On-demand Training: Grief work through a harm reduction lens: Supporting clients who use substances

Facilitator:  Juno Zavitz, MDiv and MPS Candidate U of T

Training hours: 6

This training is suitable for:

• Mental Health Professionals:  psychotherapists, counsellors, psychologists, social workers.
• Medical Professionals: nurses, psychiatrists, pediatricians, family doctors.
• Direct Service Workers: Drop-in workers, shelter and hostel workers, child and youth workers, youth justice workers

Level of training: Introductory 

Client category: Professionals working with adults (18+)

Clinician Support: Social services/healthcare

Trigger Warning: Please note this workshop will discuss potentially difficult subjects such as overdose, suicide and homicide deaths, substance use, and experiences of systemic oppression and marginalization.

Description: Traditional grief models often rely on abstinence-based frameworks that may not adequately support individuals who use substances to manage emotional distress. This approach can overlook the realities of clients who are actively using substances during periods of acute grief, or who experience bereavement while living with a Substance Use Disorder.

This workshop introduces a harm reduction-informed approach to grief care, grounded in evidence-based, trauma-informed, and anti-oppressive practices. It is designed for both clinical and non-clinical providers who support individuals affected by loss and substance use, including those impacted by the ongoing overdose and drug poisoning crisis.

"When bereavement and addiction collide, care providers often struggle to find approaches alternatives to abstinence-only models. If you are a care provider grappling with the complexity of supporting such clients, this workshop will provide practical skills and a paradigmatic framework for non-stigmatizing understandings of concurrent grief and substance use." - Juno Zavitz

Learning objectives: 

• Gain a deeper understanding of the intersection between grief and substance use
• Acquire practical strategies for individual and group support
• Understand and implement tools for integrating harm reduction principles into grief work
• Professional insight from over a decade of frontline grief support with substance-using clients and more than five years of experience training providers in this approach language in organizational contexts.

By the end of the session, participants will be equipped with compassionate, flexible, and contextually informed strategies to meet the unique needs of bereaved clients who use substances.

This program was originally recorded on February 17 & 18, 2026 with a total of 6 training hours. 

Event updated April 15, 2026.