LIVE WEB-BASED

A core component of effective substance use prevention is cultural competence. Cultural competence includes awareness of health disparities and making meaningful efforts to create health equity in our community. Health Equity means that everyone has an equal opportunity for health. This workshop will explore the root causes of health inequalities. Using reflective writing, storytelling, and games we will explore environmental, social, and institutional contexts for health, focusing on mental health and substance use. We will cover the strategies for individual and structural approaches for change and practice de-stigmatizing language for more accurate and effective substance use prevention.

FACILITATOR: Alex Ross-Reed
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
LOCATION: Changed from in-person training to Live web-based 

The Training System is honored to provide this amazing training opportunity! The original developers of the Community Readiness Model (CRM), Barbara Plested, Ph.D., and Pamela Jumper Thurman, Ph.D will provide instruction on what the model is and how to use it in communities. Community readiness is a nine stage multi-dimensional model to facilitate community change and engage community investment. The model was developed 26 years ago (at Colorado State University) in Native communities and has been found to be universally effective at addressing many social issues. This model is community-specific, issue specific and was designed to build cooperation among systems and individuals while incorporating the culture of the community. In a cost effective and resource effective manner, it helps mobilize communities to develop intervention strategies for prevention. Community Readiness is theoretically based and is a respectful, step by step, approach to creating positive and healthy community change. When applied to prevention, or other social issues, community readiness determines and guides the timing for each step of effort aimed at changing community norms, behaviors and attitudes.

FACILITATORS: Barbara Plested, Ph.D. and Pamela Jumper Thurman, Ph.D.
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 7.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based (9:00 a.m. -12:30 p.m. each day)

Never have we been tasked with creating community change with only virtual technology. When we provide prevention services like meetings, increasing knowledge and awareness, and planning sessions virtually, we must do so in a way that creates and maintains enthusiasm for participants.  Effective and engaging meetings require creative uses of technology and thorough preparation. Take away shared space and direct human interaction, the meeting facilitator needs new tools to create community. This training will provide an overview of the elements of effective meetings. We will also review facilitation tips and practice interactive activities geared to virtual meetings. By the end of the training everyone will identify at least 3 ways they will make their meeting(s) more engaging.

FACILITATOR: Paula Feathers, MA
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Oct 5-6 (9:00am - 12:00 noon each day) 

Coalitions are vital to successful prevention efforts. No one organization can implement the comprehensive strategies that need to be in place to produce positive community change. Why should people in your community care about the coalitions work? Why should they be a part of the coalition? In this interactive training, participants will gain an understanding of the concepts for fostering coalitions and networks and learn how to apply these within their coalitions. Coalition fundamentals such as various organizational structures that will allow for shared leadership and shared decision making and roles and responsibilities of coalition members will be reviewed. Recruitment and retention strategies and how they related to community mobilization will be discussed. You will leave this training with clear manageable next steps to strengthen your coalition efforts..

FACILITATORS: Alyssa Myrick and Michelle Rincon
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Oct 12-13 (9:00am - 12:00 noon each day) 

This training is for people who have met criteria to apply for their Certified Prevention Specialist Credential and will be testing within the next 6 months. Becoming a Certified Prevention Specialist requires you know the entire breadth of prevention, even things that are not in your scope of work. This training will provide a brief overview of the history/building blocks of prevention and then will move into a review the six domains you will be tested on: Planning/Evaluation; Prevention Education/Service Delivery; Communication; Community Organization; Public Policy and Environmental Change; and Professional Growth/Responsibility. Because this is test preparation, you must come to this training with a working knowledge of each of these areas. Participants will also explore sample test questions and discuss test taking strategies. Prerequisite: Participants must have taken the Substance Abuse/Use Prevention Specialist Training (within the past 5 years) and Prevention Ethics. This training will meet for 4 mornings (9:00-12:00). Participants must be able to attend each session in its entirety. 

FACILITATOR: Ginny Adame, SCPS
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 13.2
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Oct 25, 26, 27, 28 (9:00am - 12:00 noon each day) 

This training will aim to provide deeper understanding of stigma and the need for multifaceted responses. The training will include an overview of what stigma is and how it effects us and our communities. During the training we will move beyond the theory and definitions to examine how stigma plays a role in our own lives and communities. This will be an interactive training that urges participants to be present (cameras on, interaction and genuine participation) in the process of addressing stigma. .

FACILITATOR: Piper Coalson, MPH
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Nov 3-4, (9:00am - 12:00 noon each day) 

In March 2021, the New Mexico state legislature passed HB 255. This landmark alcohol legislation is reshaping liquor sales in our state, and preventionists need to be ready to address the impacts of major changes in the alcohol environment. This training will take a look at how alcohol consumption has changed during the COVID-19 pandemic so that our prevention efforts can focus on emerging patterns of risky behavior.  During the training, you will learn the details of the new law and regulations and analyze potential impacts on problem drinking and youth access. Finally, we will discuss how to adapt responsible beverage service (RBS) strategies to reduce the risk of harms caused by increased access to liquor and home delivery of alcohol. 

FACILITATOR: Shelley Mann-Lev, MPH
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Nov 16-17 (9:00am - 12:00 noon each day) 

The World Health Organization estimates that 15% (over a billion) of the world population has a disability. In the United States, 61 million adults and 17% of children ages 3 – 17 have a disability. In New Mexico, the 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) identified 26.5% of the adult population identifies with having a disability. Disabilities go beyond affecting people physically, whether it is short-term or long-term. Learning disabilities creates a difference in the way an individual processes and comprehends information. Because learning disabilities are “invisible,” it is easy to exclude this population in our work. There are several methods to being dismissive and inclusive in the way we deliver trainings, instructions, presentations, visual aids, and programs. This training will help preventionist understand the various aspects of disability and how to be inclusive in their prevention practice and workplace approaches. Participants will learn about disability policy, understanding the various learning disabilities (e.g. ADHD, dyslexia, mental health, memory retrieval, etc.), theories, models, universal design, and respectful language. Preventionist will gain hands-on experience and knowledge to be supportive of diverse learners. 

FACILITATOR: Leonel A. Diaz Jr., Ph.D.
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, December 2 (9:00am - 4:00pm) 

As a human develops there are physical, mental, and emotional milestones they work to achieve and are nurtured by family, school, community and society in general.  Development plays an important role in substance use and misuse. The most effective substance use prevention strategies incorporate an understanding that substance use behaviors can fulfill a variety of developmental needs (Griffin, K. and Botvin, G., 2011). Understanding human development can help preventionist identify what strategies should be employed to increase protective factors and reduce risk factors at various stages of life. This training will explore the journey of human development including several psychological theories (Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, Erikson’s Psychosocial Development Stages, Piaget’s Cognitive Development Stages, and Cognitive-Behavioral). Foundational explanations as to how development can affect regulation and decision making will also be examined. Participants will review examples of prevention strategies that use these theories to help gain a concrete understanding of how human development shapes effective prevention. 

FACILITATOR: Donna Lucero, MA, LPCC
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 7.5
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Dec. 20-21 (9:00am - 12:15pm each day) 

When a student is caught violating school substance use policy, there is a critical opportunity for positive change. When a school seizes this moment for “problem identification and referral,” students and families can receive the support they need to reduce their risks and enhance protective factors to enable them to succeed in school and life. The goal of this workshop is to provide preventionists with the tools to help schools develop and implement supportive Alcohol, Tobacco and Vaping and other Drug policies. The workshop will present best practices and innovative approaches to responding to students who violate policies. Special attention will be given to approaches to equity given ongoing concerns about disparities in school discipline. The workshop will also address latest trends in youth substance use, e.g., vaping devices, providing guidance for enforcement and supportive responses. In addition to learning about the school policy adoption process, participants will learn how to advocate for, monitor and support policy implementation. 

Note: Participants are encouraged to bring a copy of related policies of a local school district that they are working with. 

FACILITATOR: Shelly Mann-Lev, MPH
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Jan. 11-12 (9:00am - 12:00pm each day) 

Preventionists play a role in creating wellness opportunities to their community. An important part of wellness is the promotion of mental health.  “Mental Health” can seem like a daunting concept to understand. Further, what do we as preventionists need to know about it? This training will provide an overview of important topics including stress, anxiety, and depression. We will explore the biology of stress and some of the unhealthy ways people behave to find peace. We will also delve into common mental health issues and how these relate to substance use and misuse. Resources that can provide more insight into mental health will be shared.  

FACILITATOR: Donna Lucero, MA, LPCC
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 8.4
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Friday, Feb 4 and Monday Feb 7, 2022 (9:00-12:30 each day)

Writing a grant is an intense activity that can bring much needed prevention services to your community. This training is designed to provide people with limited grant writing experience an overview of the process of writing an application. Using a sample Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), crucial information and tasks to write a successful application will be reviewed. You will learn what grant funders look for including writing narrative to meet the evaluation criteria, flagging narrative formatting requirements, incorporating tables to emphasize demographics, and putting a competitive edge on your project narrative, and adhering to proposing allowable activities that can be funded under the legislative act. Project management tips to complete the grant will also be reviewed including assembling a grant project work team, making task assignments, and creating a checklist for the required information, forms, and attachments. 

FACILITATOR: Cheryl A.Townsel, S.M.
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Feb. 10-11, 2022 (9:00-12:00 each day)

Coalitions are vital to successful prevention efforts. No one organization can implement the comprehensive strategies that need to be in place to produce positive community change. Why should people in your community care about the coalitions work? Why should they be a part of the coalition? In this interactive training, participants will gain an understanding of the concepts for fostering coalitions and networks and learn how to apply these within their coalitions. Coalition fundamentals such as various organizational structures that will allow for shared leadership and shared decision making and roles and responsibilities of coalition members will be reviewed. Recruitment and retention strategies and how they related to community mobilization will be discussed. You will leave this training with clear manageable next steps to strengthen your coalition efforts.

FACILITATOR: Alyssa Myrick 
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Feb 15-16, 2022 (9:00am - 12:00 noon each day) 

Social media can be one of prevention’s most impactful tools if it is done the right way. Like all evidence-based prevention strategies, there are crucial components necessary to deliver an effective social media campaign. This training will guide participants through a framework for a researched and well-planned social media campaign. Time will be spent on the importance of identifying your target audience as well as finding ways to reach them and speak effectively to connect with the audiences and promote engagement. 

FACILITATOR: Kim Baca
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Mar 15-16, 2022 (9:00am - 12:00pm each day) 

Social Host ordinances are an environmental prevention strategy that have the potential to reduce some of the harmful consequences alcohol can have on our communities. Like most environmental strategies, planning prevention’s role in the strategy requires careful consideration and partnerships. Special attention will be paid to the roles of education, advocacy, and lobbying so those using federal and state funds will be clear about what they can and can’t do. This training will provide a step-by-step plan to pass a Social Host Ordinance in your city or county. The plan will include determining community readiness; educating stakeholders; engaging community leaders; presenting to the city or county commission; collecting ongoing data; and, informing the community of results. 

FACILITATOR: Pamela Drake
CONTINUING EDUCATION HOURS: 6.6
SESSIONS: Live web-based, Mar 29-30, 2022 (9:00am - 12:00pm each day)