Presenter:
Stina Jacobs, LMSW, CCTS-I is a graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi and has experience in both research and clinical practice. Currently, Stina is a doctoral candidate in Social Work through Tulane University, New Orleans. With over 30 conference presentations and reoccurring guest lecturer invitations, Stina aims to stay informed with the latest literature and evidenced based practices. Stina is a licensed therapist, certified clinical trauma specialist, and the Program Director of the family center with Mississippi Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. Stina is an authorized EMDR therapist and actively participates in a consultation group. As a clinician and researcher, it is her goal to influence breaking the stigma attached to substance use disorders and mental illness.
Description:
This presentation explores the powerful intersection of trauma and substance use disorders through the metaphor of “The Horse is Barking”—a signal that something deeper is happening beneath the surface. Behaviors such as relapse, noncompliance, dishonesty, or emotional dysregulation are often viewed as resistance or failure. This training reframes those behaviors as adaptive survival responses rooted in trauma.
Grounded in trauma-informed principles and neurobiology, participants will learn how trauma impacts brain function, decision-making, and stress responses—and how this directly affects behavior.
Participants will leave with strategies to improve engagement, reduce recidivism, and support long-term recovery by shifting from “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”
Objectives:
-
-
- Define the connection between trauma and substance use disorders.
- Recognize and explore “The Barking Horse” as a clinical metaphor for symptom behavior.
- Examine the role of the nervous system and survival responses.
- Promote a shift from pathology to compassion.