Webinars

Meeting the Challenge:
Incorporating Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards into Our Continuum of Care

The first webinar of the series is an introduction to cultural competence, the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards, and the Community Alliance for CLAS.

In an enjoyable and engaging format, a case is made for the importance of developing skillful cultural and language sensitivity in order to reduce health disparities, and to increase effectiveness with diverse client and patient populations.

Tamu Nolfo, PhD, Community Alliance for CLAS Project Manager, is a certified prevention specialist and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation fellow who has worked in the substance abuse field for twenty years. She has focused on integrating the latest research developments and community needs into strategies for youth and family wellness. She has served as an advisor for the State of California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs through three administrations.

                                                                                                                                                     

Delivering Comprehensive and Culturally Sophisticated Treatment to African Americans with Substance Use Disorders

This webinar examines some of the elements of providing culturally sophisticated treatment to African American clients. Cultural sophistication is a framework that accounts for cognitive, affective, and skills dimensions, as well as the overall effect.

Applying culturally sophisticated interventions increases positive treatment outcomes and client retention rates. By the end of this brief presentation, participants will receive information about at least three culturally sophisticated counseling techniques that they can utilize in their practice immediately.

Roland Williams, MA, ICADC, NCAC II, CADCII, ACRPS, SAP, is an interventionist, author, trainer, counselor and consultant specializing in addiction-related issues. He is a co-founder and Strategic Advisor of Alta Mira Recovery Programs, located in Sausalito, California, as well as a co-founder and former Clinical Director of Bayside Marin, a recovery center located in San Rafael, California which was later acquired by CRC Health Group. He is the author of Relapse Prevention Counseling and the Relapse Prevention Workbook for African Americans. He works worldwide consulting with addiction treatment facilities and treating clients. He is a professor at Cal State University teaching in the addiction studies program. For more information, visit: www.rolandwilliamsconsulting.com.

                                                                                                                                                     

Kids at the Crossroads II:
Working Effectively with Juvenile Justice – Involved Youth

This webinar is designed to provide an overview as well as practical clinical techniques for counselors, therapists, social workers and other clinicians working with youth at highest risk for involvement in the juvenile justice system.

Multidimensional factors affecting these adolescents will be considered, i.e. socio-economics, race, ethnicity, assimilation, acculturation, trauma, experiences with childhood neglect/abuse, and/or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Participants will learn about concrete and specific clinical interventions using strength-based approaches for counseling and treating adolescents.

Richard Ayala MSW, NCAC, RAS, ACRPS, is a trainer, consultant and educator with over 14 years of experience in the fields of substance abuse, mental health, and social services to improve the lives of culturally diverse populations domestically and internationally. His passion lies in working with veterans, gang members, and at-risk youth. He is the co-founder of Bound To Change Inc, A. Lujan Recovery Programs and Smith & Jones Addiction Consultants in Amsterdam, the Netherland’s first abstinence-based treatment clinic. Having shared the very same experience as many of these young people, Mr. Ayala’s passion and expertise in working with this population is both professional and personal.

                                                                                                                                                     

Working with People with Disabilities:
Culturally Competent Strategies for Individuals and Institutions

This training is designed to provide an overview of the overlooked problems of alcohol and other drug use by people with disabilities. Included are disability culturally competent strategies for addressing individual and institutional access to AOD prevention and treatment.

Training topics will include the Americans with Disabilities Act and California’s Unruh Act; disability cultural competency skills; basic accessibility needs of most clients with disabilities, how to be more successful working with clients and co-workers; and examples and solutions using everyday scenarios.

Anthony Tusler, MRA, is a successful educator, writer, and consultant/trainer on disability cultural and the needs of disability community members. He has 25 years of experience advocating for increased access for people with disabilities to AOD prevention and treatment services. In addition, he has been working for the past 40 years for disability civil rights and cultural recognition. His website can be found at AboutDisability.com.

                                                                                                                                                     

Best Practices in Serving LGBTQ Individuals and Families

Date:  Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Time:  1PM – 2PM PST

This webinar assists agency staff wishing to implement evidence-based practices effective in serving lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ) clients within both integrated and LGBTQ-specific programs.

The presentation explores vocabulary and linguistic considerations and provides essential information about sexual orientation, sexual identity and gender identity, as it relates to potential treatment needs of LGBTQ clients and patients.

Ebony Williams, PsyD, has worked extensively with the LGBTQ communities, people of color, individuals of low socioeconomic status, individuals diagnosed with HIV, and high-risk sexual offenders. She has had a wide range of experiences including working for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation treating incarcerated youth offenders and has also worked internationally in New Zealand as the sole psychologist of a 21-bed inpatient unit where she incorporated NZ Maori practices and culture into the clients’ individual behavioral treatment plans.

                                                                                                                                                     

Working Effectively with Transgender Populations

This webinar explores the broad spectrum of issues related to gender identity, and addresses organizational concerns and challenges for providing equal access and culturally competent treatment strategies for transgender populations.

Webinar topics will include: medical transition, health care access, legal rights and responsibilities, and suggestions for addressing transgender-related client and organizational concerns.

Willy Wilkinson, MPH, is a writer and public health consultant who has worked extensively with health service providers, educational institutions, and social justice organizations to develop culturally appropriate service approaches for LGBT populations. Nationally known for his expertise in transgender public health issues, Willy also has extensive experience with communities of color, substance users, sex workers, youth, and people with disabilities. For more information, visit www.willywilkinson.com. 

                                                                                                                                                    

CLAS is in Session:
Closing the Academic Achievement Gap through Cultural Proficiency

This webinar explores the spectrum of cultural issues related to the engagement of African American and Latino youth in schooling, in order to improve academic achievement.

The case will be made as to why explicitly addressing racial and cultural issues in schools is necessary for engaging the lowest performing student groups. And, the constructive use of data concerning the racial achievement gap will be discussed.

Will Walker, PhD, is a writer and educational consultant who has worked with school districts and community-based organizations throughout the United States. Dr. Walker’s expertise includes program design and implementation, community engagement and cultural competency, with an emphasis on the African American and Latino populations. Dr. Walker has consulted for the Rockefeller Foundation and the California Endowment. He has also has taught at the University of Vermont and the University of California, SC.

                                                                                                                                                    

Culturally and Gender-Responsive Services for Latinas

This webinar is an introduction to the ways providers can become more culturally and gender responsive when working with Latinas and their families.

Participants will learn about the spectrum of factors that contribute to the diversity and complexity of Latina experiences and addiction issues.

Isabel S. Perez-Yanez, MPH, is a consultant with over 20 years of direct and administrative experience in public health, education, and social services. She has worked in the areas of violence (gang and domestic), prevention and intervention, diverse populations, teen pregnancy, perinatal health, and the many issues related to substance abuse. She has taught in the Master’s of Social Work Program at Cal State East Bay (CSUEB), and at the College of San Mateo, where she teaches in the Alcohol and Other Drug Certificate Program.

                                                                                                                                                    

The Long and Dusty “Red Road”:
Best Practices with Native Americans

This webinar is designed to increase the participant’s knowledge of counseling methods that are effective when working with the Native American clients with substance use disorders.

The effects of cultural trauma experienced by Native Americans and various clinical techniques that have worked effectively with Native American populations will be discussed.

Elizabeth Contreras, MSW, has 36 years in the social work/education profession. She is currently the Training Coordinator for the Sacramento County Department of Health and Human Services, Alcohol and Drug Services Division. She has also been teaching at California State University, Sacramento and UC Davis Extension for over 14 years.

                                                                                                                                                    

Working with the AANHPI Communities:
Cultural Competence in Practice

This webinar explores the range of issues related to working with Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (AANHPI) communities: demographic characteristics, health and human service issues, and how language access and cultural competence can improve service outcomes.

The presentation will discuss the application of the Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards as they relate to the AANHPI community.

Lisa W. Chan, NICOS Program Manager, has been working in the community for over 20 years providing social services to a diverse population and conducting research, with an expertise in the areas of domestic violence, HIV prevention, adolescent health, and alcoholism.

Mai Le, NICOS Project Coordinator, is the project coordinator for the Community Alliance for CLAS at NICOS Chinese Health Coalition. She was formerly a researcher at the Institute of Medicine, and co-edited the 2012 report, The Mental Health and Substance Use Workforce for Older Adults: In Whose Hands? She was a 2009 San Francisco City Hall Fellow, serving as an assistant project manager at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and previously worked as a National Institute on Drug Abuse intern at the Oregon Social Learning Center, studying Latino youth acculturation.