The Chi Farm Acupuncture Seminars

6 1/2 CEU’s pending for MD Counselors, Clinical Social Workers and Psychologists

There is often confusion and angst around the word addictions. While it is commonly associated with drugs and alcohol, behaviors are very much addictions. In fact, most experts agree that addictions are really the behaviors exhibited by the substance-abusing individual. This differs from dependency, which is the physical component of substance abuse; this is the phenomenon from which individuals exhibit withdrawal symptoms.

But how, as a healthcare provider can you be sure if the person with whom you are speaking is dependent upon or addicted to a substance or behavior? How can you determine if your client is ready for changing his or her life behaviors or if change is underway, where is he or she on the journey? What is the difference between detox and recovery? Are addictions a disease or moral weakness? What are the risks associated with different drugs and alcohol? During detox from which substances should the person be medically monitored?

To help answer these questions, this course is designed to increase the your knowledge of the Western medical viewpoints of substance abuse, addictions and recovery so that you may better serve your clients with issues in these areas. After attending this one-day seminar you will more aware of the behaviors associated with the disease of addictions, that addictions are a physiologic disease and must be treated as such, be able to make appropriate referrals and have a better understanding of the stages of change a recovering person encounters.

As an aide in understanding these issues, the attendees will also be required to give up an addiction of his or her own during the week following the course. This addiction must fit all 4 characteristics of an addiction as given in class. Trainees are then to write a 1 to 2 page written summary of the experience. During the same week each trainee is to attend three 12-step meetings and submit a one-paragraph summary of his or her experience along with the addictions summary. Trainees are to attend a meeting for the addict (AA, NA, etc.), one for family members (Al-Anon, Narc-anon, etc.) and one behavioral addiction meeting (OA, CODA, SLA, etc.).

The course instructor, Dave Wurzel, is a NADA Registered Trainer and was one of the recipients of the Association’s first ever Most Valuable Trainer Award in 2005. He travels extensively teaching the Acudetox protocol to acupuncturists, counselors, clinical social workers, nurses and doctors. Dave has administered over 30,000 Acudetox treatments and is trained as a chemical dependency counselor.

Please call 443-812-1665 or email The Chi Farm for the current schedule of classes. Individual agencies can also schedule on-site trainings for at least five trainees. Please call or email for further details.