We do not respond to voicemails. If we do not answer, we are on the line with another client. Please text or email us. We respond throughout the day or attempt to call again at another time.
This course will enhance the knowledge of healthcare professionals regarding seizure disorders and promote early diagnoses and effective treatments. Clients with substance abuse issues are at an increased risk for seizures.
Methadone is used for the treatment of opioid use disorder. It may be used as maintenance therapy or in shorter periods for detoxification to manage opioid withdrawal symptoms. Its use for the treatment of addiction is usually strictly regulated. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Office of Treatment Improvement (OTI) provides guidance on the federal regulations governing the provision of methadone treatment for opioid addiction. According to SAMHSA, all staff who work in an opioid treatment program (OTP) that provides methadone must receive training on methadone. This course will explore the following:
Determining the nature and intensity of opioid withdrawal symptoms in a detoxing patient is crucial for healthcare providers to assess the risks and make informed decisions during the detoxification process. This is where the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (C.O.W.S.) plays a vital role in addiction treatment and monitoring a patient’s physical well-being during opioid withdrawal management. This course will not explore the C.O.W.S system.
The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment Alcohol Scale Revised (CIWA-AR) is an instrument medical professionals use to assess and diagnose the severity of alcohol withdrawal. The CIWA-AR is one of the most common assessment methods for alcohol withdrawal. This course will briefly overview the scale, questions, and validity.
Social media can profoundly impact our relationships, communication, self-esteem, privacy, careers, governments, and beliefs.
This course will explore various social media websites and mobile applications. We will identify trends and statistics. We will delve into the behavioral and emotional pulls that entice users to begin and continue with these activities. We will explore social media’s positive and negative impacts on mental health.
This course will explore the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 exploring specifically for those with alcohol and drug issues, both as a disability and with other disabilities in need of substance abuse treatment.
Universal precautions involve an approach to infection control to protect workers from HIV, HBV, and other bloodborne pathogens in human blood and certain other body fluids, regardless of a patient’s infection status.
This course will explore the four primary universal precautions, proper handwashing, personal protective equipment and proper cough etiquette.
Formerly known as dual diagnosis or dual disorder, co-occurring disorders describe the presence of both mental health and substance use disorders. This course will explore the definition of terms used, most common substances, mental disorders that co-exist, symptoms, causes, and treatments for co-occurring disorders.
The laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of substance use disorder records were written out of great concern about the potential use of substance use disorder information against individuals, causing individuals with substance use disorders not to seek treatment.
A risk-managed approach to documentation is a best practice to protect both the client and the professional.
This course will explore 42 CFR part 2, HIPAA, and documentation of substance abuse therapy.
A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that a secondary interest will unduly influence professional judgment or actions regarding a primary interest. Common areas where conflicts of interest can occur in mental health and substance abuse treatment include pharmaceuticals, accepting gifts of various kinds, including meals and drug samples that alter treatment behavior, having a financial interest in a medical product company whose products they prescribe, use, or recommend, and self-referrals.
This course will explore these areas and discuss avoiding conflicts of interest.
Severe anxiety can arise after trauma or injury or under persistent stress or extreme change. This course will explore how to distinguish between everyday worry and an anxiety disorder, signs, symptoms, and risk factors. We will also discuss treatment approaches and how you can help.
Mental health providers engage with highly confidential health information. Litigation causes threats to confidentiality that can hinder the therapeutic process, cause potential damage to your client, depending on what you write in the record, and can threaten your practice. This course will provide mental health professionals with a better understanding of legal terms, suggestions for handling requests for confidential information, and guidance with documentation.
This course will explore the Baker Act for involuntary mental illness assessment and treatment.
The term ‘Baker Act’ is formally known as the Mental Health Act of 1971 and is a Florida Statute, but it became the default name for any involuntary hold laws in the United States.
The purpose of this course is to provide information on the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. This course will overview HIPAA and privacy regulations, define and describe how to handle confidential information, and review the penalties and enforcement.
More than two-thirds of U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical treatments, and more are considering bills to do the same. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions, resulting in limited clinical research on the safety and efficacy of using cannabis to treat diseases. Medical marijuana doesn’t always “feel” like a medical treatment or medicine.
This course will explore medical marijuana. We will look at the various ways this treatment is treated differently than other prescribed medications and why. We will also explore how the mental health and addiction fields have changed over the years with issues such as this.
Permanent change is hard. Despite the reasons to want to live a sober lifestyle or exercise regularly, changing behaviors permanently takes work.
This course will explore why people behave as they do and how change can be made easier.
Children are suffering from an epidemic of child abuse and neglect. The issue is larger than ever in the wake of the quarantines from the COVID-19 pandemic. This course will explore statistics of child abuse in Florida. We will explore the types of abuse and the signs and symptoms associated with each. The course will review the requirements, timeline, and procedures for reporting child abuse. Prevention strategies will be presented.
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has been the industry standard for diagnosing mental health disorders since 1952. The fifth revision of the Manual was published in May 2013. The text revision was published in March 2022. This course will provide an overview of the organization, changes, and transitions from the previous edition and controversies regarding the changes.
Psychedelic drugs are not new. Scientists at pharmaceutical companies have been studying them since the early 1900s. Indigenous communities around the world have used psilocybin and other consciousness-changing compounds for healing for thousands of years. In the last five years, a handful of high-quality, albeit small, studies have suggested tremendous benefits from the psychedelic psilocybin for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This course will explore their history, use, risks, and potential.
Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention to the present moment without evaluating whether one’s thoughts and feelings are good or bad. It is a skill developed through meditation or other training.
This course will explore the history and origins of mindfulness, the difference between mindfulness, meditation, and flow, the benefits for the client and therapist, and how it can be used in therapy.
Most mental health professionals were educated in traditional psychology. An emerging perspective, called Positive Psychology, is gaining momentum. This course will explore the similarities and differences between the two approaches.
According to the CDC, half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14 and three-quarters begin by age 24. Many factors may contribute to mental illness, including a history of trauma.
This course will explore emotional and psychological trauma and how these affect individuals over time.
To develop cultural competence, healthcare professionals need to identify their beliefs and build an awareness of their culture. Cultural awareness makes healthcare providers more open to unfamiliar attitudes, practices, and behaviors. This course will explore how culture and stereotypes play a role in our we see ourselves and our clients. We will explore how we can shift from cultural competence being about racism, genderism, and ageism, to recognizing and working through our biases and blind spots. We will examine the implications for counseling theory, research, practice, and training.
Compassion fatigue is a condition characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion leading to a diminished ability to empathize or feel compassion for others, often described as the negative cost of caring. It is sometimes referred to as secondary traumatic stress or burnout. It is especially relevant to mental health and substance abuse professionals. Compassion fatigue describes the physical, emotional, and psychological impact of helping others.
This course will explore where this can occur, signs of compassion fatigue, and how to help yourself and others.
What we put into our bodies has the greatest opportunity to affect our health, well-being, and psychotropic drug disposition. This course will explore how to understand better how what we put in our bodies affects our mental health and the medications taken. This will enable us to help our clients get the most out of their bodies, minds, and medications.
Uncertainty is very much a part of our lives. This course will explore how to address fear and anxiety in the midst of the pandemic, protests, and economic concerns. This course will explore the difference between productive and non-productive worry, fear, and anxiety. We will look at self-soothing exercises and therapeutic techniques.
This course will explore the important points of reporting incidents per JCAHO and California laws.
Medical errors comprise the largest issue facing this country with regard to health care. This course was designed to educate those in the health care industry and specifically the mental health field on the magnitude of medical errors, their adverse effects, and methods to analyze errors in an effort to avoid future mishaps.
The laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of substance use disorder records were written out of great concern about the potential use of substance use disorder information against individuals, causing individuals with substance use disorders not to seek treatment.
A risk-managed approach to documentation is a best practice to protect the client and the professional.
This course will explore 42 CFR part 2, HIPAA, and documentation of substance abuse therapy.
This course will review the statistics and prevalence of domestic violence in our society. We will define domestic violence and its various types of abuse.
The course will review the dynamics of violent relationships. Violent relationships follow a predictable cycle of violence. This course will discuss this cycle and review its patterns and screening methods through multiple case studies. The course will delve into special populations and associated risk factors. Upon completing the course, the professional will understand the specific resources available for those in need.
This course will explore how culture and stereotypes play a role in our we see ourselves and our clients. We will explore cultural competency through cultural awareness, beliefs, knowledge, and skills. We will examine the implications for counseling theory, research, practice, and training.
An assessment is a basis for understanding the client’s presentation and is the beginning of conceptualizing their functioning into a diagnosis. This continuing education course will explore mental status exams, mental health assessments, alcohol and drug assessments, and the DSM V. We will also introduce the learner to a few popular assessment tools.
Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935 to help alcoholics abstain from the consumption of alcohol and to “stay sober” through the sharing of their experiences with others who have had similar experiences in a protected environment.
The 12 Step, the cornerstone of the program, was developed later to help govern the fellowship and to establish a consistent approach to spiritual and character-building endeavors.
This course will explore the history and efficacy of the 12-step approach.
This course will award 1 continuing education hour.
Navigating the requirements of reporting suspected abuse and maltreatment is an important responsibility for everyone, particularly mandated reporters. This presentation will explore the requirements for reporting child abuse in California. We will look at which professionals are required to report. We will explore the timeline for reporting and the procedures that must take place.
This course will explore the use of tobacco including its effects on the body during and after use.
This course will review the current statistic for the prevalence of suicide. We will discuss risk factors, assessment of, management and disposition, and how to handle crisis calls.
This workplace violence course provides information on the extent of violence in the workplace, assesses the hazards in different settings, and develops workplace violence prevention plans for individual worksites.
We will explore who is at risk and how violence can be reduced and avoided.
Every day counselors, nurses, psychiatric technicians, and others are called upon to intervene in crisis situations that may become dangerous if not handled properly.
This course will explore the prevention of aggressive behavior and crisis intervention techniques, which can include verbal de-escalation and physical interventions. We will identify the definition of aggression, warning signs of aggressive behavior, strategies to diffuse aggressive situations, crisis intervention techniques, and staff responsibilities after an event.
Pain is an individualized concept that requires an equally individualized solution.
This course will explore the physiology of pain, the difference between types of pain, and how to manage it with and without opioids.
Patient safety is the absence of preventable harm to a patient during the process of health care and reduction of risk of unnecessary harm associated with health care to an acceptable minimum. An acceptable minimum refers to the collective notions of given current knowledge, resources available, and the context in which care was delivered weighted against the risk of non-treatment or other treatment.
This course will review the need for timely and accurate incident reports, the root cause analysis process, patient rights, terms regarding patient safety, driver safety, and The Joint Commission’s Behavioral Health Care National Patient Safety Goals.
This course provides an in-depth overview of infection control principles, including standard precautions, pathogen transmission, personal protective equipment (PPE), cleaning and disinfection practices, and outbreak prevention strategies. It equips healthcare professionals with the knowledge necessary to maintain safe, compliant, and hygienic environments across diverse care settings.
This course will focus on helping behavioral health professionals handle complaints made by clients and patients. The lesson will explore the complaint resolution process, each professional’s role, and how to prioritize complaints.
It is estimated that 60 to 75 percent of adolescents with mental health and/or substance abuse issues have co-occurring disorders. Commonly documented co-occurring disorders include conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance dependence.
This course will explore the prevalence, warning signs, specific disorders, and treatment options.
A drug test analyzes a biological sample used to determine the presence of specific substances. Drug testing is done pre-employment, randomly by employers, after an accident on the job, during probation, by the police, in the prison system, in recovery programs, in hospitals, and by parents.
This course will explore the types of drug tests, what each screen is for, the collection procedure, and the need for consent.
Severe anxiety can arise after trauma or injury, under persistent stress, or extreme change. This course will explore distinguishing between everyday worry and an anxiety disorder, the top five anxiety disorders, signs, symptoms, and risk factors. We will also discuss treatment approaches.
Anger is a powerful, natural feeling. Everyone feels it at some time, and we have the right to feel that way. It’s what someone does with anger that makes the difference.
As clinicians, we aim to help clients learn effective ways to manage their anger. In this course, we will explore anger and its causes, common approaches to anger, the problems with anger, the positive aspects of anger, and anger management.
Affirmative action is a controversial and often poorly understood policy. In these courses, we will explore what Affirmative is and outline how it operates in employment settings. We will consider the major points of controversy. In addition, we detail the contributions of psychologists and other social scientists in helping to demonstrate why affirmative action is needed, how it can have unintended negative consequences, and how affirmative action programs can be most successful.
The purpose of the course is to explore and expand on the process of addiction. The course will explore the definition of abuse and addiction, the stages of alcohol and other drug use, the progression of the disease, and treatment options. The course will define specific exercises that can be utilized with clients.
The 42 CFR Part 2 regulations serve to protect patient records created by federally assisted programs for the treatment of substance use disorders. Part 2 has been revised to further facilitate better coordination of care in response to the opioid epidemic while maintaining its confidentiality protections against unauthorized disclosure and use. This course will explore these regulations.
The ASAM Criteria, developed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, is a widely used and comprehensive set of guidelines for placement, continued stay, and transfer or discharge of addiction patients and those with co-occurring conditions.
This course will give an overview of the criteria, levels of care, and best practices crafted through the use of these guidelines.
The purpose of this course is to introduce you to the knowledge, skills, and terms that will assist you in applying and delivering maximum standards of care as a direct care professional.
This course will explore the types and use of cocaine. We will look at cocaine-related disorders, DSM IV criteria, the cycle of use, addiction process, and treatment for this drug.
This course will present an overview of the right to autonomy and self-determination, the right to privacy, the right to receive treatment, the regulations regarding informing clients of their rights, and how to handle client grievances.
Gambling addiction is the uncontrollable continuation of gambling despite the consequences on one’s life. Gambling is addictive because it stimulates the brain’s reward system much like drugs or alcohol can. In fact, gambling addiction is the most common impulse control disorder worldwide.
This course provides a brief introduction to pathological gambling, gambling disorder, and problem gambling as wells as explores signs, symptoms, and treatment modalities.
This course will review OSHA’s infection control standards and an introduction to bloodborne pathogens.
Bloodborne Pathogens are microorganisms such as viruses or bacteria carried in the blood and can cause disease in people. This course will explore the primary bloodborne pathogens and the OSHA standards regarding these.
This course will explore the myriad of issues relating to setting and maintaining boundaries within the counseling relationship.
– Key Concepts Regarding Dual Relationships with Clients
– Physical Contact and Sexual Relationships with Clients
– Self Disclosure
– Sound Decision Making and Managing Boundaries Set
– Emotional and Dependency Needs
– Professional Distance
– Therapeutic Styles
– Dynamics Which Make Therapy a Potential Setting for Boundary Violations and Exploitation
This course will update our current understanding of what HIV and AIDS are and how they are transmitted. The prevalence of the disease and how it attacks the body will be explained. Current information on the transmission, as well as the correction of several common myths, will be taught. The importance of testing and diagnosis is ever-increasing with the significant progress being made regarding the treatment of HIV.
We will explore confidentiality and legal protection for the HIV-infected person.
Treatment Centers struggle with clients wanting to leave Against Medical Advice (AMA) yet research shows that long-term recovery is frequently tied to the length of stay. This course will explore:
Who is most likely to leave against medical advice.
Why do individuals leave against medical advice?
What are the dangers of leaving against medical advice?
What can be done to prevent people from leaving against medical advice?
This course reviews the difference between medication administration and assisting with self-administration of medication, as well as the goals, roles, and responsibilities of unlicensed personnel in medication assistance.
Recovery housing is a service delivery modality that simultaneously addresses the social support and housing needs of those in recovery from substance use disorders. The needs of the resident can go beyond the treatment of the addiction itself. Staff needs to be ready to address the community setting, medical or dental issues that could come up, and the needs of the resident’s mental health, as so frequently dual issues, are occurring.
Hazardous materials include explosives, flammable and combustible substances, poisons, and radioactive materials. Emergencies can happen during production, storage, transportation, use, or disposal. Everyone is at risk when chemicals are used unsafely or released in harmful amounts. This is why learning how to safely use and dispose of hazardous materials and respond if an accident occurs is important.
This course will explore how to store and handle hazardous materials and how to handle exposure and disposal.
This course will look at the current theories regarding treating addiction. We will define addiction and look at how treatment programs have and should focus. We will explore treatment options.
The opioid crisis continues to affect individuals, families, and communities worldwide, making overdose response training a vital skill.
This course is designed to educate participants on recognizing the signs of an opioid overdose, understanding the critical steps for intervention, and effectively administering Narcan (naloxone), a life-saving medication. Participants will gain practical knowledge about opioid use, overdose prevention strategies, and harm reduction techniques.
Effective clinical work with individuals from diverse minority groups—including those differentiated by ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, and ability status—demands both cultural competence and ongoing self-reflection. These considerations carry significant implications for counseling theory, research, practice, and professional training. This course will examine the unique needs of various special populations and guide mental health professionals in applying culturally responsive and inclusive approaches that honor cultural pluralism and promote ethical, person-centered care.
Sleep is a behavioral state that is a natural part of every individual’s life. We spend about one-third of our lives asleep. Nonetheless, people generally know little about the importance of this essential activity. It affects our health and mental wellness in a paramount, fundamental way.
This course will explore how we define shyness from feeling and behavioral aspects. We will look at the various theories for causation and treatment. We will also look at how shyness is influenced by gender, age, and culture.
We will explore research and the treatments most frequently used.
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a psychotherapy treatment that was originally designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. This course will provide an introduction to this technique.
The purpose of the course is to enhance the reader’s understanding of denial and to relate stages of denial to the corresponding stages of the disease of addiction. Denial and addiction must be treated concurrently if successful treatment is to be achieved. The course will define specific exercises that can be utilized with clients.
The primary purpose of mental health and substance use treatment must be the therapeutic care and treatment of individuals who are suffering from mental health and addiction issues. It must never be the financial or personal gain of the practitioner or facility. Those suffering are inevitably vulnerable.
This course will explore both fraud and waste. We will also look at strategies to prevent fraud, waste, and abuse of resources. We will explore how you can be a part of the solution.
Creative and specialized therapies can often be a roundabout way of enabling clients to open up and explore vulnerabilities more cautiously. This course will explore utilizing music, art, play, movement, pets, and aroma in therapy.
Telemental health has grown in popularity over the last decade as a way for therapists to offer their services via an online or a virtual setting through live interactive video conferencing.
This course will explore the definition of telemental health, the benefits, and drawbacks for this service method, the appropriate screening of clients for telemental health services as well as the ethical codes involved. We will touch on reimbursement issues.
Addicts, more than anyone, know that what is put in the body alters health, mood, and abilities. The same holds if the substance is alcohol, other drugs, or food. Nutrition plays an important part in overall health and recovery from substance abuse.
This course will explore the connection between nutrition and drugs, how substance abuse disrupts nutrition, the nutritional side effects of detox, what nutrients can benefit recovery, and food as an addiction.
Women seeking addiction treatment face unique barriers and distinctive issues or sensitivities from their male counterparts. This course will explore the treatment of substance abuse in women, how substance abuse affects relationships, psychological patterns of why women abuse substances, the significance of family history, how substance abuse affects health, codependency, co-occurring disorders, relapse prevention, and social service systems.
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) is the use of medications, in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, to provide a whole-patient approach to treating substance use disorders. Research shows that a combination of medication and behavioral therapies is most successful when treating substance-use disorders. MAT is clinically driven with a focus on individualized patient care.
*This is course does not meet the requirements under the Drug Addiction Treatment Act of 2000 for physician-required training nor the qualification for a waiver to prescribe and dispense buprenorphine. This course is intended to educate professionals in the mental health and substance abuse industry on MAT.
How an organization plans for, responds to, and recovers from issues is critical to the safety of patients and employees. This course will explore conditions that pose a threat and what should be done. We will look at security measures and how to prepare them. The grievance process will also be reviewed.
Sexual violence happens in every community and affects people of all genders and ages.
These assaults leave behind a lifetime of psychological damage.
This course will explore the terms related to sexual abuse, tactics and how alcohol and drugs play a part, signs of sexual assault, human sex trafficking, prevalence, treatment options.
Motivational interviewing is a client-centered, directive counseling method aimed at enhancing intrinsic motivation that helps people resolve ambivalent feelings and insecurities to find the internal motivation they need to change their behavior.
This course will discuss ambivalence and its role in client motivation, overall and specific to substance abuse issues. We will explore the five basic principles of motivational interviewing that can be used to address ambivalence and to facilitate the change process. We will also look at approaches to use with clients in the early stages of treatment.
Working in the substance abuse treatment field presents dilemmas relating to personal beliefs, judgments, and values. The history of how society views persons with addictions is fraught with emotions, misconceptions, and biases that have affected the care of drug abusers.
This course will explore the definition of ethics and how it differs from morality and law. We will look at the terms frequently used, structured processes for solving ethical issues, and potential areas of ethical challenges such as recovering addicts as professionals, e-therapy, and competence.
