Training and Education
This training and education hub was created to help Edmontonians come together to support one another in living happier, more meaningful lives. Whether you're caring for family, friends, coworkers, or even strangers, we all play a role in looking out for each other.
These courses are designed to support your growth—whether you're a peer, a service provider, or someone just trying to help. Topics include mental health and addictions, suicide prevention, peer support, poverty and housing, parenting, and more. All trainings emphasize approaches that are fair, trauma-informed, culturally sensitive, and rooted in community values. See a calendar view of upcoming locally offered training →
Understanding Human Connection – Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre
This group focuses on enhancing interpersonal skills through effective communication, conflict resolution, self-care, and strategies for dealing with difficult situations.
Participants will engage in education, discussions, and activities focused on the importance of fostering resilience, boundary creation, and emotional intelligence. The group looks to teach valuable skills for building healthier, more fulfilling connections.
To register: Norwood - Courses
The Brain Architecture Game – Norwood Child and Family Resource Centre
This tabletop game builds understanding of the powerful role of experiences on early brain development: what promotes it, what derails it, and with what consequences to society.
Learn about toxic, tolerable, and positive stress, and how to build a brain!
To register: Norwood - Courses
Foundation in Family Dynamics – Center for Trauma Informed Practices
This course will introduce you to the early work of the pioneers in the field of family therapy and expand on key insights that have influenced clinical practice throughout the world.It will also tie together elements from the fields of threat assessment and trauma response that are sometimes family-generated.
People often come into counselling—or are brought into counselling—because it is assumed by others “there is something wrong with them.” Although there are presenting issues unique to each individual entering counselling, there are usually other factors that can elevate risk for symptom development that are “outside” the individual. In other words, it’s not all about the identified person: often family dynamics are a risk-enhancing variable that can contribute to what’s wrong with an individual as well. Understanding family dynamics can be the solution to many problems. No two families are the same—and no two family members have the same experience—even if they were raised by the same parents or caregivers.
Module 1: Family Dynamics Foundation: Early Thinking
Module 2: The Whole is Greater Than the Sum of its Parts: Early Research
Module 3: Genograms: The Family Map
Module 4: Family Structure
Module 5: Family Function
Module 6: Family Emotional Process
CEU: 3 Continuing Education Credits
Credential Type: Badge
Cost: $85 USD / $120 CAD + applicable tax per individual
Time to complete: 3 hours / self-paced learning
Course access: Available for 60 days from date of enrollment
Who should take the course?
The Foundation Courses are customized for the person who has an interest in the fields of threat assessment, trauma response, or family dynamics: including para-professionals, professionals, and those with a general interest in advancing their learning. It is designed to provide learning for those who want general exposure to the CTIP™ models as well as those who are planning—as part of their professional development—to complete any of the two-day, in-person training courses. It is also meant to provide those who have already completed two-day trainings an opportunity to refresh their learning and dive more deeply into areas that informed our current training program.
To register: CTIP - FFD
Microlearning: Maintaining Hope Course Series – Center for Trauma Informed Practices
This course series provides four individual courses that give insight into the idea and value of hope, and end with practical applications for how one can help others.
Keeping hope alive, even in seemingly hopeless situations, is paramount to our functioning as humans. Learned helplessness is the opposite of hope, and holds people down even if those around them can see ways out of situations.
The four courses are:
What Happens Without Hope?
What Do We Mean By Hope?
How Do We Have Hope?
How Do We Help Others Have Hope?
Each course has one objective that is accomplished by introducing learners to content through slides, videos, images, reflections, questions, and applications.
The objectives are:
Define learned helplessness and identify the ramifications of not having hope.
Explain the concept of a hopeful person; a hopeful person is one who believes that hope exists even in a traumatic situation.
Distinguish between two types of hope and explore, in detail, life-changing hope.
Synthesize the foundations of hope with open communication and meaningful conversations to help those around have hope.
CEU: 1 Continuing Education Credit
Credential Type: Badge
Time to complete: 1 hour / self-paced learning
Course access: Available for 30 days from date of enrollment
To register: CTIP - MHCS
Anger Management Classes – The Family Centre
At The Family Centre, our anger management classes are designed to help you gain control over your emotions, transform your responses, and build a happier, more fulfilling life.
Are you struggling to control your anger, leading to regrettable outbursts and strained relationships? Do you wish to break free from the cycle of frustration and find healthier ways to cope with life's challenges?
Anger is a natural emotion you experience when something doesn’t go as planned or someone contradicts what you think is “right.” People of all ages and personalities experience anger, but how we respond to it varies greatly from person to person.
Whether you've experienced anger issues for a long time or you're looking for preventive measures, our classes offer effective strategies to meet your needs.
We provide hands-on ways to deal with your anger so you can have positive relationships and strategies to handle conflict in a healthy way.
Don't let anger control you. Take the first step towards a more balanced and harmonious life. Join our anger management classes today and start your journey toward emotional well-being and self-improvement.
You will learn how to address anger as a normal, healthy emotion by understanding:
The underlying emotions connected with anger
Your own triggers for anger
Effective ways to deal with and express anger
Ways to set healthy boundaries in relationships
How to manage stress
How to effectively communicate and resolve conflict
Why self-esteem/self-worth affect anger
By the end of the session, you will feel more comfortable:
Communicating, resolving conflict, setting boundaries, and asserting yourself
Sharing your most important concerns with others
Identifying personal traits to address specific issues, such as positive self-esteem, healthy boundaries, stress management, and emotional triggers
Solving day-to-day problems and challenges
Separate sessions for men and women are available.
To register: TFC – AMC
Fostering Resilience I: Understanding Adverse Childhood Experiences – The Family Centre
In part one of our "Fostering Resilience" workshop series, participants will gain valuable insights into Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and their profound impact on healthy brain development and body functioning.
Discover how ACEs can have lasting effects on health, well-being, and development, leading to challenges such as chronic health issues, mental illness, or substance abuse in adulthood.
In this 3-hour workshop, participants will:
Develop a clearer understanding of ACEs and their implications
Learn about the crucial role of addressing ACEs in fostering resilience and recovery
Gain practical strategies for supporting service users affected by ACEs
Equip yourself with the knowledge and tools needed to make a positive difference in the lives of those impacted by childhood adversity.
To register: TFC – Staff Skill Development
Managing Vicarious Trauma: Strategies for Resilience and Well-Being – The Family Centre
Participants will learn:
Practical strategies for personal and professional self-care
How to engage in interactive exercises designed to understand trauma responses
To identify and implement strategies to foster a healthier work-life balance
Join us as we help your staff build a supportive network, develop essential coping skills, and ensure sustainable success in their roles.
To register: TFC – Staff Skill Development
Understanding Attachment: The Impact of Trauma on Brain Development and Behaviour – The Family Centre
We will explore how early attachment interactions shape brain development, identify various attachment patterns, and discuss complex trauma within the context of attachment.
Join us for an enlightening workshop that delves into the intricacies of attachment theory.
Our 6-hour workshop includes:
Detailed coverage of brain development affected by early attachment
Identification of different attachment patterns
In-depth discussion on complex trauma related to attachment
Strategies for assessing and intervening with both children and caregivers
Through a blend of lectures, videos, and experiential exercises, participants will gain valuable insights into the impact of trauma on attachment behaviour. Participants will enhance their understanding and skills in working with service users in a supportive and engaging environment. This workshop uses content from: Alberta Family Wellness Initiative
Engagement Strategies Towards Ending Workplace Sexual Harassment - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services
Explore what constitutes workplace sexual harassment and strategies to prevent it.
Explore what constitutes workplace sexual harassment and strategies to prevent it. Local
This is a three hour, interactive, dynamic, online learning opportunity.
Research informed and using best practices for adult online learning, this workshop will explore:
What sexual harassment is (and isn’t); What it costs us, interpersonally and collectively; and,
How to help stop sexual harassment as someone who:
witnesses someone sexually harassing others,
is told about someone else’s sexual harassment,
is told they have done something that might amount to sexual harassment, and,
is in a position of leadership and responsible for a safe and healthy workplace.
To register: AASAS - ESTEWSH
Brain Story Certification – Alberta Family Wellness Initiative
A comprehensive online course that provides knowledge around early brain development and how stress and trauma experienced in early life contribute to changes in the brain that can lead to physical and mental health issues later on.
A comprehensive online course that provides knowledge around early brain development and how stress and trauma experienced in early life contribute to changes in the brain that can lead to physical and mental health issues later on.
Lifelong health is determined by more than just our genes: experiences at sensitive periods of development change the brain in ways that increase or decrease risk for later physical and mental illness, including addiction. That finding is the premise of the Brain Story, which puts scientific concepts into a narrative that is salient to both expert and non-expert audiences. The Brain Story synthesizes decades of research and reflects a body of knowledge that experts agree is useful for policy-makers and citizens to understand.
The Alberta Family Wellness Initiative (AFWI) has developed an online course to make Brain Story science available to professionals and the public. Brain Story Certification is designed for those seeking a deeper understanding of brain development and its consequences for lifelong health. The course is also designed for professionals seeking certification in a wide range of fields.
To register: Alberta Family Wellness Initiative- Training
Provincial Addiction & Mental Health Curricula & Experiential Skills (PACES) – Alberta Health Services
Learn how to support individuals struggling with addictions, mental health, and concurrent disorders.
Learn how to support individuals struggling with addictions, mental health, and concurrent disorders.
The Provincial Addiction & Mental Health Curricula & Experiential Skills (PACES) Learning Pathway advances learners from a basic understanding to a mastery of the competencies required to assess, treat, and support recovery from addictions, mental health or concurrent disorders.
PACES provides accessible, self-paced, and personalized addiction and mental health education for all skill levels through e-learning modules, educational videos, simulated clinical scenarios, and virtual skill-building sessions.
The learning pathway consists of four learning phases, allowing individuals to develop their skills based on their unique needs.
Read The Provincial Addiction and Mental Health Curricula & Experiential Skills Learning Pathway.
PACES consists of both Accredited Self-Assessment Learning and Simulation Activities (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and approved by the University of Calgary Office of Continuing Medical Education (CME) and Professional Development. Upon completion of each activity, the learner can request a CME certificate of participation. In addition, the PACES Beginning, Developing, and Advancing phases are duly accredited by the Canadian Addiction Counsellors Certification Federation.
To register: AHS - PACES
Alberta Opioid Dependency Treatment Virtual Training (ODT) – Alberta Health Services
Learn how to support those struggling with opioid dependencies, from a healthcare provider perspective.
Learn how to support those struggling with opioid dependencies, from a healthcare provider perspective.
The Alberta Opioid Dependency Treatment (ODT) Virtual Training Program is a component of broader efforts to respond to the drug poisoning crisis in Alberta by improving the capacity of prescribers and allied health care providers involved in treating opioid use disorder.
Read The Alberta ODT Virtual Training Program Course Overview for module learning objectives and durations.
The training program is an Accredited Simulation Activity (Section 3) as defined by the Maintenance of Certification Program of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and is approved by the University of Calgary Office of Continuing Medical Education and Professional Development.
To register: AHS – ODT Virtual