ODVN – Skills & Approaches to Supporting Youth and Parents Around Substance Use Issues

Join ODVN for an engaging and practical training designed specifically for advocates working with families navigating both domestic violence and substance use. Led in a conversational, Q&A-style format, this session creates space for honest discussions about the complexities of supporting survivors and their children in communal shelter settings and beyond. Participants will explore foundational skills like harm reduction, motivational interviewing, and trauma-informed approaches, alongside everyday challenges advocates face, such as stigma, emotional support planning for children, and supporting parents in active use or recovery. Together, attendees will practice communication strategies such as how to acknowledge fear and worry for children, and how to adapt program responses and staff language to meet families where they truly are. Participants will receive practical tools, including a one-pager with conversation guides, and engage in open discussions about bias, parenting in communal spaces, and the emotional connections between trauma and substance use. Learn how to support survivors who are using substances, co-support children in shared spaces, or respond when staff have differing viewpoints.

Cost: Free for members (DV member program, Organizational, Individual); $25 for non-members

Registration ends October 23rd.

This training is offered by the Ohio Domestic Violence Network. Please contact ODVN at training@odvn.org with any questions.