First Annual CE You! 

Winter Virtual Conference! 

Day 1

January 11, 2022

 This Conference will take place completely online.

See compete schedule below.

At the time of each class, select the class from the time-slot that you want you to enter.   Once you register for this package, there is no need pre-register or select your classes until you enter on that date.

10:00 am -12:00 pm EST 

Post-Pandemic Growth: Using a Positive Psychology Lens for Healing in a New Landscape (2 CE Credits)

Positive psychology challenges the idea that success stops with  bringing clients to their baseline. The idea of a baseline in an unprecedented global pandemic seems shaky at the least. Using the concept of posttraumatic growth, this strengths-based approach emphasizes working past alleviation of suffering, past merely surviving, into a place of thriving. This training offers guiding principles and specific tools for clinicians, identifying the goals and rationale of this approach in a post-pandemic world. 

(Trainer: Christina Scott, LPCC-S, NCC is a licensed counselor and supervisor in Ohio. A proud geek therapist, she utilizes superheroes and pop culture in her work with clients. She is a Registered Play Therapist and is certified in Trauma Focused CBT. Christina owns an online private practice called Rising Action Counseling. She chose this field because she loves connecting with others and is a life-long learner.) 

12:40 pm - 5:00 pm EST

Select one of the following classes 

Class A 

The Power of Storytelling in Building Relationships with Clients (4 CE Credits)

The Power of Storytelling in Building Relationships with Clients will use creative exercises, partner activities and writing prompts to guide participants through discussion around two core elements in building relationships with clients: listening (LARA) and sharing (storytelling).

Have you ever taken a moment to pause and think about your process for storytelling? To reflect on your experiences of sharing and receiving stories? In mental health work, we are constantly engaging with others' stories. Many of us need access to others' stories in order to do our own work. But is there a more effective way to listen to others' stories? More than this, is there a way to experience telling our own stories more fully? 

This workshop will reintroduce participants to the power of storytelling. Participants will be given the space to reflect on the process of sharing story, the process of effective listening and how strengthening these areas can be beneficial to their clients. 

Are you ready to relearn the power of story?

(Trainer: MORGAN BREON graduated from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor in 2011 (Dual Bachelors in Psychology and English), 2012 (Masters in Social Work) and 2013 (Masters in Education Policy and Leadership. Morgan’s core passion is fostering healing and support for Black youth and young adults. In addition to facilitating youth workshops for over 8 years, Morgan was the Behavior Specialist for the 9th Grade Academy at Denby High School in 2017, and most recently served as the Manager of Behavior and Culture for the Detroit Community Education Commission. In 2017, Morgan decided to incorporate theatre into her “healing work,” and founded Heal.Be.Live., LLC, a for-profit company that uses “art to heal a variety of communities through guided discussion and connections to available resources. #ARTivism.”)

Class B 

Mindful Writing for Healing and Growth

Participants will write, reflect, meditate and engage in discussions about what it means to free ourselves from fragmentation and to find ourselves whole again. Fragmentation of the self has unintended consequences. Often, the consequences are depression, anxiety and blocked creativity. At the root of this there is fear. Fear of losing what we know, fear of the unknown. Fear comes from attachment to particular outcomes. 

This class is informed by the Buddhist way of living and seeing the world. We’ll focus on the four Noble Truths: 1) There is suffering in life. 2) The cause of suffering is craving. 3) There is an end to suffering when we stop craving. 4) There is a path which leads away from craving and suffering. We’ll also discuss the four “immesurables:” Love, Compassion, Sympathetic Joy and Equanimity.

This class is designed for individuals who are curious about how to integrate the multiple parts of our lives into a cohesive wholeness. Practitioners will learn practices that help people live with integrity and excellence, become more alive and creative, learn mindful movement and more! This class is for individuals interested in creating more psychological flexibility, so they can help people embrace life with curiosity, detachment and depth.  

(Trainer, Dr. Marianela Medrano was born and raised in the Dominican Republic and has lived in Connecticut since 1990. A poet and a writer of nonfiction and fiction, she holds a PhD in psychology. Her literary work has appeared in anthologies and magazines in Latin America, Europe and the United States. Her poetry has been translated into Italian and French. She is the founder of Palabra Counseling & Training Center, LLC.)

6:00 pm - 9:00 pm EST

Select one of the following classes 

Class A 

Navigating The Challenging Road of Ethical Dilemmas in Mental Health (3 CE Credits – Ethics)

Ethical dilemmas can sometimes leave you at a crossroads! As clinicians, we encounter roadblocks which can cloud our decision making and lead to the wrong course of action. When ethical violations are made, it is most disheartening to know the harm caused to the clients we serve. 

To aid clinicians in navigating this challenging road of ethical dilemmas in-person and virtually, this interactive course will take you on a personal journey to do the right thing. Clinicians will learn to apply foundational ethical principles and use best practices such as the Code of Ethics and decision-making models when faced with ethical dilemmas.

(Trainer: Alesha Perkins is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Virginia and North Carolina and a Certified Case Manager. Alesha has over 19 years of experience in the social work field with focuses on medical social work, child protective services, case management, mental health and substance abuse counseling. Ten years ago she began her instructional career providing ethics trainings to dialysis providers, and since then has created and facilitated numerous trainings for mental health and medical professionals. Alesha is a former Clinical Director for a mental health agency and currently works for a health insurance provider as a Program Manager. In addition, she provides clinical supervision and is an instructor for Perkins Medical Services which is family-owned and has been in business for 21 years.)

Class B 

Career Counseling and Grief; providing career support for parents of a child with a chronic or terminal illness (3 CE Credits)  

This presentation will examine how a child’s chronic or terminal illness can alter a parent's life and career. Participants will gain an in-depth understanding, based on real life stories of parents who care for a child with a chronic or terminal illness, of how their chronic stress and grief can impact their career. 

This presentation will share counseling resources that encourage career maintenance and growth during such trials. We will discuss career theories and counseling strategies to help clients attain an appropriate work life balance. Therapists will gain insights into communication with this special population of employees who find themselves in the grip of intense stress that challenges their ability to meet the responsibilities of their job and profession. 

Disclosure: This class includes real life narratives of parents and pictures of their child with chronic or terminal illness. 

(Trainer, Mary Rose Tichar, a licensed and certified career counselor, guides people towards their full potential and a life of meaning and purpose. Her personal experience with loss and grief inspired her work with adults struggling to maintain their job during their child’s illness and/or after the death of their child. 

Mary Rose was a guest speaker for Restoring a Mother’s Heart retreat in 2017, the National Career Development Association conference in 2019, and the graduate counseling program at Cleveland State University in Cleveland OH in 2020.)