Training
We aim to provide a variety of trainings addressing student safety including trainings on student mental health, threat assessment, suicide prevention/postvention, and other relevant topics. Our goal is to make trainings accessible to all Connecticut schools, so our trainings are low cost, and our school safety consultants work at no cost to the schools they serve. Consultative services are generally offered at no charge. We are open to ideas for training that we can run through the Center and make accessible to all. Because we do not want cost to be a barrier, we offer scholarships for individuals who are unable to afford training costs. Customized trainings are available at a market rate. Please email schoolsafetycenter@wcsu.edu to inquire.
The Center was awarded a grant through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to bring the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) model to districts free of charge. If you would like to schedule Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG) training for your district, please contact your Regional School Safety Coordinator. This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, opportunity number DHS-23-TTP-132-00-01.
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Scheduled Training
Date: May 2-3, 2024
Course Name: PREPaRE Workshop 2: Mental Health Crisis Interventions: Responding to an Acute Traumatic Stressor in Schools, 3rd ed.
Course Description: This 2-day workshop develops the knowledge and skill required to provide immediate mental health crisis interventions to the students, staff, and school community members who have been simultaneously exposed to an acute traumatic stressor. The knowledge and skill developed within this session also help to build a bridge to the psychotherapeutic and trauma informed mental health response sometimes required to address challenges associated with trauma exposure. PREPaRE Workshop 1 is not a prerequisite for taking PREPaRE Workshop 2.
Location: Capitol Region Council Central Office (CREC), 111 Charter Oak Ave., Conference Room 202, Hartford, CT 06106
Instructors: Dr. Kimberly Myers and Dr. Diana Perry
Cost: $55 NASP fee (& online processing fee)
Registration Deadline: April 12, 2024
Pre-Work Required. Provides 13 hours of document NASP-approved CPD.
Click here (PDF) to see the learning objectives for this workshop.
Target Audience: PREPaRE Workshop 2 is appropriate for any individual filling the role of crisis intervention specialist. This includes school mental health staff (school psychologists, social workers, counselors and nurses), administrators, school resource officers, and other individuals whom the team has identified as appropriate providers of psychological first aid. Additionally, this workshop can be very helpful for community-based mental health practitioners who may work with the school crisis team and/or maybe brought into the school assist in response to a crisis.
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Date: May 8, 2024
Course Name: Digital Threat Assessment® (DTA) Virtual Training Session
Course Description:
Full-day training session Digital Threat Assessment® (DTA) teaches participants to establish a Digital Behavioral Baseline through a School Safety / Threat Assessment (SS/TA) lens. By engaging with popular social media applications, you will learn how to find and document worrisome digital content originating from your school community. This training solidifies your understanding of how to effectively use DTA as a critical part of any modern-day Threat Assessment. You will learn how to find individuals who are the subject of your threat assessment and document your research findings.
Location: Virtually on Zoom from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Instructor: Safer Schools Together (SST)
Cost: FREE
Registration Deadline – April 8, 2024
Target Audience: This training is appropriate for anyone involved in school safety including but not limited to educators, administrators, IT directors, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, security, facility managers, and school resource officers.
The Center was awarded a grant through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to bring the Digital Threat Assessment training to districts in Connecticut free of charge. (DTA® typical training costs $229 per individual). This project is funded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships, opportunity number DHS-23-TTP-132-00-01.
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Onsite Training Delivered To Your School District / Agency
Date: Contact Your Regional School Safety Coordinator to Schedule
Course Name: Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines Training
Course Description:
This is a 1-day workshop on The Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (CSTAG). CSTAG is an evidence-based model that teaches interdisciplinary school-based teams to respond to student threats of violence by assessing the seriousness of the threat and creating an intervention plan that addresses the underlying problem that led to the threat. CSTAG is the only school based threat assessment model that is listed in the federal government’s National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP) and is used in more than 3,000 schools in 41 states. Schools that employ CSTAG have lower rates of long-term suspensions, fewer alternative school transfers, fewer bullying incidents, more students engaged in school counseling services, and more positive perceptions of school climate. Schools using CSTAG are able to eliminate the racial discipline gap and are more likely to have students who report that there is at least one adult in the building that they would go to for help.
Location: Onsite at Your Facility
Cost: FREE
Target Audience: This training is appropriate for anyone involved in school safety including but not limited to educators, administrators, mental health professionals, law enforcement officers, security, facility managers, and school resource officers.
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Date: Contact Your Regional School Safety Coordinator to Schedule
Course Name:
NASP PREPaRE WS 1: Comprehensive School Safety Planning: Prevention Through Recovery, 3rd Ed.
Course Description:
In this 1-day workshop participants will learn how to establish and sustain comprehensive school safety efforts that attend to both physical and psychological safety. The workshop addresses critical components needed to develop, exercise, and evaluate safety and crisis teams and plans and conduct building vulnerability assessments. The model also integrates school personnel and community provider roles in providing school-based crisis preparedness and response activities. Additional topics addressed also include media/social media, communication, reunification, students with special needs, culture, and memorials. After this workshop, participants will be better prepared to improve their school’s climate, student resilience, and crisis response capabilities of school personnel. With updated research and strategies, this workshop makes a clear connection between ongoing crisis prevention, mitigation, protection, response, and recovery.
Location: Onsite at Your Facility
Cost: $45 NASP Fee (& online web processing fee)
Max Capacity: 100
Pre-Work Required. Provides 7 credit hours of NASP-Approved CPD.
Click here (PDF) to see the learning objectives for this workshop
Target Audience: This training is appropriate for all school personnel who need to understand how the comprehensive school crisis team is organized and functions. This can include but is not limited to school mental health professionals, administrators, teachers, other pupil services personnel, security officers, front office staff, transportation directors, and before an after school activities coordinators.
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Date: Contact Your Regional School Safety Coordinator to Schedule
Course Name:
NASP PREPaRE WS 2: Mental Health Crisis Interventions: Responding to an Acute Traumatic Stressor in Schools, 3rd ed.
Course Description:
This 2-day workshop develops the knowledge and skill required to provide immediate mental health crisis interventions to the students, staff, and school community members who have been simultaneously exposed to an acute traumatic stressor. The knowledge and skill developed within this session also help to build a bridge to the psychotherapeutic and trauma informed mental health response sometimes required to address challenges associated with trauma exposure. This workshop is an excellent course for all mental health professionals in your district who provide mental health crisis intervention services.
Location: Onsite at Your Facility
Cost: $55 NASP Fee (& online web processing fee)
Max Capacity: 40
Pre-Work Required. Provides 13 hours of NASP-approved CPD.
Click here (PDF) to see the learning objectives for this workshop
Target Audience: This training is appropriate for any individual filling the role of a crisis intervention specialist. This includes school mental health staff (school psychologists, social workers, counselors, and nurses), administrators, and other individuals whom the team has identified as appropriate providers of psychological first aid. Additionally, this workshop can be very helpful for community-based mental health practitioners who may work with the school crisis team and/or may be brought into the school to assist in response to a crisis.
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We, at the Center for School Safety, are ADA compliant. If you require an accommodation to participate in any of these events, please call Mary Pupazzoni at (203) 837-8915 or email pupazzonim@wcsu.edu and cc: schoolsafetycenter@wcsu.edu
*Continuing education requirements vary from state to state. Many state boards grant reciprocity with national accrediting organizations and other state boards. It is the responsibility of each professional to understand the requirements for license renewal or check with the state or national licensing board and/or professional organization to become more familiar with their policies for acceptable continuing education credit.