one tool for people who use drugs to have a better understanding of what's in their substances and make decisions accordingly. We will walk through the instructions for both pre- and post-consumption use of FTS and go over any questions regarding usage and distribution. Sessions are estimated to last 30-45 minutes, but we are allocating an hour to allow adequate time for questions and discussion.
Register for upcoming virtual training:
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This training will educate people who work with people who use drugs in a non-prescribing capacity to familiarize them with:
The different types of medication assisted treatment available for people with opioid use disorder when seeking treatment
How to talk to these clients about their options
How to reduce stigma around treatment options
How to provide support for their clients while they are utilizing medications as part of their treatment
Upcoming Dates:
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Access to medical care can be limited for many individuals, making basic wound care services a valuable asset for organizations serving the community. With the proliferation of xylazine and xylazine-related wounds, many organizations are also seeing an increased need for wound care support. This multi-part, self-paced course will introduce non-clinicians to:
the basics of identifying common skin and soft tissue infections
methods for prevention of wounds and care for existing wounds
strategies for supporting an individual in caring for their own wounds and promoting healing
ways to implement and advocate for wound care services within your organization
To view this training, visit nomodeaths.org/wound-care-for-nonclinicians.
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Our team at UMSL-MIMH along with a team of Certified Peer consultants developed a specialty series for Certified Peer Specialists. This series is available for FREE to Certified Peer Specialists to help them increase their knowledge beyond the first basic training course, gain contact hours to use for credentialing. You can take one or all of the courses at your own pace.
Courses include: How to Talk About Medications for Addiction Treatment; Professional Expectations, Ethics, and Boundries for Certified Peer Specialists; How to Identify and Address Stress, Compassionate Fatigue, Grief, and Secondary Trauma; How to work with peers with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders; How to assess and refer peers experiencing suicidality, domestic violence, and sex trafficking
Register for the specialty peer instruction series by clicking here - after registration you’ll receive an email with links to the videos!
Upcoming Public Trainings
Click on calendar events for training details and registrations. Are you an organization wanting training outside of these times? Request a training for your organization here.
Trainings for Local Public Health Agencies
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This objective of the OEND training is to expand the implementation of OEND programs in communities where many are at high risk of experiencing or witnessing an overdose. You will leave this training knowing how to recognize and respond to an opioid overdose, in addition to learning other applicable harm reduction knowledge.
Overview of training:
National and Missouri landscape of the overdose crisis trends
Drug supply trends and the introduction of Xylazine in the opioid supply
Harm reduction and positive language
Overdose risk factors, signs, and symptoms
How to respond to opioid and xylazine overdoses including how to administer nasal naloxone for opioid overdoses
Fentanyl myths
Safer using tips
How to work compassionately with individuals post-overdose
Missouri legislation that protects individuals who use drugs
Local resources available in Missouri for people who use drugs
How to train others to use naloxone and important points to cover
Fill out the training request form to schedule training for your department.
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In this training, we will delve into the use and utility of FTS as a valuable harm reduction tool. Due to the unregulated, illicit drug supply, consumers don't have access to consistent information about what they are consuming and whether it's what they intended to use.. Fentanyl test strips are one tool for people who use drugs to have a better understanding of what's in their substances and make decisions accordingly. We will walk through the instructions for both pre- and post-consumption use of FTS and go over any questions regarding usage and distribution. Sessions are estimated to last 30-45 minutes, but we are allocating an hour to allow adequate time for questions and discussion.
Register for upcoming virtual training dates under the “Trainings for Community Organizations & Individuals” dropdown above.
Trainings for First Responders
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The SHIELD (Safety and Health Integration in the Enforcement of Laws on Drugs) training for first responders covers overdose response and occupational safety (needle-stick injuries, fentanyl exposure, and vicarious trauma).
Training is POST certified for law enforcement in Missouri.
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Training focuses on opioid addiction, Narcan administration, Fentanyl safety, the leave-behind Narcan program, and connecting individuals to addiction treatment. Training is worth 1.5 hours of POST Credit (with 0.5 hours of De-escalation) for law enforcement.
Trainings for Medical Providers
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The Medical Treatments for Opioid Use Disorder Training is a presentation for medical providers who are not currently prescribing MOUD. The training discusses opioids' effects on the brain, FDA approved medications for treating OUD, prescribing considerations for each medication, regulations for each medication, patient autonomy, and the waiver elimination act.
Fill out the training request form to schedule training for your department.
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This training covers the fundamentals of a harm reduction approach to working with patients who use drugs (PWUD), medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD), the importance of partnering with patients to provide holistic, trauma-informed care, and utilization of appropriate steps in management of addiction and comorbid conditions for this population.
Fill out the training request form to schedule training for your department.