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North Dakota Board Of Social Work Examiners

It is crucial for mental health and substance abuse professionals to be well-trained in contraband awareness and search procedures to ensure the safety of the patients and staff and the integrity of the program.  This course will enhance professionals in understanding and the management of contraband within their facilities. The program covers a comprehensive range of topics, including identifying various types of contraband, effective and ethical search techniques, and strategies for preventing contraband introduction.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Street drugs are dangerous and plentiful. There is no way to know how strong they are or what else might be in them, but their use remains popular despite the risks.

Given the recent proliferation of new street drugs, it is imperative to remain vigilant and informed about the hazards of substance abuse.

This course will explore Krokodil, Flakka, Bath Salts, Xylazine, Slavia, Spice and others.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

This course explores animal-assisted psychotherapy (AAP) theory and practice, focusing primarily on therapy dogs due to their prevalent role in volunteer and professional settings. The historical, theoretical, and practical dimensions of AAP are described so learners gain a foundational understanding of attachment theory, biophilia theory, and human-animal relational theory as they pertain to AAP. The course critically examines the efficacy of AAP through research, outlines challenges, and presents clinical applications across various psychological approaches. It also covers the selection and characteristics of successful therapy dogs, therapy dog registration, and the importance of pursuing advanced training for practitioners interested in integrating AAP into their practice.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

This course examines end-of-life care in a hospital and home setting, how these services are offered, specialized programs, and issues surrounding end-of-life care.

The course also describes the effect a palliative care consultation service has on the terminally ill and their families.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Healthcare providers use laboratory test results to diagnose disease, determine prognosis, and monitor a patient’s treatment or health status. Current practice shows an increased trend for medical decisions based on simple tests performed at the point of care.

This course will explore the key aspects of CLIA-testing, the oversight, safety, confidentiality, and testing environment.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

When someone is scammed or “catfished,” they are often embarrassed and feel vulnerable and may not reach out to others for support when needed. This course will explore the psychology behind those most vulnerable, those who prey on others, and working with clients who were taken advantage of.

Anyone can be a victim of being scammed regardless of age, education, or socioeconomic position

 

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

This course identifies strategies for mental health providers to support LGBTQIA+ clients in therapy. It defines the LGBTQIA+ acronym and describes common LGBTQIA+ terminology. Issues impacting the well-being of sexually minoritized clients are detailed, including discrimination and stigma, mental health disparities, and unique stressors such as internalized homophobia. Supportive clinical practices with LGBTQIA+ are illustrated, such as creating an affirming therapeutic environment and building a therapeutic alliance. Strategies for navigating supportive family conversations are detailed.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Understanding the significance of relapse prevention, identifying common risk factors, and implementing effective strategies are essential steps in helping a client achieve long-term recovery.

This course will explore what addiction and relapse are, the stages of each, how to develop a relapse prevention plan and how to identify triggers.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

The importance of cybersecurity in the modern world cannot be understated. Confidentiality of records has always been critical to the population we serve.

This course will explore the necessity of digital security in mental health and substance abuse services and how you can support safer systems.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Social media can be a great thing. It helps you keep in contact with friends and family across the globe, you can find out about events going on in your area, and you are frequently “in the know” when things happen in your workplace or with a colleague. Occasionally, this real-time, sometimes unfiltered information has led to social media mistakes that lead to hasty firings and individuals who instantly regret their tweets and posts.

This course will explore the effective use of social media, including the pitfalls of using social media, online image, confidentiality, and workplace expectations.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

This course embarks on a thorough exploration of informed consent within the realms of mental health and substance abuse treatment. It delves deeply into the intricacies of this procedure, considering the ethical foundations, legal requirements, obstacles, and practical consequences that influence the practice of informed consent. By incorporating historical perspectives, ethical frameworks, and practical case studies, this training aims to shed light on the multifaceted aspect of informed consent in mental health and substance abuse treatment. This approach fosters a nuanced comprehension of its essential role in maintaining ethical standards and enhancing patient care.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Effective collaboration supports teamwork and effective treatment. Part of building rapport with clients is communicating and interacting effectively with people across cultures who have varying beliefs and schedules.

In this course, we discuss what cultural competence is, explain why it matters and provide some helpful tips for improving your cultural competence.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Determining the nature and intensity of opioid withdrawal symptoms in a detoxing patient is crucial for healthcare providers to assess the risks and make informed decisions during the detoxification process. This is where the Clinical Opiate Withdrawal Scale (C.O.W.S.) plays a vital role in addiction treatment and monitoring a patient’s physical well-being during opioid withdrawal management. This course will not explore the C.O.W.S system.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

The Clinical Institute Withdrawal Assessment Alcohol Scale Revised (CIWA-AR) is an instrument medical professionals use to assess and diagnose the severity of alcohol withdrawal.  The CIWA-AR is one of the most common assessment methods for alcohol withdrawal.  This course will briefly overview the scale, questions, and validity.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Social media can profoundly impact our relationships, communication, self-esteem, privacy, careers, governments, and beliefs.

This course will explore various social media websites and mobile applications. We will identify trends and statistics. We will delve into the behavioral and emotional pulls that entice users to begin and continue with these activities. We will explore social media’s positive and negative impacts on mental health.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

This course will explore the Americans with Disability Act of 1990 exploring specifically those with alcohol and drug issues, both as a disability and with other disabilities in need of substance abuse treatment.

This course will award 2 continuing education hours.  Please see the board approval box for course approvals.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

The laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of substance use disorder records were written out of great concern about the potential use of substance use disorder information against individuals, causing individuals with substance use disorders not to seek treatment.

A risk-managed approach to documentation is a best practice to protect both the client and the professional.

This course will explore 42 CFR part 2, HIPAA, and documentation of substance abuse therapy.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

A conflict of interest is a set of circumstances that creates a risk that a secondary interest will unduly influence professional judgment or actions regarding a primary interest. Common areas where conflicts of interest can occur in mental health and substance abuse treatment include pharmaceuticals, accepting gifts of various kinds, including meals and drug samples that alter treatment behavior, having a financial interest in a medical product company whose products they prescribe, use, or recommend, and self-referrals.

This course will explore these areas and discuss avoiding conflicts of interest.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Severe anxiety can arise after trauma or injury or under persistent stress or extreme change. This course will explore how to distinguish between everyday worry and an anxiety disorder, signs, symptoms, and risk factors.  We will also discuss treatment approaches and how you can help.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Mental health providers engage with highly confidential health information.  Litigation causes threats to confidentiality that can hinder the therapeutic process, cause potential damage to your client, depending on what you write in the record, and can threaten your practice. This course will provide mental health professionals with a better understanding of legal terms, suggestions for handling requests for confidential information, and guidance with documentation.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

More than two-thirds of U.S. states and the District of Columbia have legalized marijuana for medical treatments, and more are considering bills to do the same. The use of cannabis as medicine has not been rigorously tested due to production and governmental restrictions, resulting in limited clinical research on the safety and efficacy of using cannabis to treat diseases. Medical marijuana doesn’t always “feel” like a medical treatment or medicine.

This course will explore medical marijuana. We will look at the various ways this treatment is treated differently than other prescribed medications and why. We will also explore how the mental health and addiction fields have changed over the years with issues such as this.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders has been the industry standard for diagnosing mental health disorders since 1952.  The fifth revision of the Manual was published in May 2013.  The text revision was published in March 2022.  This course will provide an overview of the organization, changes, and transitions from the previous edition and controversies regarding the changes.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Psychedelic drugs are not new. Scientists at pharmaceutical companies have been studying them since the early 1900s.  Indigenous communities around the world have used psilocybin and other consciousness-changing compounds for healing for thousands of years.  In the last five years, a handful of high-quality, albeit small, studies have suggested tremendous benefits from the psychedelic psilocybin for depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This course will explore their history, use, risks, and potential.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Mindfulness is the practice of purposely bringing one’s attention to the present moment without evaluating whether one’s thoughts and feelings are good or bad. It is a skill developed through meditation or other training.

This course will explore the history and origins of mindfulness, the difference between mindfulness, meditation, and flow, the benefits for the client and therapist, and how it can be used in therapy.

 

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

According to the CDC, half of all chronic mental illness begins by age 14 and three-quarters begin by age 24. Many factors may contribute to mental illness, including a history of trauma.

This course will explore emotional and psychological trauma and how these affect individuals over time.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

To develop cultural competence, healthcare professionals need to identify their beliefs and build an awareness of their culture. Cultural awareness makes healthcare providers more open to unfamiliar attitudes, practices, and behaviors. This course will explore how culture and stereotypes play a role in our we see ourselves and our clients.  We will explore how we can shift from cultural competence being about racism, genderism, and ageism, to recognizing and working through our biases and blind spots.   We will examine the implications for counseling theory, research, practice, and training.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Compassion fatigue is a condition characterized by emotional and physical exhaustion leading to a diminished ability to empathize or feel compassion for others, often described as the negative cost of caring. It is sometimes referred to as secondary traumatic stress or burnout.  It is especially relevant to mental health and substance abuse professionals.   Compassion fatigue describes the physical, emotional, and psychological impact of helping others.

This course will explore where this can occur, signs of compassion fatigue, and how to help yourself and others.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

What we put into our bodies has the greatest opportunity to affect our health, well-being, and psychotropic drug disposition. This course will explore how to understand better how what we put in our bodies affects our mental health and the medications taken. This will enable us to help our clients get the most out of their bodies, minds, and medications.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

The laws and regulations governing the confidentiality of substance use disorder records were written out of great concern about the potential use of substance use disorder information against individuals, causing individuals with substance use disorders not to seek treatment.

A risk-managed approach to documentation is a best practice to protect the client and the professional.

This course will explore 42 CFR part 2, HIPAA, and documentation of substance abuse therapy.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

This course will review the statistics and prevalence of domestic violence in our society. We will define domestic violence and its various types of abuse.

The course will review the dynamics of violent relationships. Violent relationships follow a predictable cycle of violence. This course will discuss this cycle and review its patterns and screening methods through multiple case studies. The course will delve into special populations and associated risk factors. Upon completing the course, the professional will understand the specific resources available for those in need.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

An assessment is a basis for understanding the client’s presentation and is the beginning of conceptualizing their functioning into a diagnosis. This continuing education course will explore mental status exams, mental health assessments, alcohol and drug assessments, and the DSM V. We will also introduce the learner to a few popular assessment tools.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) was founded in 1935 to help alcoholics abstain from the consumption of alcohol and to “stay sober” through the sharing of their experiences with others who have had similar experiences in a protected environment.

The 12 Step, the cornerstone of the program, was developed later to help govern the fellowship and to establish a consistent approach to spiritual and character-building endeavors. 

This course will explore the history and efficacy of the 12-step approach.

This course will award 1 continuing education hour.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Every day counselors, nurses, psychiatric technicians, and others are called upon to intervene in crisis situations that may become dangerous if not handled properly.

This course will explore the prevention of aggressive behavior and crisis intervention techniques, which can include verbal de-escalation and physical interventions. We will identify the definition of aggression, warning signs of aggressive behavior, strategies to diffuse aggressive situations, crisis intervention techniques, and staff responsibilities after an event.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

It is estimated that 60 to 75 percent of adolescents with mental health and/or substance abuse issues have co-occurring disorders.  Commonly documented co-occurring disorders include conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, and substance dependence.

This course will explore the prevalence, warning signs, specific disorders, and treatment options.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

A drug test analyzes a biological sample used to determine the presence of specific substances.  Drug testing is done pre-employment, randomly by employers, after an accident on the job, during probation, by the police, in the prison system, in recovery programs, in hospitals, and by parents.

This course will explore the types of drug tests, what each screen is for, the collection procedure, and the need for consent.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Formerly known as dual diagnosis or dual disorder, co-occurring disorders describe the presence of both mental health and substance use disorders.  This course will explore the definition of terms used, most common substances, mental disorders that co-exist, symptoms, causes, and treatments for co-occurring disorders.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Anger is a powerful, natural feeling. Everyone feels it at some time, and we have the right to feel that way. It’s what someone does with anger that makes the difference.

As clinicians, we aim to help clients learn effective ways to manage their anger. In this course, we will explore anger and its causes, common approaches to anger, the problems with anger, the positive aspects of anger, and anger management.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Affirmative action is a controversial and often poorly understood policy.  In these courses, we will explore what Affirmative is and outline how it operates in employment settings.  We will consider the major points of controversy. In addition, we detail the contributions of psychologists and other social scientists in helping to demonstrate why affirmative action is needed; how it can have unintended negative consequences; and how affirmative action programs can be most successful.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

The 42 CFR Part 2 regulations serve to protect patient records created by federally assisted programs for the treatment of substance use disorders. Part 2 has been revised to further facilitate better coordination of care in response to the opioid epidemic while maintaining its confidentiality protections against unauthorized disclosure and use. This course will explore these regulations.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

The ASAM Criteria, developed by the American Society of Addiction Medicine, is a widely used and comprehensive set of guidelines for placement, continued stay, and transfer or discharge of addiction patients and those with co-occurring conditions.

This course will give an overview of the criteria, levels of care, and best practices crafted through the use of these guidelines.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

This course will explore the types and use of cocaine. We will look at cocaine-related disorders, DSM IV criteria, the cycle of use, addiction process, and treatment for this drug.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

This course will explore the myriad of issues relating to setting and maintaining boundaries within the counseling relationship.

– Key Concepts Regarding Dual Relationships with Clients
– Physical Contact and Sexual Relationships with Clients
– Self Disclosure
– Sound Decision Making and Managing Boundaries Set
– Emotional and Dependency Needs
– Professional Distance
– Therapeutic Styles
– Dynamics Which Make Therapy a Potential Setting for Boundary Violations and Exploitation

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Treatment Centers struggle with clients wanting to leave Against Medical Advice (AMA) yet research shows that long-term recovery is frequently tied to the length of stay. This course will explore:

Who is most likely to leave against medical advice.
Why do individuals leave against medical advice?
What are the dangers of leaving against medical advice?
What can be done to prevent people from leaving against medical advice?

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

This course will explore how we define shyness from feeling and behavioral aspects. We will look at the various theories for causation and treatment. We will also look at how shyness is influenced by gender, age, and culture.

We will explore research and the treatments most frequently used.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) is an infectious disease caused by a new virus.

The disease causes respiratory illness (like the flu) with symptoms such as a cough, fever, and, in more severe cases, difficulty breathing. You can protect yourself by washing your hands frequently, avoiding touching your face, and avoiding close contact (1 meter or 3 feet) with unwell people.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Addicts, more than anyone, know that what is put in the body alters health, mood, and abilities.  The same holds if the substance is alcohol, other drugs, or food.  Nutrition plays an important part in overall health and recovery from substance abuse.

This course will explore the connection between nutrition and drugs, how substance abuse disrupts nutrition, the nutritional side effects of detox, what nutrients can benefit recovery, and food as an addiction.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Women seeking addiction treatment face unique barriers and distinctive issues or sensitivities from their male counterparts. This course will explore the treatment of substance abuse in women, how substance abuse affects relationships, psychological patterns of why women abuse substances, the significance of family history, how substance abuse affects health, codependency, co-occurring disorders, relapse prevention, and social service systems.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

How an organization plans for, responds to, and recovers from issues is critical to the safety of patients and employees.  This course will explore conditions that pose a threat and what should be done.  We will look at security measures and how to prepare them.  The grievance process will also be reviewed.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Working in the substance abuse treatment field presents dilemmas relating to personal beliefs, judgments, and values. The history of how society views persons with addictions is fraught with emotions, misconceptions, and biases that have affected the care of drug abusers.

This course will explore the definition of ethics and how it differs from morality and law.  We will look at the terms frequently used, structured processes for solving ethical issues, and potential areas of ethical challenges such as recovering addicts as professionals, e-therapy, and competence.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

Human trafficking is the trade of humans, most commonly for the purpose of forced labor, sexual slavery, or commercial sexual exploitation for the trafficker or others.

This course will explore what human trafficking is, how it occurs and who is most vulnerable, how to recognize risk factors, The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 and the Justice for Victims Act of 2015, as well as how drug use is linked to trafficking, treatment options and procedures to helping fight this crisis.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.

The recent events of terror, storm destruction, and wildfires have punctuated the importance of educating all healthcare providers on emergency preparedness and bioterrorism.

This course will discuss emergencies and disasters both natural and man-made.  We will explore what should be included in emergency response plans and what is needed in preparation.  We will look at how mental health professionals can respond to trauma.

This course is offered online. Internet connection required.