Inside Sri Lankan Homes: Family Experiences of Substance Use

This webinar examines family-based approaches to the early identification and response to substance use within Sri Lankan households. Situating substance use disorders as health and psychological conditions rather than moral failings, the session explores how cultural norms, stigma, and concerns about family reputation influence recognition, communication, and help-seeking. Participants will be guided through early warning signs, common but unhelpful family responses, and evidence-informed strategies for supportive engagement, including respectful and firm boundary-setting. Drawing on clinical expertise and lived family experience, the webinar highlights practical communication skills, pathways to professional support in Sri Lanka, and approaches that reduce shame while strengthening family capacity to respond effectively and seek help earlier.

Agenda

Welcome & Overview
Understanding Substance Use in the Sri Lankan Context
Recognising Early Signs in a Loved One
Healthy vs Unhealthy Family Responses
Boundaries in a Sri Lankan Home (Respectful + firm)
Real Family Story Case example illustrating evidence-based family response strategies or
Q&A

Target Audience:

Prevention, treatment and mental health professionals working with families
Community-based and frontline support providers
Programme and service coordinators
Family members and caregivers

Learning Outcomes:

Following this webinar, participants will be able to:

Recognise early signs of substance use within a family context.
Identify helpful and unhelpful family responses.
Apply supportive communication and boundary-setting approaches.
Identify pathways for seeking professional support in Sri Lanka.
Understand how stigma and family dynamics influence help-seeking.

Presenter:

Dr Shamil Wanigaratne, D.Clin.Psych.

FBPsS., FBABCP.
Consultant Clinical Psychologist , Visiting Associate Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and
Neuroscience, King's College, London

Dr. Shamil Wanigaratne is an internationally recognised clinical psychologist with over 35 years of experience in addiction and behavioural health. He has worked extensively in addiction treatment, research, training, and service development across the UK, the Middle East, and South Asia. Dr. Wanigaratne previously led the Clinical Psychology for Addictions Division at the Maudsley Hospital in London and has published widely on psychological aspects of addiction, culture, trauma, and substance use interventions. He is a founding member and past Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Faculty of Addiction and founder director of Samutthana and is the Honorary Consultant to the Sumithrayo Drug Demand Reduction Program (Mel Medura) Addiction Treatment Centre in Colombo.

Prof. Shehan Williams

MBBS (Jaffna), MPhil (Kel'ya) , MDPsych (C'bo), FRCPsych (UK), FSLCOP Professor in Psychiatry | Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka | Consultant Psychiatrist

Professor Shehan Williams is a senior Psychiatrist and academic leader specialising in general adult psychiatry with extensive work in addiction, dual diagnosis, and mental health care in Sri Lanka. He was trained in Psychiatry in Warneford Hospital, University of Oxford and the Oxford Deanery Rotation in the United Kingdom. He is currently President of the Sri Lanka College of Psychiatrists. He is also the Honorary Executive Director, Lanka Alzheimer’s Foundation. Prof. Williams has contributed to psychiatric research, education, and publications addressing a range of mental health issues including trauma, substance use, and suicide prevention, and has been involved in shaping psychiatric training and clinical practice in Sri Lanka.

Mr. Jivaka

A person with lived experience being a parent of a son with a long history of SUD.

Ms. Karen Anthony

Volunteer, Sumithrayo Drug Demand Reduction Program (Mel Medura).

Moderator:

Jomo Uduman

Honorary Director, The Sumithrayo Drug Demand Reduction Program (Mel Medura)

Webinars and online events delivered and hosted by the International Society of Substance Use Professionals (ISSUP) are provided for informational purposes only. They are educational in nature and do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.