Continuing Education Course Catalog

In the words of psychiatrist Steve Kisely, there is “no mental health without oral health.” Decades of research evidence have shown the ways that behavioral health and wellbeing are impacted by oral health: for example, one’s ability to smile with friends and family, get past a job interview, live without chronic pain, get a good night’s sleep, and maintain a varied diet. People living with psychiatric disabilities and substance use disorders are particularly vulnerable to oral health problems. For example, people with psychiatric disabilities have triple the odds of losing all their teeth. Accessing oral health care and successfully completing dental treatment plans is greatly facilitated when patients are well prepared for their appointments, have learned methods to regulate their dental anxiety, and feel confident that the dental team is on their side. The behavioral health provider can therefore play a key role in the success of a person’s oral health recovery and multifactor pain management trajectory.

In this course, behavioral health providers such as social workers, nurses, physicians, and care managers will learn the basics of the oral health: why it is important, how it is linked to behavioral health and chronic pain, what key facts about oral health to share with clients, and where to find resources. Learners will leave the course with practical information that can be applied to social work and other behavioral health practice.

Full scholarships are available for the first 70 registrants who work in safety net behavioral health settings, such as Community Mental Health (CMH), the VA system, and forensic systems of care. Please reach out to [email protected] for details. Scholarships are provided from a grant from the Delta Dental Foundation to the University of Michigan.

This is a 2-hour self-paced online webinar discussing the use of DBT skills during CBT for Chronic Pain. The CBT-CP in this webinar is based on the Veterans Affairs Hospital developed CBT-CP. The manual can be found free online at: https://www.va.gov/PAINMANAGEMENT/docs/CBT-CP_Therapist_Manual.pdf#

CBT-CP has been found to be effective for decreasing catastrophizing, pain interference, pain intensity, and depression scores. Although CBT-CP is an evidence-based treatment, there are times in which a clinician and client may feel stuck. Thus, this presentation discussed Dialectical Behavior Therapy strategies that may be usefully employed during the course of CBT-CP.

Course created 2/4/2022

This course is designed to support social work professionals in considering pain management through a socially just clinical lens. Participants will review different types of pain, their personal implicit and explicit bias about pain, and recommended strategies for working with clients that present with pain management needs.

Course reviewed on 7/6/2023

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