How can the medical field better address patients with co-occurring substance use disorders and mental illness? That’s the central focus of Dr. Jonathan Avery’s work, the Director of Addiction Psychiatry and Associate Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College and New York-Presbyterian Hospital. 

This week, Dr. Avery joins Rabbi Iggy to discuss the challenges many patients with substance use disorders face when interacting with the medical community - whether it be inadequate training, existing stigma, or limiting psychiatric approaches. Through his research, Dr. Avery advocates for how greater connectivity and compassion in clinical practice can lead to better outcomes. 

Together, Dr. Avery and Rabbi Iggy discuss the importance of therapeutic recovery communities like T’Shuvah Center, and the lessons that can be learned from integrated models of addiction treatment.