As Drug Courts mature, and we struggle through the pandemic, longer-term issues of team continuity and
growth take on increased importance. A more informal work environment, increased accessibility in the
context of a dual criminal justice and drug treatment environment, the difficulties of coping with relapse
and overdose, issues of counter transference, and the effects of vicarious trauma impact upon this.
Dealing with abstinence as a distal, proximal, or mastered goal requires a further understanding of the
context of relapse and a re-examining of a practitioner’s standard of success. Self-care and team wellness
strategies, in light of these stressors, will be discussed along with how teams can effectively address the
accompanying adjourning phase of Tuckman’s group (team) development model when loss occurs.
 

Learning Objectives:
• Define vicarious trauma.
• Define counter transference.
• State the difference between a relapse and a slip.
• Identify a feeling they have when a participant relapses.
• State that the relapse rate for most substance use disorders is 40-60%.
• Identify strategies for leadership to take when loss occurs.

Joe Lunievicz, BS, RYT, is a project director for the National Drug Court
Institute (NDCI), a division of the National Association of Drug Court
Professionals (NADCP). The former executive director of NDRI-USA
and deputy executive director for programs at ACRIA, Mr. Lunievicz
specializes in the translation of research into practice. He has 30
years’ experience in technical assistance and training in drug
treatment, including medication-assisted treatment (MAT), harm
reduction, and HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention. Mr. Lunievicz was

previously a consultant conducting capacity building with not-for-
profits nationally, and he is vice president of the board of directors for

the nonprofit Stop Stigma Now, focused on the social justice issues of
the opioid epidemic and the stigma of both opioid use and the MATs
used to treat opioid use disorders. He was on the faculty of NADCP for 15 years, using his frontline and
leadership experience to develop curriculum such as Cultural Proficiency for Drug Court Practitioners and
Briefings: Law Enforcement Officers’ Patrol Essentials for Treatment Courts. He also teaches workshops
for treatment courts on implicit bias, cultural competency, trauma-Informed care, working with young
adults in drug court, team building, treatment modalities, understanding and coping with participant
relapse, working with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender participants, and presentation skills.

Options