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

Subsidies are available, please inquire for more information.

ASIST – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

Attending this two-day course will train you to intervene with an individual who is suicidal.  

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day interactive workshop in suicide first aid. ASIST teaches participants to recognize when someone may have thoughts of suicide and work with them to create a plan that will support their immediate safety. Although ASIST is widely used by healthcare providers, participants don’t need any formal training to attend the workshop—anyone 18 or older can learn and use the ASIST model.

This workshop contains content that may be upsetting for some people, especially those who have lost a loved one to suicide.

Over the course of their two-day workshop, ASIST participants learn to:

• recognize that caregivers and people are affected by personal and societal attitudes about suicide;

• provide life-assisting guidance to a person thinking about suicide in a flexible manner;

• identify what needs to be in a person thinking about suicide’s plan for safety;

• demonstrate the skills required to provide suicide first aid to a person thinking about suicide;

• appreciate the value of improving community resources including the way that they work together; and,

• recognize that suicide prevention is broader than suicide intervention and, includes life promotion and self care for people thinking about suicide and for caregivers.

To register: CSP Workshop

Subsidies are available, please inquire for more information.

How to Talk About Suicide – CMHA-Alberta and the Center for Suicide Prevention

A synchronous, live, 1.5-2 hour webinar about how to talk about suicide with someone you're worried about. 

How to talk about suicide: A conversation guide is a virtual, 1.5-2 hour synchronous small group training. This webinar explores common myths and facts around suicide, who is impacted and why, as well as steps to begin a conversation about suicide. Learning Objectives

This webinar supports participants in:

• Exploring common myths and facts about suicide

• Building awareness of how and why people are impacted

• Understanding dynamics of protective and risk factors

• Learning a 4-step model for starting a conversation about suicide through case studies and discussion

• Identifying community resources for further help

To register: CSP Workshop

Transforming Ourselves to Address the Root Causes of Violence - Shift to Learn

This module supports participants to engage in a transformational learning process so that they can effectively advocate for violence prevention.

Activities and tools are offered throughout the module to support participants to integrate transformational learning approaches with others so, together, we can stop violence before it starts.

To register: StL – Transforming Ourselves

Managing Workplace Violence and Responsive Behaviours On-Demand Course – Continuing Care Safety Association

CCSA offers effective training designed to equip organizations and their teams with the tools to effectively address and mitigate workplace violence and harassment. 

This 2-hour interactive course prepares you to handle challenging situations through industry-specific real-life scenarios. Featuring 360-degree videos, branching decisions, animated scenarios, and live-action video scenarios, you’ll have the opportunity to test your de-escalation skills. By the end, you’ll be equipped to address violence, harassment, and responsive behaviours while prioritizing safety for yourself and others

Requires account creation to access course.

To register: Align – CCSA MWVRB Online

Leading Change™ at Work: Addressing Domestic Violence – Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters

Learn how to address domestic violence concerns and risk factors in the workplace. 

How safe is your workplace? Have you overlooked a common workplace hazard? Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act identifies domestic violence as a workplace hazard. In a recent survey, 25% of Alberta workers reported experiencing the effects of domestic violence at work and 78% wanted organizations to do more to address domestic violence. More than half of people experiencing domestic violence face attacks from their abusers while at work. Colleagues are often aware of relationship violence their co-workers are experiencing but lack the needed information and skills to help provide support. In some cases, employers have faced multimillion-dollar lawsuits for failing to keep an employee safe from domestic violence while at work.

Why take this training?

Domestic violence doesn’t end when work begins. This 120-minute, self-directed course will help you better understand the scope of domestic violence and how it can show up in the workplace. You’ll be able to recognize the common signs of domestic violence in the workplace and learn about your obligations under Occupational Health & Safety legislation to help foster safety for everyone at work.

To register: ACWS - LCWADV

Engagement Strategies Towards Ending Workplace Sexual Harassment - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

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

Quality Supports, Safe Staff: A Safety Training for the CDS Workforce – Alberta Council of Disability Services

It will give an overview of the top safety issues facing the CDS sector, the importance of creating a safety culture within your organization, measurement tools and goal-setting metrics, as well as provide engaging videos and activities to be used by all staff regularly to strengthen organizational culture around safety. Local

As we further our efforts to build capacity and strengthen the Community Disability Services (CDS) sector workforce, ACDS is offering a new course titled, "Quality Supports, Safe Staff".  This course is targeted towards leadership, management, human resource personnel, and safety representatives.

The course is designed to go hand-in-hand with existing safety training and procedures.  Safety training is most effective where it is supported by a strong safety culture on an ongoing basis. The course will equip all community disability staff with the knowledge and tools to create an environment where workers feel empowered to take initiative on safety within their work every day. Participants will learn how to develop a safe and healthy workplace strategy that produces engagement at all levels of the organization.

To register: Quality Supports, Safe Staff – Learner Registration Form

Indigenous Awareness Training – Ben Calf Robe

Awareness training focused on Indigenous culture before and after colonization, residential schools, and the history of Indigenous peoples in Alberta and western Canada. Local

In this training, participants will engage on topics such as:

• Knowledge of pre and post European Contact

• Impact of Residential Schools

• Spiritual Practices

• Significance, Symbolism, and Application of the Medicine Wheel

• Treaties/ Bill C-31

• The history of Indigenous Peoples in Alberta and in Western Provinces

An Indigenous Awareness Certificate will be presented upon completing the course.

There are numerous amenities within walking distance for participants to have lunch at.

The cost of the course is $100.00

To register please call 780-477-6648

To view the training page, click here: Ben Calf Robe - IAT

Mobilizing Communities to Disrupt Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking in Canada - #NotInMyCity

In collaboration with national and international thought leaders, #NotInMyCity has developed a short, interactive e-learning course to prevent sex trafficking and exploitation.

This 30-minute course will provide a solid foundation of understanding on the issue of human trafficking and sexual exploitation in Canada. This course heavily focuses on sex trafficking, as it is the most prevalent form of trafficking in Canada.

You will learn about:

• What human trafficking is

• Human trafficking and the law in Canada 

• A description of child exploitation 

• How and where human trafficking happens

• Common indicators of human trafficking

• How you can help and take action

To register: NotInMyCity - MCDSESTC

Enhance Emergency Sexual Assault Services FREE - Association of Alberta Sexual Assault Services

This program is designed for professionals working in the criminal justice system with people who have been recently sexually assaulted (e.g. healthcare, counselling, and law enforcement professionals).

The intent of this program is to increase comfort and knowledge with supporting people who have been recently sexual assaulted, providing comprehensive trauma informed services in any setting, standardizing terminology and interventions implications of injuries, and collecting or preserving evidence. This program is a total of 4.5 hours in length but it is online and can be completed on your own time. This program is currently offered at no cost and consists of eight modules, each approximately 1/2 hour in length with a short quiz to follow. You can complete the quizzes as many times as you like. There is also a pdf manual you can print – it is approximately 70 pages and follows along with all the modules.

The modules include the following:

• Sexual assault issues and risks, trauma informed services and EESAS overview

• Psychological considerations and consequences

• Triage and drug facilitated sexual assault considerations

• Consent, sexual assault history and interview techniques

• Injury assessment and BALD STEP guide to physical findings

• Body examination and evidence collection

• Genital examination and evidence collection

• Treatment, discharge considerations and follow up

Ideally you will complete all eight modules to help understand the role of various professionals and the entire spectrum of services the person who has been sexually assaulted experiences. The goal is to facilitate comprehensive understanding of all the phases of sexual assault care between professionals, which is not achieved if selectively taking modules. Once you have completed all desired modules, you will be asked to complete the information in a short survey link. A certificate will be mailed to you when this information is received.

To register: AASAS - EESAS

The Healing Brain: Supporting Children from Trauma to Resilience – Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters

Learn about early childhood brain development, the impacts of trauma, and how to support children who have been exposed to domestic violence.

The Healing Brain: Supporting Children from Trauma to Resilience is a module-based, online course that participants can work through at their own pace. The training will give participants a better understanding of early childhood brain development, the impacts of trauma on children, and how to nurture resilience in children who have been exposed to domestic violence. Each module is directly linked to one of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action, to inform the ways service providers work with children through a lens of reconciliation.

Why take this training?

The brain is a complex organ which actually doesn’t finish developing until a person is in their twenties. It shouldn’t be a surprise then, that the first five years of a child’s life can have a big impact on outcomes later in life. This means that supporting healthy early childhood brain development in a playroom environment is a very important role. In this course, you will learn how children’s brains develop, how adverse experiences and toxic stress can derail healthy brain development, and how you can nurture children’s development.

Across Alberta last year, 2,389 children were admitted to ACWS member shelters. For children, exposure to domestic violence can be as harmful as directly experiencing acts of violence. Working with children who have been exposed to domestic violence is one of the major prevention tactics that can be used to interrupt the cycle of violence from continuing into future generations.

To register: ACWS – THBSCTR