Human Services Network of Colorado upcoming events

Verbal De-Escalation (04/28/2026)

Tue, 28 Apr 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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.

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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.

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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 5 hours Certificate of Completion

Advanced MI Training focusing on MI Strategy (05/07/2026)

Thu, 07 May 2026 15:00:00 GMT

A lot of practitioners are familiar with the basic MI Skills and comfortable with using the OARS Skills. Are you interested in going to the next level with your MI Practice and gaining more confidence around the strategic use of MI?

Motivational Interviewing can achieve powerful results in a very short amount of time when a practitioner knows the MAP of CHANGE and understands how to use MI skills strategically, so when to use which skill set for maximizing the client’s momentum towards positive change.

During this training you will:

Understand and be able to utilize the Map of Change
Review the different Skill Sets in MI and their STRATEGIC use
Practice MI Strategy with client examples
Learn how to assess for success in your MI practice

Presenter: Avani G. Dilger, LPC, CAS, ADS, AAT

Avani is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Addiction Counselor, a Somatic Psychotherapist, an Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist, and a Motivational Interviewing Trainer (MINT), who 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, an innovative, grassroots substance abuse prevention and intervention program that teaches teens to become leaders around healthier lifestyles and positive peer culture. In addition to teaching the Natural Highs program at several high schools in Boulder and at Naropa University, Avani works as a psychotherapist with teens, families and adults with issues around substance abuse, addiction and trauma using approaches such as Somatic Psychotherapy, Brainspotting and Systemic Constellationwork. She is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and trains Motivational Interviewing for criminal justice, mental health, health care, and substance abuse professionals.

Fostering Positive Relationships (05/14/2026)

Thu, 14 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

This workshop provides tools which help practitioners to empower clients with unhealthy relationship backgrounds, offering them a better chances for success going forward.

Relationships are a fundamental part of our lives as human beings. Often the focus in professional settings is recognizing and challenging unhealthy relationships. However, understanding the fundamental components of healthy relationships is key to building the client's skills to allow them to foster healthy relationships.

This training will provide helping professionals with psychoeducation on the psychological roots of building healthy relationships, techniques on how to build your client's skills in developing healthy relationships, and opportunities to practice implementing those skills.

It also offers practitioners an opportunity to explore how their personal relationships affect their interactions with clients.

Learn how to intentionally model healthy relationships with your client through

Boundary Setting
Parallel Processing
Modeling healthy relationships

Learn how to use strength-based approaches to promote positive relationships in your clients through:

Psychoeducation on recognizing healthy relationships
Techniques to help clients cope with uncomfortable feelings
Using a client-led approach to empower clients in setting boundaries and relationship standards

Learn practical tools to teach your clients how to foster positive relationships in their lives using

The 5 secrets of communication
Gottman Relationship Theory
Healthy Communication techniques

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Presenter: Marisol Velez Murray is the director of Marisol Homes, an extended stay shelter for single and expectant mothers and their children. Marisol is a licensed professional counselor. She specializes in populations that have experienced intimate partner violence, Latinx immigrant population, and complex trauma. She has extensive experience in mental health crisis stabilization and response and has worked in a variety of positions with individuals across the lifespan.

Eligible for two hours Certificate of Completion

Understanding and supporting LGBTQ+ clients and co-workers (05/20/2026)

Wed, 20 May 2026 17:00:00 GMT

How can anyone know ALL there is to know about LGBTQIA+? That's a helluva lot of acronyms to get your head around! As a service provider, it is likely you know some things, but are open to other ways of looking at this population and gaining a better understanding and insight around working with them.

This course is designed to create a solid foundation for supporting persons who identify as LGBTQIA+ and to help you work and communicate better with this population as a human services professional.

GOAL: To increase knowledge about LGBTQIA+ and working with this population.

OBJECTIVES: By the end of this training you will:

Gain a better understanding and awareness of the history and social determinants of health in the LGBTQIA+ community and how to better serve this population;
Develop strategies to mitigate potential adverse effects of implicit biases and inherent power imbalances;
Learn better communication styles with clients and co-workers.

PRESENTER: Savanna Depew

Savanna is a trained facilitator and experienced case manager who has been directly involved with human services work for more than 5 years. She has coached hundreds of participants through a multitude of goals including navigating housing, connecting to mental health support, and preparing for education and employment opportunities. Savanna Depew She is currently the Manager of Community Programs, Center for Work Education & Employment

Eligible for one-hour Certificate of Completion

Healing Vicarious Trauma (05/27/2026)

Wed, 27 May 2026 16:00:00 GMT

When working with people who are in the midst of personal crisis, trauma, or emotional distress, it is common to eventually exhaust yourself from vicarious trauma (aka secondary trauma or compassion fatigue). This workshop is focused on ways to exercise self-care and self-compassion for human services professionals. Self-compassion involves treating ourselves with the care that you would offer a close friend. We will discuss the benefits of self-compassion and how to cope with caregiver fatigue. We will also talk about how to incorporate self-compassion into everyday life. We encourage you to fight caregiver fatigue by taking this time to learn to care for yourself at this enjoyable, interactive workshop.

Participants will learn about the impact of traumatic stress on the brain and on the body. Concepts of vicarious trauma, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout will be addressed. Finally, we will explore organizational and personal strategies that can be employed to mitigate the effects of secondary traumatic stress.

Causes of vicarious trauma

Your clients may have experienced trauma associated with childhood abuse, domestic violence, sexual assault or other violent crimes, disasters, war, forced migration, or even political torture. Vicarious traumatic stress is now recognized as an occupational hazard of providing direct services to populations with histories of trauma. Vicarious trauma involves a transformation which occurs in the inner experience of the human services practitioner as a result of empathetic engagement with their clients' traumatic experiences. The emotional costs of caring for clients with histories of trauma can be significant, including the loss of personal and professional resiliency. A growing body of research evidence has demonstrated that secondary traumatic stress has the potential to erode work performance, undermine motivation and morale, and adversely impact the personal health of the practitioner.

Healing (Trauma) Informed Self-Care (HISC) is an important best practice model for all direct care workers to understand. Understanding Healing Informed self-care is at least as important in the direct care field. Research in trauma, neuropsychology, positive psychology and other disciplines identify several approaches to self-care that help mitigate stress, trauma, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue and burn-out. Understanding how we are affected, as well as how we can care well for ourselves and others, will undoubtedly help us lead and shape the future together. Learning objectives include the following.

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

Describe Stress, Trauma, Secondary Trauma, Burn-Out, Compassion Fatigue, Zoom Fatigue, Moral Fatigue &/or Comparative Suffering;
Be able to identify symptoms in yourself and others and know how to access help;
Understand what predicts Vicarious Trauma;
Become aware of causes and consequences in order to help decrease vulnerability;
Practice self-administered stress reduction relaxation techniques
Identify at least one way to insulate themselves from Vicarious/Secondary Trauma, Burn-Out &/or Compassion Fatigue
Identify at least one thing they will do for better Self-Care.

Presenter: Melinda Marasch, LCSW
Aspire Training & Consulting

It is my honor to do exciting work with the amazing, compassionate people in the nonprofit world! It has been my life’s passion to help others, first as a psycho-therapist and now as a consultant. I specialize in clinical supervision in the form of training (in-person and online), as well as individual and group sessions. We serve licensed and unlicensed individuals, as well as programs and organizations. I have expertise in many areas, including HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, mental illnesses and much more. I also provide coaching to clients who are motivated to maximize their assets.

Eligible for 3 hours Certificate of Completion

Everyone is hiring... so why aren't your clients working? Tips and Techniques for Finding Employment (06/02/2026)

Tue, 02 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Are your clients feeling hopeless in their search for employment? Sometimes it seems like an endless task, searching for a job; and losing hope is the face in the mirror. Especially when you are justice-involved or lack the educational requirements.

During this webinar, we will discover proven methods to help build a solid plan, open up employment options, and develop partnerships to overcome these struggles and obstacles.

GOALS:

Discuss current and local employment resources and opportunities.

Identify and discuss ways to improve support for families in need.

Develop additional communication streams for up-to-date resources for adequate employment and compensation.

Help improve community relationships and partnership opportunities for employment, resources, hiring events, and recruitment fairs.

OUTLINE

1. Where are the jobs and career opportunities?

Felony-friendly employment resources and opportunities.
No experience necessary employment opportunities (OTJT)
Non-GED or high school graduate

2. What about Apprenticeship Opportunities? How does an apprenticeship program work?

3. What are Career Training Programs? How does this program work to benefit job seekers?

4. Building a plan of resources and jobs based on the availability

Resource Centers and Workforce Development locations?
Develop expectations and review obstacles and barriers.
Improving warm introductions and follow-up techniques?
How do you develop an online strategy for job applications?
How much does that job pay?

Two Break-Out Sessions will build upon the topics above.

Eligible for a two-hour certificate of completion.

Presenter: Marsha Brown, CORE Inspirate LLC

Ms. Brown has a multifaceted career history that allows her to serve the community she lives in. She brings her sharpened skills and experience to help inspire and empower others. Ms. Brown has a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration. Her career has moved from Customer Service Manager over accounts like The Detroit Zoological Institute to NA Manager for TransUnion LLC., overseeing relationships with homeowners and FEMA guidelines. Ms. Brown’s diverse career path and "lived experience" has allowed her to build a wealth of knowledge- focusing on; advocacy for resilience, job creation; and enhancing self-sufficiency programs. Ms. Brown teaches others how to maximize best practices, advocacy, financial health, and home ownership. She served as a Commissioner for the DHA Board, is an Alumni of Warren Village Transitional Housing and a seasoned Storyteller for the Close to Home Campaign to end homelessness.

Motivational Interviewing - June 23,25,30 & July 2 (06/23/2026)

Tue, 23 Jun 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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. You must be on-camera during the event to receive a certificate of completion.

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.

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Presenter: Avani G. Dilger, LPC, CAS, ADS, AAT
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.

Motivational Interviewing - June 23,25,30 & July 2 (06/25/2026)

Thu, 25 Jun 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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. You must be on-camera during the event to receive a certificate of completion.

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.

_____

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

Motivational Interviewing - June 23,25,30 & July 2 (06/30/2026)

Tue, 30 Jun 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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. You must be on-camera during the event to receive a certificate of completion.

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.

_____

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

Motivational Interviewing - June 23,25,30 & July 2 (07/02/2026)

Thu, 02 Jul 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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. You must be on-camera during the event to receive a certificate of completion.

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.

_____

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

MI for Supervisors & Champions - August 4 & 6 (08/04/2026)

Tue, 04 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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

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Presenter: Avani G. Dilger, LPC, CAS, ADS, AAT
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

MI for Supervisors & Champions - August 4 & 6 (08/06/2026)

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 15:00:00 GMT

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.

_________

________

Eligible for 8 hours Certificate of Completion