StarkMHAR Trainings

About StarkMHAR Trainings

Working in partnership with clients, families, healthcare, and behavioral health providers, local county systems such as education, criminal justice, law enforcement, health and human services, elected officials, businesses, faith-based organizations, and community members, StarkMHAR strives to offer a full curriculum of educational events to inspire innovation and to ensure accountability and effectiveness in our local system of client care.

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While most StarkMHAR trainings are free of charge, registration is necessary to be admitted on the training date(s).
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Continuing Education Units (CEU) Information

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Questions

For training questions, please contact the Training Coordinator or 330-455-6644

Verbal Intervention

October 22 | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm @ StarkMHAR | CEUs not applicable

Verbal Intervention (VI) Training provides skills to build an effective culture of safety within an organization. It is designed to help professionals in any setting provide the best possible Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security for individuals presenting a range of crisis behaviors. Verbal Intervention will prepare attendees to identify, respond to, and prevent low-risk crisis behavior with nonrestrictive intervention techniques. It teaches non-restrictive verbal interventions, such as limit setting, that effectively de-escalate challenging behavior. It instills the confidence and skills to verbally de-escalate disruptive behaviors. It will build on knowledge and skills to recognize, prevent, and manage crisis behaviors using person-centered and trauma-informed responses. Attendees will begin to establish a common philosophy and framework for an organization’s culture of Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security.

QPR – Question. Persuade. Refer.

October 23  | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm @ Stark Library – Lake Community Branch

QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is an evidence-based training that teaches three simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

CIT 40-Hour Training

October 27 – October 31 | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm @ StarkMHAR

This training is exclusively for law enforcement professionals working in Stark County

Essential to improving safety and ensuring successful intervention of mental health and substance use situations, officers are trained in proven and effective communication techniques. The CIT model was first developed and implemented in 1988 by the Memphis, Tennessee Police Department. The Team was developed to address the special challenges to law enforcement posed by persons with mental illness and to better serve the community. Local training is led by StarkMHAR and Law Enforcement Partners and involves area mental health/drug and alcohol service providers, NAMI of Stark County, and consumers of mental health/drug and alcohol services and their families.

Screening, Brief Intervention, & Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) to Address Substance Use in Adolescents

October 30 | 9:00 am – 12:15 pm @ Virtual| CEU Applicable

SBIRT is an evidence-based practice used to detect substance use, identify level of risk, and select appropriate interventions and referrals.  Anyone working with adolescents whose substance use has not yet progressed to the point of severe personal or social negative consequences can benefit from applying the SBIRT strategy. This engaging and virtual training will provide information and practice skills for each component of SBIRT.

Verbal Intervention

November 4 | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm @ StarkMHAR | CEUs not applicable

Verbal Intervention (VI) Training provides skills to build an effective culture of safety within an organization. It is designed to help professionals in any setting provide the best possible Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security for individuals presenting a range of crisis behaviors. Verbal Intervention will prepare attendees to identify, respond to, and prevent low-risk crisis behavior with nonrestrictive intervention techniques. It teaches non-restrictive verbal interventions, such as limit setting, that effectively de-escalate challenging behavior. It instills the confidence and skills to verbally de-escalate disruptive behaviors. It will build on knowledge and skills to recognize, prevent, and manage crisis behaviors using person-centered and trauma-informed responses. Attendees will begin to establish a common philosophy and framework for an organization’s culture of Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security.

Overview of Hoarding Disorder and Ways to Help

November 11 | 1:00 pm – 4:15 pm @ Virtual | CEU Applicable

Hoarding disorder is the persistent acquisition and failure to discard a large number of possessions due to urges to save. Attempts to limit acquisition or discarding of possessions results in intense distress. These acquiring and saving behaviors result in highly cluttered and often unsafe living environments. Hoarding disorder is a significant problem for 2.6% of the general population with higher rates for people over 60 years old. The risk inherent in many hoarding situations is high not only because the living environment is cluttered and often dilapidated but because individuals, particularly older individuals, lack the physical, psychological, and social capacity to live safely and comfortably in a highly-cluttered environments. Hoarding disorder is a serious and growing problem that can lead to eviction, homelessness, and death. Those with the problem often have other psychiatric disorders as well as little awareness of the consequences they face living in a hoarding environment. Overview of Hoarding Disorder and Ways to Help is a 3-hour course that presents the essential features of hoarding disorder, an overview of helping options, as well specific skills that clinicians can teach individuals to manage the problem.

Certified Family Peer Support (CFPS) Training

November 17 – 21  | 9:00 am – 4:00 pm @ Virtual

This training is for parents with lived experience raising a child with behavioral/mental health challenges who are interested in learning how to support other families in navigating youth-serving systems. The FREDLA Parent Peer Support Provider training is an approved training curriculum for certification to become an Ohio Certified Family Peer Supporter. Family peer support (FPS) is a unique workforce required to use their lived experience in a professional manner to support other families with children and youth with mental health challenges. This is a 5-day training and is nationally recognized in the competency areas identified by the National Family Peer Specialist certification exam. Because this curriculum is a practice model, there are many opportunities to practice the skills you will learn throughout the training. This training fulfills the training requirements of the certification. To obtain certification, there are additional steps required by the Ohio Department of Mental health and addiction services.

QPR – Question. Persuade. Refer.

November 19  | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm @ KMG Center

QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is an evidence-based training that teaches three simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

CIT Dispatcher Training

December 2 | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm @ StarkMHAR

This training is exclusively for emergency service dispatchers currently working with any Stark County law enforcement agency.

Emergency dispatchers are a critical link in the CIT program and may include call-takers, dispatchers and 911 operators. The success of CIT depends on their familiarity with the CIT program, knowledge of how to recognize a CIT call involving a behavioral crisis event, ability to solicit information that will help the community member and the responding CIT Officer, and appropriate dispatch of CIT Officers. The CIT model was first developed and implemented in 1988 by the Memphis, Tennessee Police Department. The Team was developed to address the special challenges to law enforcement posed by persons with mental illness and to better serve the community.

Differential Diagnosis: Substances, Trauma, Anxiety, OCD

December 4 | 9:00 am – 12:15 pm @ Virtual | CEU Applicable

Participants will get a review of diagnosing Substance Use Disorders, Anxiety, OCD and Trauma. Diagnostic tools like the decision tree will be taught, along with tips and techniques when assessing these disorders. Ways to determine the differential diagnoses and consider them when labeling will be reviewed.

Certified Youth Peer Support Training

Dec 5 – Dec 14 (Friday -Sunday) @ Virtual 

This training is for individuals ages 18-30 with lived behavioral health experience and ready to turn their story into a tool for change.  Attendees will gain hands-on skills in peer support and crisis intervention, learn how to empower and support youth in behavioral health systems, receive OHMAS-approved certification to become a CYPS in Ohio, and join a community of passionate, like-minded youth advocates.

QPR – Question. Persuade. Refer.

December 10  | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm @ StarkMHAR

QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is an evidence-based training that teaches three simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

QPR – Question. Persuade. Refer.

January 14  | 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm @ The 708

QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is an evidence-based training that teaches three simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

Certified Youth Peer Support Training

Jan 16 – Jan 25 (Friday -Sunday) @ Virtual 

This training is for individuals ages 18-30 with lived behavioral health experience and ready to turn their story into a tool for change.  Attendees will gain hands-on skills in peer support and crisis intervention, learn how to empower and support youth in behavioral health systems, receive OHMAS-approved certification to become a CYPS in Ohio, and join a community of passionate, like-minded youth advocates.

Enhancing Behavioral Healthcare with AI: Strategies for Successful Integration

February 12  | 9:00 am – 12:15 pm @ Virtual | CEU Applicable

Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly reshaping the landscape of healthcare, and its influence within the behavioral health field is both promising and complex. This training will provide behavioral health professionals with a comprehensive understanding of how AI technologies can be leveraged to improve clinical outcomes, enhance operational efficiency, and increase access to care, all while ensuring that the human relationship between clinician and client remains central. The session will cover key AI concepts, explore ethical and privacy considerations, and examine the latest empirical research supporting AI’s use in mental health settings. Attendees will review real-world case studies and examples illustrating how AI tools—such as predictive analytics, natural language processing, and conversational agents—are currently being integrated into behavioral health environments. Participants will leave with practical strategies for evaluating, adopting, and applying AI-driven tools responsibly and effectively within their own clinical practice or organizational setting.

Motivational Interviewing I and II

February 17 & 18 | 9:00 am – 4:30 pm @ StarkMHAR | CEU Applicable

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, person-centered form of guiding to elicit and strengthen motivation for change. It is a way of working with persons to assist them in accessing their intrinsic motivation to change behaviors that contradict their essential values and interfere with the achievement of their life goals. Motivational Interviewing is both a philosophy and a set of strategic techniques. It is an evidence-based treatment with a broad range of applications. The Center for Evidence-Based Practices makes an attempt to incorporate exercises and examples specific to the unique practice settings of participants, with an emphasis on individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance use disorders.

Prevention Education Series

February 18 – June 3  | 9:00 am – 3:30 pm (8 sessions total)

Participants must attend all 8 sessions

This 8-part series is intended for individuals with under one year of prevention experience who have already obtained their Registered Applicant status.  Each session focuses on a specific domain and provides a strong foundation for individuals beginning their work in prevention and is especially valuable as they continue developing their skills in the field. The full training is 45 hours and supports an individual’s progression from the Registered Applicant to the Ohio Certified Prevention Specialist Assistant credential.

QPR – Question. Persuade. Refer.

February 19  | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm @ The Stark County Educational Service Center

QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is an evidence-based training that teaches three simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

Certified Youth Peer Support Training

Feb 20 – March 1 (Friday -Sunday) @ Virtual 

This training is for individuals ages 18-30 with lived behavioral health experience and ready to turn their story into a tool for change.  Attendees will gain hands-on skills in peer support and crisis intervention, learn how to empower and support youth in behavioral health systems, receive OHMAS-approved certification to become a CYPS in Ohio, and join a community of passionate, like-minded youth advocates.

Culture & Linguistic Competency – Part 1

February 24 | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm @ StarkMHAR | CEU Applicable

Part 1 of the Cultural & Linguistic Competency Training will cover topics that are fundamental to cultural competency and cultural humility, which will assist with the understanding of the National Standards for Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) and develop skills in understanding diverse communities that can be applied to behavioral health service delivery. The curriculum includes but is not limited to: Compelling Reasons for Cultural Competence, The Dynamics of Diversity, The Impact of Personal Culture on Communication, The Cultural Bumps, and Communicating Effectively through an Interpreter.

Telehealth for Behavioral Health Providers

March 5  | 9:00 am – 10:00 am @ Virtual | CEUs Pending

This one-hour training provides behavioral health providers with a foundational understanding of telehealth service delivery, focusing on legal and ethical compliance, including HIPAA regulations, licensure considerations, and documentation standards. Additionally, the course explores best practices for client engagement in virtual settings, emphasizing therapeutic rapport, cultural responsiveness, management of crises, and digital professionalism. 

QPR – Question. Persuade. Refer.

March 12  | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm @ The Massillon City Health Department

QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is an evidence-based training that teaches three simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

QPR – Question. Persuade. Refer.

April 9  | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm @ Stark Library – Plain Community Branch

QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is an evidence-based training that teaches three simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

HIPAA Compliance & the Behavioral Health System: An Update on the Federal Confidentiality Laws (HIPAA, 42 CFR, FERPA)

April 9  | 9:00 am – 12:15 pm @ Virtual | CEU Applicable

Federal confidentiality laws, while long established, continually require revisiting for modern application and understanding. This training will provide an overview and updates on HIPAA, 42 CFR, student behavioral health records under FERPA, and an explanation of how compliance with each of these confidentiality laws affects our ongoing provider coordination of care.

Verbal Intervention

April 14 | 8:00 am – 5:00 pm @ StarkMHAR | CEUs not applicable

Verbal Intervention (VI) Training provides skills to build an effective culture of safety within an organization. It is designed to help professionals in any setting provide the best possible Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security for individuals presenting a range of crisis behaviors. Verbal Intervention will prepare attendees to identify, respond to, and prevent low-risk crisis behavior with nonrestrictive intervention techniques. It teaches non-restrictive verbal interventions, such as limit setting, that effectively de-escalate challenging behavior. It instills the confidence and skills to verbally de-escalate disruptive behaviors. It will build on knowledge and skills to recognize, prevent, and manage crisis behaviors using person-centered and trauma-informed responses. Attendees will begin to establish a common philosophy and framework for an organization’s culture of Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security.

Certified Youth Peer Support Training

April 17 – April 26 (Friday -Sunday) @ Virtual 

This training is for individuals ages 18-30 with lived behavioral health experience and ready to turn their story into a tool for change.  Attendees will gain hands-on skills in peer support and crisis intervention, learn how to empower and support youth in behavioral health systems, receive OHMAS-approved certification to become a CYPS in Ohio, and join a community of passionate, like-minded youth advocates.

QPR – Question. Persuade. Refer.

May 14  | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm @ The Stark County Educational Service Center

QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is an evidence-based training that teaches three simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

Certified Youth Peer Support Training

May 22 – May 31 (Friday -Sunday) @ Virtual 

This training is for individuals ages 18-30 with lived behavioral health experience and ready to turn their story into a tool for change.  Attendees will gain hands-on skills in peer support and crisis intervention, learn how to empower and support youth in behavioral health systems, receive OHMAS-approved certification to become a CYPS in Ohio, and join a community of passionate, like-minded youth advocates.

QPR – Question. Persuade. Refer.

June 10  | 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm @ StarkMHAR

QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.) is an evidence-based training that teaches three simple steps anyone can learn to help prevent suicide. Just like CPR, QPR is an emergency response to someone in crisis and can save lives. QPR is the most widely taught Gatekeeper training in the world.

Motivational Interviewing I and II

June 16 & 17 | 9:00 am – 4:30 pm @ StarkMHAR | CEU Applicable

Motivational Interviewing is a collaborative, person-centered form of guiding to elicit and strengthen motivation for change. It is a way of working with persons to assist them in accessing their intrinsic motivation to change behaviors that contradict their essential values and interfere with the achievement of their life goals. Motivational Interviewing is both a philosophy and a set of strategic techniques. It is an evidence-based treatment with a broad range of applications. The Center for Evidence-Based Practices makes an attempt to incorporate exercises and examples specific to the unique practice settings of participants, with an emphasis on individuals with severe and persistent mental illness and/or substance use disorders.