Continuing Education Course Catalog

This course was developed to meet the Michigan human trafficking training requirements for healthcare professionals.

U.S. law defines human trafficking as the use of force, fraud, or coercion to compel a person into commercial sex acts or labor or services against their will. The one exception involves minors and commercial sex. Inducing a minor into commercial sex is considered human trafficking regardless of the presence of force, fraud or coercion. Although Social Impact Organizations typically are not the first place victims and survivors of human trafficking turn to for support, it is incumbent on organizations to use social work ethics to provide a culture and an atmosphere that intentionally supports victims and survivors.

This webinar will begin with an understanding of the types and venues of human trafficking in the United States, how to identify victims of human trafficking in health care and community settings, an awareness of warning signs of human trafficking in health care settings and community organizations for adults and minors, as well as how to report suspected human trafficking. Focusing primarily on macro practices, we will discuss how to cultivate trauma-informed care and practices into social impact organizations, and the manifestation of complex trauma in clients. This webinar will explore ways for practitioners to nurture an organizational culture that supports victims and survivors, whether they make their experiences known or not. We will use the voices of survivors and victims to inform practices that support and empower clients.

Course updated 4/26/2022

This course serves as an introduction to autism spectrum disorder and neurodiversity, with an emphasis on how we, as social workers, can better serve this population. The course includes a brief history of autism, current prevalence rates and diagnostic criteria, as well as current interventions. Adverse effects, such as bullying and suicidality will be covered, in addition to common comorbidities, and a brief overview of racial and ethnic disparities. Perspectives from autistic self-advocates will also be discussed.

Course created on 7/13/2022

Social impact organizations secure resources through a variety of methods, including fees, grants, contracts, financial gifts, in-kind (non-cash) contributions, and investments. This course focuses on developing resources through fundraising and grant writing. Using a lens of social justice and ethics, participants will explore the tensions and paradoxes associated with fundraising and grant writing.

Course created 10/29/2021

Trauma-Informed Programs and Practices for Schools (TIPPS) is a comprehensive trauma-informed approach that focuses foremost on creating systems of support that are conducive to the health and healing of children who have experienced trauma, and to preventing compounding traumas that can occur in school settings.

The 10 TIPPS pillars represent distinct but related areas of this approach, each of which contains learning goals and strategies for school professionals. While certain pillars may appear more relevant to trauma work in schools, all pillars relate to the broader vision of creating systems of support that are conducive to the health and healing of children who have experienced trauma, and to preventing compounding traumas that can occur in school settings.

Ideally, members of each school community will join as a team to assess areas of strength and alignment with the TIPPS framework. From this assessment, schools can identify areas for improvement, and prioritize action steps to advance the work under each pillar.

All school professionals can play a role in helping to advance the TIPPS approach. In this course, we offer guiding principles and strategies that align with 10 TIPPS pillars, which are based in research on adversity and resilience. Each pillar includes case examples and resources for individualized learning and professional development. Our intent is to have this course motivate lasting changes in the practices of school professionals so that all children have the chance to succeed and thrive socially, emotionally, and academically.

The idea of creating a strategic plan for an organization can be daunting - especially for those who are newer to the work, or those who work in smaller social impact organizations. This course will lay out the basic information, a "beginner's guide," so that you can feel confident that you can successfully navigate a strategic planning process.

Course revised 7/19/2023

It is understandable that individuals struggling with substance abuse problems are often highly ambivalent about engaging and committing to treatment and recovery, especially upon initial contact with a helping professional. The skills of engagement and enhancement of client motivation are thus critical for anyone seeking to effectively assist substance-involved populations. Additional understanding of and ability to appropriately assess individuals according to whole-person frameworks is also important.

This set of learning sessions will focus on these foundational knowledge and skill areas, as well as equipping participants with the professional ethics knowledge and perspectives necessary for working with substance-involved populations.

Revised 7/2024

Successful treatment of addictive disorders typically includes various elements and processes that the effective practitioner needs to not only know about, but also to know how best to invoke those treatment elements in a manner that will be the best fit for each individual service recipient. Additionally, there are time-tested, evidence-based therapies with proven positive outcomes that practitioners would benefit from knowing about, either for direct provision or for the purposes of informing referrals. This set of sessions will focus on these learning targets, as well as equipping participants with the professional ethics knowledge and perspectives necessary for working with substance-involved populations.

As behavioral healthcare service delivery has become increasingly concerned with effective treatment for co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, integrated care models, and dual-diagnosis-informed interventions have emerged and become well- established. The more recent acknowledgement of the importance of further integration with physical healthcare treatment services is also highly pertinent to successful and sustainable treatment of substance-involved populations. This set of learning sessions will focus on addictions treatment with individuals having complex and comorbid circumstances and conditions, including mental health, physical health, criminal justice, and trauma issues.