When Trauma Drives Addiction: Integrating DBT and EMDR for Trauma-Related Substance Use

Substance use is not simply a matter of choice; it is often a response to unregulated pain. This two-hour continuing education program fulfills New Jersey’s opioid-related CE requirement and provides an integrated, trauma-informed framework for understanding prescription opioid use, opioid abuse, addiction, and treatment.

The course examines how trauma-related emotion dysregulation contributes to substance use and relapse and demonstrates how Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) skills and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) can be effectively combined in the treatment of trauma-related substance use disorders. Emphasis is placed on clinical application, offering participants practical tools to support regulation, recovery, and safer outcomes for individuals affected by opioid use.

Audience: Social work practicum instructors, SOWK alumni, faculty, community members

Facilitators: Sunny Mathew Ph.D., Maria Karolenko LCPC, Monica Johnson Psy.D

This program is approved for 2.0 Clinical Contact Hours, one of which meets the NJ minimum 1.0 contact hour of Opioid education content requirement.