Harvard Divinity School to Host Faith-Based Training on Substance Misuse Response

Harvard Divinity School will host its first Faith-Based Support Specialist Training Conference in June, partnering with the Agency for Substance Abuse Prevention to train religious leaders and public health workers to respond to substance misuse.

The one-day training — developed by ASAP in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Mental Health — brings together faith leaders, spiritual caregivers, and public health practitioners for instruction in prevention strategies, treatment referrals, and overdose response.

Associate Dean for Ministry Studies Theodore N. “Teddy” Hickman-Maynard said people in crisis often turn first to clergy and community institutions rather than medical providers — a pattern the training is designed to address.

“When people are going through crises, including those who are suffering from substance abuse disorders, the first place they go often is not to a formal or official medical center for treatment,” Hickman-Maynard said. “That means their first point of contact when they’re in crisis is a local religious institution or community center or civic group.”

ASAP initially sought to partner with HDS as a host site to reach broader regional and alumni networks. Hosting the conference fits the school’s effort to extend training programs beyond its own students, Hickman-Maynard added.

“We want to extend our ability to train religious leaders and ethical leaders and caregivers beyond just our own students,” he said.

ASAP launched the program in March 2022 in Anniston and Oxford, Ala., and has since trained religious leaders in several states. Executive Director Seyram Selase said the initiative grew out of a gap between public health systems and faith communities.

“When people are in moments of crises, one of the first places they often turn is their faith community,” Selase said. “If we’re not educating our faith leaders, our religious leaders, on how to get individuals the help that they need, then we are missing it.”

Selase said the organization hopes to see the model adopted nationwide.

Reverend Eugene Jacobs, an ASAP Faith-Based Support Specialist ambassador, said clergy can either help or hinder people seeking help during a crisis.

“As a leader of faith, we can be a bridge between hurt and healing, or we can be the gap between hurt and healing,” Jacobs said.

The training will also cover the administration of naloxone, an opioid antagonist sold under the brand name Narcan that can rapidly reverse an overdose. Equipping faith leaders to use it, Selase said, expands the scope of their pastoral role.

“Imagine faith leaders learning actually how to apply Narcan,” he said. “They’re not only saving the spiritual life, they’re saving the physical life.”

Hickman-Maynard said HDS and ASAP are discussing bringing the training back annually.

“We wanted the training to be effective, so if we do it on an annual basis, then we’re able to keep the training really in depth and practice oriented, but also try to reach more people by making it a regular occurrence,” he said.

—Staff writer Alexandria J. Villasenor can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at ajv.03.