Continuing Education

Psychedelic-Assisted Mental Health Treatment

C. Michael White, Pharm.D., FCP, FCCP, FASHPRegister Now for CE programs
Distinguished Professor and Chair, Pharmacy Practice, UConn School of Pharmacy
Wed, Sept 25, 2024 – Live Webinar
10 am – 11:30 am
1.5 CECs

Registration Fee: $37.50
10% discount for UConn SSW Alumni and Current SSW Field Instructors

C. Michael White, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Pharmacy Practice at the UConn School of Pharmacy, will discuss the clinical evidence behind psychedelic treatments for mental health disorders. While more research is needed on the effectiveness of psychedelics in the treatment of anxiety, depression, trauma, substance use, and other mental health disorders, Dr. White will discuss and clarify their potential therapeutic benefits and risks.

At the conclusion of this lecture, the participants will be able to:

  • Describe the similarities of common mental health disorders and the mechanisms of action for current pharmacologic treatment options and psychedelics.
  • Describe the pooled impact of psychedelics on mental health disorders and the strength of evidence for benefit.
  • Describe the potential implications for treating patients with psychedelics for mental health disorders and what are the risks (including risks of self-medicating with illicit products)
  • Describe the unique role of social workers when dealing with patients who have mental health disorders if psychedelics are a treatment option
  • Describe what legal hurdles need to be overcome

Client Affect Management: Helpful Tools for Success

Donald deGraffenried, LCSW
Friday, July 19, 2024 – in-personRegister Now for CE programs
9 am – 4:30 pm
6 CECs

Registration Fee: $150
10% discount for UConn SSW Alumni and current SSW Field Instructors

Client Affect Management involves working with your client to learn and practice specific relaxation skills that help with stress management and contribute to an increase in resiliency and coping. The goal is to help the client with a reduction of anxiety, an increase in self-esteem and an increased ability to be proactive in the management of personal distress.

Using an Ericksonian perspective, this seminar will draw from his successful techniques of introducing “state change” into the client’s perspective. The program is designed to provide clinicians with training and practice with proven Affect Management tools. These tools are structured to reduce client distress, increase positive states and engage a solution building process. Techniques include One Stone, Diaphragmatic Breathing, Healing Light Visualization, An Enhanced Safe Place and Heart Math.

These tools are appropriate for all age levels and will have direct application for practitioners working in community mental health, nonprofit agencies and private practice settings.

At the conclusion of this seminar, participants will:

  • learn a one-minute relaxation tool and be able to teach it to clients
  • be able to describe the core elements of positive affirmations
  • learn Seven Basic Principle’s for success with clients
  • have an opportunity to practice Affect Management tools
  • be able to identify which tool(s) to use and when to use them in their practice with clients

Children and Grief: A Developmental Perspective

Ruth Pearlman, LCSW, LICSW, MEd
Register Now for CE programs nowWed, June 5, 2024
10 am – 12 pm
2 CECs

Registration Fee: $50
10% discount for UConn SSW Alumni and Current SSW Field Instructors

Webinar link will be emailed when your registration is complete.

Even before COVID children were grieving losses that were not largely recognized or understood. COVID has magnified the grief experience of children on multiple levels.
This webinar will explore children’s concepts of death and non-death losses from a developmental perspective. We will apply Piaget’s Cognitive Theory to understand how
children conceptualize loss at each stage of development.

In this webinar, we will:

  • review Piaget’s Cognitive Theory and apply it to children’s understanding of loss
  • identify a spectrum of non-death losses in childhood
  • examine the role of magical thinking in children’s developmental understanding of loss
  • identify modern grief terminology
  • specifically examine the loss and grief trajectory in the lives of children in foster/alternative care

Building a Private Practice – In-Person

Register Now for CE programsJennifer Berton, PhD, LICSW, CADC-II
Monday, June 10, 2024
In-person
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
5 CECs

Fee: $125
UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors receive a 10% discount

Classroom location, directions and parking details will be included in your email confirmation

Do you have a private practice or are you interested in opening one? Are you utilizing all the available tools to protect and build your practice? This seminar will give you everything you need to build a solid, practice that adheres to HIPAA regulations, ethical principles, and scope of practice restrictions to effectively help the clients you serve.

We will explore the necessary paperwork to use with clients, as well as steps you need to take to protect your practice. This seminar will also provide a plethora of ideas about how to grow your business to its full potential. If you have a private practice, or wish to build one, you need this training to make sure the practice you build is at its clinical best.

This seminar will enable you to:

  • gather materials to set up your practice correctly and efficiently
  • learn how to effectively build a solid client base
  • explore all the vital tools you need to protect your practice
  • examine the potential ways to grow your business

Building a Private Practice – 2 days

Register Now for CE programsJennifer Berton, PhD, LICSW, CADC-II
Fridays, Nov 8 and 15, 2024, In-person
Participants must attend both days to earn CECs
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
10 CECs

Fee: $250
UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors receive a 10% discount

Expanded to 2 days due to popular demand!

Do you have a private practice or are you interested in opening one? Are you utilizing all the available tools to protect and build your practice? This seminar will give you everything you need to build a solid, practice that adheres to HIPAA regulations, ethical principles, and scope of practice restrictions to effectively help the clients you serve.

We will explore the necessary paperwork to use with clients, as well as steps you need to take to protect your practice. This seminar will also provide a plethora of ideas about how to grow your business to its full potential. If you have a private practice, or wish to build one, you need this training to make sure the practice you build is at its clinical best.

This seminar will enable you to:

  • gather materials to set up your practice correctly and efficiently
  • learn how to effectively build a solid client base
  • explore all the vital tools you need to protect your practice
  • examine the potential ways to grow your business

Classroom location, directions and parking details will be included in your confirmation email.

One Stone Meditation for Our Clients and Ourselves

Donald deGraffenried, LCSW
In-personRegister Now for CE programs
Friday, June 21, 2024
9 am – 12 pm
3 CECs

Registration Fee: $75
UConn SSW Alumni and Current Field Instructors receive a 10% discount

Classroom location, directions and parking details will be included in your email confirmation

This three-hour in person training will explore the teachings of Buddhist Monk Thich Nhat Hanh. Participants will learn about his history with mindfulness, his advocacy for peace and social justice, and his connection to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Trainer Donald deGraffenried, LCSW will explain the origin of the “One Stone Meditation” and demonstrate how to use this powerful, yet simple experience of mindfulness with clients or for yourself.

This is a gentle introduction to the process of mindfulness and enhancing the greater ability to be fully in the moment. It has wide application for use with clients, especially in the management of stress and anxiety. Participants will also have the option via a practicum to enhance/strengthen their experience by using bilateral tapping which comes out of the work of Francine Shapiro, Ph.D. and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

In this interactive and experiential seminar, participants will:

• practice the “One Stone Meditation”
• develop the meditative experience
• have the opportunity to practice and strengthen their experience by using bi lateral taping

Writing Letters for Gender-Affirming Healthcare

Sarah A. Gilbert, LCSW

Sat, April 20, 2024Register Now for CE programs
Live Webinar
10 am – 12 pm
2 CECs – this program provides 2 hours of content on cultural competence

Registration Fee: $50
10% discount for UConn SSW Alumni and Current SSW Field Instructors

Link will be emailed when your registration is complete.

If you have some experience in working with trans, non-binary clients, yet you feel unsure about how to go about writing the required mental health assessment letter for your clients to access gender-affirming care, this training is for you!

Clients seeking access to gender-affirming healthcare (including cross-hormone treatment and various surgical procedures) are typically required to get referral letters from mental health professionals. Unfortunately, far too often, these individuals struggle with finding providers who feel comfortable writing these letters, which causes barriers and delays in accessing affirming and life-saving treatment.

Far too often, members of this community experience harmful gatekeeping in accessing the affirming and life-saving services they need as a result. In this 2 hour live interactive webinar, you will be given the information you need to be able to provide a referral letter for gender-affirming healthcare, which will leave you feeling confident in providing this valuable service for your clients.

In our time together, you will:

  • understand the harms that gatekeeping creates for trans/non-binary clients experience in accessing gender-affirming treatment, and the ways in which we can avoid replicating this in our own practices
  • learn about the WPATH Standards of care and understand how to navigate using the SOC in conjunction with insurance policies, physician’s requirements to help write letters that will be successful in getting approvals for gender-affirming healthcare.
  • receive up to date information about specific guidelines for clients with Husky/CT Medicaid insurance in accessing gender-affirming healthcare.
  • learn tips for advocacy with insurance companies in navigating denials for gender-affirming surgeries.

We will also have ample time for Q&A, to address your specific questions about how to apply this knowledge to your practice.

Exploring the Benefits of Group Work in the School Setting

Rachel West-Balling, MSWRegister Now for CE programs
Saturday, March 2, 2024
In-person
9:30 am – 4:00 pm
5 CECs

Location: UConn Hartford Times Building, Room 220, 10 Prospect St, Hartford, CT – use Front St entrance
Directions will be included in your confirmation email

Registration Fee: $125
10% discount for UConn SSW Alumni and Current SSW Field Instructors

Group Work in the school setting serves as a dynamic platform for students to develop essential and social emotional skills. Using a Group Work model creates a space where students can connect, share, and support one another, foster a sense of belonging, and reduce feelings of isolation. Group interventions can address various challenges students may face, including behavioral issues and academic stress. By providing targeted support, school social workers can contribute to a more positive and conducive learning environment.

This workshop will highlight ways in which group work can enhance social and emotional well-being, foster a sense of community, and contribute to overall academic success. Through interactive activities and shared experiences, participants will explore how group interventions provide a structured yet flexible environment for fostering empathy, communication, and conflict resolution skills

Participants in this seminar will:

  • explore the connection between group work and positive behavioral outcomes, academic improvement, and emotional resilience
  • learn how group interventions can address challenges students may face, including behavioral issues and academic stress
  • discover how to maximize your impact by efficiently addressing the needs of multiple students within a group setting and making your services more accessible to a larger student population
  • explore the role of group work in promoting cultural competence and inclusivity by fostering an environment where every student feels valued and understood

Strategies for Preventing and Managing Challenging Behavior in School-Aged Children

Solandy Forte, PhD, LCSW, BCBA-DRegister Now for CE programs now

Dr. Forte is an approved ACE provider and is authorized by the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board (BACB) to provide Learning CE events for BCBA and BCaBA certificants.

Monday, March 25, 2024
11 am – 1 pm

2 CECs

Registration Fee: $50
10% discount for UConn SSW Alumni and Current SSW Field Instructors

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

Conducting a Functional Behavior Assessment: The Clinical Interview

Solandy Forte, PhD, LCSW, BCBA-D

Register Now for CE programs now

Dr. Forte is an approved ACE provider and is authorized by the Behavioral Analyst Certification Board (BACB) to provide Learning CE events for BCBA and BCaBA certificants.

Monday, March 4, 2024
11 am – 1 pm

2 CECs

Registration Fee: $50
10% discount for UConn SSW Alumni and Current SSW Field Instructors

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