Human Rights as a Tool for Advocacy: Stride Training – John Humphrey Centre for Peace and Advocacy

JHC has developed a series of trainings to provide opportunities for community-based advocates or organizations to strengthen their awareness and understanding of human rights and discrimination, network with other advocates and organizations, and build skills to advance the rights of historically marginalized community members using the human rights mechanisms that exist for accountability.

These courses include:

• Human Rights 101: Understanding the Architecture and Role of Human Rights

• Anti-Oppression in Human Rights Advocacy

• Human Rights 102: Filing Human Rights Complaints - the Ins and Outs

• Beyond Quick Fixes: Embracing a Human Rights Approach to Poverty

• Human Rights 103: Taking Action on Human Rights

For more information: JHC - Stride Training

To register: JHC – Workshop Google Form

First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

A training for first responders to learn how to respond to disclosures around sexual assault and abuse. 

With support from the Government of Alberta and Women and Gender Equality Canada, the Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services (AASAS) developed First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training™. This training is intended to build the capacity of professionals, paraprofessionals and community members to respond effectively to disclosures of sexual assault and sexual abuse. Survivors who receive safe and supportive responses to disclosures of sexual violence are more likely to reach out for help from medical and counselling services and/ or report to police. First Responder to Sexual Assault and Abuse Training™ is inclusive of the full continuum of sexual violence and across the lifespan. This is an Alberta based workshop which uses Alberta resources and guidelines. This is a beginner yet comprehensive ‘Identify, Respond and Refer’ training. This training is beneficial to professionals and paraprofessionals who are working with individuals who may be impacted by sexual violence and to other community members who are interested in increasing their skills and confidence to address sexual abuse and sexual assault. This training is open to, but not limited to, individuals who work in Health, Social Services, Education & Justice, Nurses, Physicians, Social Workers, Youth Workers, Mental Health Workers, Teachers, School Counselors, Police Officers, Victim Services Workers, as well as Faith Leaders

Upon completion, participants will be able to:

• Define sexual violence and describe its various forms

• Understand the short and long term impacts of sexual violence across the lifespan

• Articulate why sexual violence is never the fault of the person who has been harmed

• Explain the attitudes and beliefs that perpetuate sexual violence and other root causes

• Provide a positive and supportive first response to a disclosure of sexual violence

• Identify resources and referrals to support those who have experienced sexual violence

This training will teach participants about sexual violence and the first responding skills for disclosures of sexual assault and abuse. This is NOT a course on counselling interventions. If you have experience in counselling and would like to take a more advanced level, 12 week course designed for counselling interventions, please see our Counselling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence course.

To register: AASAS - FRSAAT

Counselling Adult Survivors of Sexual Violence - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

This 12 week online integrative course is designed for counselors, therapists, and other mental health practitioners who are new to working with survivors of sexual violence, or who may be already working with survivors and would like to more deeply inform their counselling practice. 

Participation is open to those in the helping fields (mental health professionals, social workers, etc.) whose scope of practice falls within the code of ethics and standards of practice of the professional body to which they belong. Applicants must have, at a minimum, a bachelor’s level education in a social or health services discipline and/or are registered/licensed with a professional association that maintains a code of ethics and standards of practice that provide parameters for the registrant’s scope of practice. Special considerations may be accommodated on a case by case basis. For questions contact ContEd@aasas.ca.

While this course does not provide in-depth training in a specific modality it will introduce and critically consider various modalities, theories, principles and ethics associated with working with survivors of sexual violence. This course offers an integrative, mindfulness-based approach to on-going assessment and interventions with adult survivors (all genders) of sexual assault and childhood sexual abuse. It draws on the most current theory including feminist, attachment, regulation, and interpersonal neurobiology; and evidence-based practices, including mindfulness, cognitive, emotion-centered, somatic, and other emergent approaches for trauma, addiction and mental health.

The baseline premise is that the embodied present-moment personhood of the therapist is the primary evidence-based intervention in working with survivors. The course is also situated within an understanding of culturally relevant practice and how multiple identities, social locations and historical contexts inform interventions with survivors; and how counsellor reflection, self-knowledge and self-care form the basis for ethical counsellor praxis.

Upon completion students will be able to:

• Discuss evidence-based self-care practices, including building a community of support, to increase resilience and minimize practitioner burnout

• Articulate theoretical frameworks for understanding sexual violence and trauma, how they reflect values, worldviews, and interventions

• Describe the complexities of responding to the effects and impacts of sexual violence, that there is ‘no average client’ and to affirm practitioners’ capacities to co-create and sustain a therapeutic relationship

• Recall the principles, tools, and skills to reduce distress and provide stability and to conduct initial and on-going assessment strategies

• Name the basic principles, tools, and skills of a variety of evidence-based approaches (including mindfulness, cognitive, emotional, somatic and anti-oppressive) to respond to the effects of sexual violence and trauma

• Draw from a number of approaches to work collaboratively with adult survivors of sexual violence addressing the relationship issues that may be specifically meaningful to them

• Mindfully bring the therapeutic relationship to closure.

To register: AASAS – CASSV

HR and DEI Courses for Professionals - Canadian Equality Consulting

CEC offers a number of custom online, on-demand sessions focused on various HR and DEI topics.

These courses include:

• Black History Month: Exploring the Roots of Anti-Black Racism

• DEI Fundamentals

• Detangling Anti-Fat Bias in the Workplace

• Equitable and Inclusive Leadership Certification

• Equitable and Inclusive Boards

• Indigeneity in Turtle Island: Footprints Across These Lands

• Navigating Canada’s Complex Histories: National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

• Over The Rainbow: A Celebration of Gender and Sexual Diversity

• Over The Rainbow: An Exploration of Trans & Non-Binary History

• Unconscious Bias & Bias Awareness

To register: CEC – Online Courses

Introduction to Hoarding Disorder – Hoarding Disorder Foundation of Alberta

This three-hour workshop, offered by the Hoarding Disorder Foundation of Alberta, will introduce you to important information about hoarding.

We present information on stigma and myths, assessment, complicating factors and treatment options, communication strategies and harm reduction. Finally, we offer practical tips and tools and local resources for helping in a good way.

This session is designed for people with a keen interest in providing appropriate support to a person living with HD:

• Family members, friends and neighbours

• Professional organizers/declutter coaches

• Property management, disposal & cleaning companies

• Municipal enforcement

• Social services and of course, mental health professionals

We encourage anyone who is interested to register. If cost is prohibitive, please contact us to discuss a sliding scale.

To register: HDFA – IHD

Cultural Awareness Training - Indigenous Psychological Services

Cultural awareness training designed for psychologists working with Indigenous populations.

Our training integrates the Two-Eyed Seeing approach, crucial for psychologists working Indigenous populations.

We offer programs designed to enhance awareness of historical factors impacting client well-being and review how cultural insights can promote healing.

We explore trauma-informed perspectives that are effective in colonized systems and focus on actionable truth reconciliation with cultural safety at the forefront.

We differentiate between cultural humility and competency and define holistic practices applicable in clinical settings.

Our training equips psychologists to adopt cultural and trauma-informed practices, including a Residential School in-service with impactful presentations and sessions for survivors.

To register: Indigenous Psychological Services - Workshops

Indigenous Cultural Awareness Training – Cascade Projects

Cultural awareness training with a focus on experiential activities and practical discussions around reconciliation.

Cascade believes engagement begins before a shovel hits the ground. It begins internally with an organization’s understanding, capacity and intention when it comes to Indigenous engagement. To build that foundation, our Indigenous Engagement Advisors works with clients to design and deliver cultural awareness training to ensure their employees from the top down are prepared when they are working in community. Led by our Indigenous Awareness Educator, Dr. Patricia Makokis, this participatory training covers the History of Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and is adapted to Treaty 6 and Treaty 7 First Nations history. This in-person training includes a grounding circle, the blanket exercise, a debrief session and a discussion on how to connect these learnings to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action #92. This training is customizable and can be delivered for 10+ people over a full or half day.

To register: Cascade

Certified Psychological Health & Safety Training - CMHA-Alberta

This certification has been developed to provide an experiential learning opportunity for participants so they can better support organizations of all sizes in creating a tailored Psychological Health & Safety Management System.

After successfully completing the training, participants will receive a Certificate in Psychological Health & Safety. Employers will see those with this certification as having the practical expertise to help improve psychological health and safety and implement “the Standard” in their workplaces. 

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Be prepared to initiate the creation or expansion of a Psychological Health & Safety (PH&S) Management System in an organization

• Have access to the tools necessary to support implementing the Standard

• Appreciate the steps required to create a fulsome PH&S Management System and be able to communicate those steps to all committed to that outcome.

To register: CMHA-AB

Imagine Institute for Learning

Imagine Institute for Learning invites professionals across sectors to imagine what is possible in a world where compassion meets action.

We use evidence-informed practice and research to create immersive learning opportunities that will ignite the potential and inspire the hearts of participants who work to support human beings in different settings.

Whether you are a social worker, educator, first responder, health practitioner, or community worker, our trainings provide the necessary catalyst to up your game and be the best version of yourself in practice. We all need extra tools in our toolbox and at Imagine, we specialize in translating research into practice using experiential activities and reflective practice to guide learning into a deeper understanding of the content. Come learn, dream and play with us as we transform the reality of our work into meaningful practice.

Trauma-Informed Care

• Intergenerational Wisdom

• Compassion to Action

• Trauma-Informed De-escalation Strategies (TIDeS)

• Transforming Practice Through Trauma-Informed Principles

Mental Health

• Human-Centred Approach to Understanding Mental Health™

• Understanding Loss & Grief

• QPR Suicide Prevention

• Understanding Suicide

Human-Centred Relationship Based Practice

• Creating Healthy Professional Boundaries

• Navigating Challenging Conversations

• Supporting Clients with Goal Setting

• Self-Compassion: Moving from Self-Care to Self-Sustainability

• Understanding Unconscious Bias 

Organizational Support & Capacity Building 

• Building Psychological Safety in the Workplace

• Fostering Reflective Practice in the Workplace

• Supporting Neurodiversity in the Workplace

• Group Facilitation: Introduction

• Group Facilitation: Using Brain Science and Storytelling

• Group Facilitation: The Art of Trauma Informed Facilitation

• Workplace Culture and Playfulness

Human Development

• The Early Years of the Developing Brain

• An Introduction to Social Emotional Development

• Creating Boundaries with Children and Technology

• Reframing Challenging Behaviours

• Responding to Trauma in Early Childhood

• Understanding Temperament

• Learning through Play

Educator Support and Capacity Building

• A Trauma-Informed Approach to Guiding Behaviours

• Trauma-Informed Classrooms

• Practicing Self-Compassion in the Classroom

• Pedagogical Practice: Planning and Playing

• Building Secure Relationships

  EmpowerED: Leadership Development Certifications 

• Depolarizing Leadership Training

• Stepping Up: Trauma-Informed Leadership Certification

• Sustaining Leadership Conversations: Nurturing Wellness, Connection, and Performance

• Strategies for Reflective Supervision

Experiential Learning 

• LEGO ® Serious Play®

• Life Capacity Mental Health Simulation™

• Brain Architecture Game®

To see descriptions for all available training, download the Training Framework PDF on this page: Imagine Institute

To register: Imagine Institute for Learning Upcoming Sessions

Leading With Mental Health In Mind - CMHA-Alberta

Leading with Mental Health in Mind will equip you with the language to talk about mental health, the understanding to support employees with challenges, and the steps to move towards greater psychological health and safety in the workplace. 

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Understand how the 13 Factors that Impact Mental Health at work can apply to their workplace

• Understand the role of the manager/leader in mental health at work and how it differs from the role of individual contributors

• Have tools and strategies to address some of the major factors in their workplace

• Have a starting point for what to do and what to say when someone talks about their mental health

• Have strategies to support your own mental health in the workplace

To register: CMHA-AB

Compassion Fatigue and Burnout - CMHA-Alberta

Learn the symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout, and how to manage them effectively to build resilience.

The symptoms of compassion fatigue and burnout are hard to recognize and require adequate support to overcome. This workshop will help employers, employees and volunteers who may develop compassion fatigue. Those at risk for compassion fatigue include first responders, clergy, teachers, counsellors, social workers, health care professionals, veterinarians and individuals who are the first point of contact for those going through a crisis or disaster.

This workshop provides a flexible and customizable approach, accommodating the unique needs of various professions and industries while offering adaptable time frames and formats.

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Understand symptoms and effects of compassion fatigue and fatigue risk factors

• Recognize personal and systemic barriers to receiving help

• Learn how to manage daily perceived threats and stress in more effective ways

• Create a self-care plan with resiliency-building skills and steps to improve workplace mental health

• Learn the difference between compassion fatigue and burnout

To register: CMHA-AB

Stronger Communities – CMHA-Edmonton

A training program that supports participants in learning strategies to look after their mental health and others.

Stronger Communities is a training program for groups and organizations where participants will learn a variety of different strategies and tips for looking after both their own mental health and the mental health of those around them.

Each course is facilitated by two facilitators, at least one of whom has Lived Experience. These courses are ideal for any type of organization or group as they offer specific training  for their staff to increase their knowledge on a variety of topics surrounding mental health. Courses have interactive components that will allow participants the opportunity to share their own experiences and offer insight into the information shared.

To register: Stronger Communities

Mental Health in the Workplace - CMHA-Alberta

This training will equip individuals with the skills to build a psychologically safe workplace that supports discussions around mental health struggles.  

Mental Health in the Workplace training equips organizations with the necessary language to address mental health, the knowledge to support employees facing challenges, and the actionable steps to proactively cultivate greater psychological health and safety at work.

By the end of the training, participants will:

• Learn about current workplace mental health and mental illness challenges

• Gain tools to support coworkers when they have mental health challenges

• Understand psychological risk and harm and know the benefits of mentally healthier workplaces

To register: CMHA-AB

Small Talk (Formerly Tattered Teddies) – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This half-day workshop will examine warning signs in a child and intervention strategies. 

Small Talk is an interactive half-day workshop which examines warning signs in a child and explores intervention strategies through stories and case studies.

This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Appreciate how a child’s developmental stage affects their concept of death and suicide;

• Identify protective factors, risk factors and warning signs in children; and

• Confidently transfer care of a child to a caregiver.

Audience

Ages 18+
This workshop provides information and offers practical approaches for those working with children who are working with children who are age 12 or younger and who may be considering suicide.

Participants can include but not limited to: parents and caregivers; family and friends; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.

Information provided is appropriate for beginner and intermediate social work practice.

To register: CSP Workshop

Walk With Me – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Walk With Me is a 1-day process-based workshop exploring the suicide grief cycle in Indigenous communities. 

This workshop is intended for Indigenous caregivers working in Indigenous communities.

The Walk With Me workshop draws heavily on Indigenous culture and tradition as it seeks to take participants through the cycle of suicide grief. Indigenous communities are frequently struck with a series of suicide deaths in a short period of time, each of these deaths adding to the already present burden of grief and loss. Bringing community members together for a day of hope and healing builds understanding and strength. This workshop takes the participants on a journey from the past, to the present and looks to the future; it creates a context for people to examine where they are in the grief cycle and how they can move forward to hope.

This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

To register: CSP Workshop

SafeTALK – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This 3.5 hour workshop alerts someone to warning signs indicating risk of suicide. 

This 3.5 hour workshop equips people to be more alert to someone thinking of suicide and better able to connect them with further help. The workshop emphasizes the importance of recognizing the signs, communicating with the person considering suicide and getting help or resources for the person considering suicide.

This suicide alertness training program can help you:

• identify persons with thoughts of suicide

• connect persons with thoughts of suicide to suicide first aid resources

Audience

Ages 16+
Participants can include but not limited to: parents and caregivers; family and friends; youth aged 16 or older; natural helpers and advisors; educators and ministers; health practitioners; justice, law enforcers, emergency workers, and community volunteers.

Certificate and Accreditation

All participants will receive a certificate at the end of the course.

safeTALK is recognized by the Suicide Prevention Resource Centre (SPRC) in the United States. Please check with your professional association to see if the course qualifies you to receive professional development credits or continuing education credits.

To register: CSP Workshop

River of Life – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

River of Life is an interactive half-day workshop created for individuals working with Indigenous young people 12 and up. 

This interactive workshop discusses strategies to strengthen the protective factors of young people considering suicide and focuses on providing participants with knowledge to competently respond. This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Recognize how the role of community and culture supports Indigenous life promotion

• Recognize protective factors, risk factors and warning signs in young people

• Build confidence to competently respond to young people in crisis

• Use principles of safety planning to help a young person develop their own plan for safety

To register: CSP Workshop

Looking Forward – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This half-day workshop is for people working with youth ages 12 to 24. 

Looking Forward encompasses the developmental, cognitive, and emotional differences found within this age group in presenting strategies to strengthen the protective factors of youth considering suicide. Relevant intervention strategies are explored through videos and case studies. This workshop may be offered virtually or in-person.

At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:

• Identify unique characteristics of youth and their relevance to suicide;

• Compare suicidal and self-harm behaviour in youth;

• Identify protective factors, risk factors, and warning signs in youth; and

• Confidently transfer care of a youth to a caregiver.

To register: CSP Workshop

Little Cub – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Little Cub is a half-day, discussion-based workshop examining suicide in Indigenous children and communities. 

The Little Cub Workshop draws heavily on storytelling and oral tradition. It begins by recognizing the unique precipitating factors of suicide in Indigenous communities and moves through to identifying risk and protective factors in children 12 years of age and younger. The workshop finishes by empowering participants with knowledge and tools to transfer the care of a child considering suicide to a community-based resource person.

Workshop Topics include:

• Story of Indigenous Experiences

• Conversations and Understanding

• Protective and Risk Factors

• Responding with Hope

• Understanding More

Audience

Ages 18+
This workshop provides information and offers practical approaches for those working with Indigenous children who may be considering suicide. The precipitating factors of suicide are different in Indigenous communities than in the general population.

Information provided is appropriate for beginner and intermediate social work practice.

To register: CSP Workshop

ASIST TuneUp – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

This 3.5 hour workshop is only for people with a valid ASIST certificate. This will allow you to renew your ASIST certification for a further two years. 

This 3.5 hour workshop is only for people with a valid ASIST certificate.  In Alberta, your ASIST certificate is valid for three years. If you take a half-day ASIST Tune Up workshop within 30 days of the expiration of your certificate, it will be renewed for another two years. After the TuneUp certificate has expired, participants are required to take the two-day ASIST workshop to obtain another certificate.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) TuneUp is a half-day refresher course developed by LivingWorks Education for participants who have completed ASIST. The workshop offers participants an opportunity to review the Pathway for Assisting Life Model, discuss successes and challenges in using the model, and clarify concepts covered within the model.

The TuneUp provides participants an opportunity to:

• Review or complete learning from the ASIST

• Test, examine or review how ASIST is applied in the real world or to share what they have learned from applications in the real world

• Recapture some of the experience of a caring community and collegial feelings from their ASIST experience

Audience

Ages 18+
The ASIST TuneUp workshop is designed for professionals, caregivers, and individuals who may work or be in contact with those who are at a higher risk for suicide and who have taken the two day ASIST workshop within the last three years. Proof of prior ASIST attendance is required to attend the ASIST TuneUp.

Certificate and Accreditation

Certification: All participants who complete the ASIST TuneUp will be able to extend their ASIST certificate for another two years. The ASIST certificate must be valid (three years and within 30 days of expiry) to qualify for the extension.

Accreditation: The ASIST TuneUp is qualified for the Association of Social Work Board (ASWB) Category A credits. If you do not belong to the ASWB, please check with your professional association to see if you qualify for professional credits.

To register: CSP Workshop

This training is available at no-cost for participants thanks to funding from the City of Edmonton.