White-Ryan emphasized that addiction is a lifelong struggle that carries with it a stigma that does not apply to patients suffering from other ailments.

“We would never say to someone with a brain tumor, ‘What? Your tumor came back?’’’ she said. “This is a chronic disease.”

She spoke of the case of “Sam,” a college student who began drinking alcohol in high school. By the time he arrived at college he began to lose the ability to regulate his emotions. Once a gifted athlete, he began to falter in sports. He was eventually asked to leave the school. After an incident where he became violent with his father, the family helped get him into a rehab. And while Sam’s condition wasn’t a case study in opioid addiction, his journey and that of other addicts follows pretty much the same pattern, said White-Ryan.

Addiction is a brain disease in which users persist in taking their drug of choice, even in the face of devastating consequences, she said. Eventually, the user’s dependence grows to the point that they need the substance to function. That’s why addressing the disease as a “family disease” is also of great importance for social workers.

“We are the ones who provide the treatment; we need to look at families and the addicts as a unit,” she said.

She said families of addicts also need treatment, as well as education. But with opioids now the leading cause of death for people under 50, families need to be aware of triggers and temptations before a problem even starts.

“Parents need to take control of their medicine cabinets,” she said.

Sam is back in school now, but he experienced a relapse. He is back in recovery, which should be expected and not viewed as a failure, White-Ryan said. She called addiction a “very treatable illness,” provided that everyone in the family, including the addict, holds realistic expectations.

She was also quick to point out that Sam’s family had the resources to help see him through. She said there’s a big financial gap between the haves and the have nots for substance abuse disorders, which often falls along racial lines as well.

In the case of opioid addicts, families need special training specific to that addiction, such as how to administer Narcan, a nasal inhalant that can reverse effects of an opiod overdose. But otherwise, White-Ryan made few distinctions between substance addictions when it came to treatment, though she said society most certainly has.

“Is there different stigma for drinking than for other mood-altering drugs? Yes, absolutely,” she said. “‘Well at least he’s not using drugs,’ people will say, even though alcohol is a central nervous system depressant, yet heroin is considered the bottom of the barrel.”

Substance abuse research has shown that mood altering substances changes the structure and function of the brain, regardless of the drug, she said. And while opioids remain in headlines, other addictions require equal attention from social workers, as well as similar treatment.

“It’s not just a series of techniques, it’s a way of being with clients. You are the ones who can engage with the clients and their families,” she said to the audience of GSS students, practitioners, and county officials. “We know that confrontation doesn’t work, so we need to meet people where they’re at and as social workers we’re very good at that—it’s what we do.”

The event, titled “Practice Across the Lifespan: Intergenerational Work in Action,” will take place on Wed., March 9, at Fordham’s Westchester campus from 11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. National policy and best practices will be discussed in lectures an breakout sessions.

“We often silo child welfare and care for the aging,” said Janna Heyman, PhD, professor and director of the Ravazzin Center. “What we’re trying to foster is a way to blend the services.”

Heyman said that several studies have shown that it is mutually beneficial for children and older adults to work together on crafts, story times, dance, and play. Many of the programs she studies often operate at the same site, rather than bussing the children in from another location to be with the older adults.

“There’s a lot or rich opportunities, not just for families, but also in the broader sense of the community,” said Heyman.

She added that in the past there may have been a custom of parents living in the home to take care of grandchildren, but new programming is far larger scope bringing the custom into the community. She added that avoiding duplication of services is also a practical matter.

“Many retirees find it extremely beneficial to help students with their reading and some of the youth help the adults become computer literate,” she said. “But while there may be savings in cost, more importantly there is the value of enriching lives.”

The event is also sponsored by New York State Intergenerational Network and the Westchester County Livable Communities Intergenerational Collaborative. To resister email [email protected] or call 914-367-3364.

When one thinks of Westchester County, leafy suburbs and grand homes often come to mind. In fact, the high cost of living has increased the risk of homelessness for young people in foster care, said Janna Heyman, PhD, associate dean of the Graduate School of Social Service and director of Children FIRST.

“Everybody thinks of Westchester and they think its privileged, but because the rents are so high it makes it harder for people to find homes,” said Heyman.

Two years ago the federal government funded 18 projects across the country to identify the risk factors and reduce homelessness among youth. Westchester Building Futures was one of the projects funded. The Westchester County Department of Social Services invited Children FIRST to take the lead in examining the problem and identifying factors that could help.

“All of this work was done with the involvement of foster care youth, whose voices helped shape the direction of the entire initiative,” said Heyman. “They were our partners and we relied on their input.”

The county and Fordham received the grant 18 months ago, with Children FIRST receiving $250,000 to evaluate and assess the program. The group will finish the second year of the program in October and has already applied for an extension to continue.

At the beginning of the program four young people who were once homeless were engaged in the project, and they took on the name “Bravehearts.” They now have more than 100 participating peer counselors. Youth who were once homeless, help homeless youth to successfully navigate the complex bureaucracy surrounding services.

“Homeless youth usually don’t have anyone they feel comfortable talking to about their situation,” said Heyman. “So having someone who has been through this previously is a very good person to help.”

A $1 million contract with New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services (ACS), which started on April 1, calls for Children FIRST to provide a series of ongoing training projects, including sexual abuse training, on-site consulting in the ACS office, and logistical support for the city’s OIC (Officer In Charge) training programs.

The second award consists of a subcontract with the State University of New York at Stony Brook for $256,248 to do “Sexual Abuse Dynamics and Intervention Training” workshops during the 2009 calendar year.

“Each year approximately six million children—eight percent of all children in the United States—are abused, neglected or mistreated,” said Jane Edwards, MSW, DSW, interim director of Children FIRST and assistant dean at the Westchester campus. “These children grow into adults who may face one or more debilitating circumstances.  Intervening responsibly in cases of child abuse and neglect is essential to our nation’s social health, and Fordham is grateful for service collaborators and financial partners to help prepare social workers to make a difference.”

Fordham’s Children FIRST program, headquartered at the Westchester campus, provides in-service training to help identify child abuse, neglect and maltreatment. Its programs specialize in training caseworkers in foster care, adoption and children protection, and child-centered workers in the fields of mental health, legal and law enforcement, medicine and education.

The program provides training, as required by New York state law, for “mandated reporters” of child abuse and neglect, both on-site at the Fordham campus and off-site at an organization’s request.

According to Ken Lau, LCSW, Children FIRST’s program director, the contract with Stony Brook is being used to train caseworkers in all areas of the state to work with victims, families and offenders in the area of child sex abuse. Lau, who has developed, written and piloted the project, will give 20 mandatory workshops to public agencies and private agencies contracted with the state.

In addition, Children FIRST has received a $100,000 anonymous donation to provide scholarships to advanced-year MSW students preparing to practice in Westchester County.

“Many of our students add the master’s program to an already full plate of full-time employment, family commitments and active community involvement,” said Edwards. “We are grateful to provide financial relief.”