Solandy Forte, PhD, LCSW, BCBA-D

Tuesday, Nov 15, 2022
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

2 CECs

$40 – UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors
$50 – All Others

Webinar link will be emailed when your registration is complete.

Data. Data. And more data. It all must be analyzed and analyzed well. The clinician must take every single piece of data collected and interpret it in order to confidently identify the function(s) of behavior. The information gathered through the collection data may or may not support your original hypothesis but will definitely inform treatment. You have gathered the information you need to make treatment recommendations, now learn how to put it all together.

Participants will learn to:

• interpret data collected
• identify functions of behavior
• formulate function-based recommendations

Solandy Forte, PhD, LCSW, BCBA-D

Tues, Nov 8, 2022
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

2 CECs

$40 – UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors
$50 – All Others

Webinar link will be emailed when your registration is complete.

The clinical interview will help to structure when and how you will conduct your direct observations. Identifying the most useful data collection method(s) for your particular assessment case can be a bit overwhelming particularly if time is not on your side. Choosing the appropriate data collection method is critical in order to capture data in real-time that is representative of what is occurring most of the time when you most likely are not present. It is important not to rely on just one data collection method or capturing one dimension of behavior. The observer must rely on multiple data sources.

Participants will learn to:

• use the information they have gathered from clinical interviews to identify the most appropriate settings/times to observe
• identify what dimensions or type of data must be collected
• collect Antecedent-Behavior-Consequence data

Solandy Forte, PhD, LCSW, BCBA-D

Tuesday, Nov 1, 2022
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

2 CECs

$40 – UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors
$50 – All Others

Webinar link will be emailed when your registration is complete.

Gathering the most relevant information from your clinical interview is critical. Information gathered will help to determine your steps when conducting a Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA). We will discuss the importance of setting events and how they contribute to understanding behavior function. There are structured and semi-structured tools that can be used to guide clinicians through the interview process. The pros and cons of each will be reviewed.

Participants will learn to:

• define and identify setting events
• use a semi-structured assessment tool
• define the purpose of a clinical interview

Solandy Forte, PhD, LCSW, BCBA-D

Tuesday, Nov 29, 2022
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm

2 CECs

$40 – UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors
$50 – All Others

Webinar link will be emailed when your registration is complete.

In this webinar the presenter will review the most effective antecedent and management strategies that are support by evidence to deal with challenging behavior. Discussions will be had regarding barriers that may prevent treatment teams from carrying out what “on paper” looks like a good plan. Establishing training objectives, timelines, and methods will be reviewed to promote treatment fidelity. If external resources are needed how treatment teams advocate for support will make a difference in the execution of a comprehensive plan for complex cases.

Participants will learn to:

• identify evidence-based interventions
• learn how to establish data tracking systems
• set up treatment fidelity checks

Jennifer Berton, PhD, LICSW, CADC-II

Thursday, November 10, 2022
10 am – 12 pm

2 CECs

$40 – UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors
$50 – All Others

Link to webinar will be included in your email confirmation

Trainings on clinician burnout typically focus on balance and self-care, which may increase healthy habits, but often won’t alleviate burnout. This webinar goes to the heart of the three most common causes of burnout, a lack of power, passion, and purpose, and how to build each one.

Learning objectives:

• explore and evaluate traditional clinical burnout prevention techniques
• examine the concept of power, what it is and how to build it in oneself and in the workplace
• investigate passion by remembering early passion for work and how to reignite it
• consider one’s purpose and how to increase its value to promote job satisfaction

Lori Ratchelous, LMSW

Saturday, Dec 3, 2022
10 am – 12 pm
2 CECs

$40 – UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors
$50 – All Others

The webinar link will be emailed when your registration is complete.

Animal Assisted Therapy (AAT) has become increasingly popular over the past decade. Questions surface as to what AAT really is. Therapists often question if by having their animal present while working are they actually providing AAT services to their clients. AAT is a specialty and is much more than bringing a pet into the office.

This webinar will explore a model of understanding the impact of the human-animal bond on attachment, affirmation, and affect regulation. The training will include an overview of three broad areas: a) What is AAT and how is it incorporated into our practice; b) How human-animal interactions and the human-animal bond can impact human health and well-being; and c) The powerful potential that positive connections with animals have for healing and promoting resiliency in human beings while at the same time providing a benefit to the animal.

At the conclusion of this webinar, you will be able to:

• describe and classify human benefits, including physical, emotional, psychological, and social benefits that can be communicated through HAI (human-animal interaction) and HAB (human-animal bond)
• demonstrate the ability to match differing therapeutic animal roles and interventions to address different types of human-health and wellness related needs in various settings (schools, nursing homes, hospitals)
• identify and examine values, ethics, and risk issues for both humans and animals involved in human-animal interactions
• gain knowledge on ways to incorporate animals in a psychotherapeutic process for special populations: children on the spectrum, elderly, people with dementia

Jennifer Berton, PhD, LICSW, CADC-II

Monday, Oct 31, 2022
9:30 am – 4 pm
5 CECs

$110 – UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors
$125 – All Others

Location: UConn School of Social Work Building, Room 104
Directions and Parking details will be included in your email confirmation

What questions do you ask your clients that get at the information you need? What language do you use? How do you take into account a client’s culture in the questions that you ask? How do you address silence, or an unwillingness to participate in the interview? How do you refocus a client or deescalate his or her aggression? What questions can you ask to get at specific symptoms and how do you adjust your query in session as needed? While many trainings examine symptoms, psychopathology, and existing diagnostic assessment tools, this seminar has the actual clinical interview at its focus. We will explore how to gather the information you need for diagnosis and treatment planning, and hone your clinical interviewing skills.

This seminar will teach participants how to utilize interviewing techniques that meet the needs of the clients they serve, which strengthens both the individual client’s treatment experience and the profession as a whole. The topic connects to diversity in allowing participants to attend to the diverse background of their clients in the specific questions that are utilized, as well as specific ideas in how to ask the questions, (e.g. language, non-verbal communication, vocal tone). It connects to ethics because attendees will learn how to ensure their clinical interviewing adheres to the strictest of ethical principles. It connects to advocacy because the better the clinical interview, the better treatment the clients will receive; treatment the clients deserve and need to build a healthy life.

This seminar will enable you to:

• gather all the needed questions to conduct a solid clinical interview
• learn the components of motivational interviewing
• explore how to direct and redirect the path of the clinical interview
• practice clinical interviewing skills; identify strengths and challenges

Jennifer Berton, PhD, LICSW, CADC-II

Monday, Oct 24, 2022
9:30 am – 4 pm
5 CECs

$110 – UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors
$125 – All Others

Location: Hartford Public Library, Room 026, 500 Main Street
Directions and Parking details will be included in your email confirmation

The 5th edition of the DSM brings with it some of the most significant changes between editions. In addition to changes in the disorders themselves and how they are grouped, the diagnostic system has been revamped. Are you prepared to incorporate the changes into your practice and to diagnose your clients accurately? This workshop will identify the changes introduced in the new DSM, comparing editions IV and V, and identifying the changes most likely to affect your individual practice, using many case examples as practice. This training is appropriate for all diagnosing clinicians, and for those who want to better understand the diagnostic process.​

Learning Objectives

• understand the major philosophical changes to the diagnostic process in the DSM 5
• learn the categorical and disorder changes and additions introduced in the DSM-5
• compare diagnoses in the DSM-IV and DSM-5 using the same clinical vignettes
• examine the assessment tools published with the DSM-5
• practice diagnosis using the DSM-5 through numerous clinical vignettes