Schedule and CEU Information

Live Webinar Schedule

Join us for live webinars via Zoom every Thursday in April. The schedule is below. All webinars will be recorded for on-demand viewing through May 12 on MSSA's Vimeo channel.

Access the Webinars You must be logged in and registered for the conference to access these links.

April 6, 2023

9:00 - 10:30 AM	Voices of Experience: MYVoice Youth Panel
	What greater experts are there in the child welfare system than the young people who grew up in it? This panel presentation centers the voices of such Lived Experience (LEx) Leaders through the MYVoice (Minnesota Youth Voice) program of Ampersand Families. These diverse young people will share their insights, their critiques, and their advice to professionals working in the field.
	Presenters: Emily Lindell, BA, Youth Leadership Program Coordinator, Ampersand Families; and MYVoice youth panelists
	Track: Child Well-Being


11:00 AM - 12:30 PM	Updates from DHS on Electronic Visit Verification, MnCHOICES Revision and Community First Services and Supports
	This session will review the status of three major system change efforts at the Minnesota Department of Human Services: Electronic Visit Verification (EVV), MnCHOICES Revision, and Community First Services and Supports (CFSS). Come to this session to learn about these projects and be able to ask questions of the staff leading these efforts. Anyone supporting people with disabilities or older adults will benefit from this information.
	Presenter: Mary Lenertz, Manager in the Disability Services Division at Minnesota Department of Human Services
	Track: Adult Services


1:00 - 3:30 PM	Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder from a Trauma Lens
	One out of 20 children are suspected of having a FASD, making it a serious public health epidemic, yet the diagnosis is almost always missed. This session will cover FASD basics, including the brain-based aspect of FASD, and common indicators and behaviors of FASD. Trauma-responsive strategies for supporting families and individuals on the spectrum will be discussed from a lived experience perspective.
	Presenter: Barb Clark, FASD Trainer/Consultant
	Track: Behavioral Health

April 13

9:00 - 10:30 AM	Arc Minnesota Services Overview and Informed Decision Making
	The Arc Minnesota supports people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. We get many referrals from people like you! We will give an overview of our program, including Housing, Self-Advocacy, Public Policy, Community Engagement and Outreach, and several new grants. Then, we will discuss our Help Desk and Individual Advocacy work in depth. Participants will practice how to support others in making truly informed decisions.
	Presenter: Courtney Kressin, LSW, Director of Individual Advocacy and Education, The Arc Minnesota; Nora Ulseth, BA in Special Education, ABS license, Individual Advocacy Manager, The Arc Minnesota
	Track: Developmental Disabilities


11:00 AM - 12:30 PM	Retaining the Direct Support Workforce through Training of Frontline Supervisors
	Frontline Supervisors (FLSs) are critical to the success and retention of Direct Support Workers (DSWs) but FLSs are often hired or promoted with minimal additional training. To be effective, the role of FLS requires a diverse set of skills, including both supervisory and direct support skills. In this session, attendees will learn about best practices for training FLSs and be given time to discuss strategies that they use to train supervisors.
	Presenter: Megan Sanders, MPP, MSW, National Workforce Consultant, Institute on Community Integration; Claire Benway, MA, National Training Consultant, Institute on Community Integration
	Track: Supervision and Management


1:00 - 2:00 PM	Identifying and Responding to Sexual Grooming in Diverse Settings
	Sexual grooming is the systematic process used to facilitate undetected sexual contact with a child. Adult sex offenders often groom the selected victim, their family system, and the community in person and/or online. Being able to recognize and respond to the various categories and stages of sexual grooming through one’s work with a vulnerable child, family, or adult engaging in these behaviors is critical to prevention and treatment.
	Presenters: Doyle Pruitt, PhD, LICSW, Assistant Professor, Winona State University; Molly Wolf, PhD, LMSW, Professor, PennWest University; Tracy Leet, LCSW, Adjunct Instructor, PennWest University
	Track: Additional Topics


2:30 - 3:30 PM	It Starts by Saying Hi! Including People Supported in the DEIA Conversation
	It Starts by Saying Hi! was created in response to the challenges faced when talking with people receiving services about the importance of understanding people of different races, religions, sexualities, and abilities. Learn the importance of a proactive plan for teaching people who receive services to treat everyone with respect as well as getting to experience the class for yourself!
	Presenters: Leanne Mull, MHA, Co-Director, Blue Tower Solutions, Inc.; Jesus (Chuy) Campuzano, Self Advocate, Consultant, Blue Tower Solutions, Inc.; Tavarus Wesley, Self Advocate, Presenter, Blue Tower Solutions, Inc.
	Track: Developmental Disabilities

April 20

9:00 - 10:30 AM	Leading Resilient Teams: Shifting the Burden from Self-Care to Team-Care
	With high levels of exposure to distress and suffering, burnout is the inevitable result for many workers. Amid a dire worker shortage, it is not enough for leaders to simply encourage “self-care” and place the burden for health and wellbeing on the exhausted employee. This presentation explains how a leader can intentionally apply specific strategies in the workplace to promote team resilience with examples and explanations of why they work.
	Presenter: Russ Turner, MA, MS, Director, Training Institute at People Incorporated
	Track: Leadership and Program Development


11:00 AM - 12:30 PM	Stopping Amygdala Hijacks
	How do we effectively address the gap between “Let's Go Brandon" and Black Lives Matter? Obstacle Illusions, -isms and -phobias are often barriers to authentic human relationships, and we will provide tools for practitioners to build bridges across political differences, and overcome white fragility with empathy, bringing difficult conversations out of the shadows and into the light of day without, blame, shame, fault or guilt.
	Presenter: Andre Koen, Master of Educational Technology, VP of DEI, RevoHealth
	Track: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion


1:00 - 3:30 PM	What Is and What Should Never Be
	This session will review substance use trends and patterns in Minnesota, including overdose data. The material will review treatment program admission data, including specific breakdowns of selected primary substance of choice, regional and county level data, along with demographic information such as age race, gender, etc.
	Presenter: Richard Moldenhauer, MS, LADC, LPCC, ICAC, Human Services Re 2/State Opioid Treatment Authority, Behavioral Health Division, Minnesota Department of Human Services
	Track: Behavioral Health

April 27

9:00 - 10:30 AM	Newton's Law: Secondary Traumatic Stress
	This session defines compassion fatigue and related terms, strategies to cope, and a review of resources. This session will empower attendees to advocate for change and provide recommendations for internal protocol changes for agencies. Victims are triggered by burnt out and fatigued professionals, and often share the horrors of trying to access help. It is our duty to help ourselves first, and thus provide successful outcomes for those we serve.
	Presenter: Melissa Kaiser, LBSW, Trainer and Consultant (Owner), MelKai Consulting, LLC
	Track: Health and Wellness


11:00 AM - 12:30 PM	Empower: The Art of Navigating Difficult Conversations
	This workshop is designed to be supportive to various types of caregivers, such as case managers, therapists, teachers, etc. This workshop is designed to identify some of the barriers to effective communication, especially in difficult situations, and how to navigate these situations in a way that is solution-focused and empowering for those impacted.
	Presenter: Chelsea Sherman, LICSW, Outpatient Therapist
	Track: Behavioral Health


1:00 - 2:00 PM	The State of Research on Interprofessional Education Related to Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
	One reason persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD) experience severe health disparities is the systemic lack of education in healthcare professional training programs in caring for persons with ID/DD. The presentation will provide the audience with an overview of the current cumulative evidence in the literature. It will
	Presenter: Belle Khuu, PhD, LGSW, MSW, MPH, Researcher, University of Minnesota Institute for Community Integration
	Track: Developmental Disabilities


2:30 - 3:30 PM	Mandated Reporting: Using a Decision Tree to Practice Ethical Responsibility Using an Equity Lens
	Human services professionals are required to report suspected abuse or neglect of children or vulnerable adults, but we have had little guidance on how to make a decision on when a suspicion should be reported to child or adult protection services. We will walk through a decision tree to guide decision-making on whether, where, and how to make a report while reflecting on how to practice-informed decision-making using a racial impact equity lens.
	Presenter: Jennifer Bertram, MSW, LISW, Consultant, Bertram Consulting
	Track: Ethics