This Listening Session addresses the emotional, cognitive, and professional impact of opioid-related crises on those working in prevention, treatment, and recovery, including clinicians, peers, first responders, and systems leaders. Drawing from suicide postvention frameworks and lived experience, the session explores the invisible injuries of care work, such as compassion fatigue, secondary trauma, and moral distress. Attendees will hear from colleagues who have navigated the grief and ethical ambiguity that follow overdose loss or suicide, while also gaining insight into sustainable work-life integration practices and emotional recovery strategies.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify signs of compassion fatigue, moral injury, and cumulative stress among behavioral health providers and peer supporters, with special focus on post-crisis environments (SAMHSA, 2020).
- Apply evidence-informed postvention strategies following client overdose death or suicide, including emotional processing, role-based protocols, and peer support (Suicide Prevention Resource Center, 2023).
- Explore individual and organizational practices that support sustainable work-life balance, emotional recovery, and retention of frontline professionals.
Moderator:
Bianca D. McCall, LMFT is a retired professional women’s basketball player. She is an international TED Speaker, and renowned mental health researcher and expert. Bianca is a licensed clinical therapist, with 25 years in Behavioral Health, and 12 years as a Healthcare CEO. In recent years, she has grown significantly in the digital health space, and created a first-of-its-kind social-emotional platform, designed to improve human health span.
For more than a decade, her work and research has been dedicated to psychological (mental) injury prevention and the discovery of innovations addressing existential isolation. Bianca is passionate about leading projects which promote ongoing research in mental injury prevention, integration of technologies, data analytics, and the discovery of culturally and linguistically responsive crisis interventions. Bianca represents Nevada, on national committees and namely the Suicide Prevention Resource Center; designated by SAMHSA, and Steering Committee for the U.S. Department of Public Health and is a contributor to the National Strategies for Suicide Prevention in areas of Clinical Education, Provider Standards, and Technology. Bianca is a subject matter expert, a curriculum developer, and instructor in higher education with the Centers for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies (CASAT), Region 9, housed at the University of Nevada, Reno.
Panelists:
Altamit Lewis, MS, LCPC
Altamit Lewis is a licensed clinical professional counselor and subject matter expert in behavioral health, trauma-informed care, and workforce wellness. With over 15 years of experience spanning crisis intervention, EAP services, and behavioral health program management, she brings a grounded, systems-informed perspective to the challenges faced by first responders, healthcare workers, and helping professionals. Altamit has led initiatives for state Medicaid programs, military family systems, and large healthcare organizations, emphasizing cultural responsiveness, emotional resilience, and sustainable care models.
She currently serves as CEO of Source Energy Consultant Services and as a field-based consultant providing short-term therapy and critical incident support to USPS employees. Her work combines clinical insights with policy-level strategies. A passionate educator and facilitator, Altamit is a published author and has led numerous workshops on mental health topics, effective communication, emotional intelligence, and more. Altamit holds a Master’s in Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. She is licensed in both Nevada and Maryland.
Jennifer Coston, PRSS / CHW
Jen Coston is a dedicated Peer Recovery Support Specialist and mental health advocate with nearly 5 years in sustained recovery. After battling addiction and untreated mental health issues for many years, Jen has rebuilt her life through perseverance, support, and a commitment to healing. Her lived experience is what now fuels her passion for helping others navigate their own journeys toward wellness. For the past four years, Jen has worked with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), serving on the Nevada Warmline and providing compassionate, non judgmental support to individuals facing mental health challenges, emotional distress, isolation and everyday life. In this role, she uses her expertise in peer support, active listening, crisis prevention, and empowerment-based approaches to meet people where they are. Jen’s work is grounded in authenticity, empathy, and the belief that recovery is not only possible but transformative. Her personal journey has given her the ability to connect with others, offer hope, and model resilience. Today, she continues to advocate for accessible mental health resources, stigma reduction, and the vital importance of peer-led support. Jen is honored to share her story, insights and provide any feedback in the efforts to help others in need of support.
Trudy Gilbert-Eliot, PhD, LMFT, LCADC
Trudy Gilbert-Eliot, PhD, LMFT, LCADC located in Las Vegas, Nevada, specializes in working with First Responders: police, fire, EMS, physicians, and other hospital personnel. She has responded to many critical incidents to debrief workers such as armed robberies, mass shootings, plane crash, and officer involved shootings. She has extensively trained in Trauma including CBT, PE, EMDR, CPT, EFT, and DBT. She provides workshops on various trauma-related topics including Secondary Trauma, Trauma-informed Treatment, ASAM, Co-occurring Disorders, and Self-Care for Clinicians. She is the author of two books: Healing Secondary Trauma and Trauma Recovery Journal.
Continuing Education Units: 2 CEUs
This training is approved for continuing education by the boards listed here. This training is also approved by the Nevada Certification board for the following certifications
- Certified Community Health Workers (CHW)
- Peer Recovery and Support Specialist Certification and PRSS Supervisors (PRSS(-S)
- Birth Doula
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.