Training at Prevention First

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is defined as “a particular way of talking with people about change and growth to strengthen their own motivation and commitment” (Miller & Rollnick, 2023, p. 3). MI is designed to evoke and enhance the individual’s own motivation to change, using strategies that are empathetic and non-confrontational. While it has long been recognized as an effective way to promote behavior change within individuals in substance use treatment, MI has a wide range of applications beyond the clinician-client interaction. MI is designed to help draw out the individual’s own strengths and resources to help them make the behavioral changes needed to reach their goals. In this introductory training, participants will learn about spirit of MI and its basic skills and strategies, and will have the opportunity to apply and practice those core skills in an experiential skill-development training.

Objectives:

1. Describe key aspects of the spirit of motivational interviewing as well as its relation to the transtheoretical model and the importance of effective engagement
2. Describe the core skills of motivational interviewing, including open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries
3. Generate effective responses consistent with motivational interviewing to draw out and highlight the individual’s own desire, ability, reasons, and need to change
4. Demonstrate application of concept as well as use of core motivational interviewing skills in practice activities

Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance Team for a Power Hour Session during Pride and Men's Mental Health Awareness Month. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion on ways to support LGBTQIA+ people and men in the unique struggles those populations face with their mental health. 

Motivational Interviewing (MI) is defined as “a particular way of talking with people about change and growth to strengthen their own motivation and commitment” (Miller & Rollnick, 2023, p. 3). MI is designed to evoke and enhance the individual’s own motivation to change, using strategies that are empathetic and non-confrontational. While it has long been recognized as an effective way to promote behavior change within individuals in substance use treatment, MI has a wide range of applications beyond the clinician-client interaction. MI’s guiding helping style draws out the individual’s own strengths and desires to help them make the behavioral changes needed to reach their goals. Participants will learn about the guiding spirit of MI and the four tasks, and will have the opportunity to practice core skills and appropriately respond to challenges in an experiential skill-development training.

Objectives:

1. Describe key aspects of the spirit of motivational interviewing as well as the four tasks and the importance of effective engagement
2. Describe common traps and communication barriers (e.g. the persuasion trap, the wandering trap) which can arise and contribute to potential discord
3. Generate effective responses consistent with motivational interviewing to elicit change talk and to help clients explore and resolve ambivalence
4. Demonstrate use of core motivational interviewing skills, as well as the ability to identify and appropriately respond to sustain talk and discord

Veterans have their own culture and rich life experiences that can present unique challenges and opportunities to civilian community mental health care providers. It is crucial to be informed on culturally humble practices and have a basic understanding of co-occurring disorders that are seen when working with this population, as well as resources available to mental health clinicians. This interactive training will provide an overview of what makes the Veteran population truly unique including the impact of rank, enlistment, branch of service and potential deployments. Special populations will be discussed along with the impact of Military Sexual Trauma, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. This training will assist community providers in making an effort to understand key aspects of the Veteran experience which may help to establish a connection, build trust and inform treatment planning.

Objectives:

1. Identify the factors that contribute to military culture and that lead to the development of Veteran identity and the camaraderie among this population.
2. Acquire knowledge regarding the potential higher risk of suicide among Veterans.
3. Increase understanding of co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders that are commonly treated among Veterans.
4. Gain awareness of resources available to civilian mental health clinicians.
5. Increase knowledge of frequently used interventions, including CBT, MI, and safety planning

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. Just as people trained in CPR help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn, in a short timeframe, how to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

The Trevor Project’s 2024 U.S. National Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ Young People found that 39% of LGBTQ+ young people seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including nearly half of transgender and nonbinary youth. LGBTQ+ young people are not inherently prone to suicide risk because of their sexual orientation or gender identity but rather placed at higher risk because of how they are mistreated and stigmatized in society. Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance Team during Pride Month for a virtual QPR training with a special focus on preventing suicide among LGBTQ+ folks.

This two-day, application-focused training will provide participants with an in-depth look at some of the significant changes and improvements in the Fourth Edition. Participants will have opportunities to apply and practice key components of the Criteria, including but not limited to; the six dimensions, level of care assessment, application of Risk Ratings to each of the Five Dimensions, Dimensional Admission Criteria Decision Rules, shared decision-making and an overview of Service Characteristic Standards, Discharge and Transition Criteria.

All participants receive an in-depth electronic training journal to guide the training experience and as a resource for continuing skill application, as part of the training.

Books are not required, but highly recommended.

The Illinois Department of Human Services funds this training and is only open to license-funded treatment professionals in the state of Illinois.

Participants will understand the relationship between the treatment plan and the use of
admission, continued stay, and transition criteria. In addition, participants will learn how to
write measurable, individualized treatment plans based on the Dimensional Drivers and
individualized needs and preferences of the person served. Participants will also have the
opportunity to explore ways in which the patient’s stage of change impacts and drives a
person-centered treatment plan and a cursory review of core motivational interviewing skills
for treatment planning conversations, shared-decision making and to support readiness for
and engagement in treatment.

Join Prevention First's Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance Team for a Power Hour Session during Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. In this session, we will have an interactive discussion on ways to support those from underserved or minority populations, first-generation Americans, and immigrants in our mental health and suicide prevention work. 

We are partnering with the Zero Suicide Institute to offer a training of trainers free of cost to those who attend! After attending this training, you will be able to return to your organization ready to train staff in AMSR, and will receive 6.5 continuing education credits. For more information on the training and agenda, and to register for this training, please use the following link:

https://www.eventsquid.com/event.cfm?id=28717

To become an authorized AMSR trainer, qualified participants first attend a 3-day Training of Trainers course, where an experienced AMSR lead trainer will demonstrate expert facilitation and provide new trainers with the opportunity to practice and receive feedback on key aspects of AMSR curricula. Upon completion of this course, AMSR Trainers are prepared and authorized to deliver workshops. In order to schedule your own workshop, you will complete the AMSR proposal form for your sponsoring organization, which will start the process to schedule the training. Workshop sponsors will need to pay a per-person participant fee to EDC for access to EDC's online registration system, participant manuals (printing and shipping), web-based collection of participant feedback, certificates of completion, continuing education credits (where applicable), and staff time associated with these services. When you lead an AMSR training, each participant must receive their own manual to keep to validate their attendance and certificate.  

Eligibility/Approval: This training is open to people working in the suicide prevention/mental health field with youth ages 10-24. Anyone working in schools, DCFS, juvenile justice, or an organization that primarily serves youth and families is eligible to register. Can include, but not limited to, social workers, professional counselors, marriage and family therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and psychiatric nurses.