From Alaska to Michigan: Translating research into practical community tools
By Jen DeBord
For decades, our national approach to substance use prevention was delivered as a lecture and focused on abstinence: “Just Say No.”
But as any parent or researcher can tell you, the most vital lessons aren’t delivered from a podium; they are shared in small, sometimes messy, honest moments by people who trust each other.
By replacing top-down instruction with community-led learning circles, University of Michigan School of Social Work professor Lisa Wexler has adapted a traditional method to share research and empower communities to build their own multigenerational networks of support.
Professor of Social Work, School of Social Work
HOW LEARNING CIRCLES WORK: Community Change in Action
Wexler first began community conversations as part of her dissertation research on suicide prevention in Northwest Alaska and recognized their potential to bridge the gap between clinical intent and community reality.
The inspiration led her to create learning circles as part of her program, PC CARES (Promoting Community Conversations About Research to End Suicide). As the program’s founder, Wexler recently expanded its scope to address substance use through an interdisciplinary partnership with Lara Coughlin, associate professor in the U-M Department of Psychiatry.
Learning circles are a natural fit for what Wexler calls “wicked problems” — problems, like suicide and substance use, that are a consequence of many issues and require creative, multilevel solutions to address.
“We like to say that we share science in bite-sized pieces,” Wexler said.
The methodology is deceptively simple: each two-hour session dedicates about ten minutes to presenting research on a specific best practice, while the remaining time is reserved for open conversation. In these circles, participants share experiences, concerns and ideas — a process that naturally deepens relationships.
“The opposite of addiction is connection,” Wexler said. “It’s that simple.”
MULTIGENERATIONAL CONNECTIONS
PC CARES takes a multi-sector approach by assembling a diverse cross-section of community members — including law enforcement, medical staff, church leaders and educators — to discuss issues alongside caregivers and Elders. The aim is to shift the atmosphere from judgment to communication, learning and support.
“Scare tactics don’t actually work, particularly if they’re outsized from the reality,” Wexler said.
When young people are told that trying a substance once leads to instant addiction, or a single mistake makes them unredeemable, they often stop trusting the source. Instead, the program helps community members identify and share bite-sized bits of knowledge, such as facts about brain development or the importance of ridesharing, to help young people make smarter decisions.
Crucially, these sessions reinforce the understanding that unsafe behavior can be interrupted and changed. And since learning circles are ongoing, these conversations deepen and sharpen over time, building a foundation of sustaining support.
WORKING ACROSS CULTURES: Honoring the Language
In her 30 years of working with Alaska Native communities, Wexler has learned to slow down and listen.
“It has helped me not make assumptions, because they’re usually wrong,” she said. “And if you start more gently, with an open mind, you’ll learn a lot.”
All learning circles begin with a conversation about shared expectations for interactions and careful language before even touching the data.
“The way we talk about substance use can be destigmatizing or stigmatizing,” Wexler said. “If we slow things down and help people get more explicit, we can make sure we’re talking about the same thing. We’re not going to talk about addicts; we’re going to talk about people who use substances.”
This is a collaborative effort. While Wexler and her team provide the research-based information, the community provides the lived experience and context that gives the learning its meaning.
Originally, Wexler’s motto was “words matter,” but the communities insisted on “honoring language,” reflecting the deeper nuance that honoring the person comes first.
FROM ALASKA TO MICHIGAN
PC CARES succeeds because it treats local experience as an equal partner to academic research. By inviting personal stories and contextual experiences into the learning process, the model empowers communities to design their own problem-solving strategies. Instead of a top-down mandate, it creates a local practice built and modified by the people who will actually live it.
This flexibility allows the program to be highly adaptable and transferable. Elizabeth Evans, research investigator for the Institute for Social Research and adjunct lecturer in the School of Social Work, is currently spearheading the expansion of PC CARES across Michigan to address suicide in both Tribal and urban Indigenous communities.
Evans is partnering with American Indian Health and Family Services to develop a curriculum specifically tailored for the areas AIHFS serves, including Detroit’s Claytown neighborhood.
“We’ve built a structure where people can learn from research, learn from each other, and build solutions together to solve really complicated issues,” Wexler said. “They are not going to look the same in Michigan, Washington or Alaska.”
This collaborative translational learning process ensures that research findings don’t just stay on the pages of a journal but become practical tools for those who need them most.