Community Support Programs

Harm Reduction in CSP 

This summer, the BHTP at UW-Green Bay is offering CSP staff the opportunity to participate in training and consultation around harm reduction philosophy and approaches within your program. Community Support Programs (CSP) provide a unique team and community-based service to clients, often getting to know their clients on a very personal level and working with them for longer periods of time. 

In 2023, over half (55.8%) of CSP consumers statewide were identified as using one or more of these substances: tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamines or heroin. It’s quite possible that helping individuals with goals related to their substance use becomes a part of the treatment conversation.  Not all CSP teams employ a substance use professional, but despite missing that specialist position, CSP staff can continue to engage and employ strategies that are effective related to substance use planning and treatment.

Training Opportunities

All are invited to participate in one of two available training sessions held in Summer 2025, and CSP leaders are invited to also participate in a one-day learning collaborative in Wisconsin Dells in August.

Harm Reduction for Wisconsin Community Support Programs

Training will be held via Zoom.  Choose one of the following sessions:

• June 30, 2025, 12:00 - 4:00pm CST
• July 14, 2025, 12:00 - 4:00pm CST

Registration Fee: $10.00

3.5 Continuing Education Hours available upon successful completion of the training.

This training is designed for professionals working with adults experiencing serious mental illness and substance use challenges. It offers a practical introduction to Harm Reduction principles and strategies, including overdose prevention, reversal, and safer use practices. Participants will explore the Stages of Change framework and learn how to integrate Harm Reduction with Motivational Interviewing techniques—focusing on values, goal-setting, and client engagement. Through interactive exercises, attendees will develop harm reduction-informed treatment plans and gain guidance on delivering services both on-site and through community partnerships.

Part 1: Applying a Harm Reduction Philosophy to Clinical Work with Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, MD, MPH

Learning Objectives:

• Define substance use disorder
• Define harm reduction and identify two harm reduction strategies to support clients in reducing substance-related harms
• Outline steps to integrate harm reduction services into their practice through direct delivery or community partnerships

Part 2: Harm Reduction: Practical Approaches to Addressing Substance Use with Tim Devitt, Psy.D., MSEd., LCPC, CADC

Learning Objectives:

• Understand the Stages of Change, the Spirit of Motivational Interviewing (MI), and harm reduction practices to enhance engagement and readiness for change
• Explore values clarification, goal-setting, and treatment planning aligned with harm reduction principles

Part 3: Harm Reduction 101: A Community Approach to Compassionate Care for People Who Use Drugs with Elaina Durnen, B.S., CHES

Learning Objectives: 

• Understand and integrate harm reduction philosophy into your work with clients
• Identify opioids and other drugs, and the effects they can cause
• Identify and respond to an opioid overdose 
• Gain knowledge on language to use to effectively communicate with individuals who use drugs to create a less stigmatizing environment 

Register

CSP Leaders Learning Collaborative Day

Thursday, August 14th, 2025 - 9:00am - 4:00pm CT

Kalahari Resort and Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells

Despite not yet being funded to be ACT, nor explicitly directed to have more ACT components, learning how to do good person-centered planning that helps identify client goals, needs, strengths, while intentionally bringing in other team members to deliver those services, can help CSP organizationally shift to being more ACT-like.  This process reinforces the team approach and helps appreciate why the daily team meeting is structured like it is - when a single staff are not responsible for "their people," and scheduling is more centralized through the team in a coordinated manner, you need the organization pieces of the daily team meeting and oversight of the team leader to make this all work. All of this, and more, will be covered in this one-day training!

Trainers: Lorna Moser, Ph.D. and Lynette Studer, Ph.D.

Registration Fee: $10.00

6.0 Continuing Education Hours

Register

Consultation

For those programs ready to engage in further study and consultation, an application survey is available. Up to four (4) CSPs will be selected for participation in the consultation group, which will meet via Zoom on select Mondays, 12-1pm, between July 21st and September 29th, 2025 (8 total meetings).  

2025 Consultation dates include: 

Those who wish to engage in ongoing consultation will explore the following:

• Exploration of staff's beliefs about the process of change and where harm reduction fits - or doesn't fit.
• Identification of a potential framework for how useful substance use conversations can occur within your CSP team.
• Examination of how current policies and procedures within your team and agency apply to individuals with SUDs.  Does Harm Reduction or standardized SUD assessment have a place within these procedures?
• Identification of how substance use goals are incorporated into treatment planning.
• Case conceptualization of at least one specific individual example from each CSP team involved. 

Apply to Participate