What's Happening at NDCRC? |
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The NDCRC is excited to launch our latest web page, Resources by Team Role. Browse specific roles for resources to help you meet the needs of treatment court participants. Use the dropdown filters to view individual roles or types of resources, or type keywords into the search bar. If there's something you can't find, or if you have a specific request, let us know!
Each year, the NDCRC publishes the peer-reviewed Drug Court Review journal. This year’s issue will be centered around equity and inclusion within the treatment court field. Articles should be submitted through our portal. Look for the next volume of the Drug Court Review by the end of 2021!
The eighth episode of the Justice to Healing podcast is available now! Hosts Kristen DeVall, Ph.D. & Christina Lanier, Ph.D. welcome Iowa Statewide Problem-Solving Court Coordinator Dr. Eric Howard as they take on the impacts of implicit bias in treatment courts. Listen in as Dr. Howard defines implicit bias, presents challenges with admission, retention, graduation, how to address implicit bias within ourselves and more.
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Each month the NDCRC will feature a topic relevant to the work of treatment courts. This information is designed to give you “food for thought” regarding your treatment court program's structure and operations and provide supporting multimedia resources. |
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Microaggressions
Sally MacKain, Ph.D., LP; NDCRC Director of Clinical Treatment
- An African American client stops attending intensive outpatient groups. He explains, “I was the only Black person there-I wasn’t comfortable.” He asks for individual therapy instead but is told “No, group is always best for the intensive treatment people need early in the program. Besides, there is only one race-the human race.”
- A young Latina who is affiliated with a gang is not referred to treatment court, while a young white woman who is also gang affiliated is referred and admitted, “because she’s not as hard core.”
- A transgender client tells her counselor about violence she has faced. The counselor says: “I understand. As a woman, I experience discrimination too.”
Decades of research in cognitive and social sciences show that categorizing, stereotyping, and even discrimination is part and parcel of being a human being. All of us process information and aim to make judgments as quickly and efficiently as possible. We’ve needed to, in order to survive as a species. But a byproduct of this process is that we form implicit biases. Automatic and unintentional, implicit biases are “mistakes” that can lead us to discriminate against others and cause lasting harm.
Microaggressions flow from implicit biases. In the article Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice, psychologist Derald Wing Sue defines microaggressions as “brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or environmental indignities, whether intentional or unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory, or negative messages to (marginalized) people,” (Sue et al., 2007; p. 279). The person committing the microaggression can usually “explain it away” by seemingly nonbiased and valid reasons.
Sue and colleagues would consider the first scenario above as an example of colorblindness, or denying a person of color’s racial or ethnic experiences. The message is “You are not a racial/cultural being. You must assimilate/acculturate to the dominant culture.” The second example represents assumption of criminality, when a person of color is presumed to be more deviant on the basis of their race. The third scenario seems well intentioned but reflects a denial of biases. The therapist implies, “Your oppression is no different than mine. I can’t be biased. I’m just like you.” While the therapist is unaware of their mistake, the client feels diminished and misunderstood, adding to their suffering.
Recognizing and confronting implicit biases and microaggressions in ourselves takes courage and humility. Sue and colleagues (2007) offer a model that invites us to be more aware and intentional in each of our personal and professional actions.
References
Sue, D.W., Capodilupo, C,M,, Torino, G.C., Bucceri, J.M., Holder, A.M., Nadal, K.L., & Esquilin, M. (2007). Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), 271-286.
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July is National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month!
National American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network
July 14, 2021, 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm
Prevention Technology Transfer Center Network Collaboration
July 15, 2021, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
National American Indian and Alaska Native Addiction Technology Transfer Center Network
July 21, 2021, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network
July 22, 2021, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm
Check the NDCRC calendar to register for these events and see other learning opportunities!
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TTA Collaborative Updates |
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National Association of Drug Court Professionals |
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MOUD Toolkit for Treatment Courts
NADCP's newest toolkit offers practical resources to help treatment courts implement medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) in accordance with scientific knowledge, treatment court best practices, and emerging legal precedent. The toolkit includes three model memoranda of understanding, two letter templates, and an informational brochure for treatment court participants and their loved ones.
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Final Notice: Submit to the Next Journal for Advancing Justice
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Center for Court Innovation |
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Addressing Housing Insecurity Among Justice-Involved Veterans
On this episode of In Practice, Judge Marcia Hirsch, the presiding judge of treatment courts in Queens, N.Y., including the Queens Veterans Treatment Court, and Sean Clark, National Director of the Veterans Justice Outreach Program with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, discuss with host Rob Wolf the challenges some veterans face, and how Veterans Treatment Courts and the Veterans Justice Outreach Program work together to address homelessness.
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Tribal Law & Policy Institute |
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The Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI) hosted the 11th Annual Tribal Healing to Wellness Court (THWC) Virtual Enhancement Training July 21-25, 2021, with over 500 registered participants! Workshop recordings of all Enhancement Training sessions, PowerPoints, and session materials are available at EnhancementTraining.org. You can view 2012-2020 presentation materials at the Prior Materials page. Continuing education and Continuing Legal Education Credit information can be found at EnhancementTraining.org.
The event offered 25 workshops in the General Wellness, Juvenile Wellness, Family Treatment Courts, Veterans, and Law Enforcement tracks. Tribal and state courts, mental health treatment providers, scholars, researchers, and technical assistance providers came together for issues unique to Indian country including the incorporation of custom and tradition into the phases and peer-to-peer sharing of successful THWC models in operations.
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Each month, the NDCRC highlights the treatment court work of one state or US territory. States submit a one-pager (and sometimes photos!) which is summarized within and attached to our newsletter. If your state is improving practices, setting new standards, or innovating to solve problems, we would love to feature you! Additionally, your state will be highlighted on our map of treatment courts showing how many of each type of court are operational. For more information, contact us at [email protected].
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According to leaders at the National Institute on Drug Abuse, researchers in Australia have found that longer-lasting medications may improve treatment outcomes in people with opioid use disorders compared to medications that need to be taken daily.
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration has announced the new 988 dialing code for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The lifeline will be developed by Vibrant Emotional Health and will launch in July 2022. Until that launch, anyone who needs help or who has a loved one at risk of suicide can call or chat with Lifeline operators at 1-800-273-8255.
Colby College’s Maine Drug Policy Lab shares research collected on Maine’s drug courts during the pandemic: specifically, how changes in procedure and structure affect women, families, and rural areas. In partnership with the Maine Recovery Advocacy Project, these data will inform decisions being made by the Maine State Legislature to shift the focus on drug-related offenses from punishment to recovery.
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