Learning Webinar Series
The Unshame California Learning Webinar Series covered a variety of topics - providing information, resources, and training that relate to or promote addiction stigma reduction. All learning series topics were based on recommendations from our Community Partners. Below are recordings of previous webinars all of which are available in English and Spanish.
The Power of Non-Stigmatizing Language
This Unshame CA Learning Webinar focused on the importance of person-first language and non-stigmatizing language in substance use disorder, featuring renowned expert Dr. Corrie Vilsaint.
During the webinar, we explored the power of language and how it can influence how individuals with substance use disorder are perceived and treated. Dr. Corrie Vilsaint, the Associate Director of Recovery Health Equity at the Recovery Research Institute and Center for Addiction Medicine and an Instructor at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, shared her insights and research on racial health equity in remission and recovery, reducing recovery-related discrimination, building recovery capital, and the effectiveness of recovery support services.
Science of Addiction
This webinar dove deep into the Science of Addiction, featuring LA County's Dr. Brian Hurley.
Dr. Hurley focused on how personal experiences and genetics play a role in SUD and explained what happens in the brain. In this webinar, participants will learn to define addiction as a medical condition that responds to evidence-based prevention and treatment, identify the major biological, psychological, and social drivers of addiction, and explain the addiction treatment gap and initiatives that can mitigate this gap.
Dr. Brian Hurley is an addiction physician and the Medical Director of the Division of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control in the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. He is the President of the American Society of Addiction Medicine and gives presentations around the world regarding addiction medicine.
Parenthood & Opioid Use Disorder
This Unshame CA Learning Webinar focused on addressing the stigma experienced by parents with opioid use disorder, featuring Dr. Barry Jacobs.
Dr. Jacobs discusses the unique stigma that parents who have opioid use disorder face and covers practical tools for how we can all work to reduce that stigma. This webinar helps viewers to identify barriers to opioid use disorder (OUD) patient and provider engagement related to OUD self-, social and structural stigma; understand how stigma influences treatment choices among patients and families impacted by peri- and post-natal OUD; and learn effective means of increasing empathy and overcoming maternal OUD stigma to increase engagement in OUD treatments, especially medications for opioid use disorder, also known as MAT.
Language, Framing, and the Media
The Shatterproof Team discussed how to shape new narratives for addiction stigma reduction in the media and other public settings during our July webinar. Shatterproof's own Asha Carroll (Senior Director, Digital, National Stigma Initiative) and Lauren Lawson-Zilai (Senior Director, Media and Public Relations) provide valuable insights and practical tools, empowering participants to make a difference in the field of SUD education and advocacy.
Participants will get the tools to talk about SUD in the media setting, including the art of the pivot as well as bridging and blocking; learn how language influences addiction stigma, along with recommended terminology and messaging for awareness and education; and examine the impact of issue framing on public health outcomes.
Social Determinants of Health
This thought-provoking webinar promises to challenge conventional perceptions and ignite a deeper understanding of health disparities. Jody McIntosh and Megan Halmo (both Directors for the National Stigma Initiative at Shatterproof) delve into the critical interplay between social determinants of health (SDOH), substance use disorder (SUD)-related inequities, and the pursuit of health equity.
Participants will be able to define the six SDOH, understand SUD related inequities, and explore resources for further learning. This is an opportunity to empower yourself with knowledge to drive meaningful change in your community.
Social Media for Social Change
This Unshame CA Learning Webinar gave deep insight to supercharging your social media game to effectively spread the message of addiction stigma reduction. Participants were able to walk away having learned actionable strategies to rewrite the narrative around addiction, understanding the social media landscape to better educate and influence critical conversations about addiction, and learning the art of collecting, analyzing, and wielding social media data to craft meaningful, community-centric content.