Northwest Institute of Addiction Studies – 44th Annual Conference

Plenary Session – Sexual Health in Recovery: The Missing Link in Relapse Prevention

Sexuality, when not directly and positively addressed in recovery, contributes to treatment failure and relapse. Sexual health in recovery outlines pioneering sexual health-based drug and alcohol counseling relapse prevention skills to increase client retention and improve treatment outcomes. Attendees will learn about the “Sexual Health in Recovery Pathway” (SHRP), a comprehensive screening, assessment and treatment intervention process to understand each individual’s sex/drug-linked relapse risk.

Sexual Health: A New Ally for Improving Drug and Alcohol Treatment (2 Part Session)

This session will examine eight principles – from sex research, addiction treatment, harm-reduction and relapse prevention guiding addiction treatment professionals to contemplate and implement sex/drug-linked relapse prevention programming. The workshop will introduce assessment and a pathway model for counselors to provide sex/drug-linked relapse prevention interventions at all stages of client recovery. The workshop concludes with four core sexual health themes that develop sex-positive drug and alcohol counseling skills, increase counselor willingness and confidence, and clinically organize client sex/drug-linked relapse risk factors within both individual and psycho-educational relapse prevention groups.

1. Participants will examine sexual health approaches for sex/drug-linked relapse prevention to integrate within current practices within drug and alcohol treatment programs

2. Participants will discuss approaches to integrate six fundamentals of sexual health within drug and alcohol treatment programs.

3. Participants will examine personal, professional and agency stage of readiness for sexual health in drug and alcohol treatment skills and interventions.