Program Summary:  This course explores the potential harms of biased language in child welfare practice and offers strategies for reducing implicit or unconscious bias and improving practice.  The course examines key concepts to understanding language bias in child welfare, including neutral language, labels, the concrete-to abstract continuum, and sociolinguistic inequality.  Examples of non-stigmatizing and preferred terms are offered.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

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Program Summary:  This course examines suicide risk and cultural variation among high-achieving Asian Americans.  The course explores cultural and family factors and offers examples of acculturation, acculturative stress, stereotype, obligatory stress, and cultural humility.  A case example of a high-achieving Asian American adolescent in a large high school is presented. Recommendations for clinical interventions are provided.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

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Program Summary:   This course explores current research and evidence-based practices for supporting and affirming LGBTQI+ youth.  The course describes behavioral health concerns and stressors for gender diverse youth and offers client-centered approaches for youth and their families.  The course highlights the importance of ensuring access to gender-supportive and gender-affirming care while emphasizing the harms of SOGI change efforts.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

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Program Summary:   This course explores the problem of racial disproportionality and disparity in child welfare.  The course describes the multiple factors that contribute to racial disproportionality and disparity, including disproportionate and disparate needs of children of diverse backgrounds, individual discrimination and racial bias, child welfare system factors, geography, policy, and structural racism.  Multiple strategies are given to address racial disproportionality and disparity in the child welfare system.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

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Program Summary:   This course examines the prevalence of prescription stimulant use and misuse among youth and young adults.  Short and long term health effects of prescription stimulant use are explored along with risk and protective factors.  Opportunities for prevention are discussed, and considerations for screening, assessment, and treatment are given.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.   Read the complete description of this course…..

Program Summary:   This course offers a guide for how to recognize human trafficking, how to talk to youth about exploitation, and how to build protective factors to help prevent youth from human trafficking situations.  The course describes common myths and misconceptions about human trafficking and identifies physical, behavioral, and social signs of human trafficking.  Examples of human trafficking are provided and include tactics that traffickers might use to exploit victims.  Risk and protective factors are discussed.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.   Read the complete description of this course…..

Program Summary:   This course examines supportive practices for working with LGBTQ+ families in foster care and adoption and offers guidance for building trusting and successful relationships. The course describes the advantages and challenges of engaging, recruiting, and helping LGBTQ+  families and aims to strengthen cultural competence for child welfare professionals.  Suggestions for creating a welcoming and affirming agency are given.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.   Read the complete description of this course…..

Program Summary:   This course explores treatment considerations for youth with SED and young adults with SMI and co-occurring substance use.  It offers an overview of risk and protective factors, impact of the problem, and barriers to treatment.  The course examines three treatment practices:  cognitive behavioral therapy, multidimensional family therapy, and pharmacotherapy.  Five program examples are given.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.   Read the complete description of this course…..

Program Summary:   This course explores youth marijuana prevention and provides an overview of marijuana, its potency, methods of use, changes in use, and prevalence.  The course offers a discussion of short- and long-term adverse effects and harms.  Risk and protective factors are examined along with challenges to prevention efforts.  Promising substance use prevention programs and interventions are given.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

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Course Summary:  Building a trauma-informed practice requires ongoing training and support with a shift in the conversation from asking “What’s wrong with you?” to “What happened to you?”  This course explores how trauma-informed child welfare improves children’s safety, permanency, and well-being.  The course examines trauma screening and assessment, workforce development, resource parent training, access to evidence- based treatment, and the role of protective factors.

This course is recommended for social workers and counselors and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.

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Program Summary:  This course explores the overlap between housing instability and child welfare involvement and examines how providing housing-related services to youth and families can support the goals of child well-being and safety.  An overview of housing programs and services is provided and includes a discussion of Continuums of Care, Housing First, Rapid Housing, and Public Housing Authorities.   The course offers guidance for how to collaborate with housing and homelessness services.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and it is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  

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Program Summary:  This course explores the importance of preparing and supporting parents, children, and youth for adoption.  It offers guidance and strategies for those who work with adoptive families and includes information on trauma, attachment, self care, financial considerations, and preplacement visits.  The course also explores the impact of adoption and 7 core issues including loss, rejection, shame, grief, identity, intimacy, and mastery and control.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and it is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.   Read the complete description of this course…..

Program Summary:  This course provides an overview of child neglect and explores risk factors, protective factors, reasons for neglect, and consequences.  Strategies for assessment,  prevention, and intervention are given.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and it is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice  Read the complete description of this course…..

This is part 2 and covers Chapters 5-8.

Program Summary:  This course provides guidance to those working for the safety and well-being of children.  Part 2 examines the intake process, the initial assessment, the comprehensive family assessment, and the family plan.  The course identifies potential signs of abuse and neglect and compares safety and risk.  Protective factors, protective capacities, and risk factors are discussed.  Part 2 covers the following chapters:  Chapter 5 Reporting and Intake; Chapter 6 Initial Assessment or Investigation; Chapter 7 Comprehensive Family Assessment; and Chapter 8 Development of the Family Plan.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.   Read the complete description of this course…..

This is part 1 and covers Chapters 1-4.

Program Summary:  This course provides guidance to those working for the safety and well-being of children.  Part 1 provides an overview of the child protection process and explores goals and values for child protection.  Important legislation and the legal context for child welfare are discussed.  Considerations are given for engaging families and includes a discussion of cultural sensitivity, the helping relationship, and building rapport.  Part 1 covers the following chapters:  Chapter 1 Purpose and Overview; Chapter 2 Child Protective Services Practice; Chapter 3 Legal Context of CPS Intervention, and Chapter 4 Engaging and Working with Children and Families.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.   Read the complete description of this course…..

Program Summary:  This course explores the co-occurrence of child maltreatment and domestic violence and provides guidance for child welfare workers and domestic violence advocates who work with families experiencing domestic violence.  It highlights the tactics of abuse, common characteristics of perpetrators, key characteristics of adult survivors, the effects of domestic violence on children, risk and protective factors, the child protection process,  safety assessment, safety planning, developing the family plan, documentation, enhancing worker safety, and collaboration.   Case examples are given.  Emphasis is placed on survivor safety and perpetrator accountability.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice. Read the complete description of this course…..