Online via Zoom • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Instructor: Chitra Gopalan, LMHC

Motivational Interviewing for Children, Youth, and Families
Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based practice that is broadly used by practitioners. This approach can be used with clients with a variety of mental health, substance use, or physical health disorders. MI interventions involve empathically collaborating with the client to enhance intrinsic motivation for change while understanding, addressing, and resolving ambivalence. This course will review the fundamental principles of MI, highlight the techniques for facilitating change that are associated with this approach, and consider how to most effectively employ MI skills in working with children and their caregivers. The Transtheoretical Model of Change will also be reviewed, as will MI interventions that guide progress through the stage of change. This course includes multiple opportunities to practice skills and techniques that are reviewed, heavily incorporating practice exercises for participants to complete in breakout rooms.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to define motivational interviewing (MI).
2. Participants will be able to describe the spirit and the principles of MI.
3. Participants will identify the Stages of Change.
4. Participants will recognize and elicit change talk in clients.
5. Participants will identify MI core skills and tools.

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6

Online via Zoom • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Instructor: Zane FitzGerald, MSW, LICSW

Attachment Theory
Understanding attachment, both practically and theoretically, is critical to understanding development, relationships, and interactions in the social environment. Caregiving systems are the foundation for healthy development. Secure attachment allows for safe exploration of the world; provides a healthy model of self and others; teaches how to communicate and how to read others; teaches to understand, tolerate, and cope with emotional experiences; and provides structure and limits. When attachment systems are challenged or disrupted, the impact on development throughout the lifespan can be significant. This training offers an overview of the critical importance of attachment, discussion of theory, and exploration of practical application of concepts, utilizing a dynamic and multimedia approach.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will review and explore several theories of attachment and development and weigh the pros and cons of each.
2. Participants will explore early childhood attachment systems and the impact on development and adult relationships.
3. Participants will explore their own experiences in personal and professional settings of attachment styles on interpersonal interaction and relationships.
4. Participants will consider and discuss implications of attachment style and orientation in clinical practice.
5. Participants will be challenged to consider whether attachment styles are inherently set, or whether they are subject to influence and change.

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6

Online via Zoom • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Instructor: Kelsey Taylor, MS, LMHC

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Children, Youth, and Families
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) helps children explore their thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, and how they are interconnected. CBT is used in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and trauma in children and adolescents. This course provides an orientation and overview of CBT. Learn practical skills for individual, group, and family therapy. Explore interventions focused on problem solving, cognitive restructuring, self-regulation, affect identification, and relaxation. Through case studies, interactive discussions, role-plays, and worksheets, you will take away practical CBT strategies to use immediately with any client.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn to define Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
2. Participants will learn to recognize the Cognitive Triangle and Thinking Errors/Cognitive Distortions.
3. Participants will identify interventions to target feelings, thoughts, and behaviors.
4. Participants will identify problem solving techniques.
5. Participants will practice skills for relaxation.

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6

Online via Zoom • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Instructor: Kenna Sullivan, LCSW

Suicide Prevention Across the Lifespan
One of the most challenging issues a clinician can face is a client’s suicidal crisis. This course will address the psychological, medical, and mental health factors that contribute to suicide and the specific challenges faced by clients at different phases of life. We will review the multi-dimensional aspects of suicide including biological, psychological, interpersonal, sociological, cultural, ethical, and philosophical/existential elements in the suicide event. We will address the management of suicidality and the unique challenges facing clients at different ages. We will identify and examine risk factors as well as treatment interventions and best practices in dealing with the suicidal and the bereaved of all ages. Information and resources will be shared on local and national suicide prevention efforts specific to children, adults, and older adults.

Learning Objectives:

1. Discuss the terminology, incidence, prevalence, and epidemiology of suicide behavior.
2. Examine three high risk factors for suicide in each of these age groups.
3. Review best practices in suicide assessment and strategies for managing both acute and chronic suicidal clients.
4. Describe various treatment approaches (CBT, DBT, Interpersonal Therapy) for suicidality and therapeutic risk management.
5. Review the most current national and local efforts on suicide prevention and how strategies vary according to the targeted age group.

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6

Online via Zoom • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Instructor: Sara Rodrigues, DSW, LICSW

Sexuality and Gender Across the Lifespan
This course provides an overview of gender and sexuality development across the lifespan, focusing on key concepts, influential factors, and implications for social work practice by exploring the complex interplay between gender and sexuality across different stages of human development. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students will examine various theoretical perspectives, research findings, and societal influences on gender identity and sexual orientation from infancy to late adulthood. Topics include biological, psychological, social, and cultural aspects of gender and sexuality, as well as the implications for individual development, relationships, and society as a whole.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand gender and sexuality concepts in human development.
2. Explore biological and environmental influences on gender and sexuality.
3. Examine gender identity and sexual orientation development.
4. Analyze societal influences on gender roles and sexual behaviors.
5. Discuss challenges faced by sexual and gender minority individuals.
6. Address ethical and legal considerations in social work practice regarding gender and sexuality.

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6

Online via Zoom • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Instructor: Daniel Morehead, MD

Neuroscience
Neuroscience constitutes an exciting though vast and disorienting field. This course will synthesize information from primary neuroscience into a coherent and usable form for clinical social work, human social life, and everyday life. We will review brain structure and function, then discuss illuminating aspects of brain science in human development, adversity, resilience, and health. Finally, we will connect specific mental health disorders and treatments to neuropathology, as well as social challenges and inequities. Throughout the course, we will emphasize the brain as one aspect of human nature, a level of dynamic organization that both reflects and influences social and psychological experience, and ultimately cannot be separated from them. No prior knowledge of neuroscience is required, and the class format will be interactive.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn brain anatomy and function for the purposes of understanding relevant clinical literature and neuroscience-based theories.
2. Participants will learn the neuroscience and physiology of normal stress and its relation to the development of mental illness.
3. Participants will learn the neuroscience of fear and trauma, including the developmental consequences of early life adversity.
4. Participants will explore the neuroscience of major depression, PTSD, anxiety, and their treatment.
5. Participants will be exposed to the complex and mutual interactions between biological, psychological, and social factors in mental health.

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6

Online via Zoom • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.) 
Instructor: Julia Rydin, LICSW

Psychodynamic Therapy for Adults
Psychodynamic psychotherapy is an empirically validated form of treatment that produces lasting change via a collaborative effort between client and therapist. Psychodynamic therapy is a highly developed model that not only recognizes external and visible symptomatic manifestations of one’s struggles but also the often unconscious forces behind various behavioral and interpersonal patterns. Originally derived from Freud’s psychoanalysis, the psychodynamic model offers a contemporary perspective resulting from decades of subsequent growth and development with theoretical and clinical contributions from ego psychology, object relations, self-psychology, attachment theory, and relational theory. This course will review some fundamental assumptions of the psychodynamic approach, familiarize participants with the work of a few of the key contributors, and apply theory to clinical situations that arise in a variety of social work settings.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to describe fundamental concepts from Drive Theory, Object Relations Theory, Self Psychology, and Relational Theory that underlie contemporary practice of psychodynamic psychotherapy.
2. Participants will be able to articulate how dynamic factors interact with biological predispositions and societal forces to inform their understanding of individuals’ clinical presentation.
3. Participants will be able to identify a set of clinical techniques utilized in psychodynamic therapy to promote formation of insight, development of agency, and greater integration within a relational context.

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6

Online via Zoom • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Instructor: Zane Fitzgerald, MSW, LICSW

Trauma and Interpersonal Violence for Children, Youth, and Families
Trauma and traumatic stress can stem from a diverse array of experiences, can impact individuals in various ways, and can often occur in the context of interpersonal interactions. Trauma and traumatic stress resulting from interpersonal violence can be particularly impactful. This course will examine various types of interpersonal violence including war, terrorism and civil unrest, community violence, school violence, and violence in the home (including domestic violence, physical abuse, and sexual abuse). Participants will develop an in-depth understanding of the impact of interpersonal violence on children, youth, and families, and explore intervention and support strategies to promote hope, healing, and resilience. Materials will be presented through lecture, audio and visual vignettes, group activities, and discussion.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will explore the impact of traumatic stress inflicted on children, youth, and families by others.
2. Participants will explore various forms of interpersonal violence, and the possible array of impacts of each.
3. Participants will consider trauma responses, symptoms, and diagnostic impressions, including mis-diagnosis and differential diagnostic considerations.
4. Drawing on personal and professional experience, participants will engage in discussion of possible responses to different types of interpersonal violence that occur in a variety of settings.
5. Participants will engage in exploration of a variety of intervention strategies to promote healing and resilience for children, youth, and families.

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6

Online via Zoom • 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (lunch break 12 p.m. to 1 p.m.)
Instructor: Angela Belleville, LMHC

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adults
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an evidence-based, short-term therapy shown to decrease symptomology and improve mood and daily functioning by teaching clients self-coaching skills to identify, evaluate, and modify unhelpful thinking and behavioral patterns. This course will provide Master's level clinicians with an understanding of the Cognitive Behavioral model that will include a brief history, populations most commonly treated, basic empirical research, essential components and structure, and commonly used techniques. Participants will learn some essential skills that can be integrated into a CBT treatment plan or used as standalone interventions that they can immediately incorporate into their practice.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to articulate basic theory and key components of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).
2. Participants will learn effective ways to socialize clients to the model and gain "buy in".
3. Participants will be able to describe the functions of collaborative case conceptualization.
4. Participants will be familiarized with skills to manage anxiety and worry.
5. Participants will learn the steps to Behavioral Activation, an effective stand-alone intervention for adult clients presenting with depression.

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6