Summary
This session focuses on reducing stigma in clinical settings serving people who use drugs, with an emphasis on improving patient experience, strengthening provider communication, and implementing systems-level changes that enhance engagement, retention in care, and overall health outcomes across Maryland.
Learning Objectives
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Identify forms of stigma within clinical care
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Define trauma-informed and respectful communication strategies
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Explore system-level practices that promote equitable care
Faculty
Dr. Ashley Elliott
Clinical Psychologist, Vivid Innovations Consulting / contact@doctorvivid.com
Also known affectionately as Dr. Vivid, Dr. Elliott is a native Washingtonian and considers herself to be a positive product of her urban environment. First-hand family exposure to the impact that substance use, mental illness, interpersonal violence, and sexual trauma can have on individuals, families, and communities made Dr. Elliott passionate about empowering others and working to change lives. While receiving her doctorate in Clinical Psychology, she started Vivid Innovations Consulting, LLC., which offers mental health consultation, lifestyle consultation, assessment, and seminar/lecture opportunities. Her clinical interests include community mental health, client psychoeducation/health education, substance use treatment, group therapy, plant medicine, BIPOC-centered issues, LGBTQIA-centered issues, severe mental illness, mental health and technology, and the integration of non-traditional and artistic expression in therapy.
This advanced session will explore the evolving landscape of ketamine and other psychedelic substances as they appear in clinical settings, community conversations, and personal use. Participants will examine current evidence, emerging models of care, and ethical considerations. The faculty also will offer strategies for providers to engage in informed, nonjudgmental conversations while navigating Maryland’s legal and clinical context.
Learning Objectives
After completing this activity, the participant should be better able to:
- Describe current uses and emerging applications of ketamine and psychedelic substances
- Distinguish between clinical and community contexts of use
- Identify safety, ethical, and access considerations relevant to providers and outreach staff
- Evaluate informed, non-stigmatizing communication strategies when discussing psychedelics
**Please note that continuing education credits are not available for this webinar.**
Faculty
Lauren C. Going, LCSW-C, RYT is a
Maryland-based psychotherapist and co-founder of Inner Path Wellness,
Baltimore's first psychedelic-assisted therapy center. She specializes in
ketamine- and psychedelic-assisted therapies and provides training and
consultation on trauma-informed and integrative care approaches. Ms. Going also
serves as an integration therapist for research studies at Johns Hopkins and
Sheppard Pratt and is an experienced speaker and educator in emerging
therapeutic practices.
Description: Designed for outreach and community-based staff, this training explores how stigma shows up in everyday interactions and offers practical tools to foster welcoming, respectful environments that support engagement and retention.
Learning Objectives:
Explain how stigma shows up in Opioid-Associated Disease Prevention and Outreach Programs in Maryland.
Use trauma-informed care in daily work.
Recognize barriers participants face in your community.
Use numbers and stories to show program impact.
Take one action to reduce stigma right away.
Faculty:
Amalia Amy Zamot, MS, CHRC
Photo:
Bio:
Amalia Amy Zamot is the Senior Capacity Building Assistance Manager at HealthHIV and has been active in the field of HIV/STI/HCV and Drug User Health for more than 25 years. Throughout her career she served as a liaison between the community and the Department of Health and then as a program director at a community based organization, providing community mobilization and engagement, data interpretation, event coordination, curriculum development and training to increase HIV/STI/HCV and Drug User Health awareness and service access for ethnic and racial minority populations throughout the Southwest Florida region.