In September 2016 PRISM’s Vice President Dr Stephen Bright spoke at Beyond Psychedelics, a global multidisciplinary psychedelic forum held in Prague, Czech Republic. His topic was Beyond Harm Reduction: Acknowledging the Benefits of Drug Use. To watch a video of his presentation complete with slides, please click here.
Stephen is a clinically-trained psychologist, though identifies as an ethnopharmacologist (i.e, a person who studies the human relationship with drugs). He writes and delivers curriculum pertaining to the use of Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) in society and treatment of AOD-related issues. His PhD related to the public perceptions and media portrayal of AOD use and the implications of this for drug-related harm, including the rapid emergence of new psychoactive substances. Stephen is a leading Australian voice on the role of drug policy on emerging drug trends such as synthetic cannabis and deepweb marketplaces. He has worked as a psychologist within the Mental Health & AOD field for the past 12 years. He is currently a senior dual diagnosis clinician at Monash Health in Victoria. Stephen is a strong advocate of harm reduction and an evidence-based approach to AOD legislation. He is also interested in the role of certain substances (entheogens) to facilitate spiritual experiences, and their role in psychotherapy.
