Track
Gender Matters
Description
This session will provide working understanding of the depth of very subtle losses in the lives of both those with addiction and the LGBT community. By looking at both the gifts and the wounds of each stage or phase of loss and the behaviors that accompany them, the attendee will leave with a framework for looking at the impact of loss and its healing process, grief, in a more open and important process. By understanding the natural process of loss, a gentle and welcoming attitude can be conveyed and the work of grieving and healing can be more welcomed. Hopefully, this combination will help the provider to see many of the stumbling blocks to recovery in a new and approachable light.

Objectives:
• Name the traditional and re-framed “stages” of healing loss through grief and apply them to every day practice.
• Describe the potentially dysfunctional expressions of unaddressed loss and and seek out the healing qualities of the process.
• Identify behavioral indicators of potential healing arrest and move the person in recovery to a healthy resolution.