A Workshop With Dr. Gabor Maté

Two Day Online Workshop, Three Hours Per Day | 6 APA/BBS CEs Available

6 APA/BBS CEs are available for an additional fee of $30. After you register for the workshop, your confirmation email from Eventbrite will contain a link to the site where you can purchase the APA/BBS CEs from our co-sponsor, Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA). APA/BBS CEs may be purchased at any time before the workshop, but only those who have purchased in advance will receive the credits. See below for details.

For 12 years Dr. Gabor Maté was the staff physician at a clinic for drug-addicted people in Vancouver, British Columbia’s Downtown Eastside, where he worked with patients challenged by hard-core drug addiction, mental illness, and HIV, including at Vancouver’s Supervised Injection Site.  

In his most recent bestselling book In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts, Dr. Maté shows that their addictions do not represent a discrete set of medical disorders; rather, they merely reflect the extreme end of a continuum of addiction—mostly hidden—that runs throughout our society. In his work, Dr. Maté draws on cutting-edge science to illuminate where and how addictions originate and what they have in common.  

Contrary to what is often claimed, the source of addictions is not to be found in genes, but in the early childhood environment where the neurobiology of the brain’s reward pathways develops and where the emotional patterns that lead to addiction are wired into the unconscious. Stress—both then and later in life—creates the predisposition for addictions, whether to drugs, alcohol, nicotine, or to behavioral addictions such as shopping or sex.  

Helping the addicted individual requires that we appreciate the function of the addiction in their life. Once we recognize the roots of addiction and the lack it strives to fill, we can develop a compassionate approach toward the addict, one that stands the best chance of restoring them to wholeness and health.  

Join Dr. Maté for an interactive workshop exploring his biopsychosocial perspective on addiction. Understand the source of addictions and what happens chemically and physiologically in the brains of people with substance dependency or behavior addiction. Examine the development of the addicted mind: how early childhood experiences shape the brain; the false “blessings” of addiction as experienced by the addict (e.g., as emotional anesthetic, as personality booster, as social lubricant, and so on).  

Join us and Dr. Maté as we explore the continuum of addiction and compassionate approaches to wholeness and health for addicted individuals. 
 
This workshop is suitable for anyone interested in understanding addiction and for those supporting clients with addiction. 

Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Healthcare professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in ways beneficial to clients or patients.
 

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Dr. Gabor Maté is a retired physician who, after 20 years of family practice and palliative care experience, worked for over a decade in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side with patients challenged by drug addiction and mental illness. The bestselling author of five books published in nearly 40 languages, including the award-winning In the Realm of Hungry Ghosts: Close Encounters with Addiction, Dr. Maté is an internationally renowned speaker highly sought after for his expertise on addiction, trauma, childhood development, and the relationship of stress and illness. For his ground-breaking medical work and writing he has been awarded the Order of Canada, his country’s highest civilian distinction, and the Civic Merit Award from his hometown, Vancouver. His most recent book, The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in a Toxic Culture is a New York Times and international bestseller. His next book, co-written with his son Daniel, will be Hello Again: A Fresh Start for Adult Children and Their Parents, based on their popular workshop. Learn more about Dr. Maté by exploring his website.  

CE Information

Teachings are appropriate for healthcare professionals as well as the general public. Healthcare professionals will be able to incorporate the tools and practices offered in this program in ways beneficial to clients or patients.

Learning Objectives: By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the sources of addiction and what happens chemically and physiologically in the brains of people with substance dependency or behavior addiction. 
2. List the false “blessings” of addiction as experienced by the addict (e.g., as emotional anesthetic, as personality booster, as social lubricant, etc). 
3. Demonstrate a therapeutic relationship in which healing is possible and how to encourage the addict to take responsibility. 
4. Describe the development of the addicted mind, in particular how early childhood experiences shape the brain. 
5. Discuss the social basis of addiction in economic, cultural and political dislocation and disempowerment. 
6. Explain the prevention of addiction, both in adolescence and before. 

Information on Continuing Education Credit for Health Professionals

• CEs for psychologists are provided by the Spiritual Competency Academy (SCA) which is co-sponsoring this program. The Spiritual Competency Academy is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Spiritual Competency Academy maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
• The California Board of Behavioral Sciences accepts CEs for LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFT license renewal for programs offered by approved sponsors of Continuing Education by the American Psychological Association.
• LCSW, LPCC, LEP, and LMFTs, and other mental health professionals from states other than California need to check with their state licensing board as to whether or not they accept programs offered by approved sponsors of Continuing Education by the American Psychological Association.
• SCA is approved by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN Provider CEP16887) for licensed nurses in California. RNs must retain their certificate of attendance for 4 years after the course concludes.
• For questions about completing the CE evaluation materials for this course, as well as receiving your Certificate of Attendance, contact CIIS Public Programs at publicprograms@ciis.edu. For other questions about CEs, visit https://www.spiritualcompetencyacademy.com/ or contact Spiritual Competency Academy at info@spiritualcompetencyacademy.com. 
• CEs are only available for participants who attend the live workshop in-person or on Zoom. CEs cannot be issued to participants who view a recording of a workshop.

Important Event Information

Spiritual Competency Academy CE Issuance Policy 

SCA can issue the Continuing Education units that have been purchased within 3 months of the associated workshop. Please note that if you would like to purchase CEs anytime after 3 months past the event date, there is an additional $20 administrative fee.

Accessibility Information

If you need to request accessibility accommodations, please email publicprograms@ciis.edu at least one week prior to the event. For more information, explore our Accessibility web page.

Recording Policy

Portions of this workshop will be recorded, and limited access to a recording will be made available to those who attend the live event. CEs are only available for participants who attend the live workshop in-person or on Zoom. CEs cannot be issued to participants who view a recording of a workshop.

Refund Policy

Tickets are fully refundable up to 7 days prior to the event start. Within 7 days of the event, a 50% partial refund is available. No refunds are available within 24 hours of the event start. Read our full refund policy at our Frequently Asked Sections on our About Us web page.