This training will provide a clinical roadmap of harm reduction psychotherapy as a compassionate, non-judgmental framework for engaging and treating clients navigating active substance use and addictive behaviors. Moving beyond traditional abstinence-only models, this approach empowers clinicians to support a range of client-directed goals, including abstinence, moderation, and safer use. Discussions will also focus on how to address the co-occurring complexities accompanying substance use such as a history of trauma, relationship issues, and mood and anxiety disorders. Therapeutic strategies to build compassion and collaboratively establish sustainable positive changes will be reviewed. Participants will gain practical skills to foster a collaborative therapeutic alliance, help clients cultivate mindfulness practices, and develop self-regulation skills.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify three core principles of harm reduction psychotherapy.
2. Summarize the efficacy of harm reduction strategies. 
3. Describe how “urge surfing” can help with managing cravings and emotional triggers.

Instructor Bio

Jenifer Levy, PhD is a licensed psychologist with a private practice serving clients in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.  Dr. Levy specializes in the treatment of addictive issues and trauma from a harm reduction framework that is collaborative, compassionate, and non-judgmental. Dr. Levy obtained her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Virginia Tech and completed her internship and post-doctoral fellowship at Princeton House Behavioral Health. She previously worked as the Assistant Director of The Center for Optimal Living, an outpatient private practice in NYC, where she coordinated clinical services and training activities along with providing psychotherapy. She also taught and supervised graduate students in psychology as the Assistant Director of the Concentration in Mental Health and Substance Abuse Counseling at The New School for Social Research. Prior to that, she was a Supervising Psychologist at the Women’s Health Project at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital in NYC. In addition to offering psychotherapy services, Dr. Levy facilitates trainings on a range of topics related to addictive issues, harm reduction, mindfulness approaches, and working with trauma survivors.