The Marblehead Police and Public Health departments will offer a second six-week educational series aimed at helping residents better understand addiction, recovery and resources available in the community.
“Understanding Addiction and Recovery” will meet on Zoom Tuesdays from 7-8 p.m., beginning Oct. 20 and continuing through Nov. 24. The program is free and open to the public.
The series follows a similar program launched in February and will cover the signs and symptoms of substance-use disorders, the science of addiction and recovery, the impact on families and communities, how to respond to someone who may be struggling and local resources for help.
Sessions will be led by Michelle Simons, a licensed alcohol and drug counselor and addiction studies educator who serves as Swampscott’s opioid settlement fund project coordinator, and Gina Rabbitt, a licensed mental health clinician with Beth Israel Lahey Health who is embedded with the Marblehead Police Department as its jail diversion clinician and co-responder.
“This series plays an important role in reshaping conversations around addiction to focus on empathy and understanding simply by raising awareness of what addiction may look like,” Police Chief Dennis King said.
For more information, contact Simons at michelle.simons24@gmail.com or Rabbitt at RabbittG@marbleheadma.gov.
