Emerging Drugs of Abuse and Current Drug Trends (In-person Workshop)

Workshop Overview

The goal of this interactive workshop will discuss the latest developments and information regarding synthetic cannabinoids, opioids, stimulants, benzodiazepines, and drugs that don’t fall so neatly into classifications such as Kratom. Other emerging drugs that have been showing up recently along with emerging adulterant information (e.g., Xylazine and Medetomidine).  Workshop participants will be introduced to the physiology of these drugs and how they can possibly impact, mimic and exacerbate mental health disorders such as anxiety and depressive disorders.  Epidemiologic trends in drug abuse in both youth and adults will be discussed as will the latest trends both on the national and local levels.

NOTE: This course satisfies the statutory requirement of one contact hour being in education programs or topics concerning prescription opioid drugs, including the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion. This is pursuant to P.L. 2017, c. 341 for both LPCs 2[12.] 11.2 and LCSWs 2[11.] 10.2.
 

Workshop Objectives:

By attending this conference you will be able to do the following:

  1. 1.Workshop participants will be able to differentiate the major elements the Federal Government uses when classifying drugs from schedule 1 through schedule 5.

  2. 2.Workshop participants will be able to identify three different energy drinks w/alcohol & their side effects.

  3. 3.Workshop participants will be able to identify at least two differences (in terms of negative effects) that occur with the ingestion of synthetic cannabinoids.

  4. 4.Workshop participants will be able to identify which class of drugs synthetic cannabinoids & bath salts (synthetic cathinones) are classified under in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

  5. 5.Workshop participants will be able to differentiate differences that drugs of abuse such as Adderall, Oxycodone and Suboxone are classified under in the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

  6. 6.Workshop participants will be able to list three negative side effects of each drug listed in this lecture.

  7. 7.Workshop participants will be able to list and describe two different best practice therapy approaches regarding counseling clients who are abusing these emerging substances of abuse.

  8. 8.Workshop participants will be able to verbalize current legal issues both locally and nationally as they relate to using these emerging substances of abuse.

  9. 9.Workshop participants will be able to list and identify three street names and at least one route of administration of the research chemicals covered in this lecture.

 

Workshop Date

August 4, 2025
Workshop hours: 9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.
 

Workshop Location:

DoubleTree Hilton, 700 Hope Road, Tinton Falls, NJ 07724
 

Registration Information:

Click Here for the Brochure!

Click Here to Register Online
 

Credentialing Information:

This course is approved for 5 NBCC Clock Hours (LPC, LAC, LCADC, CADC, LMFT) of continuing education (NBCC Provider #6532). Social Workers: This workshop is currently not approved by the ASWB but an application has been submitted.
 
Course Content Level:

Social Workers: Course content for this workshop is beginner/intermediate level.

Cancellation/Reimbursement Policy:

Valid requests must be received in writing/email within seven (7) days of course date. Late requests for this 1 day workshop can only bring in a substitute attendee or receive credit for a future workshop date. All refunds are subject to a $15.00 processing fee. If paid by credit card, an additional $4.04 fee will be assessed to cover the cost of PayPal processing charges on credit cards. Refund requests require 2-3 weeks processing time and will be issued as a check as is our policy.

Privacy Policy:

Advanced Counselor Training keeps all information private. None of your information will go out to any other vendors, marketers, or other 3rd party applications or programs. On-line sign-up is done via a secured, encrypted server and any hard copy information sent to Advanced Counselor Training is stored in a locked, secure location.

Grievance Policy:

Valid grievance requests must be received in writing/email within ten days of workshop date, or can be provided in person directly after the workshop. Every attempt will be made to resolve a grievance with a complainant at the time of the grievance. Should this not be resolved, the complainant will be provided further grievance procedures to follow including contacting the Licensed Professional Counselor Committee at the Division of Consumer Affairs at (973) 504-6415, and/or contacting NBCC at (336) 547-0607, to report the nature of the unresolved grievance.

Any social worker not pleased with the complaint resolution provided by Advanced Counselor Training, LLC may appeal to the CE accrediting entity or their jurisdictional board. The State Board of Social Worker Examiners at the Division of Consumer Affairs can be reached at (973) 504-6495.

Disability Accommodations:
If you need any accommodations due to a disability, please contact Advanced Counselor Training, LLC upon registration to the workshop. We can be reached at 732-544-2189 or via email at info@clinicalsupervisor.net.
 
ABOUT THE PRESENTER: Glenn Duncan LPC, LCADC, CCS, ACS has been working in the behavioral healthcare field for thirty three years. He has lectured nationally on many topics including clinical supervision. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Licensed Clinical Alcohol/Drug Counselor, a Certified Clinical Supervisor, and an Approved Clinical Supervisor. For 15 years, Glenn served as the Executive Director of Hunterdon Drug Awareness Program, Inc. As Executive Director, Glenn continued to hold a clinical caseload and perform clinical services in addition to his other administrative duties. Glenn specializes in working with clients who have co-occurring substance use disorders, depressive disorders, and anxiety disorders. Glenn served as an expert panel member for a SAMHSA TIPS book on treating sub-acute anxiety in the substance using population. Glenn teaches nationally and is currently a trainer for the Change Companies (on both the ASAM 3 and The ASAM 4 Criteria). Glenn authored a chapter on the use of live supervision in a community treatment organization for the book entitled “The Use of Technology in Clinical Supervision and Training: Mental Health Applications,” (2016). Glenn’s NJ LPC License #: 37PC00095000.
 
 

Previous Webinar Feedback:

I know what you’re thinking … a webinar? Really? Yes, and I solemnly swear to do my best to not make this a snooze fest! Here is recent feedback from webinars:
 
“I really found your use of vignettes thought provoking. Also, there was never a dull moment! This was one of the best trainings I have been to in my 33 year career!” – January, 2025
 
“BEST WORKSHOP I’ve ATTENDED and I’m an educator of 26 years.” – September, 2024
 
“The most useful part of the course was how the enchanting presenter weaved a typically boring topic into an intricate and captivating tapestry. You skillfully ensured every participant remained attentively engaged, turning what could have been mundane into a spellbinding experience.” – July, 2024
 
“Glenn’s style is a perfect blend of deep knowledge, excellent preparation and fun stand-up.” – July, 2024
 
“This course was packed full of information and resources that I will be putting into use in my professional work! Glenn is incredibly knowledgeable. His use of humor and vulnerability added greatly to this value of the course by making the information very relatable! I would recommend this course to anyone who asks (or even those who don’t)!” – April, 2024
 
“Glenn is always very engaging, extremely knowledgeable, and creates such an open, interactive training space. Thank you!” – February, 2024
 
“I truly appreciated this course. Most engaging and thorough ethics and legal issues course I’ve ever completed in 15 years since I began working.” – November, 2023
 
“I am thoroughly satisfied with this workshop. I don’t think I’ve laughed out loud so much in a workshop and looked forward to attending on subsequent days after the initial session. Excellent—and I’ve been to decades of trainers! I have attended supervision courses before and was a bit apprehensive that it would be repetative or boring, or both. I am so relieved that I learned new information.” – September, 2023
 
“This course was so well done! I was very impressed with Glenn’s method of delivery. Who knew a PowerPoint presentation could be enjoyable? Glenn utilized so many different sources of solid information to support his presentation, his sense of humor, and old school radio DJ voice really made the information communicated a great learning experience.” – July, 2023
 
“I love Glenn’s presentation style – it is always engaging, time flies by and I receive a ton of information!” – January, 2023
 
“This was the best course I have had during my entire 30 year career. Hard not to pay attention since I was laughing the through most of it. Great sense of humor while presenting this material. Easier to learn when the instructor is presenting in this fashion.” – October, 2022
 
“Glenn did an incredible job presenting the information in a way that was interesting and engaging. It will certainly be helpful in my everyday practice. I would attend any trainings done by Glenn. Zoom trainings can be daunting, and often I end up multitasking, but i paid attention during the entire full day training.” – October, 2022
 
This entire workshop was beyond my expectations!! I learned so much valuable information and was engaged throughout the entire presentation. Glenn Duncan should be the only one allowed to teach this course, as he can knowledge beyond his years. I wish Glenn Duncan could be every professional’s supervisor, as he is spot on. I love the information displayed during our breaks.” – July, 2022
 
“Glenn is simply one of the most knowledgeable and effective teachers I have ever encountered. He is brilliant, his knowledge is pertinent and up to date and he is so funny that your mind never has a second to wander. I learn so much when I take one of his workshops.” – July, 2022
 
“The most useful part of this course was the combination of comprehensive information, and how it was delivered. Glenn was enthusiastic and informative. He had endless informative examples and was ready to answer any questions that came up.” – April, 2022
 
Glenn presents the material in a knowledgeable way and provides amazing clarity to guidelines that can be confusing. I always look forward to his trainings and find them highly applicable. He is also approachable to ask questions and I feel individual needs are met in addition to the basic training material.” – February, 2022
 
“Glenn is literally the best instructor ever as he effectively uses his sense of humor and knowledge so that i actually retain the information. He keeps me very interested in the subject matter.” – November, 2021
 

Workshop Components:

8:30 AM – Sign-in/Morning Coffee Station

9:00 AM – History of drug emergence and of being federally controlled (10 min)

  1. 1. Overview of the scheduling of controlled substances.

 
9:10 AM – Synthetic Cannabinoids (50 min)

  1. 1. History of classifying/prohibiting marijuana.

  2. 2. Synthetic vs. naturally occurring cannabinoids.

  3. 3. What are synthetic cannabinoids and the history of their rise in popularity.

  4. 4. Classes of synthetic cannabinoids.

  5. 5. Effects and dangers.

  6. 6. Generational iterations of synthetic cannabinoids.

  7. 7. Legal Status both locally and nationally.

  8. 8. Vaporizor’s with Marijuana/Hash Oils

 
10:00 AM – MDPV/Mephedrone (“Bath Salts”) (50 min)

  1. 1. What are “bath salts” and the history of their rise in popularity.

  2. 2. Synthetic amphetamines with hallucinogenic properties.

  3. 3. Dangers/lethality/Poison Control Center data.

  4. 4. Timeline, effects of use and relation to Ecstasy.

  5. 5. Legal status in New Jersey, Pennsylvania and nationally.

 
10:50 AM – (15 Minute Morning Break)

11:05 AM – Opiates and Synthetic Opiates (1 hour)

  1. 1. History of classifying/prohibiting opiates.

  2. 2. Opiates (Opium, Kratom) and synthetic opioids (Heroin, Oxycodone, Oxycontin).

  3. 3. Medicated assisted treatment for opiate addiction (Methodone, Suboxone, Vivitrol).

  4. 4. Cough Syrup with Codeine and Promethazine

  5. 5. Dangers/effects of use.

  6. 6. Discussion of Nitazines, Fentanyl Analogs. Discussion of adulterants such as Xylazine and Medetomidine.

 
12:05 PM – Lunch (On Your Own)

1:05 PM – National Emerging Trends of Existing Drugs (Cocaine and Alcohol) (1 hour)

  1. 1. History of classifying/prohibiting alcohol and cocaine

  2. 2. Cocaine lacing trends

  3. 3. Alcohol trends (alcopops, and different routes of ingestion)

  4. 4. History of prohibition of different drug classes

 
2:05 PM – (15 Minute Afternoon Break)

2:20 PM – Molly/Hallucinogens, Synthetic Hallucinogens, Ketamine and Detramethorphan (1 hour)

  1. 1. History of classifying/prohibiting hallucinogens

  2. 2. Ecstasy & new trends with MDMA (Molly)

  3. 3. Synthetic psilocybin, 2C-I, 2C-E and the “new school” of synthetic hallucinogens

  4. 4. NBOMe’s

  5. 5. Old School Trends (PCP, Ketamine)

  6. 6. Bromo-DragonFLY

  7. 7. Kratom

  8. 8. Salvia Divinorum & Salvinorin A

 
3:20 PM – Other Emerging Trends – (10 min)

  1. 1. Drug trend possibly on the horizon (Krokodil & Oxi). Emerging threat Tianpetine.

 
3:30 PM – Question/Answer Period, Attendee Sign-out, Certificate of Completion Dissemination
 

5 Hour Emerging Drugs of Abuse Workshop

$129 Early Registration per workshop day (by 07/21/25)
$150 Late Registration per workshop day (from 07/22/25 – 08/02/25)
 

Frequently Asked Questions

1) Is this course approved for LCSWs, LSWs, LPCs, LACs, LCADCs, CADCs, LAFMTs and/or LFMTs?

This course is an NBCC approved course which is good for LPCs, LACs, LCADCs, CADCs, LAFMTs and LMFTs. Emerging Drugs of Abuse and Current Drug Trends, Course #4944, is approved by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program to be offered by Advanced Counselor Training, LLC as an individual course. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE course approval period: 05/03/2023 – 05/03/2025. Social workers completing this course receive 5 clinical continuing education credits.

 
2) I see on your website/brochure the following: “This course satisfies the statutory requirement of one contact hour being in education programs or topics concerning prescription opioid drugs”, is that something new as I have never heard of that requirement?

Yes it is a relatively new requirement. It has been posted to the LCSW or LPC regulations, and it has been a requirement from the State of New Jersey since January, 2018. This new requirement is pursuant to P.L. 2017, c. 341. This regulation states the following:

2[11.] 10.2 (New Section) The State Board of Social Work Examiners shall require that the number of credits of continuing education required of each person licensed or certified by the board as a condition of renewal include at least one credit of educational programs or topics concerning prescription opioid drugs, including the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion.

2[12.] 11.2 (New Section) The Professional Counselor Examiners Committee shall require that the number of credits of continuing education required of each person licensed by the board as a condition of renewal include at least one credit of educational programs or topics concerning prescription opioid drugs, including the risks and signs of opioid abuse, addiction, and diversion.

 
3) Is this new requirement (P.L. 2017, c. 341) just for LPCs and LCSWs?

No! It is also a requirement for Licensed Psychologists (LPs) and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists (LMFTs).

 
4) Will this workshop only be held as a webinar?

Well the pandemic last too long. I really did try to go back to in-person trainings, but the popularity and ease of use with live interactive webinars outweighs the interest in returning to in-person formats. However, we are trying this out as an in-person workshop!

 
5) If the workshop is presented in both a live, interactive webinar and as an in-person training, can I take this workshop in a hybrid fashion (e.g., take the webinar portion in the morning, and later attend the in-person workshop in the afternoon?)

No! We currently do not have approval for the hybrid format, nor are we seeking approval for the hybrid format. Therefore, the entire workshop must be taken either as a live, interactive webinar or as an in-person live workshop.

 
6) I have both my LPC and LCADC. Since the LCADC does not have this requirement, do I still have to take the 1 hour of opioid training every 2 years?

YES! According to the LPC licensing board a licensee will still have to take this 1 hour requirement. Please see the LPC committee opinion on this issue below:
 
LPC Committee Opioid Finding