Participants included Department of Health (DOH) staff, as well as recovery facilitators, social workers, psychologists, psychometricians and nurses from various drug rehab centers.
Guest speakers were Malyn Cristobal NCAC l, ICAP lll and Global Trainer in the Addiction Field, and Claire Abas MAC, ICAP ll and a Master Trainer in the Addiction Field.
The activity was held in partnership with Living Tree Foundation Inc., an approved education provider of The Colombo Plan’s Drug Advisory Program or DAP.
The training provided an overview of the physiology of addiction as a brain disease and the pharmacology of psychoactive substances.
The sessions consisted of background information on psychoactive substance use, the science of addiction, social stigma, characteristics and consequences of substance abuse, and integrating learning into practice.
The training is an initiative in line with TCI’s thrust to provide professional education to its clinical and administrative staff, including its support staff, and become globally competent.
It is partially funded by TCI founders Jun Tan, Joel Chavez and Joey Ibañez in the spirit of sharing and goodwill to its neighboring government and nongovernment rehab centers to foster group learning and sharing of best practices.
CRS training in South Korea
Days after the training, the TCI team flew to Cheonan, South Korea, to participate in the Certified Recovery Specialist (CRS) Trainer Program held at Namseoul University.
The program, implemented by Emeritus Addiction Studies in collaboration with Namseoul University, covered topics in addiction treatment and recovery over a period of 100 continuing education hours inclusive of practical exercises.
Classroom sessions included discussions on understanding addiction, roles and responsibilities of CRS, ethics, case management, mechanism of addiction in the brain, crisis support, stigma, recovery enhancement skills and recovery management.
The program was spearheaded by Namseoul University professors Bian How Tay, director, emeritus addiction studies; Sean K. S. Shin, associate dean/executive director, global education center; and Lee Yoon Hyeon, executive dean, international program.