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Human Services Network of Colorado

Upcoming events

    • 10/16/2024
    • 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
    • Zoom Webinar
    • 32
    Register

    Have you recognized mental illness and substance abuse in working with participants?  Perhaps you weren't sure which symptom needed which approach. Learning more and developing resources and partners to address co-occurring disorders can help you provide more efficient, targeted services and referrals, and help your participants feel better.

    For those who seek to enhance their ability and understanding of Addictions and Co-occurring Disorder; this workshop will present a solid foundation for recognizing substance abuse as well as understanding and working with these issues. "Co-occurring Disorder" is descriptive of people who struggle with both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder. It is often difficult to tease out a co-occurring disorder, especially when the person is in acute phases of instability.

    There are numerous issues we will discuss related to the struggle of managing this disorder. Stigma and stability issues consistent with the individuals specific combination of disorders, support access, legal, medical health, and cultural uniqueness create a complexity for the care providers approach and management of services for these clients. We will discuss basic strategies, and practical guidelines for providing early intervention, stability and integrated services for Co-occurring Disorder clients.

    Participants will leave with:

    • The ability to identify symptoms of substance abuse and mental health disorders;
    • A working definition of the “co-occurring disorder” and a look at the stigma attached to that definition;
    • An understanding of the most common difficulties (and clues) in recognizing co-occurring disorders
    • Practical strategies in managing co-occurring clients, including; basic CBT skills, Medication compliance concerns, high risk stability, sobriety management, and multiple systems coordination;
    • An understanding of the stability concerns with co-occurring disorder clients; and
    • Approaches to practical and culturally sensitive assessment.


    Presenter: Tracy L. Hutchinson, LPC, MAC, LAC 

    Tracy has been working in the field of Addictions and Mental Health for the past 40 years. Currently, through her Counseling and Consulting private practice, Tracy is a facilitator of professional growth and development for team building. See more information about Tracy HERE.

    Eligible for 6 Hours Certificate of Completion.

    • 10/22/2024
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Zoom Webinar
    • 25
    Register

    Trauma is increasingly recognized as a driving factor for causing major mental health and addiction symptoms and can create challenges and obstacles in our work with clients. There is also a growing awareness that professionals get impacted with secondary trauma which can lead to serious symptoms and burnout. A lot of agencies are struggling to help their staff in dealing with trauma in their clients and to help their staff in preventing burnout.


    Motivational Interviewing is an evidence-based practice that is proven to support positive change for clients, but it is also an excellent skillset to prevent secondary trauma and burnout for the practitioner by changing the dynamics of not taking on the tension from our work.


    After this training you will:

    • Be able to understand and identify secondary trauma symptoms
    • Understand the neuroscience of trauma & PTSD
    • Learn how to turn trauma into resilience
    • Gain confidence in working with clients experiencing trauma


    Presenter: Avani G. Dilger, MEd, MA, LPC, BC-DMT, CAS, ADS

    Avani specializes in substance abuse prevention and treatment with adults, teens and their families. She is the founder and director of the “Natural Highs – Healthy Alternatives to Drugs & Alcohol” nonprofit program. Avani has been training professionals in in Motivational Interviewing and other evidence-based practices worldwide for over 20 years. Find out more about Avani HERE.


    Eligible for 3 hours Certificate of Completion

    • 10/30/2024
    • 10:00 AM - 11:30 AM
    • Zoom Webinar
    • 58
    Register

    This interactive workshop on the basics of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a dynamic and engaging learning experience designed to foster a deeper understanding of key DEI concepts. In this workshop, participants will embark on a journey to explore the critical aspects of diversity, equity, and inclusion, while also addressing important topics such as accessibility, bias, empathy, and dignity.

    Through a combination of informative presentation, group discussion, and interactive activities, participants will gain practical knowledge and skills to promote a more inclusive and equitable environment in their personal and professional lives. Breakout sessions will encourage participants to connect with one another, share their experiences, and collaborate on solutions, making it a truly immersive and enriching learning experience.

    Objectives:

    • Enhance Understanding: The first objective of this workshop is to deepen participants' understanding of the core principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Through interactive discussions and real-world examples, participants will gain insight into the significance of these concepts and how they intersect with accessibility, bias, empathy, and dignity.
    • Identify Personal Biases: Our second objective is to help participants recognize their own biases and unconscious prejudices. By engaging in self-reflection exercises and open dialogues, attendees will develop the ability to identify and challenge their biases, a crucial step towards creating more inclusive environments.
    • Foster Empathy and Connection: The third objective is to foster empathy and encourage meaningful connections among participants. Through breakout sessions and group activities, attendees will have the opportunity to share their experiences, learn from one another, and collectively brainstorm strategies for promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion in their communities and workplaces. Building empathy and connections will be key to ensuring lasting positive change.

    Presenter: Sydney Jackson-Clockston Presenter: Sydney Jackson-Clockston, MTM

    Sydney founded Citrine Unlimited LLC in 2020 as a tool to empower and mobilize clients. She is committed to creating a transformative experience through her dynamic, engaging presentations. Sydney is an accessibility advocate, mental health normalizer, and a 2022 Good Business Colorado Award winner. She just published My Own Worst Enemy: Understanding and Overcoming Imposter Syndrome. Sydney is also a member of Consultants For Good, Good Business Colorado, Woman in Sustainability, Posner Center of International Development, and Colorado Neurodiversity Chamber of Commerce

    Eligible for 1.5 hours Certificate of Completion

    • 11/05/2024
    • 11/14/2024
    • 4 sessions
    • Zoom webinar
    • 14
    Register

    This evidence-based approach has consistently shown positive outcomes in dealing with resistance and defensiveness. Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative conversation style for strengthening a person's own motivation and commitment to change. It has been successfully used with populations where resistance is prevalent, including adults and adolescents who deal with legal problems, substance abuse and mental health issues. 

    Motivational Interviewing provides a “tool box” of techniques and strategies which will help you to be more effective in working with clients who bring a wide range of challenges. This is a four-day online training with a four-hour session each day. A broadband Internet connection and working webcam are required for participation.

     Attendees will: 

    Understand the basic principles and skills of Motivational Interviewing

    Experience a collaborative versus an authoritarian communication style and see how you can effectively decrease defensiveness in clients​;​

    Learn and practice resistance skills​;

    Learn and practice directive skills that help move a client towards positive behavior change​;​

    Be able to elicit commitment language from a client that is correlated to positive outcomes​;​

    Explore proven implementation strategies that help improve your Motivational Interviewing skills in the field​.

    _____

    Presenter: Avani G. Dilger, MEd, MA, LPC, BC-DMT, CA
    Avani specializes in substance abuse prevention and treatment with adults, teens and their families. She is the founder and director of the “Natural Highs – Healthy Alternatives to Drugs & Alcohol” nonprofit program. Avani has been training professionals in in Motivational Interviewing and other evidence-based practices worldwide for over 20 years. Find out more about Avani HERE.

    Eligible for 16 hours MINT Certificate of Completion, valid worldwide.

    • 11/18/2024
    • 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM
    • Zoom Webinar
    • 43
    Register

    De-escalation of disruptive behavior has become an essential skill, pertinent to all staff providing human services. The need for safe, effective techniques to manage the disruptive client is no longer limited to those who work with severe mental illness in residential or hospital settings.

    To add to the problem, the current de-institutionalization trend has injected thousands of individuals who once were treated on an inpatient basis, into a society which is not quite sure how to manage their behavior. Outpatient mental health facilities are being asked to service clients who formerly had inpatient care. Frequently, staff at a community-based treatment centers do not have the training or experience to manage the aggressive behaviors of clients who were once institutionalized.

    This training provides attendees with a safe, non-harmful techniques, designed to aid human service professionals in the management of disruptive clients. Strategies and specific skills for dealing with clients in varying stages of escalation will be presented and discussed. Non-restraining physical protective maneuvers will be reviewed, demonstrated and discussed. Principles of debriefing and using teaching moments will also be addressed.

    ___________

    De-escalation will be presented in three phases:

    • Phase 1 Avoiding escalation through Self Care and Awareness;
    • Phase 2 Anatomy of crisis development and de-escalating skill sets; and
    • Phase 3 Exit maneuvers and debriefing skills.

    By the end of the webinar, learners will be able to:

    • Recognize the importance of self-care in how it relates to escalating/de-escalating any situation;
    • Apply de-escalation techniques effective in approaching and reducing the • tension of an agitated person;
    • Understand the impact of their reactions on the agitated person;
    • Utilize tools to control their anxieties during interventions toward maintaining the best possible professional attitude; and

    • Describe nonverbal, para-verbal and verbal skills to maintain the best possible care and welfare, as well as safety and security, for all involved.

    _____________

    Presenter: Tracy L. Hutchinson, LPC, MAC, LAC 

    Tracy has been working in the field of Addictions and Mental Health for the past 40 years. Currently, through her Counseling and Consulting private practice, Tracy is a facilitator of professional growth and development for team building. See more information about Tracy HERE.


    Eligible for 6 hours Certificate of Completion

    • 12/09/2024
    • 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
    • Zoom webinar
    • 60
    Register

    Inspired by his over 20 years working with the trauma-informed care paradigm which resulted in his acclaimed books, Matt Bennett is excited to partner with The Network to present Connecting Paradigms: Positioning Trauma-Informed Care, Motivational Interviewing & other Best Practices for Improved Client Outcomes. Harm reduction, Motivational Interviewing (MI), trauma-informed care, and other best practices provide tools and approaches that assist us in helping those we serve. While these paradigms increased capacity to meet the ever-changing needs of clients, less attention has been paid to bringing these together in a coherent model designed to improve quality and client outcomes.

    This reality led Matt to write Connecting Paradigms: A trauma-informed & neurobiological framework for Motivational Interviewing Implementation (2017) and, the follow-ups, Talking about Trauma & Change (2018), Heart Rate Variability: Using biometrics to improve outcomes in trauma-informed organizations (2020). Together, these books provide an innovative approach to helping those struggling with past trauma to make critical life changes and heal from trauma. Connecting Paradigms presents an integrated model, combining research in neurobiology, trauma, behavioral change, harm reduction, and Motivational Interviewing into a practical skillset easily implemented across a variety of settings and professional backgrounds.

    This workshop introduces the core concepts presented in the books in a practical way that allows for immediate implementation. A quick-paced and dynamic training, participants learn MI skills in the context of trauma-informed care, harm reduction, and the Spirit of MI. Many of our clients face critical changes if they are to reach the health outcomes we hope for them. The training gives providers the approaches needed to maximize their time and work with clients.

    Learning Objectives

    1. Understand how trauma, neurobiology, and epigenetics inform interventions and communications.
    2. Apply the Connecting Paradigms model for client interventions and program development.
    3. Utilize harm reduction, stages of change, mindfulness, Motivational Interviewing, and other best practices together to improve outcomes.
    4. Conceptualize what developments in neurobiology and epigenetics tell us about healing from trauma and behavioral change.
    5. Develop skills to integrate trauma-informed Motivational Interviewing into your work with clients.

    Eligible for 6 hours Certificate of Completion

    Matt Bennett is a relentless advocate for trauma-informed care and other interventions that help people and communities heal. His passion manifests in his books Connecting Paradigms, Talking about Trauma & Change, Heart Variability, and Trauma-Sensitive Early Education as well as his Trauma-Informed Lens and Heart Rate Variability Podcasts. Mr. Bennett combines his masters’ degrees in community psychology and executive development/nonprofit management and business administration with his practical experience as a therapist and leader to develop research-based solutions to improve the health of individuals, staff, organizations, and systems.

    As a sought-after trainer, Mr. Bennett utilizes a participant-centered approach, which includes interactions and adult learning activities to maximize learning, retention, and application. Mr. Bennett’s presentations are a dynamic dance of innovative research, practical applications, and a passion for the art and science of helping others.

       
    • 12/18/2024
    • 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
    • Zoom Webinar
    • 46
    Register

    Do you work with veterans or others suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury? Then this in-depth, full-day session is for you.


    Anyone can get PTSD at any age. This includes war veterans and survivors of physical and sexual assault, abuse, accidents, disasters, and many other serious events. Traumatic Brain Injury will almost certainly result in PTSD. But not everyone with PTSD has been through a dangerous event. Some people get PTSD after a friend or family member experiences danger or is harmed. The sudden, unexpected death of a loved one can also cause PTSD.

    Our understanding of complex trauma and how to treat it has expanded over the last decade. No two people have the same reaction to a traumatic experience. And many experience a loss of connection with themselves, their bodies, and others as they process what has happened to them or others. Trauma-informed clinical approaches equip behavioral health service providers with strategies and tools to better engage those affected by complex trauma. This workshop will focus on understanding how a person who has experienced complex trauma responds to and deciphers information and can be triggered. This workshop will define the DSM-5 diagnoses that fall under “Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders,” unpack complex trauma, and discuss evidence-based treatment modalities, practices, and tools for treating complex trauma.

    Objectives: Participants in this workshop will be able to:

    • Discuss the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for Trauma and Stressor-Related Disorders
    • Describe the influence of traumatic brain injury on PTSD, treatment, and recovery
    • Explore the many facets of PTSD
    • Articulate at least three evidence-based treatment and practices useful for trauma-informed, trauma-sensitive care

    Eligible for four (4) hour Certificate of Completion

    Presenter: Tracy L. Hutchinson, LPC, MAC, LAC 

    Tracy has been working in the field of Addictions and Mental Health for the past 40 years. Currently, through her Counseling and Consulting private practice, Tracy is a facilitator of professional growth and development for team building. See more information about Tracy HERE.

    • 02/18/2025
    • 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
    • Zoom Webinar
    • 30
    Register

    MI_cartoon

    Motivational Interviewing provides a “tool box” of techniques and strategies which will help you to be more effective in working with clients who bring a wide range of challenges. This one-day advanced Motivational Interviewing Training is the next step for teams who are serious about an evidence-based implementation of Motivational Interviewing skills. The development and maintenance of MI skills is a challenge for front-line workers. Participating in the workshops is a great start but ongoing feedback and mentoring are needed in order for most workers to use MI skillfully. This workshop can help enhance both supervisor MI skills and the quality and nature of the mentoring process. It’s a win-win for clients and agency staff alike.
    This advanced MI training is only for those who have already taken the Motivational Interviewing Basic Two-Day training series. The training builds on the two-day MI Skills Training and teaches supervisors and professionals who are passionate about MI how to keep the practice of MI alive within their teams. If you have not undergone the MI Basic Series, please register for that course instead of this one; we conduct MI Basic regularly.

    Participants will leave with an understanding of:
    • the research-based building-blocks of a successful MI implementation
    • MI coaching skills
    • how to facilitate MI practice sessions
    • a manual with tailored MI exercises to build & sustain their team’s MI skills

    _________

    Presenter: Avani G. Dilger, MEd, MA, LPC, BC-DMT, CAS 
    Avani specializes in substance abuse prevention and treatment with adults, teens and their families. She is the founder and director of the “Natural Highs – Healthy Alternatives to Drugs & Alcohol” nonprofit program. Avani has been training professionals in in Motivational Interviewing and other evidence-based practices worldwide for over 20 years. Find out more about Avani HERE.

    ________

    Eligible for 8 hours Certificate of Completion

Event Schedule

View the Network's projected training topics and other training information here. To view event information and fees (including member discounts) before registering, click Show details in the lower right -hand corner of each event description above.

 Cancellation Policy

  • Substitutions are welcome; please let us know in advance.
  • No-shows and cancellations 7 days or less prior to an event will be granted neither credit nor refund.
  • Up to 8 days prior to event:  25% refund will be issued in the form of a credit towards future registration.
  • Up to 15 days prior to event: 50% refund will be issued in the form of a credit towards future registration.
  • Up to 29 days prior to event: A full refund will be issued.
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