Professional Development
Get in touch to learn more about training opportunities.
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As a care professional, you know that no matter what life brings, people deserve to be seen by experts and for who they are.
For 30 years, JSSA has provided high-quality training and continuing education to our community’s mental health and social work professionals. We offer training focused on everything from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) practices to palliative care to ensure you continue to grow as a professional and receive the continuing education credits you need to maintain your licensure.
Get in touch today to learn more about JSSA’s professional development offerings: traininginstitute@jssa.org.
TRAININGS:
Attachment-Based Family Therapy – Enhancing the Parent-Adolescent Bond to Improve Adolescent Well-being
Date: Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm
3 Category I CE’s
Presenter: Paul DelGrosso
For many clinicians, the thought of providing “family therapy” often comes with fear and confusion – something to refer out, perhaps something provided reluctantly, or something only done earlier in one’s career as an agency requirement. Family therapy may prompt memories of grad school when learning about Minuchin, Bowen, Haley, Satir, and others prompted fascination but not necessarily interest in carrying on this tradition. Maybe these traditional strategies worked earlier, but why do they often seem out of step now? What frame do clinicians have in the 21st century to provide family therapy that makes sense, has a cogent structure, has empirical support, and can help families get to a better place?
Attachment-Based Family Therapy (ABFT) is an empirically supported, structured family therapy rooted in attachment theory and aimed at helping families improve their relationships through corrective emotional experiences. Created to improve the quality of family relationships as a means to reduce adolescent depression, suicidality, and self-harm, ABFT has since expanded to address other adolescent problems that are exacerbated by strained relational/attachment issues with parents. ABFT is integrative and draws from emotion-focused and interactional approaches, as well as aspects of traditional strategies. ABFT provides clinicians with a clear, structured, and thoughtful path to implement family therapy and achieve positive outcomes.
This 3-hour workshop will provide a brief introduction to ABFT. Topics covered include the Five Treatment Tasks of ABFT, video demonstrations of some of these tasks, and discussion on the role attachment ruptures with parents play in the health of adolescents and the overall health of families.
Best Practices Supporting Survivors of Sexual Trauma
Date: Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm
3 Category I CE’s
Presenter: Emma Kupferman, LICSW, LCSW-C, CPT, CST
Clinicians are working with survivors of sexual trauma in any setting where they work with clients. Regardless of whether or not a clinician is specifically providing trauma treatment to survivors, all mental health care providers should have a base-level understanding of the short and long-term impact and clinical considerations of experiencing sexual violence. This training will provide an overview of the general impact of trauma, a detailed understanding of the specific dynamics of sexual violence, and an in-depth understanding of best practices for clinicians working with survivors.
Effective Engagement and Relationship Building with Trauma Survivors
Date: Tuesday, April 22, 2025
Time: 9:00 am – 12:15 pm
3 Category I CEs
Presenter: France Williams-Crawford, LCSW-C
Most of the clients we work with have experienced trauma. Trauma experiences inform how people think about their world and their subsequent behaviors as they interact with their community. Participants are provided with strategies on how to gather information about the trauma experience, including the importance of decoding some common traumagenic behaviors so that effective service planning and safety interventions can be developed.
Training Institute Policies:
Refunds for JSSA’s CE training program cancellations are provided up to 5 days before the training date. After that time, a credit can be issued if JSSA receives a registrant’s cancellation up to two business days before the training date. This credit can be applied towards a future 3-hour CE training, symposium, or post-graduate course up to one year from the issue date.
Authorization:
The Jewish Social Service Agency (JSSA) is authorized by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners to sponsor Category 1 continuing education programs. The D.C. and Virginia Boards of Social Work usually recognize the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners’ approval. Please contact your state board for verification. JSSA maintains responsibility for its program content.
JSSA is an approved sponsor of CE credits for psychologists in Maryland under the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. JSSA maintains responsibility for its program content.
NBCC has approved JSSA as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6457. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. JSSA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.
To receive a certificate, registrants must attend the entire session.
