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

Substance Use Disorders for Children, Youth, and Families
This course examines theory, clinical dimensions, and best practices pertaining to substance use and addiction in youth, young adults, and families. Goals are to offer foundations for understanding crucial characteristics of substance use and addiction, and to provide a framework for addressing substance use needs of youth and their families. Beginning with the history of anti-drug policies and how stigma plays a role in popular conceptions of addiction, this course will explore how substance use is expressed in child development and the diagnostic criteria for Substance Use Disorders. Participants will examine best practices and approaches in assessment, intervention, and treatment of substance use problems for young people, using their clinical experiences as examples for application.

Learning Objectives:

1.  Participants will describe the impact of stigma and risk factors associated with substance use.
2.  Participants will identify the theory of development and impact of substance use on children, adolescents, and family systems.
3. Participants will examine substance use assessment tools for youth in need of intervention and/or treatment.
4. Participants will identify best practices to address substance use in youth and families.
5. Participants will analyze substance use through a dimensional framework and identify criteria that endorse Substance Use Disorders.

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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: Tsana Dimanin, MSW, LICSW, NIC

Family Therapy for Children, Youth, and Families
In this course geared toward working professionals, the focus for Family Therapy will be on real-world case examples and discussion. Subjects addressed will include ethics and dynamics within family work and practicing techniques when working with families both in-home and in the office. Several modalities will be discussed and resources will be shared for help with your work with families. Group work/role play and interactive discussion will be utilized throughout the day. If you aim to work with families or already have experience doing so, this course will be a great addition to your professional portfolio and practice toolbox.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will practice techniques for different modalities of family therapy.
2. Participants will identify and discuss ethical challenges when working with families.
3. Participants will gain resources for working with community resources (i.e., state agencies, non-profits, schools, etc.) and families.
4. Participants will recognize and learn tools to confront intergenerational cultural dissonance within a family.

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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: Susan Lee Tohn, MSW, LICSW

Solution-Focused Therapy for Adults, Part 1
(Part 2 to be offered during Summer 2025 Social Work Workshops Series)

Solution-focused work is ideal for these challenging times as the model meets the client's needs in fewer sessions than traditional models and applies to a culturally diverse clientele. Solution Focused Brief Therapy focuses on "change" not "problems" and applies to both the micro and macro levels of working with individuals, families, and groups. Solution Focused Therapy empowers people to create and realize their solutions, and emphasizes strong rapport and active participation by both client and therapist. The training will challenge participants to explore their assumptions and provide them with many hands-on techniques they will be able to incorporate immediately into their work. This Part 1 (of 2 parts) training will include: the miracle question, exceptions, and scaling for an initial session.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to explain the 13 Solution Focused assumptions.
2. Participants will be able to explain the unique paradigm for “cooperating with clients.”
3. Participants will be able to demonstrate an amplifying exception question.
4. Participants will be able to demonstrate asking the miracle question.
5. Participants will be able to describe the three types of exception questions.

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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: Nicki Roth, LICSW

Dialectical Behavioral Therapy for Children, Youth, and Families
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a cognitive behavioral treatment that aims to replace ineffective or maladaptive behavior with skillful responses, and helps clients become more comfortable with change. The term “dialectical” means a synthesis or integration of opposites; the primary dialectic within DBT is between the seemingly opposite strategies of acceptance and change. This course provides an orientation and overview of DBT and teaches how to implement skills training into clinical practice. Participants will learn Acceptance-Oriented and Change-Oriented Skills for individual and group therapy, and explore interventions focused on developing Mindfulness, Distress Tolerance, Emotion Regulation, and Interpersonal Effectiveness skills. Through case studies, interactive discussions, role-plays, and worksheets, you will take away practical strategies to use immediately with any client, including teens and families.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn to describe the primary dialectic of DBT.
2. Participants will be able to name a treatment function of DBT.
3. Participants will be able to describe the components of a behavioral chain analysis.
4. Participants will name the DBT skills modules and identify their primary functions and corresponding skills.
5. Participants will be able to name commitment strategies to engage clients in treatment and encourage skills usage.

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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: Jennifer Roman-Martin, LICSW

Trauma Informed Care
Trauma-informed care is a commonly used term that is not often clearly defined and can lack clear guidance on implementation. This course will explore how to embody the principles and practices of trauma-informed care to actively resist the risk of re-traumatization and promote healing and stabilization. Participants will develop an understanding of ways to enact trauma-responsive social work practice to support varied and individualized paths towards well-being across the lifespan. Throughout, we will explore how to respond to overwhelm and trauma in practice settings, as well as how to be effective advocates for healing-centered practice.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will understand the current conceptualization of trauma, traumatic stress, and related symptoms within and beyond the DSM-V.
2. Participants will learn trauma-responsive intervention strategies for social work practice, starting from intake and assessment and throughout treatment.
3. Participants will examine the role of the practitioner in the healing system that can be developed with the client.
4. Participants will identify and respond to vicarious traumatization and secondary traumatic stress as it presents in interactions with clients, provider teams, and systems.

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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.)
Instructors: Greg Bodine, LICSW, and Matt Mooney, MSW, LICSW

Narrative Therapy for Adults
This course will introduce students to Narrative Therapy’s collaborative, respectful, and socially just ways of understanding people and problems. An examination of the distinction between Narrative and Normative Worldviews will be followed by examples of Narrative Therapy in practice and opportunities for experiential learning. The intention of this course is to offer participants a taste of the politics and ethics that guide Narrative Therapy practices. Participants will learn about approaches that narrative therapists take in working with people who are experiencing problems in their lives and relationships.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn how the ideas, values, and relational ethics of the Narrative Worldview differ from those of a Normative Worldview.
2. Participants will understand the significance of stories and cultural norms in shaping people’s identities and understandings of problems.
3. Participants will become acquainted with the “de-centered but influential” stance of the narrative practitioner.
4. Participants will consider the ways therapists are positioned within the helping contexts, with particular emphasis on how various ways of relating might affect those seeking their help.
5. Participants will have the opportunity to witness and reflect on examples of Narrative Therapy in practice.

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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: Kimberly Knowles, LMHC, ATR

Trauma and Interpersonal Violence for Adults
This course will explore the psychological impact that interpersonal violence has on adults. We will formulate the underlying issues that drive complex trauma symptoms, and discuss trauma assessment, the psychological defense system, and dissociation. We will focus on what life is like after trauma, specifically the impact it has on body, mind, and spirit. Participants will learn about trauma-informed best practices, interventions, and treatment planning. We will honor resilience, survival, and self-preservation. Throughout this course, participants will learn about trauma-informed interventions and understand the importance of viewing symptoms through a trauma lens.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will learn to recognize trauma-related symptoms.
2. Participants will learn the effects of trauma on the body and mind.
3. Participants will understand the complex survival system.
4. Participants will learn skills to stabilize and treat clients in a trauma-sensitive way.
5. Participants will learn about vicarious trauma exposure, and practice creating a plan of proactive care (including mindfulness, self-compassion, and support).

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Course Fee: $150
CEUs: 6