Developing a Rural Community Approach to Overcoming Stigma
Community Conversations on Opioid Use Disorder
The goal of Community Conversations on Opioid Use Disorder (OUD) workshops is to shed light on substance use disorder (SUD)-related stigma as a barrier to recovery and to collaborate with rural communities to develop local solutions that reduce it.
These are not academic workshops. They are conversations where participants explore stigma, how we support people with SUD and their families, and how we work together in our communities to reduce stigma.
Workshops define stigma and discuss its impact in rural areas. Participants explore ways to reduce stigma, biases, and negative perceptions that impede or discourage recovery. We use portraits and videos featuring rural community members to facilitate an interactive discussion.
In the workshop, participants:
- Create a common understanding of the roots of stigma and recognize its impact on individuals, families, providers, and their rural community
- Explore negative and positive beliefs around SUD/OUD and recovery
- Identify ways to overcome barriers to addressing stigma and to build a recovery-oriented approach to reducing it
- Review support resources and connect with fellow workshop participants, sharing knowledge and building networks to help reduce stigma in their rural community
Who attends in rural communities
- Individuals with lived experience of SUD
- Family and friends of individuals with SUD
- Service providers and health care providers
- Community leaders
- Interested community members
Community Conversation in Wenatchee, WA, hosted by Thriving Together
How it works
- Research shows stigmatizing beliefs around SUD can be reduced by bringing people into contact with a person who has the stigmatized medical condition while emphasizing the effectiveness of treatment in recovery.
- Activities encourage participants to analyze their beliefs, identify opportunities for change, and develop specific action plans for the future.
Becoming a Facilitation Leader in your community
- Anyone who participates in the Community Conversations workshop is invited to become a trained Facilitation Leader through the Train-the-Trainer workshop.
- The Train-the-Trainer prepares participants to implement a Community Conversations workshop in their community. It familiarizes them with the curriculum, and it discusses ways to engage audiences as a facilitator and to engage the community when planning a workshop.
- Ongoing support is provided to Facilitation Leaders to build confidence and ensure fidelity to the workshop.
What participants say
“Together as a community we have to take the responsibility to facilitate a change in the OUD/SUD epidemic. It is everyone’s ‘problem’, this is not an exclusion of ‘anyone.’ Remember to have empathy and open-minded thoughts towards this situation and all the individuals involved both now and in the future.”
“I feel so emotional. There is so much I want to do to help. It gives me hope that so many people are committed to helping and it makes me more determined to fulfill my role. I appreciated the insight into how someone in recovery thinks and their struggles because knowing those stories will help me do my job more effectively.”
“There is not a ‘one size fits all’ for any aspect of recovery. Everyone is unique and has various needs and background—using a variety of methods of understanding is crucial to being able to make connections with people.”
Learn more about overcoming stigma related to SUD in rural communities.
August 2024