Reducing Shame and Stigma in Talking About Alcohol and Pregnancy
In this course, Prue Walker explains how shame and stigma shape clinical conversations about alcohol and pregnancy – and how practitioners can respond in ways that build trust, invite disclosure, and reduce harm. Walker outlines practical communication strategies, language choices, and trauma-informed principles that help clinicians move from avoidance and judgment to clarity, compassion, and effective documentation that supports earlier identification and better pathways of care.
About this course
In this course, clinical social worker Prue Walker, Clinical Coordinator of the VicFAS Program (Monash Children’s Hospital), introduces a practical, stigma-reducing approach to discussing alcohol use in pregnancy. The course covers how shame and stigma operate at individual, interpersonal, community, and structural levels; why silence delays recognition of neurodevelopmental impacts; and how clinician micro-signals, wording choices, and service systems can either shut down or open up disclosure. You gain real-world scripts and strategies for asking safely and respectfully, responding to difficult questions without false reassurance, integrating trauma-informed care and cultural context, and improving documentation and referral pathways – strengthening clinical impact for parents, infants, and families.
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