So there’s definitely something for you, your school, or your treatment facility.
WORKSHOPS & TRAINING
Whether you’re a clinician, educator, or parent, if you’re seeking additional exposure to and expertise in the Collaborative & Proactive Solutions model, there’s a training option to meet your needs…and many of these options are offered remotely and virtually. (Additional trainings are listed on a different website…click here). In this section you can choose from virtual trainings, annual conferences, trainings specific to schools and facilities (including our proficiency trainings), trainings for individual clinicians and educators (including our certification and skill-enhancement trainings), trainings specifically for parents, and on-demand programming. Whew!
CONFERENCES
Hope – Solutions – Action…that was the tagline for our 2023 Children’s Mental Health Advocacy Conference, which was held on October 27th. But that tagline had meaning for the over 3000 people who registered for the conference. The hope is in the legislation and policy changes that tell us that punitive, exclusionary disciplinary practices won’t be around forever. The solutions can be found in innovative, collaborative, proactive interventions like Collaborative & Proactive Solutions that are proven to dramatically reduce or eliminate discipline referrals, restraints, and seclusions. And the action…thats up to you, but there are lots of things you to can do to move things in the right direction, starting with signing up to be a Lives in the Balance Advocator. As always, the conference was free. You missed it? You couldn’t stay for all of it? You can watch the conference in its entirety here.
Our virtual 2024 Annual Summit on Collaborative & Proactive Solutions will be held on April 12, 2024, and, as always, will feature dynamic keynote speakers and breakout groups for parents, educators, and mental health clinicians at various points in their journey with the CPS model. The Summit will be free to attend, and registration will open in the fall.
VIRTUAL TRAININGS
Our next live, virtual, 2-day combined introductory and advanced training on Collaborative & Proactive Solutions with Dr. Greene is on November 16-17, 2023. If you can’t join in live, your registration gives you access to the recording. Registration is now open!
If you don’t want to wait — or if those dates don’t work for you — our last 2-day training is available with a pay-per-view option.
FREEBIES: There are three new videos to help schools reduce reliance on restraint and seclusion. The newest, just released on April 10, is a 28-minute collaboration between Lives in the Balance and All Brains Belong VT to support the end of restraint and seclusion in Vermont’s schools. You can watch that here. The second is a 75-minute instructional video created in collaboration with the Department of Education in the state of Maine aimed at helping educators (and not just those in the state of Maine) know what to to instead of restraint and seclusion. And the third is the recording of the free webinar on restraint and seclusion offered by Lives in the Balance in May, 2022. And here’s the link to our website offering tons of additional free resources.
CONSULTATION AND TRAINING FOR SCHOOLS AND THERAPEUTIC FACILITIES
HALF AND FULL-DAY WORKSHOPS If you or your staff are relatively new to the CPS model, Lives in the Balance offers half- and full-day workshops, which provide a general overview of the CPS model (key themes, use of assessment instrumentation, and solving problems collaboratively), and can be provided either on-site or by webinar.
TWO-DAY ON-SITE INTRODUCTORY TRAININGS For a more intensive introductory experience, we provide a two-day introductory training, either on-site or by webinar. The addition of the second day allows for presenting video examples of the CPS model, along with greater opportunity for practice, processing, discussion, and questions.
15-WEEK PROFICIENCY TRAININGS In our 15-week proficiency training, a Lives in the Balance trainer works with 8-10 staff (known as the “core group”) by Zoom. This training helps key staff become proficient in the the two key facets of the model (the Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems [ALSUP] and Plan B), and requires that participants submit work samples to the trainer via Dropbox, and participate in weekly one-hour weekly group coaching and feedback sessions. The goal of the training is to help staff become proficient in using the ALSUP and Plan B so as to model these facets for other staff, thereby facilitating the spread of CPS through the school or facility. The core group is typically comprised of a cross-section of administrators and classroom teachers/line staff. Key prerequisites for participants are (a) an open mind, (b) a willingness to practice the model between sessions, and (c) the courage to receive feedback in a group format.
CONSULTATION AND TRAINING ON REDUCING/ELIMINATING RESTRAINT AND SECLUSION No, we’re not going to teach staff how to recognize that a student is becoming escalated (staff already know when a student is becoming escalated…and, by the time a student is becoming escalated, you’re in crisis management mode). And we’re not going to teach staff how to safely restrain and seclude students (also crisis management). We’re going to help staff become almost totally proactive in identifying the expectations students are having difficulty meeting (known in the CPS model as unsolved problems), and we’re going to help staff learn how to solve those problems collaboratively and proactively. Along the way, we’re going to help with the logistical factors that so often set the stage for restraint and seclusion (e.g. lack of awareness of student medication changes, the belief that restraint and seclusion are necessary and promote safety, placing expectations on students that it’s quite clear they can’t meet). Then we’re going to watch your rates of restraints and seclusions plummet.
If you want to discuss any of these options or the needs of your school or facility with a real human being, CONTACT Lives in the Balance and we’ll make sure you get what you need. Trainings are available in English, Swedish, Danish, German, Finnish, Norwegian, and French.
TRAININGS FOR INDIVIDUAL EDUCATORS AND CLINICIANS
2-DAY TRAININGS Our 2-day trainings provide participants with additional exposure to and instruction in key facets of the CPS model, video examples of its application, and model updates. These trainings are offered in various locations throughout the world, and also via webinar. The advanced trainings are for those who have had some prior exposure to the model, often through attendance at one of Dr. Greene’s one-day introductory trainings (see below), as well as for those who have already attended a prior 2-day training and have been actively applying the model in clinical work or in a treatment or education setting. All 2-day trainings are taught by Dr. Greene. Many are posted on a different website.
CERTIFICATION TRAININGS Certification trainings are designed for individual clinicians, educators, and other providers interested in developing proficiency in the application of the CPS model and training others. The training provides supervised practice and feedback in 24 weekly, 60-90 minute Zoom supervision sessions. The first ten weeks focuses on use of the Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems [ALSUP] and Plan B. Participants who demonstrate proficiency in these two components are eligible to participate in the subsequent 14-weeks of training, in which skills related to explaining the model, demonstrating it, and coaching it are the focal point. Each supervision group is limited to six participants, and we typically run multiple groups simultaneously. Submission of weekly work samples are required, so access to a sufficient number of kids and families/teachers is necessary. Upon successful completion of this training, participants are eligible to provide demonstration, coaching, and feedback to staff in their schools and provide the CPS model in their outpatient setting or therapeutic facility. Certified providers are also eligible to begin receiving training in speaking on the CPS model and providing consultation, supervision, and coaching to train others outside of their setting. These trainings take place all year on rolling admission. In addition to English, the certification training is offered in Swedish, Danish, Finnish, Norwegian, and French. You can submit your application here. In general, we encourage some prior experience in using the model before applying for this training. If you still have questions, please read our FAQs and/or contact us at litbcertification@gmail.com.
SKILL ENHANCEMENT TRAININGS These trainings are an alternative to the lengthier, more intensive 24-week certification trainings (see below). Over the course of five 60-minute group Zoom sessions, participants receive coaching and feedback from certified providers in CPS to increase their skills in the application of the CPS model. The first 1-2 sessions are focused on the use of the Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems (ALSUP). The remaining sessions are focused on Plan B, and involve having participants audiotape their use of Plan B with actual kids and their caregivers so as to receive highly individualized coaching and feedback. Registration is limited to six participants per training. Trainings are available in English, Swedish, Danish, and French. For more information and to register for our Wednesday session on Wednesdays at 7PM ET beginning January 10th please click here or our Thursday session Thursdays at 11AM ET beginning March 7th click here. If you have additional questions, email us at trainings@livesinthebalance.org.
TRAINING FOR PARENTS
Finally! An INTRODUCTORY COURSE for parents! If you want help improving your understanding of the CPS model, this 5-week course — conducted entirely by Zoom — is what you’ve been waiting for. The first session focuses on the basic tenets of the model. In session 2, you’ll learn the ins and outs of the Assessment of Lagging Skills and Unsolved Problems (ALSUP). You’ll complete an ALSUP ahead of session 3 and receive specific feedback on the unsolved problems you identified. The remaining sessions are focused on Plan B, and involve having participants audiotape their use of Plan B — with your kids — so that we can provide you with individualized feedback and help you improve your skills. Registration is limited to six participants per training. For more information and to register for our next session to be held on Wednesdays at 7PM ET/New York starting January 10th, please click here. Just added! Thursdays at 11AM starting March 7th – click here to register. If you have additional questions, email us at trainings@livesinthebalance.org. There are also close to 200 providers across the world who can help you and your family implement the CPS model.
ON-DEMAND PROGRAMMING
2-Day Training on Collaborative & Proactive Solutions with Dr. Ross Greene
Infusing Collaborative & Proactive Solutions Into PBIS with assistant principal Kelly Sarah and school psychologist Rachel Polacek (FREE!)
Addressing Disproportionality in School Discipline with Collaborative & Proactive Solutions with Dr. Stacy Haynes (FREE!)
School Implementation of CPS: Building leadership density & a positive culture with Principal Ryan Gleason (FREE!)
CPS & the Neurodivergent Student with Dr. Stacy Haynes (FREE!)
CONTACT US
If you’re interested in learning more about any of the above options, just use the Contact form on this website.
