TREAT
Training for Recovery & Engagement in Addiction Treatment
ForHealth Consulting at University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School presents the TREAT initiative on behalf of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Massachusetts Specialty Courts.
Welcome to the online hub of training and technical assistance made available to Massachusetts specialty court clinicians and specialty court community treatment providers.
On this site, you will find:
- Lectures, virtual course recordings, and online materials
- Online trainings and professional development courses
- Registration links to live training sessions
Upcoming Live Courses
Referee or Coaches? How can we help people win
This is a beginner level training.
September 18, 2025
Morning Session 9:00 am - 11:30 am
Afternoon Session 1:00 pm - 3:30 pm
Recent research has laid bare a sobering truth: our current approach to community corrections is not producing successful outcomes for those involved in the system or those that work in it. Not only have these systems failed to consistently reduce recidivism, but in some cases, they have actually deepened individuals’ involvement in the justice system. Community corrections continues to be more about compliance and catching people failing than empowering staff to help people succeed. And it’s not just the people in the system who are affected. The toll of working in a punitive, compliance-driven system has worn down the health, morale, and sense of purpose of the very staff asked to carry it out. This moment calls for more than reform—it demands a reimagining. The coaching model offers a powerful alternative: one that centers on growth, relationships, and human potential. It’s not about softening accountability—it’s about raising our expectations for what we can truly achieve. Coaching moves us from catching failure to cultivating success, giving both staff and those they serve a new direction—and a renewed sense of hope. Helping staff adopt the four dimensions of a successful coach: approach, connection, playbooks, and success will allow for staff to meet their goal—to create a system that helps people find paths to success.
Participants will gain insight into the barriers of the existing system and learn ways to elevate coaching moments.
Participants will increase their understanding of the coaching model and develop strategies to improve staff success along with improving program outcomes.
Register for the Morning Session here.
Register for the Afternoon Session here.
Racial Trauma Part I: Understanding Racial Trauma in Justice-Involved Populations
This is a beginner level training designed for a broad range of professionals working across Massachusetts in justice and treatment contexts.
October 20, 2025 from 1:00 - 2:30 pm
This 90-minute interactive virtual training will introduce participants to the foundations of understanding racial trauma and its impact on justice-involved populations. Building on prior TREAT series sessions, this training will explore how racial trauma manifests in individuals navigating the criminal legal system, the compounding effects of systemic bias, and the intersections of racial identity, lived experience, and justice involvement.
Through case examples, reflective dialogue, and practical application, attendees will deepen their understanding of implicit bias, microaggressions, and structural racism in forensic and treatment settings. Participants will also be introduced to strategies for recognizing and addressing racial trauma in their work while promoting healing, safety, and equity. The session will provide recommended readings and resources for continued learning, particularly in the realm of implicit bias, to support ongoing professional development.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Define racial trauma and describe its unique impact on justice-involved individuals.
- Identify how bias, microaggressions, and systemic racism manifest within forensic and treatment settings.
- Recognize the role of racial identity and intersectionality in shaping client experiences and outcomes.
- Apply at least two strategies to acknowledge and address racial trauma in client engagement and treatment planning.
- Access and utilize recommended resources for continued learning on racial trauma and implicit bias.
Register in advance for this training here.
New Self-Paced Courses
Incentives, Sanctions, & Service Adjustments: Part 1
The target audience for this training is Treatment Courts. This training is a beginner / intermediate level.
This course provides an overview of Standard 4. Incentives, Sanctions, and Service Adjustments released by All Rise in 2024. At the end of this series, you will achieve an increased awareness of the standard’s scope and enhanced knowledge of its application to Massachusetts Treatment Courts.
This training is brought to you by the Massachusetts Center of Excellence for Specialty Courts and the Training for Recovery & Engagement in Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Training Initiative.
Take the training here.
Incentives, Sanctions, & Service Adjustments: Part 2
The target audience for this training is Treatment Courts. This training is a beginner / intermediate level.
This course provides an overview of Standard 4. Incentives, Sanctions, and Service Adjustments released by All Rise in 2024. At the end of this series, you will achieve an increased awareness of the standard’s scope and enhanced knowledge of its application to Massachusetts Treatment Courts.
This training is brought to you by the Massachusetts Center of Excellence for Specialty Courts and the Training for Recovery & Engagement in Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Training Initiative.
Take the training here.
Target Population
The target audience for this training is Treatment Courts. This training is a beginner / intermediate level.
This training provides an overview of Standard 1. Target Population, released by All Rise in 2024.
At the end of this series, you will achieve an increased awareness of the standard’s scope and enhanced knowledge of its application to Massachusetts Treatment Courts.
This training is brought to you by the Massachusetts Center of Excellence for Specialty Courts and the Training for Recovery & Engagement in Addiction Treatment (TREAT) Training Initiative.
Take the training here.
Course Series
ASI Series
The ASI series is targeted towards court clinicians and community providers who utilize the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) assessment tool. This technical assistance will provide an overview of the ASI, and also:
- Address implementation challenges
- Discuss assessment and screening strategies
- Offer practical role-play scenarios
Clinician Roundtable Series
Specifically designed with court clinicians in mind, the Clinician Roundtable Series offers court clinicians a professional space to collaborate and troubleshoot work-related issues amongst peers. This series explores a variety of topics, including:
- Professional Ethics
- Confidentiality in the Courts
- Sanctions/Incentives
Community Provider Track
TREAT invites all community treatment providers who work with court-involved populations the opportunity to engage in the training and technical assistance this project offers. Community providers may be interested in:
- Trauma series
- RNR Series
- ASI Series
- MOUD
Court Clinician Track
The training and technical assistance offered by TREAT have been tailored to meet the needs of Massachusetts Recovery and Veterans Treatment Courts Clinicians. Court clinicians may find the following training series beneficial to their careers:
- Clinical Roundtable Series
- RNR Series
- ASI Series
- Graduated response incentives and sanctions
Equity Series
The TREAT Equity Series provides clinical staff with the skills needed to better serve members of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities, LGBTQIA+ community, the disability community, and other marginalized communities who are involved in the Massachusetts specialty drug courts. Topics for this training include:
- Addressing racial trauma
- NADCP equity and inclusion standards
- Engaging diverse populations in treatment
Recovery Court Series
The TREAT Recovery Court Series provides staff working in the Massachusetts Recovery Courts and community clinicians with the knowledge needed to understand and successfully navigate the Massachusetts trial court system and Recovery Court Model. This three-part series includes topics on:
- Probation Service
- Community Justice Support Centers
- Recovery Court staff roles
- Probation violation processes
- Case types
RNR Series
Developed for both community providers and court clinicians, this series explores the evidence-based framework of Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) and it's relationship to the Massachusetts Recovery Courts. This series uses online coursework and live meetings to explore a range of topics, including:
- Basics of RNR
- RNR and the Massachusetts model
- RNR Case Studies
Trauma Series
As clinical staff working with substance use disorders, trauma stewardship and trauma-informed principles are at the center of this work. TREAT is proud to offer a training series that develops skills to navigate trauma for both clinicians and court participants. Topics for this training series include:
- Trauma needs of veterans
- Racial and gendered trauma
- Trauma-informed boundaries, assessment, and screening
- Case studies
Available Online Courses
Risk-Need-Responsivity: The Basics for Behavioral Health Providers is an introductory training that will introduce you to the RNR principles, practices, and key terminology.
Click on the image below to enroll in a course.
What is TREAT?
TREAT Initiative - "Training for Recovery & Engagement in Addiction Treatment"
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS), in collaboration with its partners, the Massachusetts Executive Office of the Trial Court, the New England Association of Recovery Court Professionals, AdCare Educational Institute, and ForHealth Consulting at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School received funds from the Bureau of Justice Assistance under its Adult Drug Court Discretionary Grant program, to fund a three-year training and technical assistance (TTA) initiative, the Drug and Veterans Court TREAT Initiative - "Training for Recovery & Engagement in Addiction Treatment.”
The goal of this initiative is to strengthen the capacity of court clinicians and treatment providers working with specialty courts, with a focus on Massachusetts’ 35 adult Drug Courts and six Veterans Treatment Courts. The grant will be used to:
- develop a TTA program that will support conferences, training sessions, and technical assistance events,
- increase the capacity of community clinicians to support clients involved in these courts, and
- build collaboration between probation and treatment providers within adult Drug Courts and Veterans Treatment Courts.
Continuing Education
TREAT Trainings and Technical Assistance may be eligible for licensure CEUs. TREAT is not pre-approved for CEUs and it is up to the individual to submit TREAT training information to the licensing board which will then determine if the TREAT training attended qualifies for CEUs.
Massachusetts LMHC CEU Guidelines
Massachusetts NASW CEU Guidelines*