Cannabis (Weed) Awareness Workshop

Cannabis (Weed) Awareness Workshop

A workshop to enhance knowledge about cannabis, cannabis use and misuse and to explore the skills needed to work with cannabis users.

Date: Friday October 6th 2017 from 10am to 5pm
Venue: Killeshin Hotel, Portlaoise, Co Laois
Cost: €95 – (€80 for ACI members) (light lunch provided)

The aim of this training is to assist those who work with cannabis users to feel more confident and competent in supporting them to make changes

Training will seek to:

• Enhance participants knowledge of cannabis including types of and ways of using
• Enhance participants understanding of why individuals use and misuse cannabis
• Explore the effects  associated with using cannabis
• Identify what is  dependency
• Examine the impact of cannabis on mental health
• Provide  information on the law with respect to cannabis
• Provide  information on the prevalence of cannabis use in Ireland
• Explore ways to help those whose cannabis use is causing problems

The workshop will involve a mix of presentation and group work and is intended to be as participative as possible. The training is appropriate for those working in the areas of addiction and therapy who wish to increase their knowledge of this substance and explore how to effectively work with cannabis users. It is also appropriate for those who may opportunistically intervene with individuals who use cannabis such as youth workers, probation officers, those working in supported accommodation
Certificates for CPD purposes will be provided to participants at the workshop. It is approved for 6 hours CPD by ACI (Addiction Counsellors of Ireland).

Ring 086 3322540 or email mcampbell66@hotmail.com for further information on this workshop.

Your place will be held and confirmed on receipt of the deposit of €45, which is non refundable.
Return form with payment to Mark Campbell, Killeeneenmore, Craughwell, Co Galway. Please make cheque payable to Mark Campbell. Payment via Paypal is also possible – email or phone and I will send a link to make payment.

Closing date for booking & receipt of payment Friday 29th Sept (booking form below). Places limited to 16. The workshop was previously fully subscribed so early entry may be required to get a place.

Facilitators: Mark Campbell, Justin Sherin

Mark has worked in various capacities within Drug & Alcohol Treatment Services in the UK and Ireland since 1994. He was employed full time as a Drug & Alcohol Counsellor at NUI Galway for 4 years from 2007 to 2011. He currently works for the HSE Mid-West Drug & Alcohol Services in two roles, as an Outreach Worker in Co Clare and a Drug & Alcohol Counsellor in Limerick City. Mark achieved accreditation with the ACI and IACP in 2010. He has provided training in a number of topics including Drug & Alcohol Awareness, Brief Intervention, PIEDs (Performance & Image Enhancing Drugs) and Delivering Drug Education to Young People.

Justin has worked with the HSE Mid-West Drug & Alcohol Treatment Services in Limerick and Tipperary for over 10 years. He is currently working as an Outreach Worker involved in providing interventions to individuals and groups misusing drugs or alcohol and those affected by others use. He has facilitated regularly on the Strengthening Families Programme and been involved in education and awareness raising initiatives in school and out of school settings.  He is qualified as a CRA treatment provider (Community Reinforcement Approach). Justin has a lengthy participation in a Limerick rowing club and is currently involved as a coach.

Mark and Justin have been involved in developing and facilitating a group treatment programme delivered to individuals seeking help to stop, cut down or maintain abstinence from cannabis. The group treatment programmes delivered is based on a Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) approach. They have facilitated 7 group programmes since 2013 in Ennis and Limerick.

An article on the work they completed titled ‘An Evaluation of an 8 Week Group Treatment Programme Provided to Individuals Who Misuse Cannabis’ has been published in the Spring 2016 edition of the National Institute of Health Sciences Research Bulletin, Volume 7, Issue 3. They most recently facilitated a ‘Cannabis Awareness Workshop’ in Galway in July 2017 which was fully subscribed.