9616L • Beyond Niceness: Rethinking Stigma Around Substance Use Disorders

Table of Contents

9616L • Beyond Niceness: Rethinking Stigma Around Substance Use Disorders

How to Receive Credit

Course Overview

Audience

Accreditations & Approvals

Designations of Credit

Individual State Behavioral Health Approvals

Course Objective

Learning Objectives

Faculty

Faculty Disclosure

Division Planners

Division Planners Disclosure

Director of Development and Academic Affairs

Director Disclosure Statement

About the Sponsor

Disclosure Statement

Implicit Bias in Health Care

1. INTRODUCTION

2. WEBINAR

3. SLIDES

Works Cited

9616L • Beyond Niceness: Rethinking Stigma Around Substance Use Disorders

Brooke Schaefer, MSN, MBA, FNP-C, CARN-AP, RN

www.netce.com

Copyright © 2026 NetCE, All rights reserved.

This live event takes place Friday, September 4, 5 pm-6 pm EDT (2 pm-3 pm PDT).

Explore the widespread stigma that people with substance use disorder (SUD) face when seeking treatment. This live webinar will shine a light on the complex aspects of stigma in healthcare and how it affects patients' experiences. We'll dig into the various challenges individuals encounter and how societal attitudes, biases in healthcare, and self-perceptions contribute to this complex issue. Join us as we uncover the layers of stigma that can make it harder for people to get the help they need for SUD and hinder their journey to recovery.

9616L • Beyond Niceness: Rethinking Stigma Around Substance Use Disorders

Education Category. Webinars

Release Date. 07/20/2026

Expiration Date. 09/15/2026

How to Receive Credit

To complete this course for continuing education credit please go to http://www.netce.com/course/3576 in your browser.

For assistance with receiving continuing education credit, please contact us at help@netce.com.

Course Overview

This live event takes place Friday, September 4, 5 pm-6 pm EDT (2 pm-3 pm PDT).

Explore the widespread stigma that people with substance use disorder (SUD) face when seeking treatment. This live webinar will shine a light on the complex aspects of stigma in healthcare and how it affects patients' experiences. We'll dig into the various challenges individuals encounter and how societal attitudes, biases in healthcare, and self-perceptions contribute to this complex issue. Join us as we uncover the layers of stigma that can make it harder for people to get the help they need for SUD and hinder their journey to recovery.

Audience

This live webinar is designed for mental and behavioral health professionals who would benefit from enhanced knowledge of the role of stigma in substance use disorder treatment.

Accreditations & Approvals

NetCE has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6361. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. NetCE is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. As a Jointly Accredited Organization, NetCE is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs. NetCE is accredited by the International Accreditors for Continuing Education and Training (IACET). NetCE complies with the ANSI/IACET Standard, which is recognized internationally as a standard of excellence in instructional practices. As a result of this accreditation, NetCE is authorized to issue the IACET CEU. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0021. This course is considered live online by the New York State Board of Mental Health Counseling. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0033. This course is considered live online, as defined by the New York State Board for Social Work. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed marriage and family therapists. #MFT-0015. This course is considered live online by the New York State Board of Marriage and Family Therapy. NetCE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0240. This course is considered live online by the New York State Board for Psychology.

Designations of Credit

NetCE designates this live event continuing education activity for 1 NBCC clock hour(s). NetCE designates this live event activity for 1 continuing education clock hours. Social workers participating in this intermediate to advanced course will receive 1 Clinical continuing education clock hours. NetCE is authorized by IACET to offer 0.1 CEU(s) for this program. NetCE designates this live continuing education activity for 1 credit(s).

Individual State Behavioral Health Approvals

In addition to states that accept ASWB, NetCE is approved as a provider of continuing education by the following state boards: Alabama State Board of Social Work Examiners, Provider #0515; Florida Board of Clinical Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapy and Mental Health Counseling, CE Broker Provider #50-2405; Illinois Division of Professional Regulation for Social Workers, License #159.001094; Illinois Division of Professional Regulation for Licensed Professional and Clinical Counselors, License #197.000185; Illinois Division of Professional Regulation for Marriage and Family Therapists, License #168.000190;

Course Objective

The purpose of this course is to provide the healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary to sensitively care of persons with substance use disorder, reducing stigma, promoting empathy, and ultimately improving outcomes.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

1. Identify misconceptions surrounding substance use disorder (SUD), particularly those contributing to stigma, such as the perception of addiction as a result of moral weakness or lack of willpower.

2. Identify and articulate specific knowledge gaps revealed in the needs assessment, with a focus on understanding the complex interplay of genetic, environmental, and neurobiological factors contributing to SUD.

3. Identify common misconceptions and inaccurate stereotypes surrounding individuals with SUD, such as viewing addiction as a result of moral weakness, a lack of willpower, or a choice rather than a medical condition.

4. Summarize a comprehensive set of advocacy strategies to effectively promote accurate understanding of SUD and reduce associated stigma.

Faculty

Brooke Schaefer, MSN, MBA, FNP-C, CARN-AP, RN, lives in central Indiana with her family and runs a small homestead with a menagerie of animals. She runs CHOICE: Recovery for Mothers through Community Health Network, and is the founder of Lily Pond, a patient comfort closet, and Legacy, a continuation of CHOICE programming. She is a family nurse practitioner, a certified addictions nurse practitioner, and has an MBA.

Faculty Disclosure

Contributing faculty, Brooke Schaefer, MSN, MBA, FNP-C, CARN-AP, RN, has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Division Planners

Kimberly Byrd, EdD, PMSW

Scott Deatherage, PhD

Candace Pierce, DNP, RN, CNE, COI

Robin McCormick, DNP, RN

Division Planners Disclosure

The division planners have disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

Director of Development and Academic Affairs

Sarah Campbell

Director Disclosure Statement

The Director of Development and Academic Affairs has disclosed no relevant financial relationship with any product manufacturer or service provider mentioned.

About the Sponsor

The purpose of NetCE is to provide challenging curricula to assist healthcare professionals to raise their levels of expertise while fulfilling their continuing education requirements, thereby improving the quality of healthcare.

Our contributing faculty members have taken care to ensure that the information and recommendations are accurate and compatible with the standards generally accepted at the time of publication. The publisher disclaims any liability, loss or damage incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents. Participants are cautioned about the potential risk of using limited knowledge when integrating new techniques into practice.

Disclosure Statement

It is the policy of NetCE not to accept commercial support. Furthermore, commercial interests are prohibited from distributing or providing access to this activity to learners.

Implicit Bias in Health Care

The role of implicit biases on healthcare outcomes has become a concern, as there is some evidence that implicit biases contribute to health disparities, professionals' attitudes toward and interactions with patients, quality of care, diagnoses, and treatment decisions. This may produce differences in help-seeking, diagnoses, and ultimately treatments and interventions. Implicit biases may also unwittingly produce professional behaviors, attitudes, and interactions that reduce patients' trust and comfort with their provider, leading to earlier termination of visits and/or reduced adherence and follow-up. Disadvantaged groups are marginalized in the healthcare system and vulnerable on multiple levels; health professionals' implicit biases can further exacerbate these existing disadvantages.

Interventions or strategies designed to reduce implicit bias may be categorized as change-based or control-based. Change-based interventions focus on reducing or changing cognitive associations underlying implicit biases. These interventions might include challenging stereotypes. Conversely, control-based interventions involve reducing the effects of the implicit bias on the individual's behaviors. These strategies include increasing awareness of biased thoughts and responses. The two types of interventions are not mutually exclusive and may be used synergistically.

1. INTRODUCTION

Explore the widespread stigma that people with substance use disorder (SUD) face when seeking treatment. This live webinar will shine a light on the complex aspects of stigma in healthcare and how it affects patients' experiences. We'll dig into the various challenges individuals encounter and how societal attitudes, biases in healthcare, and self-perceptions contribute to this complex issue. Join us as we uncover the layers of stigma that can make it harder for people to get the help they need for SUD and hinder their journey to recovery.

2. WEBINAR

To see this media go to http://www.NetCE.com/activities/ using a browser that supports Adobe Flash.

3. SLIDES

The slides from this webinar are available here.

Works Cited

1. American Psychiatric Association. Opioid Use Disorder. Available at https://www.psychiatry.org/patients-families/opioid-use-disorder.

2. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD). Available at https://www.cdc.gov/opioids/framework/surveillance-research/moud-study.html.

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Stigma Reduction. Available at https://www.cdc.gov/stopoverdose/stigma/index.html.

4. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Stigma of Addiction. Available at https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/stigma-of-addiction.

5. National Institute on Drug Abuse. Medications to Treat Opioid Use Disorder Research Report: Overview. Available at https://nida.nih.gov/publications/research-reports/medications-to-treat-opioid-addiction/overview.

6. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. SAMHSA's National Helpline. Available at https://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/helplines/national-helpline.