Northeast & Caribbean PTTC

As the prevention landscape continues to evolve, so do trends in substance misuse.   Existing issues in prevention, such as cuts in funding and challenges in retaining a qualified workforce are still increasingly present.  But now there are new trends in substance use, the emergence of new designer drugs, new psychoactive substances and the rapidly changing drug market that are changing the landscape of substance misuse prevention. In navigating these ongoing changes, recent research shares lessons learned about how many communities are taking a different approach to addressing substance use among young people. Join us in this peer sharing opportunity to share your experiences navigating these trends in terms of risks, changes, and new approaches you have encountered and/or implemented in your daily practice to deal with the current issues in prevention. **This session is limited to 50 attendees.  Presenters and bios: Clara McCurdy-Kirlis, a multilingual communications and project management professional, has over 15 years of experience in project development, implementation, and management. She plays lead roles in health and education instructional design for adult learners, e-learning design and delivery, higher education curriculum development, and interdisciplinary project coordination. Teresa Gomez, MA, MS is a Training & Technical Assistance specialist with EDC. For more than a decade, Teresa managed public & private global health efforts for European organizations. Her areas of focus include substance misuse prevention, behavioral health, social interventions for young people, and meeting the needs of underserved women.

Description: Trauma-informed care for wellness has become an essential part of behavioral health care for communities in need. The consistent exposure to traumatic experiences places staff at high risk of secondary traumatic stress and emotional depletion impacting their own wellbeing and their ability to provide empathetic person-centered quality services. Many providers have their own trauma-lived experiences that can both benefit or hinder their ability to support their communities and/or exacerbate their existing trauma responses. This interactive training will focus on trauma responsiveness which is when organizations actively seek to support staff wellness using trauma-informed guiding principles. The content will identify specific strategies and activities that organizations can implement to reduce and prevent chronic emotional stress, empower provider self-care, and promote a culture of health and wellness. Credits This training meets the requirements for three renewal hours (CASAC, CPP, CPS) and three initial hours (CPP, CPS) through New York State’s Office of Addiction Services and Supports (NYS OASAS). As an IC & RC member board, OASAS accredited courses are granted reciprocal approval by the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs, Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee. Many other states offer reciprocity - please check with your accrediting agency. Trainer: Diana Padilla, MCPC, CTSS, CARC has worked in the behavioral health field for more than 25 years. Using a culturally informed and inclusive recoveryoriented perspective, Ms. Padilla instructs on how to enhance strategies and interventions to best meet the substance use and related needs of communities of color, LGBTQ+ people, and other traditionally underserved populations. She is also an SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment) Technical Assistance and Implementation Specialist, helping agencies to build their capacity to effectively intervene with communities at risk of substance use and mental health related conditions and behaviors.

Description: The end of the calendar year is a perfect time to reflect on how far your prevention efforts have come and to plan for where you want to go professionally. Join us for an uplifting and forward-focused session to help you identify and set your 2025 goals—both for yourself and for your prevention organization. Explore best practices for setting SMARTIE (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Time-bound, Inclusive, and Equitable) goals. Participate in interactive exercises to take stock of your current professional experience and determine how to enhance their efficacy and satisfaction. Then articulate your action steps to support your goals for 2025.   Learning Objectives: Review best practices for setting goals Explore existing tools and resources to support goal setting activities Develop action steps to reach your identified goals in the next twelve months   Presenters and bios: Sandra DelSesto -M.Ed., ACPS, is a consultant and master trainer in behavioral health and strategic planning for non-profits. She was the founder and for 30 years the executive director of Initiatives for Human Development, a statewide, multi-service prevention program, and a founder of CODAC, RI’s largest non-profit treatment program. She was also the founding director of the Institute for Addiction Recovery at Rhode Island College. She is a member of the advisory boards of the Prevention Technology Transfer Center; National Coordinating Office (PTTC-NCO), the New England PTTC, and was a member of the former Latino PTTC. She is a consultant to the Strategic Prevention Technical Assistance Center (SPTAC). Jess Goldberg – MSW, MPH, CPS. Jess is a training and technical assistance specialist with Education Development Center. For more than 15 years, Jess has specialized in building capacity to improve behavioral health at the national, state, regional and local levels. Her areas of expertise include preventing youth substance use; promoting cross-sector collaborations; addressing health disparities; strategic planning, logic model development, and sustainability

Description: This two-hour training explores Harm Reduction strategies, or interventions aimed at reducing negative consequences related to substance use or other risk behaviors. Session reviews misunderstandings and barriers to helping people who actively use substances and informs on the 8 principles of harm reduction and how they apply in behavioral health." Presenter: Diana Padilla, MCPC, CARC, CASAC-T, is a Research Project Manager at New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center. She is a senior staff trainer for the Northeast & Caribbean Addiction Transfer Technology Center Network (NeC-ATTC), and a member of the ASAP-NYCB Trainer Registry. As a cultural agent, Ms. Padilla promotes an equity lens in trainings for engaging diverse communities in need, aligning with evidence and strength-based strategies within behavioral health, addiction, prevention, and recovery supports fields and professional capacities.

Webinar Description: As prevention professionals, facilitation in both virtual and face-to-face spaces is an integral part of our work. The ability to convene partners -- whether in meetings, trainings or events – and lead them through collaborative decision-making and other processes is essential to the success of community-based change efforts. This session looked at the art and science of facilitation, the skills needed for successful facilitation and discussed real-world tips and techniques for consensus-building with groups and managing group dynamics. Session Learning Objectives included: Describing the facilitation skills prevention practitioners need Identifying techniques for managing group processes and dynamics Identifying strategies for handling challenging situations as a facilitation   Presenter Info: Sandra Puerini Del Sesto, M.Ed, ACPS is a consultant and master trainer in behavioral health and strategic planning for states and non-profits. For over thirty-five years, Ms. Del Sesto has provided training throughout the United States in all areas of prevention practice.   Jess Goldberg, MSW, MPH, CPS, is a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist with Education Development Center. She specializes in building capacity to improve behavioral health at the national, state, regional and local levels.

Webinar Description Tailored for early career practitioners looking to elevate their prevention practice, this session explored the foundational prevention competencies that every prevention professional should build toward, where to find professional development opportunities to support growing those capacities, and best practices for planning your personal approach to professional development. Appropriate for individuals intending to pursue prevention certification, are seeking career advancement or simply want to improve their skills and abilities. Our presenters shared practical insights and valuable resources to support the professional development journey. Session Learning Objectives included: Defining key foundational competencies important for early prevention practitioners to develop Listing sources (e.g., organizations, websites) providing professional development opportunities for prevention professionals Describing the process for developing a personal approach to professional development   Presenter Information Sandra Puerini Del Sesto, M.Ed, ACPS is a consultant and master trainer in behavioral health and strategic planning for states and non profits. For over thirty five years, Ms. Del Sesto has provided training throughout the United States in all areas of prevention practice. She is a member of the advisory boards of the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC), the National Latino PTTC and the New England School of Addiction Studies. Sandra serves as the RI delegate to the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC). Jessica Goldberg is a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist with Education Development Center. For over a decade, Jess has specialized in building capacity to improve behavioral health at the national, state, regional and local levels. Her areas of expertise include preventing youth substance use; promoting cross sector collaborations; addressing health disparities; strategic planning, logic model development, and sustainability planning. Jess is a Certified Prevention Specialist and holds an MSW and an MPH from Boston University.   Additional Documents PowerPoint Flyer Personal Professional Development Action Plan Starter