The Erie County Department of Mental Health is delighted to host a monthly training series for anyone working in the system of care addressing mental health, substance use and intellectual/developmental disabilities.
The Department has been working with representatives from the mental health, substance use and intellectual disability provider communities to identify opportunities to support agencies, staff and support the retention of staff who deliver vital services.
The trainings will take place the 4th Tuesday of each month from 12PM to 1PM. The sessions will take place in an online forum.
This will be a true community collaborative as we will be looking for presenters to volunteer to share their expertise with our community.
The next session has been scheduled for May 25, 2021 from 12pm - 1pm and the topic will be PART 2: “Understanding Vicarious Trauma… The Road to Resilience ” presented by Dr. Kirsten Vincent, CEO of Recovery Options Made Easy
Choosing a career in a helping profession is an honorable decision and often those who choose it, bear the burden of other people’s trauma. Hearing trauma survivor's stories and witnessing traumatic events firsthand can affect advocates, health care professionals, police officers, lawyers, therapists, peers and others; it's called "vicarious trauma," and it can have a variety of negative effects. The toll of witnessing intense human experiences and emotions can contribute to a negative transformation of a helper’s own sense of safety, and of being competent and purposeful. This workshop will provide participants with the opportunity to examine their own experiences and become aware of the signs of both vicarious trauma and vicarious growth. Participants will have the opportunity to develop a personalized plan to repair negative effects, as well as, accelerate their resilience.
TO REGISTER FOR THE MAY TRAINING SESSION please click here:
You will then receive an invitation, fill out the registration, and the login information for the session will be sent to you by email.
The Erie County Department of Mental Health is very excited to be able to host these events and we look forward to being able to provide a forum where our partners in our Systems of Care can share their expertise with each other. Please share this offering with others in your organization and others who work in our Systems of Care!
Presentations and Materials from Past Sessions:
March 2021 - Clinical Education Training with a focus on Anxiety presented by Dr. Rose Hazlitt, Psy.D and Dr. Michael Cummings, MD They presented a case study and lead a community conversation about anxiety. Participants walked away with a deeper understanding of how to support people who experience anxiety and had an opportunity to share strategies of their own that have been successful.
January (Part I) & February (Part II) 2021 - Working with Survivors of Abuse presented by Mark O'Brien, Commissioner of the Erie County Department of Health Mark shared his knowledge and insight in working with survivors of abuse; primarily sexual abuse, but also touched on physical and emotional abuse. This training is appropriate for anyone who is working with survivors of abuse and was not limited to just clinical staff.
Please note the recordings will be made available as possible, but because of technical issues this will likely be delayed.