All Webinars

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

They say that Artificial Intelligence (AI) won’t replace you in the workplace, but someone who knows how to use AI will. This is particularly true for social workers, counselors, and psychologists because we were not trained in AI, but AI is transforming our work. It is becoming harder to avoid AI, yet it remains critical that we understand how AI works so that we can make informed, ethical decisions that protect both our clients and the public. We are mandated by our professional codes to do this. The widespread use of AI is recent, and it is not easy to learn all about AI and how it is being used in our professions. At the end of this course, you will understand how AI works, the different types of AI, and how it is being used in our work. You will better understand all the ethical considerations and current research findings about AI in the social work/counseling/psychology space, and walk away with frameworks on how to mitigate risk.

This course will satisfy your ethics requirement.

They say that Artificial Intelligence (AI) won’t replace you in the workplace, but someone who knows how to use AI will. This is particularly true for social workers, counselors, and psychologists because we were not trained in AI, but AI is transforming our work. It is becoming harder to avoid AI, yet it remains critical that we understand how AI works so that we can make informed, ethical decisions that protect both our clients and the public. We are mandated by our professional codes to do this. The widespread use of AI is recent, and it is not easy to learn all about AI and how it is being used in our professions. At the end of this course, you will understand how AI works, the different types of AI, and how it is being used in our work. You will better understand all the ethical considerations and current research findings about AI in the social work/counseling/psychology space, and walk away with frameworks on how to mitigate risk.

Traditional abstinence-only models have long dominated Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) treatment, yet emerging research demonstrates that harm reduction strategies—including moderate drinking—offer effective alternatives for many individuals, particularly those with less severe or early-stage alcohol issues. For clients whose alcohol use is creating problems, learning to drink more moderately and safely can represent both a realistic goal and a sustainable outcome. For others, managed drinking serves as a crucial stepping-stone toward temporary or permanent abstinence.
 

This harm reduction framework transforms treatment by lowering barriers to care and creating more inclusive options for individuals intimidated by abstinence-only approaches. The result is more flexible, personalized care that meets clients where they are in their recovery journey. 

Since office-based therapists are typically the first professionals contacted by individuals seeking help with alcohol concerns, all mental health practitioners—regardless of specialty—must be equipped with the knowledge and skills to competently address these issues. This comprehensive webinar provides a diverse clinical toolkit featuring practical strategies, integrated behavioral and pharmacological interventions, real-world case studies, and essential clinical considerations. Participants will gain valuable insights into addressing alcohol-related challenges with greater flexibility, empathy, and effectiveness, significantly expanding treatment possibilities for clients seeking help with alcohol use concerns.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly entering the therapy world and reshaping how treatments are delivered, therapists’ workflow, and the clients’ use of chatbots and digital companions. This training helps clinicians understand what is already possible, what remains aspirational, and how to use AI responsibly and effectively in their own practice.
 

Participants will learn practical strategies for using AI to improve documentation, psychoeducation, and clinical efficiency; evaluate how clients’ engagement with chatbots affects therapeutic dynamics; and apply ethical, cultural, and relational lenses to these emerging technologies. Through demonstrations, discussions, and guided exercises, therapists will leave with tools and frameworks for evaluating and integrating AI while maintaining human connection, equity, and professional ethics.

There are several types of digital platforms and devices that can optimize treatment and are easily added to our clinical toolbox. Many of these devices can be used as clinician extenders by expanding therapeutic reach and augmenting treatment outside the office. While some of these technologies have been available for decades, they are now easier to use and are also cost effective. The trend in health care is increasingly digitally based and data driven, being fed by advances in digital platforms and innovative devices. Video technology and internet capacity have reached the point where they are reliable and advanced enough to make tele-mental health quite accessible to utilize. While there are still many people who have only tenuous links with the digital world, even those in rural and underserved populations may have access to care not previously available using new tools. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, mental health clinicians by necessity have begun using telehealth platforms to continue to provide much needed services. The use of teletherapy affords clinicians opportunities to effectively broaden their scope of practice and deliver high quality treatment while doing so. The provision of telehealth has both pros and cons that need to be considered when using this technology. Smartphone applications (Apps) that can track mood, anxiety, and sleep (and provide feedback to clinicians) are rapidly developing and are widely available. Devices that can directly address brain and emotional states such as Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback (HRV), Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES), and Neurofeedback (NFB) can be incorporated into one’s practice at a reasonable cost. Many of these devices can be used by patients between sessions to retrain their “brain states” by monitoring physiological arousal and increasing vagal tone to maximize treatment effect. This seminar provides you with an overview and introduction to technology-based aids to mental health practice. 

“Instructor was knowledgeable, easy to relate to and made the content interesting and easy to follow along with. Great reflective exercises!”-LisaA., Social Worker, New York

We all know that professional burnout is a problem, but what do we do about it? In this interactive seminar, Dr. Hartman-Hall provides information from the research literature and her clinical experience about the causes and consequences of clinician burnout. Recognizing that wellness is not a “one size fits all” concept, we will explore a variety of approaches for considering clinicians’ risk factors for occupational stress, improving our own self-care, and adjusting our approach to our work. Brief exercises to practice relaxation, mindfulness, and self-awareness will be utilized throughout the talk to provide participants the opportunity to practice concepts being discussed.

Many clients who enter individual or couple therapy have difficulty managing emotions. This workshop will focus on the processes involved in emotional dysregulation, drawing on current findings in the fields of neurobiology and emotional memory research. Students will learn about universal triggers as well as ways to explore personal triggers that lead to poorly managed emotional reactions.
 

These findings will be translated to clinical interventions through the theoretical lenses of mindfulness, object relations and narrative therapies. Case presentations will demonstrate ways to apply these insights in individuals and couple therapy to demonstrate how clients can be guided to subdue strong emotions and generate more thoughtful and appropriate responses.