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 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…..

Program Summary:  This course takes a comprehensive and practical look at opioid misuse, treatment, overdose, and recovery.  The course includes a discussion of the prevalence of opioid misuse and the neurobiology of addiction.  Treatment approaches include a combination of medication-assisted treatment and psychosocial therapies.  FDA-approved OUD medications are discussed.  The reading includes Facing Addiction in America:  The Surgeon General’s Spotlight on Opioids.  

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

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Program Summary:  This course examines American Indian and Alaska Native cultures and offers practice-based approaches for behavioral health services.  This course is divided into two modules.  Module 2 covers Part 1 Chapter 2 of the reading and offers 4 case study vignettes with Vicki, Joe, Marlene, and Philip.  Client-Provider Dialogs are given along with Master Provider Notes.  A variety of themes are discussed including family, tradition, and identity.

“Never look for a psychological explanation unless every effort to find a cultural one has been exhausted.”  – Margaret Mead

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 culturally competent guidance for treatment providers working with American Indian and Alaska Native individuals.  The course examines American Indian and Alaska Native cultures and offers practice-based approaches for behavioral health services.  This course is divided into two modules.  Module 1 covers the Executive Summary and Part 1 Chapter 1.  The course explores historical factors, cultural perspectives, social challenges, and behavioral health issues.

“Never look for a psychological explanation unless every effort to find a cultural one has been exhausted.”  – Margaret Mead

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 the common comorbidities that occur with substance use disorders.  Many people who develop substance use disorders also experience other illnesses such as mental illness, chronic physical health conditions, and HIV.  These disorders often occur together or co-occur.  The course explores the connections between these comorbid conditions along with approaches to diagnosis and treatment.

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 important and practical guidance for improving communication in cancer care.  The course explores patients’ differing information needs, communication styles, and decision making styles.  Strategies for communication are given and include research on disclosing bad news.  Cultural and socioeconomic factors affecting communication 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 research and trends in the transition to end of life care.  The good death is discussed from the patient perspective, the health care provider perspective, and the caregiver perspective.  Factors that influence end of life care decisions are discussed along with barriers.  The course offers strategies to improve patient-oncologist communication and decision making in advanced cancer.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and 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 looks at depression in cancer patients and focuses on issues of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment.  The course explores depressive symptoms, risk factors, diagnostic challenges, screening and assessment, treatment options, and pharmacologic interventions.   Additional consideration is given to suicide risk and depression in pediatric patients.

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 care considerations for the last days of life and includes a discussion of forgoing potentially life saving treatments, withdrawing care, palliative sedation, requests for a hastened death, and no further escalation of care.    Ethical principles and dilemmas are identified including patient autonomy, clinician perceived futility, and the principle of double effect.  This course is intended as a resource to help clinicians provide the highest quality end of life care.  Grief, bereavement, and challenges to the professional caregiver are also explored.

This course is recommended for social workers and appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  This course is not recommended for NBCC ethics credit. 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…..

Program Summary:  This course examines the diagnosis and treatment of trauma and stressor related disorders using the DSM-5 and includes a discussion of reactive attachment disorder, disinhibited social engagement disorder, adjustment disorder, acute stress disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.  The course explores the following:  characteristics and symptoms, specifiers, impairment and distress, changes in the DSM-5, prevalence, comorbid disorders, differential diagnostic issues, and treatment.  Case presentations 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…..

Program Summary:  This course consists of Part 4 of SAMHSA’s TIP 63:  Medications for Opioid Use Disorder Partnering Addiction Treatment Counselors with Clients and Healthcare Professionals.  The course offers guidance for counselors who work with OUD, OUD medications, and recovery oriented treatment.  The course examines the neurobiology of OUD, FDA-approved medications, and the role of counseling.  Treatment with methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone is discussed along with benefits, common misconceptions, and concerns.  The course includes guidance for pregnant women and guidance for working with mutual help groups.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  
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Program Summary:  This course explores prescription opioid misuse, heroin use, maintenance medications, and treatment.  Historical trends have shifted since the 1960’s with a changing demographic of opioid users and increasing prescription opioid misuse. From 1991-2011, US opioid prescriptions nearly tripled.  Methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone are effective treatments but highly underutilized.  Access to the opioid antagonist, Naloxone, which can reverse an opioid overdose, is increasing.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  
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Program Summary:  This course explores strategies and approaches for suicide prevention and includes a discussion of strengthening economic supports, strengthening mental health care, creating protective environments, promoting connectedness, teaching coping, supporting people at risk, and lessening harm.  Comprehensive prevention efforts are identified along with examples of effective programs, practices, and policies.

This course is recommended for social workers, counselors, and therapists and is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  
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Program Summary:  This course examines the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety disorders using the DSM-5 and includes a discussion of panic disorder, agoraphobia, separation anxiety disorder, selective mutism, specific phobia, social anxiety disorder, and generalized anxiety disorder.  Case presentations are given.  The course also explores the following topics:  the DSM-5, the triple vulnerability model, the transdiagnostic model of treatment, motivational enhancement, psychoeducation, self-monitoring, cognitive restructuring, avoidance, exposures, and coping skills.

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

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Program Summary:  This course explores evidence and practice issues related to grief, bereavement, and loss.  The course examines different types of grief ranging from normal grief to more severe or complicated grief.  Psychosocial and pharmacologic treatment options are offered.  The course also provides a discussion of issues and interventions for grieving children.  Note: This course replaces our previous course, Bereavement, Mourning and Grief.

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

Read the complete description of this course…..