The Healing Cortland project is excited to be partnering with the University of Rochester Recovery Center of Excellence to offer a series of Community Conversations and a Train the Trainer session for those interested in leading this workshop with their own agencies, groups and communities.

Workshop Options – REGISTER HERE

This workshop will use portraits of volunteers in rural communities who have been affected by opioid use disorder as a creative way to educate, change beliefs, and reinforce the positive messages conveyed in the artwork. Through this workshop, participants will examine the definition and impact of opioid use disorder stigma on their rural community and will identify ways to reduce stigma, biases, and negative perceptions around recovery. Participants will increase their understanding of resources and tools available in combating stigma and supporting those who use drugs and/or in recovery.

Participants will:

• Create a common definition of stigma and recognize its impact on individuals, families, providers, and their rural community
• Explore negative and positive beliefs around opioid use disorder and recovery
• Identify ways to overcome barriers and challenges to addressing stigma and to operationalize a recovery-oriented approach to reducing stigma
• Review support resources and build on relationships of participants within the workshop to learn from, and use as a resource, to reduce stigma in their rural community

Through the Train the Trainer, participants will familiarize themselves with the Community Conversations on Opioid Use Disorder curriculum, identify the skills they bring to facilitating, and prepare to deliver the workshop in their own communities. Community Conversations examines the definition and impact of OUD stigma on their rural communities and identifies ways to reduce stigma, biases, and negative perceptions around recovery. Participants will also build on relationships in their communities and increase their understanding of resources and tools available in combating stigma.

Participants will:

• Reflect on their own experiences facilitating and training, examine positive and negative characteristics of trainers, and identify the strengths they bring to the role of trainer.
• Explore facilitation strategies, communication styles, stages of behavior change, and opportunities to engage everyone in the learning process.
• Review the Community Conversations curriculum, walk through each section of the workshop, discuss facilitation strategies and prepare to deliver the training.
• Review support resources and build on relationships of participants within the workshop to learn from, and use as a resource, to reduce stigma in their rural community.

Register for the Train the Trainer, HERE. Please Note: In order to register for the Train the Trainer, you must have attended a previous workshop session. (Max 16 participants)

Meet Our Facilitator: Tedra L. Cobb, M.S.Ed

Tedra L. Cobb is president of her consulting firm, Tedra L. Cobb & Associates, and founder and president of BACKROADS PAC. Cobb’s expertise is in program and organizational development and facilitation of highly effective, interactive educational workshops. Her diverse experience ranges from bilingual counseling (Spanish) in the New York State prison system to directing a community-based health coalition. Her civic engagement includes a term as an elected county legislator, a run for Congress, and appointments to the state’s Committee on Open Government and the Northern New York Healthcare Redesign Commission. The common thread throughout her career is building community.