Establishing Professional Boundaries in the Virtual Harm Reduction Workplace

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many harm reduction organizations to pivot to virtual and hybrid workplace models amid social distancing protocols. Though harm reduction organizations worked to ensure that participants continued to have access to services, this sometimes came at the expense of staff and volunteers’ wellbeing.

To address wellness and burnout prevention for harm reduction providers, the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will host a three-part webinar series highlighting innovative strategies that have been implemented for establishing professional boundaries, managing grief and supporting staff wellness.

While there are a wealth of wellness and burnout prevention webinars in the field, the needs of the harm reduction community are unique due to the nature of their work and the trauma and grief they face daily.

Join us on Monday, April 10, 3-4 p.m. ET for the first webinar in the series, Establishing Professional Boundaries in the Virtual Harm Reduction Workplace. This webinar will present a brief overview of the National Council’s new resource guide, Maintaining Connection: Strategies to Manage a Virtual Harm Reduction Workplace, and include a structured panel discussion with two harm reduction organizations on key considerations to effectively implement professional boundaries across the harm reduction workforce. We will hear from four experts in the field:

• Anne Siegler, DrPH, consultant with the National Council
• Alexander/a Bradley, MPH, HIPS DC
• Jessica Breemen, MSW, PSM, PATP, DanceSafe
• Kristin Karas, DanceSafe

After this webinar, attendees will be able to:

• Discuss key strategies from the National Council’s resource guide, Maintaining Connection: Strategies to Manage a Virtual Harm Reduction Workplace.
• Describe ways to establish and maintain professional boundaries in harm reduction workplaces.
• Identify challenges and solutions to maintaining boundaries while effectively providing harm reduction services in the community.

This webinar is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award totaling $750,000 with 100% funded by CDC/HHS. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, CDC/HHS or the U.S. government.