Training and Events Calendar

We have all heard it before: If you fail to plan, you plan to fail! However, in today’s busy world, it is challenging to create and execute a plan flawlessly; things can and will go wrong. This means that it is exceedingly important to have an effective project management plan and process in place. A prevention organization’s project management process helps your team define roles and responsibilities and ensures no one gets burned out from taking on too many tasks. It is also easy to lose sight of how much money has been spent when we are busy spinning our wheels. A sound project management process will keep track of all expenses, making sure you know where the money is going. During this 3-hour training, tips for effective project management will be shared to provide you with the knowledge and a step-by-step guide to move your projects from start to finish.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Define what project management is and why it is important to prevention organizations. Describe the 5 phases of the project management life cycle. Explain what makes a project successful and what can lead to project failures.   CERTIFICATES Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTER Andrea Hoff, MPA, GPC, OCPC, ICPS Andrea Hoff is the owner & president of You Thrive Training & Consulting, LLC, a company that provides training and consulting services in the areas of behavioral health prevention, nonprofit leadership, and fundraising. Andrea has worked in the behavioral health field for over 29 years, is certified in Ohio as a behavioral health prevention consultant (OCPC). She is also an international behavioral health prevention specialist (ICPS) and a SAPST instructor. She also serves as a coach for the Ohio Coaching and Mentoring (OCAM) Network.   The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders

In this 90-minute webinar, we will review current science related to cannabis use with a focus on what it means for substance misuse prevention professionals, including trends after legalization and risk and protective factors. The webinar will cover prevention strategies that can be used to address cannabis use, given the most up-to-date research on risk and protection. We will also explore potential partners in cannabis prevention, including the important role of parents and caregivers, schools/campuses, and law enforcement.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Participants will have an increased understanding of cannabis use and trends. Participants will be able to list at least three risks associated with cannabis use. Participants will be able to list at least three prevention strategies to address cannabis use in their community.   CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTER:  Jason Kilmer, PhD Dr. Jason Kilmer is an Associate Professor in Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine and an Adjunct Associate Professor in Psychology at UW.  Jason serves as an investigator on several studies evaluating prevention and intervention efforts for alcohol, cannabis, and other drug use by college students. In addition to research and teaching, he has worked extensively with college students and student groups around alcohol and other drug prevention programming and presentations throughout his career on over 140 campuses across the nation. Dr. Kilmer was the 2014 recipient of the National Prevention Network’s Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the field of prevention and was also the 2017 recipient of the Washington State Prevention Professional Award of Excellence.   The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

This is the sixth and final highly interactive session focused on taking a deep dive into principles of the code of ethics for substance misuse prevention specialists. The focus of this session will be on the principle of Ethical Obligations and how to apply it to the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). After a short presentation participants will work together in small groups to look at how this principle can be applied to the SPF. This prevention ethics series is for substance misuse prevention practitioners that have already completed a Foundations in Prevention Ethics training. If you would like to attend this series but have not yet completed the prevention ethics foundation course, complete the free, self-paced, online prevention ethics course on HealtheKnowledge before attending this ethics series. Important notes: In order to receive a certificate of attendance for this training, participants are required to actively participate and be on camera. Participants will be allowed into trainings up to 10 minutes after the start of the session. After that time, no new attendees will be accepted into the session because the group will have moved into breakout rooms. Visit the series landing page for information and registration links for the other sessions in the series. (ADD link once landing page is created.)   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Heighten understanding and daily implementation of the code of ethics for prevention specialists Better understand how the prevention code of ethics applies to the Strategic Prevention Framework   CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTER: Kris Gabrielsen, MPH, CPS  Kris Gabrielsen is the co-director of the Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center. She has worked in the substance misuse prevention field for over 30 years. Kris co-authored the first Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training curriculum, and co-authored the textbook, Substance Abuse Prevention: The Intersection of Science and Practice. As a consultant, she has worked with states and communities across the nation to bridge the gap between research and practice, assisting prevention professionals in maximizing their effectiveness.   The Great Lakes PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders

This 1.5-hour webinar will introduce substance misuse prevention professionals to the basics of media literacy. Media literacy education provides the tools necessary to analyze and understand the impact of media on our everyday decision making.  Participants will identify different types of media and practice analyzation strategies and skills. LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Define media literacy and explain the importance of being media literate. Analyze several types of media. Teach media literacy basics to middle school and high school aged individuals. CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training. PRESENTER:  Christi Valentini-Lackner, OCPC Christi Valentini-Lackner is the Chief Program Officer for Community Strategies at PreventionFIRST!. She is an Ohio Certified Prevention Consultant (OCPC) who has worked in the prevention field for over 20 years. Christi has a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from Ohio University, is the Vice President  for the Ohio Prevention Professionals Association and serves on the Ohio Chemical Dependency Professionals Board’s Education and Training Committee.  In 2016, she received the ADAPAO Advocate of the Year Award. Christi is an Ohio Coaching and Mentoring (OCAM) Network coach and mentor. The Ohio Coaching & Mentoring Network (OCAM) is a statewide initiative providing capacity building and workforce development for prevention professionals. The OCAM Network is a diverse team of experienced and certified Ohio prevention professionals. The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

How many times have you seen (or given!) a presentation where the audience's eyes glazed over with boredom or exhaustion? How do we communicate ideas that are important to us in a way that's meaningful to our audiences? Can we make complex science and deep data meaningful to non-expert audiences? Interestingly, directorial and editing techniques that have long been used in movies correspond with some of the best practices derived from cognitive research about how we can engage our audiences in the delivery of our ideas. This webinar looks at how we can create highly engaging and impactful presentations in our substance misuse prevention work.      LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Explain how basic narrative techniques apply to the successful design and delivery of presentations Describe how design and composition affect an audience's ability to process our messages Apply the Pixar storytelling framework to presentation content design     CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.      PRESENTER:  Brian Klaas  Brian Klaas is the Assistant Director for Technology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health's Center for Teaching and Learning. He also has a faculty appointment in the School's R3 Center for Innovation in Science Education. As the architect for online learning technology at the School, he leads a team that designs and delivers custom online courseware to thousands of students around the world each year. He teaches graduate level courses on communications design and data visualization for non-expert audiences as well as applications of generative artificial intelligence in public health. Brian heads the university’s IT Accessibility Training and Education subcommittee and the Hopkins Universal Design for Learning initiative at Johns Hopkins. Brian has presented on techniques for successful online learning delivery and UDL programs at conferences throughout the country, including Educause, OLC, TeachX, UBTech, APHA, TechEd, Syllabus, and CUE.     The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders

Join us for this 90-minute webinar that will provide peer recovery specialists with an introduction to the field of substance misuse prevention. In this interactive session, we will demystify what primary prevention is and is not, introduce the Strategic Prevention Framework, and uncover evidence-based strategies that have proven effective for primary prevention, while debunking those that fall short. This training was created for peer recovery specialists who would like to make a difference in the primary prevention field.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Define primary prevention Explain the 5 steps of the Strategic Prevention Framework Understand how risk and protective factors impact individuals and communities Identify evidence-based approaches that can be used to prevent substance misuse in communities   CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTERS: Kris Gabrielsen, MPH, CPS Kris Gabrielsen is the co-director of the Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center. She has worked in the substance misuse prevention field for over 30 years, has a Master of Public Health degree, and is a Certified Prevention Specialist. Kris was the Associate Director of the Western Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT), co-authored the first Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training curriculum, and co-authored the textbook, Substance Abuse Prevention: The Intersection of Science and Practice. As a consultant, she has worked with states and communities across the nation to bridge the gap between research and practice, assisting prevention professionals in maximizing their effectiveness.   Kris Kelly, PRS Kris Kelly is a Project Manager at the Peer Recovery Center of Excellence, leading the RCO capacity-building team through the University of Wisconsin-Madison. With over a decade of experience in the in the recovery field, Kris has worked with a wide variety of systems and settings designing and implementing strategies to empower people with lived experience to lead the process in systems change, integrate peer services, and develop recovery-oriented practices. Prior to joining UW, Kris was a director of a Minnesota RCO where she facilitated Recovery Coach training, supervised peer programing, and supported Minnesota’s efforts to grow the Peer Recovery Specialist workforce. She has a passion for holistic wellness in her own recovery journey and has dedicated her personal and professional life to ensuring those who struggle have the opportunity to get well without judgement, without having to jump through countless hoops, and with choice and dignity throughout the process.   The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

Meetings, do we need them? How do we make them meaningful? In the field of prevention, we often have the responsibility of facilitating meetings. We use meetings to bring community partners together, to coordinate work, to create buy-in, and to facilitate community change, but most of us facilitate meetings without training on how to organize and run effective meetings. How do we get people to the table, and once there get (and keep) them engaged? How can we make the most of our time together and ensure everyone feels their time was honored and well-spent? In this workshop, prevention professionals will learn practical skills to plan and facilitate effective meetings. Note: Space is limited.  Registration will close earlier if the training fills.    LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Articulate the cost and value of meetings Develop an attendance strategy, create a strong agenda, select an effective format, define roles, and manage logistics Prevent uh-ohs in advance and avoid meeting disasters Encourage meaningful participation and collaboration Conduct effective post-meeting follow up and foster ongoing engagement   CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTERS:  Jamie Comstock and Robin Carr  Jamie Comstock and Robin Carr founded Info Inspired in 2014. Both are certified prevention specialists with over 30 years of combined experience in the field. Outside of their work on Info Inspired, Jamie is the Health Promotion Program Manager and Robin is the Substance Use Prevention Coordinator for Bangor Public Health and Community Services in Bangor, Maine.   The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.  

The college years are a time when students may experiment with drugs for the first time. This is why college is the ideal setting to implement substance misuse prevention strategies. This webinar will include an overview of current drug use rates among college students; a strategic planning guide for preventing drug misuse among college students; successes and challenges experienced by colleges and universities applying the Strategic Prevention Framework; a real-world profile of a university’s experience implementing substance misuse prevention strategies; and tools for professionals working to prevent drug misuse among college students.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Describe the current drug use rates among college students Describe successes and challenges in applying the Strategic Prevention Framework to preventing drug use and misuse among college students Leverage tools for professionals working to prevent drug misuse among college students   CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTERS:  Richard Lucey Rich Lucey has more than three decades of experience at the state and federal government levels working to prevent alcohol and drug use and misuse among youth and young adults, especially college students. He currently serves as a senior prevention program manager in the Drug Enforcement Administration’s Community Outreach and Prevention Support Section. Rich plans and executes educational and public information programs, evaluates program goals and outcomes, and serves as an advisor to the Section Chief and other DEA officials on drug misuse prevention and education programs. Rich formerly served as special assistant to the director for the federal Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and worked as an education program specialist in the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools. Erin Ficker  Erin Ficker, MPAff, CPRS, serves as a prevention manager for the Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) For over 18 years, she has built the capacity of clients to perform prevention work effectively using the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). She has in-depth knowledge and training experience in the SPF process, including specific work in evaluation, sustainability, assessment, and working with diverse populations. She provides services to a wide range of prevention and behavioral health specialists.is an expert in substance misuse prevention, an accomplished training and technical assistance (T/TA) provider, and a certified senior prevention specialist. She brings extensive expertise in supporting, designing, and delivering engaging professional learning, and providing comprehensive T/TA for states and community-level prevention professionals. Jenny Damask Jenny Damask has worked in college student health and AOD prevention for 18 years, currently at the University of Wisconsin. In her role she helps campus partners strategize and evaluate changes to systems, policies, and environments. She has a brilliant grasp of the public health approach to preventing issues with alcohol, drugs, tobacco, and hazing. She developed several successful educational programs and promotional campaigns involving social norms clarification and bystander intervention. Jenny holds a BS from the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh in Human Services, a MS in College Student Personnel Administration from the University of Central Missouri, and an Ed.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis.   The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

During this 3-hour, interactive training, participants will learn effective group facilitation skills to use during their substance misuse prevention work. Participants will learn how to identify the stages of group development, along with practical communication skills. Time will be spent learning a preventionist’s role in group decision-making, as well as learning to apply interventions during activities in prevention settings. Participants must be on camera with a working microphone in order to receive a certificate of participation for this training. This training will not be available as a recording.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After completion of the training, participants will be able to: Define facilitation in prevention settings Identify the stages of group development Understand practical communication skills while learning a preventionist’s role in group decision-making Apply interventions during activities in prevention settings Describe a five-step structured experience process Recognize facilitation techniques to engage and manage participation Identify appropriate strategies to manage training groups and meetings   CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTER:  Tasha Wilkerson, MAT TashaWilkerson holds an MA in Training and Instructional Design and is a Certified Alcohol and Drug Preventionist with over 26 years as a professional trainer and community activists. Tasha has a broad knowledge of organizing, coalition building, and staff capacity building. Tasha has focused her efforts on strategic planning and community capacity building for many years, spending many hours working with adults and faith leaders to help build a safer community.   The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

Environmental strategies are designed to make changes on a large scale in the community, impacting community norms, regulations, and access and availability of substances. While some prevention programs are directed toward specific individuals and can only reach a limited number of participants, environmental strategies seek to improve the health and wellness of everyone in the environment or community. This 3-hour training will focus on three areas of environmental strategies for substance misuse prevention:  media and messaging, policy, and enforcement. Participants will work through a case study in small groups to apply the concepts and processes outlined in the training. Important note: In order to receive a certificate of attendance for this training, participants are required to actively participate in the small group activities with their cameras on and working microphones.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Participants will be able to: Define environmental prevention and how this differs from other prevention strategies. Identify and define the 3 primary types of environmental approaches. Explain how to identify and select appropriate environmental strategies. Apply the principles of the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) to the selection, implementation, and evaluation of environmental strategies.   CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTER:  Ashley Bodiford Bodiford is the Director of Prevention at LRADAC in which she develops, implements and maintains effective prevention services for Richland and Lexington counties. Mrs. Bodiford has been in the field of substance use prevention since 2010 and is skilled in universal, selective, and indicated prevention strategies. She enjoys bringing insight to the field of Prevention through innovative techniques, and collaborating with community partners. Ashley has provided training and technical assistance in the areas of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug prevention, cultural diversity and competence, community coalition building, needs assessment, implementation strategies, and other prevention related topics. Mrs. Bodiford holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Developmental Psychology, a Master in Public Health and a Master in Human Services. In 2012, she was named the recipient of the Jan Oglietti Rising Star Prevention Professional award for outstanding contributions to the field of prevention, and in 2016 was named the recipient of the Norman Peter Johnson Outstanding Prevention Professional Award. Most recently, Ashley was named as a Subject Matter Expert by the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) and was tasked with item writing for the Prevention Specialist credential exam   The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

Join us for an empowering webinar designed specifically for substance misuse prevention professionals gearing up to take the IC&RC prevention certification exam. This dynamic online event will provide you with crucial test-taking tips and strategies for passing the exam. This session will include an interactive experience with a live test question game, designed to boost your confidence and readiness for the exam. Whether you're just beginning your prevention specialist certification journey or are brushing up before the test, this session will provide invaluable insights and resources to help you succeed.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Name key strategies for effective test preparation and the multiple-choice questions. Apply practical tips and techniques to manage time and stress during the exam. Access and use resources to prepare for the prevention exam.   CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTER:  Nicole M. Augustine, MPH, MCHES, PS  Nicole M. Augustine, Founder & CEO of RIZE Consultants Inc., embodies the spirit of innovation and advocacy in public health. With a vibrant career launched from Cornell University and propelled at George Washington University School of Public Health, Nicole has evolved from a campus harm reduction counselor to a beacon of prevention and equity in public health. In 2022, she authored the "Prevention Specialist Exam Study Guide," a key resource for substance use disorder prevention professionals.   The Great Lakes A/MH/PTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.