This 2‑hour virtual training centers grief, loss, and complex emotions in Native communities—and in the lives of helpers themselves—in the context of ongoing trauma, overdose deaths, and substance use. Blending Indigenous trauma science, grief practices, and Western neuroscience (such as the window of tolerance and nervous system responses), we will focus on both provider wellness and usable skills.
Participants will explore the difference between trauma‑informed and healing‑centered approaches, and will leave with concrete co‑regulation tools and grief‑aware practices they can bring into their work with Native communities in Nevada, including conversations about opioid use, treatment, and recovery.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Differentiate between trauma‑informed and healing‑centered approaches to grief in Native communities, particularly in the context of overdose deaths and substance‑related losses.
- Describe how grief and historical trauma can show up in bodies, emotions, behaviors, and relationships for Indigenous clients and for providers themselves—and how this impacts engagement in opioid‑related services.
- Identify at least two concrete practices they can use to co‑regulate with clients (and themselves) during times of grief, crisis, or emotional overwhelm, including when discussing opioid use and treatment options.
- Develop at least one realistic commitment for integrating grief‑aware, culturally grounded practices into their work settings to support both client healing and provider sustainability in opioid‑related and behavioral health work.
Intended Audience: Behavioral health providers, healthcare providers, peer support specialists, community health workers, and others working with tribal communities in Nevada, with particular relevance for rural and tribal partners.
Presentation Format: This session will take place in a Zoom meeting format. Participants will have access to camera and audio, though neither is required. For more information on the use of Zoom please visit the Getting Started with Zoom Videoconferencing Software section of our website
Presented by: Casandra (Cas) Stouder, ORN Consultant, Tribal Southwest (Region 9), Diné (Navajo) & Seminole
Casandra (Cas) Stouder is Diné (Navajo) and Seminole and has spent more than 24 years working alongside Indigenous communities through trauma, addiction, recovery, and systems change. She is an Indigenous wellness consultant and Trauma & Systems Transformation Facilitator, and serves as a Technical Support Specialist with the Opioid Response Network (Southwest), supporting tribal communities in designing culturally grounded substance use and opioid‑related prevention and healing initiatives.
Cas has delivered over 1,000 professional trainings and supported more than 1,900 community wellness and prevention efforts. Her work braids ACEs/NEAR science, Indigenous trauma science, Medicine Wheel‑based brain frameworks, and somatic practice with traditional knowledge. She has developed multiple Indigenous recovery and wellness programs, including Sacred Path to Recovery and Medicine Wheel Wellness, and serves as an Arizona ACEs Educational Trainer and Indigenous Community Subcommittee Chair for the Arizona ACEs Consortium.
A Native woman in long‑term recovery, Cas brings deep lived experience, ceremony, and careful, prayerful practice to her work. She is recognized as Arizona’s Preeminent Health Innovation Leader (2025) and Best Rural Women’s Health Practitioner (2025).
Continuing Education Units: 2 CEUs
This training is approved for continuing education by the boards listed here.
Funding for this activity was made possible in whole or in part by the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Director’s Office through the Fund for a Resilient Nevada, established in Nevada Revised Statutes 433.712 through 433.744. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in our courses are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Nevada Opioid Center of Excellence or its funders.