ACA -CCPA 2016 Conference & Expo

ID #16016-Grief and Recovery: Understanding Grief and Loss in Substance Abuse Treatment (Room 512D)

30 Mar 16
5:30 PM - 8:45 PM

Speaker(s): Susan Furr, Professor, University of North Carolina at Charlotte; Kathryn Hunsucker, Therapist, Carteret Counseling Services

Grief counseling often is seen as helping clients cope with a death. But grief often is a complex part of a substance abuser’s life. Early significant losses may lead to abusing substances as a way of coping. In turn, addiction can facilitate other losses such as jobs, relationships, and even freedom. But often we do not consider the losses that occur when giving up the use of a substance. This LI will explore the basic concepts of grief and loss theory as applied to work with individuals who enter treatment for addiction.