On 10th July 2020 in Jakarta, the National Guideline for Drug Dependence Treatment during COVID-19 pandemic was officially launched together with His Excellency Mr. Juliari P. Batubara, Minister of Social Affairs, His Excellency Mr. Heru Winarko, Chief of National Narcotics Board, and Mr. Collie Brown, UNODC Country Manager for Indonesia. At the beginning of launch event, the guideline was introduced through a web seminar with attendance of over 260 participants from various agencies. Then, continued with the official launch ceremony, the guideline was signed by the Minister of Social Affairs...

The Basic Level UTC series consists of eight courses that cover the broad spectrum of treatment for substance use disorders. The content and methodology of the UTC training series are designed to ensure that addiction practitioners develop a balanced perspective of the principles relating to both the science and art of treatment.

Course 1: Physiology and Pharmacology for Addiction Professionals

Course 2: Treatment for Substance Use Disorders–The Continuum of Care for Addiction Professionals

Course 3: Common Co-occurring Mental and Medical Disorders- An Overview for Addiction Professionals

The Advanced Level UTC series is a set of courses, which offers a specialised training provision that aims to provide an in-depth continuing education with the latest information and skills-based activities to further enhance the capacity of the treatment workforce and standardise the quality of care and services they provide for their clients.

The courses are as follows:

• Pharmacology and Substance Use Disorders
• Managing Medication Assisted Treatment Programs
• Enhancing Motivational Interviewing Skills
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
• Contingency Management
• Working with Families
• Skills...

Following the successful feasibility study in Indonesia on family therapy for youths with drug use disorders, Vietnam is the second country that rolls out a similar study as a way to offer more evidence-based, effective treatment alternative for drug use disorders.

The study was smoothly kicked start with a training for treatment practitioners who later provide support to youths and families with drug use disorders.  Unfortunately, when the research team started with the recruitment of patients and their families, they met with a big hurdle: the Covid 19 pandemic was seriously effecting...

The Drug Advisory Programme (DAP) of the Colombo Plan in collaboration with the National Narcotics Board of the Republic of Indonesia (BNN) has successfully conducted the first online echo training for the CHILD curriculum on Course 1: Interventions for Children with Substance Use Disorders in Indonesia. This initiative is carried out to ensure that international treatment capacity building continued uninterrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

The first course of the CHILD curriculum addresses the need for treatment professionals to alter intervention techniques to accommodate the...

Since the beginning of June 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) together with the Indonesian Association of Addiction Counsellors (Ikatan Konselor Adiksi Indonesia - IKAI) has been remotely discussing the development of remote training on Universal Treatment Curriculum (UTC). This initiative is based on the high demand from practitioners to continue with capacity building initiatives to receive an official national certification for addiction counsellors, even amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Since March 2020, all conventional/face to face trainings have been suspended due...

In 2018, Mombasa planned to set up a methadone programme for heroin injecting drug users living in prisons. As a follow up, UNODC worked together with the County of Mombasa and the Kenya Prison Service in 2019, to support and expand Medically Assisted Therapy (MAT) service provision to the prison population. 

Understanding that people in prison settings who use MAT services in the public-dedicated clinic could be unnecessarily put at risk of infection, and in the context of the COVID-19 mitigation and prevention measures implemented country-wise, UNODC collaborated with the Kenya Prison...

In today’s conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic and necessary quarantine measures taken by the Government of Kazakhstan psychosocial support and assistance, as well as self-education of stress management, supportive communication with each other and expert advice often become a necessity.  In this regard the Republican Scientific-practical Centre on Mental Health – a main partner of the UNODC global project GLOJ71 – “Treating drug dependence and its health consequences: Treatnet II” – initiated the establishment of the website “Psychological support and assistance during COVID-19” (https:/...

THE TREATMENT ORGANISATION IS THE HEALING CONTEXT

Seminal and key research on how treatment organisations create an environment affecting whether staff and alcohol-dependent patients realise their potential. Starts with the US resource which has done most to promote evidence-based improvements in treatment at the level of whole organisations. Highlights “Exceptionally seminal” British studies from the early 1970s, whose findings on generating commitment to working with drinkers have repeatedly been confirmed. Then addresses three key issues:
- What do we know about the ‘engaging organisation’...