Continuing Education Course Catalog

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

Introduction to Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care - In this module, participants will learn about the nature and implications of integrated care, and will become fluent in the key terms that have come to describe it. Topics will include key public policies affecting the integrated care movement, including the Affordable Care Act; successful models of integrated care; population health management and health disparities; and ethical challenges and opportunities in integrated care. The transition to integrated care will be framed as a paradigm shift from disease-oriented to recovery-oriented service delivery, resulting in new opportunities and challenges, and direct implications for consumers and their families.

Integrated Health Systems and Implementation - In this module, participants will obtain knowledge and skills related to the implementation of integrated care services. Implementation of integrated team-based collaborative care presents challenges and opportunities for providers and managers, with significant implications for access to care and patient satisfaction. Topics include basics of integrated health implementation; telepsychiatric consultation; culturally responsive practice; Patient Centered Medical Home recognition; oral health for collaborative care; and provider mindfulness and self-care.

Bidirectional Integrated Care - In this module, participants will build upon their knowledge of integrated care implementation in adult healthcare settings. Topics will include the Wagner Chronic Care Model; collaborative care; stepped care; care coordination; and billing in integrated health environments. Participants will learn the "care coordination standard" for integrated primary care and discover new roles in primary care for the behavioral health consultant.

Assessment in Integrated Care
Initial and follow-up assessments play a critical role in effective integrated care. This course addresses free-form interviews such as biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment, structured screening tools such as the PHQ-9 and the AUDIT-C, and mixed assessment and intervention models such as SBIRT. The strengths, weaknesses, benefits, and limitations of common assessment tools in integrated health environments are reviewed.

Behavioral Intervention in Integrated Care
Common elements often form the basis of evidence-based behavioral health interventions. This course teaches and reviews behavioral intervention skills relevant to everyday clinical practice across disciplines and practice settings. Brief interventions around motivational enhancement, psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, and values-based behavior change can help promote adaptive health behaviors in support of improved wellness. There is a strong emphasis on feasible brief interventions in a fast-paced clinical context and on adapting interventions to each consumer's unique biopsychosocial, socioeconomic, and cultural context.

Biomedical Aspects of Integrated Care
Many presenting medical problems are deeply influenced by health behaviors, and a growing body of evidence suggests that mental health consumers, especially those with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders, are faced with a broad range of physical health disparities. In this module, participants will deepen their understanding of bidirectional integrated care for medical issues such as diabetes and obesity, and behavioral health issues such as substance use disorders and depression. This courses emphasizes the medical sequelae commonly associated with behavioral health diagnoses and psychotropic medications. There are special sections on primary care psychopharmacology and prescription drug abuse.

Introduction to Integrated Behavioral Health and Primary Care - In this module, participants will learn about the nature and implications of integrated care, and will become fluent in the key terms that have come to describe it. Topics will include key public policies affecting the integrated care movement, including the Affordable Care Act; successful models of integrated care; population health management and health disparities; and ethical challenges and opportunities in integrated care. The transition to integrated care will be framed as a paradigm shift from disease-oriented to recovery-oriented service delivery, resulting in new opportunities and challenges, and direct implications for consumers and their families.

Integrated Health Systems and Implementation - In this module, participants will obtain knowledge and skills related to the implementation of integrated care services. Implementation of integrated team-based collaborative care presents challenges and opportunities for providers and managers, with significant implications for access to care and patient satisfaction. Topics include basics of integrated health implementation; telepsychiatric consultation; culturally responsive practice; Patient Centered Medical Home recognition; oral health for collaborative care; and provider mindfulness and self-care.

Foundations of Pediatric Integrated Health Care - Although "pediatrics" describes the age range from birth through 18 years of age, children develop through a number of distinct developmental, psychological, and social stages. The Pediatric track explores how to address the most common issues of these stages using a pediatric integrated health model of care. Topics include an introduction to the model, the role of the pediatric behavioral health consultant, pediatric social determinants of health, and interventions in the medical setting.

Pediatric Interventions - As the health care system is transformed from non-integrated to integrated, many services and interventions can be provided directly to the pediatric population as well as their parents in the medical clinic. Although many clinicians know typical child and adolescent diagnoses from a clinical perspective, this module helps participants develop an integrated understanding of typical topics that may present in the medical setting. Topics include ADHD, pediatric asthma, DD-autism, anxiety, depression, trauma, and adverse childhood experiences.

Adolescence - Many adolescents are required to attend at least one physician appointment a year, presenting an annual opportunity to engage them in management of their own health care and in the detection and early intervention of risky behaviors which can have lifelong consequences. Adolescents can be best engaged in self-management when their unique social, developmental, physical and psychological needs are considered. Topics include adolescent-centered medical homes, adolescent sexual health, substance abuse, suicide, eating disorders, and school-based health centers.

Bidirectional Integrated Care - In this module, participants will build upon their knowledge of integrated care implementation in adult healthcare settings. Topics will include the Wagner Chronic Care Model; collaborative care; stepped care; care coordination; and billing in integrated health environments. Participants will learn the "care coordination standard" for integrated primary care and discover new roles in primary care for the behavioral health consultant.

Assessment in Integrated Care
Initial and follow-up assessments play a critical role in effective integrated care. This course addresses free-form interviews such as biopsychosocial-spiritual assessment, structured screening tools such as the PHQ-9 and the AUDIT-C, and mixed assessment and intervention models such as SBIRT. The strengths, weaknesses, benefits, and limitations of common assessment tools in integrated health environments are reviewed.

Behavioral Intervention in Integrated Care
Common elements often form the basis of evidence-based behavioral health interventions. This course teaches and reviews behavioral intervention skills relevant to everyday clinical practice across disciplines and practice settings. Brief interventions around motivational enhancement, psychoeducation, cognitive restructuring, mindfulness, and values-based behavior change can help promote adaptive health behaviors in support of improved wellness. There is a strong emphasis on feasible brief interventions in a fast-paced clinical context and on adapting interventions to each consumer's unique biopsychosocial, socioeconomic, and cultural context.

Biomedical Aspects of Integrated Care
Many presenting medical problems are deeply influenced by health behaviors, and a growing body of evidence suggests that mental health consumers, especially those with serious mental illnesses or substance use disorders, are faced with a broad range of physical health disparities. In this module, participants will deepen their understanding of bidirectional integrated care for medical issues such as diabetes and obesity, and behavioral health issues such as substance use disorders and depression. This courses emphasizes the medical sequelae commonly associated with behavioral health diagnoses and psychotropic medications. There are special sections on primary care psychopharmacology and prescription drug abuse.

This course will explore how to assess and understand pain in clinical settings. Focus will be placed on utilizing the language of the client to explore the roots of pain, impact on identity and relationships. Interactive assessment tools will be introduced to explore sources of pain, history of pain, connection of pain to lifestyle and relational adaptions. The course will utilize tools from multiple modalities to explore treatment interventions related to pain.

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

Over 27% of the U.S. population identifies has having one or more disabilities or impairments, yet people with disabilities and those who identify as disabled are often left out of conversations around diversity and inclusion. This workshop will cover some of the history of language used by and about this community, what ableism is (as well as able-bodied/neurotypical privilege), ways to dismantle these types of oppression so ingrained in various systems, and ways that to create more inclusive programs, conferences, classrooms, offices, and health care to ensure that all members of this community are able to engage. Participants will learn about ways ableism has been historically used to oppress disabled bodies, what ableist microaggressions are (and ways to interrupt/engage them), discuss the concept of disability justice, create action items to leverage their own privilege, and more.

When supporting clients around their sexuality, it is important for social workers to understand the basic in and outs of sex toys and safety surrounding their use. Additionally, safety is key in kink and BDSM practice. Attendees will about the basics of kink play, how consent is discussed and negotiated, the difference between all the terms, and what various kinks and fetishes may look like. Understand the differences between fantasy (like 50 Shades of Grey) and reality, and how to support your clients/patients in their kink practices. Whether you’re looking to learn something new, or just to add some knowledge to support your therapeutic or medical practice, this is a great overview of safety regarding sex toys and kink/BDSM.