Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic to Host Several Regional Training Programs in May

During the month of May, the Office of Education and Regional Programming at Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (WPIC) will host several training programs.

Programs include:

Friday, May 4:

“Creative Problem Solving” will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Classroom 151 of the UPMC Quantum Building in the South Side Works, located at 2 Hot Metal Street. This program will be presented by Amy Shanahan, M.S., C.A.C., a training officer for the Northeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center (NeATTC) and part of the University of Pittsburgh’s Institute for Research, Education and Training in Addictions (IRETA). Designed for everyone interested in learning how to enhance their problem-solving skills, this program will teach how to solve problems more creatively.

“Public Relations for Non-Profits” will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. in Classroom 151 of the UPMC Quantum Building. Presented by Jocelyn Uhl Duffy, assistant director of the News Bureau for UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences, this program is designed for members of non-profits who are looking for ways to promote their programs. Attendees will learn about the public relations process and tools they can use to further the objectives of their organizations.

Tuition for the above programs is $40 for one, $75 for both.

Thursday, May 10 and Friday, May 11:

“Motivational Interviewing for Behavior Change,” a two-day workshop, will take place daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the assembly room of UPMC Passavant, located at 9100 Babcock Blvd. The program will be presented by Tad Gorske, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and part of WPIC’s Addiction Medicine Services (AMS). This is an introductory workshop in Motivational Interviewing, a style of brief therapy that focuses on the ambivalence most people have when considering a behavioral change.

Tuition for this program is $150, which includes a continental breakfast.

Thursday, May 24:

“Assessment and Treatment of Eating Disorders” will be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Fayette County Mental Health/Mental Retardation Program in Uniontown. Presented by Liz McCabe, L.S.W., director of social work and clinical administrator for WPIC, this program will address the assessment of eating disorders and discuss the various treatment strategies for these disorders.

“Redirecting Bullying Behaviors: Engaging Victims and Empowering On-Lookers” will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. also at the Fayette County Mental Health/Mental Retardation Program. Paula S. McCommons, Ed.D., a mental health liaison for WPIC’s Services for Teens at Risk, will present this program, which will review the research behind aggressive behaviors among youth in schools and discuss strategies for preventing and intervening with these behaviors.

Tuition for the above programs is $40 for one, $75 for both.

All of these programs provide continuing education credit for eligible professionals who attend, including psychologists, certified addiction counselors, certified psychiatric rehabilitation practitioners, counselors, social workers, educators and other health care professionals.