Tag Archives: online continuing education (CE) course

Mind-Healing Activities: A Suicide Toolkit

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By Jennifer Scott @spiritfinder.org/

Suicide Prevention ToolkitWhen you are faced with suicidal thoughts or have even made a past attempt, it can feel as though you have lost all control over your mind. You don’t want to feel this way, but your brain simply won’t give it a rest. Rest assured, it is nothing you’ve done and it is possible to break free. Take a look at the resources in this toolkit for guidance, and use the mind-healing activities to re-focus your thoughts and turn them into something positive.

Mental Health Resources

The first step on the road to healing is to seek help. Although you may feel alone, you are far from it. Getting a support system together will enable you to jumpstart the process, and these resources are a great place to begin:

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Mind-Healing Activities:

Mindfulness Meditation

Often times when you are experiencing negative thoughts, you feel as though you can’t get a handle on them. As hard as you try, you can’t seem to gain control. Mindfulness meditation is a focused approach to taking control of your thoughts in which you are paying attention to the present moment, including your thoughts, emotions, and sensations. Using breathing techniques, you can achieve a heightened sense of awareness in a matter of minutes no matter where you are.

Mindfulness meditation not only refocuses your thoughts, but research has shown that it physically alters your brain. Participants in a 2016 study practiced meditation for three days. At the end of those three days, brain scans showed increased activity in the areas of the brain that process stress and give you a sense of calm. While there isn’t an ideal dose for meditation, it can be done in a matter of minutes, fitting into even the busiest of schedules.

Prayer

Prayer is a powerful coping mechanism. People of faith who regularly pray are less likely to fall into depression and commit suicide due to the hope and optimism they hold onto for the future. Scientists have found that prayer and spirituality are sources of hope and strength which act as buffers against stress, anxiety, pain, addiction, and depression. Prayer is also an effective way to keep stress and anxiety at a minimum or banish them all together. Releasing your day’s worries and giving them over to a higher power can be liberating and leave you ready to set new goals.

There are also many health benefits of a positive spiritual life. For example, engaging in prayer triggers a relaxation response. When your mind is calm and relaxed, blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory rate lower. You can think more clearly and your body stays in a low stress state, leaving you centered and focused on recovery. In addition, your body will have more resources to devote to healing if you are feeling positive and less stressed.

Journaling

Have you ever had so many thoughts going through your head that you don’t know where to turn? Journaling is a great way to get everything out in the open so you can start to understand your feelings one thought at a time. The two main objectives are to recapture the moment and learn from it. At the end of the day, take a second to write down how you felt throughout the day or reacted to certain events. This is a safe place for you to write about everything you are experiencing.

While you may have had a rough day, try to find lessons you’ve learned and recognize the positive moments. Even if it was something as simple as a greeting from the mailman or finding your favorite movie on television, write it down. You may gain perspective into how you see yourself and the world. Journaling is also a great way to track your progress, and may alert you to patterns in your thoughts and even your actions.

Further Healing

The above activities are a great start, but keep in mind that anything that engages your mind and promotes positive thinking is considered a method of healing. You can come up with your own ideas, but here are some more suggestions:

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With the right resources and activities, you can find relief from your thoughts and finally start moving forward. Remember, healing takes time, but with the right help and tools, you can overcome this.

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Related Online Continuing Education (CE) Course:

Suicide Prevention: Evidence-Based StrategiesSuicide Prevention: Evidence-Based Strategies is a 3-hour online continuing education (CE) course that reviews evidence-based research and offers strategies for screening, assessment, treatment, and prevention of suicide in both adolescents and adults. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. In 2015, 44,193 people killed themselves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) notes, “Suicide is a serious but preventable public health problem that can have lasting harmful effects on individuals, families, and communities.” People who attempt suicide but do not die face potentially serious injury or disability, depending on the method used in the attempt. Depression and other mental health issues follow the suicide attempt. Family, friends, and coworkers are negatively affected by suicide. Shock, anger, guilt, and depression arise in the wake of this violent event. Even the community as a whole is affected by the loss of a productive member of society, lost wages not spent at local businesses, and medical costs. The CDC estimates that suicides result in over 44 billion dollars in work loss and medical costs. Prevention is key: reducing risk factors and promoting resilience. This course will provide a review of evidence-based studies on this complex subject for psychologists, marriage & family therapists, professional counselors, and social workers. Information from the suicide prevention technical package from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be provided. Included also are strategies for screening and assessment, prevention considerations, methods of treatment, and resources for choosing evidence-based suicide prevention programs. Course #30-97 | 2017 | 60 pages | 20 posttest questions

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document). Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. Click here to learn more.

Professional Development Resources is approved to sponsor continuing education by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB Provider #1046, ACE Program); the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy (#BAP346), Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).

 

In the Zone: Finding Flow Through Positive Psychology

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By Claire Dorotik-Nana, LMFT

According to the CDC, four out of ten people have not discovered a satisfying life purpose. Further, the APA reports that most people suffer from moderate to high levels of stress, and according to SAMSHA, adult prescription medication abuse (primarily to counteract attention deficit disorders) is one of the most concerning health problems today. And while clinicians now have a host of resources to mitigate distress and reduce symptomatology, the question remains: how do clinicians move clients beyond baseline levels of functioning to a state of fulfillment imbued with a satisfying life purpose? The answer may lie in a universal condition with unexpected benefits…

In the Zone: Finding Flow Through Positive PsychologyIn the Zone: Finding Flow through Positive Psychology is a new 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that explores the concept of flow, a condition we are all capable of, yet seldom cultivate. When in flow we experience a profound and dramatic shift in the way we experience ourselves, our capabilities, and the world around us. Our focus sharpens, our strengths are heightened, we feel an intense sense of euphoria and connection to the world around us, and we often realize capabilities we didn’t know were possible. For clients, flow doesn’t just help them become more capable, it dramatically improves their lives – teaching them not just to expect more from themselves, but how to cultivate the very conditions that make expecting more possible.

This course, packed with exercises, tips, and tools, will demonstrate just how flow can be incorporated into your everyday life, and used to help your clients move from simply surviving to a life that harnesses and builds upon their own unique potential to thrive. Course 21-11 | 2016 | 30 pages | 15 posttest questions | $28

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document).

Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. Click here to learn more.

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Professional Development Resources, Inc. is a Florida nonprofit educational corporation 501(c)(3) that offers 150+ online, video and book-based continuing education courses for healthcare professionals. We are approved by the American Psychological Association (APA); the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB); the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA); the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA); the Commission on Dietetic Registration (b); the Alabama State Board of Occupational Therapy; the Florida Boards of Social Work, Mental Health Counseling and Marriage and Family Therapy, Psychology & School Psychology, Dietetics & Nutrition, Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, and Occupational Therapy Practice; the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board and Board of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology; the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs; and by the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists and State Board of Social Worker Examiners.

Animal-Assisted Therapy – Online CE Course

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By Deirdre Rand, PhD

Animal-Assisted Therapy and the Healing Power of PetsAnimal-Assisted Therapy and the Healing Power of Pets is a 2-hour online continuing education (CE) course that includes the story of Dr. Deirdre Rand’s journey with her animal companions and the lessons learned from the challenges and rewards of those relationships. Also discussed are temperament, socialization and training; the role of the neurohormone oxytocin in strengthening the human-companion animal bond; the founding of the three major organizations which register volunteer handler/therapy teams, along with the contributions of key historic figures in developing animal-assisted therapy as we know it today; examples of animal-assisted interventions with dogs, cats and other animals; and attributes of a great therapy animal and a great handler. Course #30-85 | 2016 | 45 pages | 26 posttest questions

“Animal-Assisted Therapy and the Healing Power of Pets provides an essential foundation to anyone interested in animal-assisted intervention work, whether as a healthcare professional or as a volunteer therapy animal team with their dog or cat. Dr. Rand uses a narrative writing style, supplemented with photographs, to give the reader a deeper, more experiential understanding of the material and makes for a good read. The course includes numerous clinical examples, evoking an awareness of the unique bond between people and their companion animals.” – Endorsement by Aubrey H. Fine, EdD, author of Our Faithful Companions: Exploring the Essence of our Kinship with Animals.

This online course provides instant access to the course materials (PDF download) and CE test. After enrolling, click on My Account and scroll down to My Active Courses. From here you’ll see links to download/print the course materials and take the CE test (you can print the test to mark your answers on it while reading the course document). Successful completion of the online CE test (80% required to pass, 3 chances to take) and course evaluation are required to earn a certificate of completion. Click here to learn more.

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Professional Development Resources is approved by the American Psychological Association (APA) to sponsor continuing education for psychologists; the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC ACEP #5590); the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB #1046, ACE Program); the Florida Boards of Clinical Social Work, Marriage & Family Therapy, and Mental Health Counseling (#BAP346) and Psychology & School Psychology (#50-1635); the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker & MFT Board (#RCST100501); the South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors & MFTs (#193); and the Texas Board of Examiners of Marriage & Family Therapists (#114) and State Board of Social Worker Examiners (#5678).