Clinical & Support Options Announces New Training Institute

NORTHAMPTON — In response to the ever-growing workforce development needs of the human-service community and beyond, Clinical & Support Options (CSO) announced the formation of a new training institute, the Center for Professional & Community Education (CPCE), which provides professional training and community education in topics related to promoting wellness, prevention, treatment, and recovery from trauma and behavioral-health disorders.

“CSO is excited to announce our Center for Professional and Community Education in an effort to contribute even more to the health and richness of our communities,” said Karin Jeffers, president and CEO of Clinical & Support Options. “Because there are ever-multiplying resources and best practices developed for different sectors, CSO has distilled many of these and developed the internal capacity to offer a number of trainings and certifications both for our staff and to outside professionals and organizations around Massachusetts. Ongoing professional development is critical to our own workforce development, and education on the community level is so important to decreasing stigma around mental-health disorders and increasing the health of our communities.”

CPCE offers training programs for behavioral-health clinicians, human-service paraprofessionals and support staff, school teachers and staff, law-enforcement personnel, foster parents and caregivers, parent organizations, congregations, civic groups, and other groups interested in the topics offered.

CPCE offers two main tracks of programs: a clinical track focusing on trauma-informed care and substance-use disorders, and a community-education program that includes mental-health first aid, trauma-informed customer service, and myriad offerings on trauma and parenting.

For further information or to design a training program that meets the needs of your business or organization, contact CPCE Director Dr. Miriam DeFant at (413) 582-0471, ext. 5559, or mdefant@csoinc.org.