Opioid Affected Youth Initiative: Answering the Call

Episode 1: It's Not Us and Them, It's Just Us

October 03, 2022 OAYI TTA Team Episode 1
Opioid Affected Youth Initiative: Answering the Call
Episode 1: It's Not Us and Them, It's Just Us
Show Notes

The Opioid Affected Youth Initiative’s nine-segment podcast series, Answering the Call, seeks to examine the roles and perspectives of first responders, marginalized communities, and justice systems, as well as the role of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention in the opioid crisis.  

In this episode, “It’s Not Us and Them, It’s Just Us,” Jesse Fairchild, LCPC, weighs in on the opioid crisis and its impact on youth and families across the country.  As a mental health professional and first responder, Ms. Fairchild is adamant about shifting from a culture of shaming to a culture of supporting.  In this segment, she focuses on the impact of trauma and the importance of taking a holistic approach to promoting healing and reducing stigma by integrating strategies that strengthen families and offer support to avoid dismantling the family unit.