Trainings for Human Service Providers

Note:  Certificates will not be awarded to those who arrive later than 15 mins after the start of the course and who leaves before the course ends. NYS Social Work CE & LMHC Credit Hours: 5.0.  CASAC Renewal Credit Hours: 5.0 Change is difficult for most persons, yet change is the driving force behind most service planning and goal-setting.  Motivational Interviewing (MI), developed by Miller and Rollnick, is an intervention that helps people recognize and address problem behavior (present or potential), and is intended to help resolve ambivalence and to get a person moving along the path to change.  MI serves as an important prelude to other treatment and services by creating an “openness” to change, which paves the way for further important therapeutic work.  This training provides an introduction to the basic principles and skills associated with MI including OARS, expressing empathy, rolling with resistance, and avoiding common roadblocks to change.  It also offers a foundation for Motivational Interviewing Part 2, which expands these skills into actual “change talk” and promotion of commitment to change.  Staff members trained in MI are often able to work effectively with the change process that many service recipients go through in their personal journeys towards recovery. Motivational Interviewing part 1 is a two part series. If you are planning on attending MI part 2 you must attend MI part 1 first.   Read more

Note: Certificates will not be awarded to those who arrive later than 15 mins after the start of the course and who leaves before the course ends. NYS Social Work CE & LMHC Credit Hours: 5.0.  CASAC Renewal Credit Hours: 5.0 Conflicts are an unavoidable aspect of life.  Periodically, conflicts can rise to the level of crisis or violence, leaving staff feeling ill-equipped to respond meaningfully.   Appropriately-trained staff, however, can anticipate and be prepared to use effective strategies to de-escalate situations.  If recognized and dealt with effectively, differences have the potential to inspire, promote positive change, and encourage growth and understanding.  This training offers participants the skills to intervene in the early stages of conflict as a way to prevent violence, and looks at person-centered approaches to establish relationships that help prevent tense situations from intensifying.  This training also describes the different stages of conflict escalation and ways to respond to each stage.  At the end of the training, attendees will have a better understanding of conflict and greater confidence in responding to conflicts. Read more

Note: Certificates will not be awarded to those who arrive later than 15 mins after the start of the course and who leaves before the course ends. NYS Social Work CE & LMHC Credit Hours: 5.0.  CASAC Renewal Credit Hours: 5.0 The philosophy and practice of recovery is transforming the way we look at mental health services, as well as how programs respond to persons who decompensate or relapse.  Utilizing the least restrictive intervention while ensuring that the client is both safe and having his or her mental health needs addressed can be complicated.  This training offers skills and strategies on responding to psychiatric crises, including assessing, engaging, and assisting persons at the earlier stage of decompensation to adhere to treatment.  In cases where the crisis has escalated, the workshop reviews strategies for voluntary and involuntary hospitalizations and for assisting persons returning from the hospital.  In addition, the workshop explores how to support persons recovering from substance abuse and to promote relapse prevention.  In cases where relapse does occur, the training offers strategies to maximize the learning experience and help persons gain motivation to re-engage in sobriety.   Read more

Note:  This training is a Webinar, you must complete the Full Day to receive your certificate. Certificates will not be awarded to those who arrive later than 15 mins after the start of the course and who leaves before the course ends. NYS Social Work CE & LMHC Credit Hours: 5.0.  CASAC Renewal Credit Hours: 5.0 Case managers have diverse backgrounds, and they work to provide a wide range of services to persons with special needs as they navigate the complicated systems that support them.  Yet staff who are new to the field often have little to no hands-on experience in basic engagement and counseling skills, and studies show that effectively-trained staff provide more consistent and higher-quality services in helping professions.  This training offers practical information about mental health counseling and the role of the case manager in facilitating individuals’ achievement of greater independence and movement towards wellness.  Participants are introduced to a variety of fundamental clinical skills and strategies.  The training emphasizes strengths-based engagement and assessment, active listening skills, focused referrals, and effective transition of services as individuals make progress on the path toward recovery.  Attendees have the opportunity to utilize examples from their own work.   Read more

Note: Certificates will not be awarded to those who arrive later than 15 mins after the start of the course and who leaves before the course ends. NYS Social Work CE & LMHC Credit Hours: 5.0 CASAC Renewal Credit Hours: 5.0 Case Managers, non-clinical and other frontline staff (i.e.: those that provide front desk services, maintenance, security, food preparation, rent collection, and recreational activities) are consistently in contact with service recipients who have a range of behavioral health needs.  This training provides an overview of the experiences of people living with special needs, including mental illness, substance abuse, and HIV/AIDS.  It also offers information on how co-occurring disorders interact with one another and impact how persons respond to services.  Special emphasis is placed on understanding staff roles in supporting persons with special needs and managing everyday problematic situations.  Well-trained clinical staff matched with well-trained non-clinical staff makes for an ideal team that work collaboratively to provide optimal services. Read more

Note:  You must complete the Full Day to receive your certificate. Certificates will not be awarded to those who arrive later than 15 mins after the start of the course and who leaves before the course ends. NYS Social Work CE & LMHC Credit Hours: 5.0.  CASAC Renewal Credit Hours: 5.0 Altering behavior is complicated, and staff can either help the change process by becoming change agents in partnership with the service recipient or hinder the process by unwittingly pushing too hard.   This training is a supplementary training for practitioners who have already mastered the Motivational Interviewing (MI) skills offered in the introductory MI training, such as OARS, expressing empathy, rolling with resistance, and avoiding common road blocks to change.  In this training, participants learn how to use “change talk” to elicit client motivation.  In addition, the training introduces common MI techniques such as DARN statements, reframing, agreement with a twist, and amplified and double-sided reflections.  The goal of the training is to help practitioners promote persons’ commitment to change by advancing their use of MI techniques and avoiding traps that interfere with motivation.  Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of their role in the change process when working with others.   Read more