capacity-builders

The Final Journey: When the Person with Dementia Is Dying

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:29:24 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Palliative Support > The Final Journey: When the Person with Dementia Is Dying

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

Dementia significantly impacts the dying process, often limiting verbal communication and increasing symptom complexity. This workshop addresses symptom recognition, comfort care, and the ethical considerations of end-of-life support.

This workshop will help your staff:

understand the cognitive and physical changes in late-stage dementia
observe and assess symptoms effectively
provide dignified, person-centered palliative care
navigate ethical dilemmas compassionately

Who Should Attend

Enhanced workshops are intended for PSWs who have some foundational knowledge, through prior training or on-the-job experience, and some familiarity with the client population. While not suited for those who are brand new to the role, there is some flexibility to accommodate learners at different levels of experience or expertise.

Strategies to Manage Difficult Conversations and Conflict More Effectively

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:17 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Communication and Service Excellence > Strategies to Manage Difficult Conversations and Conflict More Effectively

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

Discovering effective approaches to de-escalate anxious, hostile, or challenging behavior is an essential skill for PSWs and other front-line support workers. The way an individual responds to such behavior often holds the key to diffusing it successfully. This workshop will explore conflict dynamics, how to get to the source of a problem, and help support workers develop their own personal de-escalation strategies, enabling them to handle challenging scenarios more effectively.

This workshop will help your staff:

to be better prepared to approach challenging behaviours by staying calm, managing their responses, and setting limits and boundaries
disengage from situations and avoid taking things personally
feel more confident in de-escalating tense situations
be more mindful about avoiding hostility when giving information

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Managing Difficult Emotions - The Role of Emotional Intelligence for PSWs

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:16 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Communication and Service Excellence > Managing Difficult Emotions - The Role of Emotional Intelligence for PSWs

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This workshop on Emotional Intelligence (EI) is designed specifically to enhance PSWs’ skills, improve the quality of care they provide, and cope well with complex feelings that are common to their role. The course will cover the essential components of EI, including self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and social skills, and will focus on practical strategies that PSWs can implement in their daily interactions with clients and colleagues. This course aims to empower personal support workers to leverage emotional intelligence in their roles, ultimately leading to more compassionate and effective care.

This workshop will help your staff:

recognize and understand their own emotions and how these emotions influence their interactions with clients and colleagues.
develop techniques for self-awareness and self-regulation
cultivate empathy to enhance client relationships
build effective communication and social skills for teamwork

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Making Communication Work: Essential Skills for Frontline Staff

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:14 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Communication and Service Excellence > Making Communication Work: Essential Skills for Frontline Staff

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

As integral members of the client support team, front-line healthcare workers play a crucial role in establishing trust with clients, their families, and fellow caregivers. They are responsible for identifying individual needs and preferences, effectively relaying information, and interpreting instructions. This workshop aims to strengthen the communication abilities of support workers, enabling them to engage in positive, clear, and professional interactions with clients and caregivers. Additionally, participants will acquire valuable techniques for navigating challenging situations such as workplace conflict, gossip, and toxic environments that can erode trust.

This workshop will help your staff:

be better able to apply person-centred conversation techniques and tools to allow them to really connect with clients and caregivers
be more likely to get their message across clearly
more effectively resolve challenges with clients and peers
better manage the workplace grapevine

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Intercultural Communication

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:13 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Communication and Service Excellence > Intercultural Communication

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

We live, and work, in a multicultural setting. This interactive workshop encourages reflection about our experiences as members of diverse communities and workplaces and to help develop inclusive attitudes. Participants will gain a deeper appreciation for the unique perspectives and contributions of others, while discovering strategies to comprehend and fulfill shared needs for mutually beneficial outcomes. The workshop provides ample opportunities for participants to address challenges through self-reflection, engage in simulations, collaborate in small group exercises, and engage in productive large group discussions.

This workshop will help your staff:

relate the concept of personal culture to themselves—and to others
reflect on their experiences stemming from social and cultural identities
understand how cultural dynamics impact behaviour, communication and conflict styles
examine how stereotypes and prejudice begin and are reinforced
better understand and use inclusive approaches

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Documentation Basics

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:12 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Communication and Service Excellence > Documentation Basics

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

If it’s not written down, it doesn’t exist. Clear, appropriate documentation, properly kept, ensures your clients get the service they require in an effective manner. It can also save your organization time, money and in some cases – embarrassment.

This workshop will help your staff understand:

what a client record should contain (and what it should not contain!)
steps to documentation that are clear and easy to understand
how to tell the difference between need-to-know and nice-to-know information
how to maintain client privacy when handling client information

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Critical Thinking for Frontline Healthcare Workers

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:09 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Communication and Service Excellence > Critical Thinking for Frontline Healthcare Workers

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

Every day, front-line healthcare workers are faced with numerous situations that require a variety of thinking skills. This workshop will help your staff to build their own skills to analyze situations objectively, weigh various options, identify problems and find workable means to address them within the scope of their role.

This workshop will help your staff to:

understand the concept of critical thinking and why it is so important in providing quality care.
be better able to apply a critical thinking approach to everyday life events and to their role supporting clients.
be better able to identify significant issues and communicate effectively when figuring out solutions.
feel more confident problem solving situations on their own, and recognize when it’s time to ask for help.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Client-Centred Support Skills for Frontline Staff

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:07 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Communication and Service Excellence > Client-Centred Support Skills for Frontline Staff

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

The role of PSWs and other front-line support workers is fundamental to excellent client support, and one that requires the ability to balance client needs with a list of tasks on a service plan. This interactive workshop will help your staff better assess what really matters to their clients, tailor support to the client’s preferences and bridge these needs with the tasks they’re there to do. They’ll also explore how to communicate their client’s preferences, and their own expertise, to others.

This workshop will help your staff understand:

what quality client support is
the benefits of involving clients in their own support, and how to do it appropriately
approaches to bridge client needs and support plan priorities

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Building Successful Boundaries with Clients

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:06 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Communication and Service Excellence > Building Successful Boundaries with Clients

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

It's sometimes difficult to say 'no' to a client, or to know where to draw the line between professional and personal relationships - particularly when those relationships span years. Through concrete examples, discussion and case scenarios, support workers will identify common sources of boundary challenges. We’ll cover why it is in the client's, the organization's and their own best interest to set and maintain professional boundaries—and how to do that while maintaining a positive relationship.

This workshop will help your staff understand:

the challenges to boundaries posed by ongoing support
the impact of work settings and employer policy on boundaries
boundary challenges and the “head and heart” forces that shape how we respond to them
the risks in crossing boundaries
effective boundary setting and communication of boundaries and ways communicating them!

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Attitude and Accountability: Professionalism on the Frontline

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:03 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Communication and Service Excellence > Attitude and Accountability: Professionalism on the Frontline

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

We talk a lot about “professionalism” - but what does that actually mean in the day-to-day world of a community healthcare worker? It’s a lot more than just dressing nicely and being polite!

In this workshop, we’ll discuss the concept of professionalism and what it asks of support workers. Using real-life examples, we’ll discuss trust, attitude and accountability and uncover ways your staff can demonstrate their commitment to service excellence.

This workshop will help your staff understand:

the core concepts of accountability, reliability, and integrity
the importance of attitude and demeanor
essential interpersonal and communication skills
concepts of privacy and confidentiality

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

When Grief Comes to Work: Dealing with Grief and Loss

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:02 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Self-Care > When Grief Comes to Work: Dealing with Grief and Loss

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

For frontline healthcare workers, dealing with loss is a difficult but expected “occupational hazard”, but it doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hurt. If ignored, the cumulative effect of grief and loss can result in reduced productivity and morale, an increase in absenteeism or even leaving the field.

This interactive session will support your staff to find healthy ways to cope.

This workshop will help your staff:

assess the impact of loss from a holistic perspective: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual
recognize the diverse signs and symptoms of grief and how this might manifest in the workplace
identify common avoidance patterns and current coping strategies
explore resiliency in the workplace

Who Should Attend

Open-leveled workshops are designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training that can be taken as standalone sessions—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Stress Management: Positive Coping Strategies for Frontline Healthcare Workers

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:20:01 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Self-Care > Stress Management: Positive Coping Strategies for Frontline Healthcare Workers

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

The goal of this workshop is to help your staff recognize the signs of stress and burnout, and to learn how to channel energy into productive coping mechanisms.

This workshop will help your staff to:

recognize the signs and symptoms of stress, and identify the causes
develop awareness of individual reactions to stressors
learn stress management tools
create a personal plan of action to create a healthy, balanced life style

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Responding to Life Changes with Strength and Resilience

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:58 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Self-Care > Responding to Life Changes with Strength and Resilience

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

Our personal and professional lives are filled with many unpredictable events that can leave us feeling confused and uncertain. Whether it's adapting to new technologies, adjusting to a new supervisor, or supporting new clients with challenging needs, these changes can take a toll. Not to mention the public health crisis we’ve all just lived through. Even changes that are anticipated and celebrated can be a challenge to navigate. In this webinar you’ll learn strategies to embrace change and develop resilience in the face of expected and unexpected challenges in life.

This workshop will help your staff:

learn what life events cause the most discomfort.
understand your personal response to life events.
reflect on your past and current strategies for managing change in your life.
determine what steps to take in order to move forward in your life.
learn how valuable change is in order to grow as a person.

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Compassion Fatigue

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:56 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Self-Care > Compassion Fatigue

Post Title

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

Frontline healthcare workers provide service to clients with increasingly complex needs, requiring compassionate care. Overtime, these demands can contribute to emotional, physical and mental exhaustion resulting in a drop in morale, decreased job performance, absenteeism and an increasing reduction of the desire to help.

This workshop will help your staff:

assess the impact of multiple demands upon caring
appreciate compassion fatigue as a potential consequence of the support role and not as a personal failing
recognize the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue in themselves and in other carers
identify positive coping strategies

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed to provide PSWs with practical, relevant training—regardless of prior experience or formal education.

Specialist Certificate in Palliative Support

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:54 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Palliative Support > Specialist Certificate in Palliative Support

Post Title

Specialist Workshop

Workshop Description

18-hour interactive virtual certificate course

This 18-hour certificate course focuses on specific conditions with a strong emphasis on the support worker’s role. It does not include introductory material, allowing learners to build on existing knowledge and experience. The course takes a deeper dive into each topic, providing PSWs with comprehensive, practical information to enhance their confidence and effectiveness in supporting clients.

The course is graded and includes 1-2 assignments. Students successfully completing the course will receive a certificate. A pre-course consultation meeting with the trainer is included to help identify specific content areas your organization would like addressed and to tailor the course accordingly. We will also conduct a pre-session learning evaluation and can include an exemption process for students who have taken one of Capacity Builders 3-hour Dementia workshops.

Benefits of the Specialist Certificate in Mental Health:

A longer format allows time to explore conditions and concepts in greater depth, leading to stronger knowledge retention and application in real-world situations.
PSWs have more opportunity to practice and refine specific skills—such as communication, engagement, and assessment—through discussion, reflection, and assignments.
With time to absorb content and receive feedback, PSWs gain confidence in supporting clients with complex mental health needs.

Topics Covered:

Palliation Across Cultures
Supporting Person to Live Until They Die
Pain Assessment and Monitoring
Comfort Measures
Supporting and Working with the Client’s Family and Other Supports
Terminal Lucidity and other Phenomenon of a Person’s Last Days
Ethical/Legal Concerns

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for PSWs who are ready to deepen their knowledge and expand their skills in this specific area. It is best suited for PSWs who are confident in foundational client care and are seeking more advanced training to better support clients with complex needs. This course is not appropriate for support workers who are new to the role, or new to working with palliative clients.

Understanding Personal Culture in End-of-Life Care

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:52 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Palliative Support > Understanding Personal Culture in End-of-Life Care

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

It’s often said that people want to live fully until they die. What “living” means at the end of life, however, varies greatly and is shaped by each person’s unique personal culture.

This session explores how personal culture—including but not limited to ethnic and religious traditions—shapes end-of-life preferences. We'll examine how it influences decisions about pain management, daily living, family roles, and what happens after death. We’ll also look at the PSW’s role in supporting these preferences, including how to navigate situations when a client’s choices differ from the worker’s own values or beliefs.

This workshop will help your staff:

what personal culture is and how it may shape a client’s end-of-life preferences
how client preferences contribute to a sense of life satisfaction
the connection between personal culture and communication
how to reflect on and manage personal responses when client choices are unfamiliar or personally challenging

Who Should Attend

Practical Strategies to Promote Comfort and Well-Being in Palliation

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:49 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Palliative Support > Practical Strategies to Promote Comfort and Well-Being in Palliation

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This workshop focuses on the use of non-medicinal pain reduction techniques appropriate to the PSW working with a client receiving palliative support. It will include diversion techniques, comfort measures, supporting nutrition to reduce discomfort as well as pain monitoring and other techniques.

This workshop will help your staff:

develop skill in diversionary techniques such as massage, music and other approaches that may reduce client discomfort
gain physical care techniques that may reduce client discomfort
understand pain monitoring and the role the support worker may play

Who Should Attend

Common Symptoms in the Person Who Is Dying

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:48 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Palliative Support > Common Symptoms in the Person Who Is Dying

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

Pain may not be the most significant symptom to the palliative client. This session will introduce participants to the use of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) and to the Palliative Care Outcomes Scale (PCOS) to identify common non-pain symptoms of discomfort in the person who is dying. PSWs will also learn helpful strategies to promote comfort with these specific symptoms, as well as methods to share these strategies with others in the support team.

This workshop will help your staff:

discuss and apply the ESAS to situations drawn from work situations
identify potential sources of non-pain discomfort
identify and apply potential responses to identified sources, given situations drawn from work situations
document successful strategies in the care plan.

Who Should Attend

An Introduction to Palliative Support

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:46 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Palliative Support > An Introduction to Palliative Support

Post Title

Introductory Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This session introduces the concepts of palliative support and discusses the values and outcomes that underpin end-of-life support. We’ll discuss some of the myths related to the process of dying and the general stages through which a person might proceed at the end-of-life. We’ll discuss the many facets of the process of dying, the impact on the client’s family/friends, the impact personal beliefs have on a worker’s ability to provide support, and the fundamental skills to providing optimal support. We’ll also discuss the importance of client preferences for actions at the time of apparent death.

This workshop will help your staff:

view dying as a process that is unique to the person
describe the personal culture factors that influence end-of-life support
identify personal attitudes and feelings with regard to client death and the worker’s role in supporting the person who is dying, as well as support to those closest to the client
describe common physical, social and emotional challenges to client comfort and discuss techniques to address these challenges
discuss the worker’s personal needs for support, as they may arise when caring for a client who is dying

Who Should Attend

Introductory workshops are designed for PSWs who are new to the topic. They provide a broad overview and introduce key concepts to build foundational understanding.

Specialist Certificate in Supporting the Person with Cognitive Loss/Dementia

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:44 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Dementia Care > Specialist Certificate in Supporting the Person with Cognitive Loss/Dementia

Post Title

Specialist Workshop

Workshop Description

18-hour interactive virtual certificate course

This course focuses on specific conditions with a strong emphasis on the support worker’s role. It does not include introductory material, allowing learners to build on existing knowledge and experience. The course takes a deeper dive into each topic, providing PSWs with comprehensive, practical information to enhance their confidence and effectiveness in supporting clients.

Benefits of the Specialist Certificate in Mental Health:

a longer format allows time to explore conditions and concepts in greater depth, leading to stronger knowledge retention and application in real-world situations.
PSWs have more opportunity to practice and refine specific skills—such as communication, engagement, and assessment—through discussion, reflection, and assignments.
with time to absorb content and receive feedback, PSWs gain confidence in supporting clients with complex mental health needs.

Topics Covered:

Fundamentals of rapport-building and communication
Types of cognitive loss and the distinctive features of each
Reversible factors that may impair cognition—and how to address them
Maximizing ability
Aggression, anger or anxiety or style—how to tell and how to respond
Delirium

Who Should Attend

The Final Journey: When the Person with Dementia Is Dying

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:43 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Dementia Care > The Final Journey: When the Person with Dementia Is Dying

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This workshop will help your staff:

understand the cognitive and physical changes in late-stage dementia
observe and assess symptoms effectively
provide dignified, person-centered palliative care
navigate ethical dilemmas compassionately

Who Should Attend

When a Client Has Cognitive Impairment and a Mental Health Issue

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:38 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Dementia Care > When a Client Has Cognitive Impairment and a Mental Health Issue

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This session will examine the processes that change when a person with a mental health issue experiences cognitive loss and identify approaches that support positive experiences for both client and worker.

This workshop will help your staff:

recognize how depression and cognitive loss may present in clients
prioritize concerns and determine what to respond to first
apply interventions tailored to each client’s unique needs
share positive approaches and effective strategies with team members

Who Should Attend

Communicating with Persons with Cognitive Loss/Dementia

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:37 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Dementia Care > Communicating with Persons with Cognitive Loss/Dementia

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This three-hour session introduces PSWs to the communication skills useful in connecting with clients with impaired cognition. We’ll examine the role of daily rhythms and of significant issues/people in the client’s life. It introduces the concept of parsing, a method of problem-solving that involves processing communication and client actions to more fully appreciate their significance and possible meanings, and to form positive support approaches. A final section discusses the role of information and approach sharing to promote continuity of positive support.

This workshop will help your staff:

recognize how communication changes as a person’s cognitive abilities decline
understand the importance of a client’s life story and key relationships in shaping care
connect lifelong routines to daily support, and appreciate why routine matters
use parsing techniques to better interpret and respond to client communication
apply interpretative communication strategies to build connection and identify effective support approaches

Who Should Attend

Understanding and Responding to Expressions of Distress

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:35 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Dementia Care > Understanding and Responding to Expressions of Distress

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This interactive session explores client behaviours that may be perceived as aggressive or threatening, and helps staff understand the underlying causes—whether environmental, historical, interpersonal, or cognitive. Participants will learn to distinguish between anger, aggression, communication style, and assertiveness, and explore how appropriate responses can support both client well-being and worker safety.

This workshop will help your staff:

distinguish between assertiveness, abruptness, aggression, and anger, and understand the risks of mislabeling behaviour
recognize potential triggers of aggression and apply a structured approach to identify and respond to the root cause
communicate relevant observations to the team and contribute to the client’s support plan
identify risks to their own boundaries and well-being, and apply strategies to manage and protect themselves

Who Should Attend

An Introduction to Cognition and Cognitive Impairment

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:34 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Dementia Care > An Introduction to Cognition and Cognitive Impairment

Post Title

Introductory Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This workshop provides an introduction to normal cognition, age-related changes, and changes that may come from a disease process. We’ll examine dementia as a syndrome that may be caused by a wide variety of conditions, discuss the symptoms and general approaches to client support.

This workshop will help your staff:

understand the impact of common factors on cognitive ability
discuss common symptoms (memory loss, lack of insight, inability to process information, etc.)
discuss delirium as distinct from dementia
identify and apply approaches to minimize impairment and enhance client function where possible

Who Should Attend

Introductory workshops are designed for PSWs who are new to the topic. They provide a broad overview and introduce key concepts to build foundational understanding.

Specialist Certificate in Mental Health

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:32 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Mental Health > Specialist Certificate in Mental Health

Post Title

Specialist Workshop

Workshop Description

18-hour interactive virtual certificate course

This course focuses on specific mental health conditions with a strong emphasis on the support worker’s role. It does not include introductory material, allowing learners to build on existing knowledge and experience. The course takes a deeper dive into each topic, providing PSWs with comprehensive, practical information to enhance their confidence and effectiveness in supporting clients.

Benefits of the Specialist Certificate in Mental Health:

A longer format allows time to explore conditions and concepts in greater depth, leading to stronger knowledge retention and application in real-world situations.
PSWs have more opportunity to practice and refine specific skills—such as communication, engagement, and assessment—through discussion, reflection, and assignments.
With time to absorb content and receive feedback, PSWs gain greater confidence in supporting clients with complex mental health needs.

Topics Covered:

Fundamentals of rapport-building and communication
Understanding engagement and how to support it
Depression & Anxiety
Bipolar Disorder
Hoarding
OCD

Who Should Attend

When the Client Has No One

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:30 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Mental Health > When the Client Has No One

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

What happens when a client has no family or friends to support them? This session focuses on the unique needs of these clients and explores the challenges PSWs face. It also discusses the legal and ethical restrictions that guide appropriate support.

This session will help your staff:

recognize the characteristics and needs of clients without family or friend support
understand the risks of assuming reasons for family or friend non-involvement
identify legal and ethical limits around extending their role to fill support gaps
differentiate between advocacy that helps and advocacy that may harm
communicate observations about client needs effectively with the care team

Who Should Attend

Supporting the Person with both Chronic and Acute Anxiety/Depression

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:28 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Mental Health > Supporting the Person with both Chronic and Acute Anxiety/Depression

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

It’s not uncommon for clients with chronic mental health issues to also experience acute mental health conditions as well. This session will provide PSWs with skills to help clients manage both types.

This session will help your staff:

differentiate between acute and chronic conditions
understand compound and cascading changes and their impact on clients
apply interventions tailored to individual client needs
share positive approaches and effective strategies with the care team

Who Should Attend

Supporting the Client with Dementia and Depression/Anxiety

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:26 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Mental Health > Supporting the Client with Dementia and Depression/Anxiety

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This session explores how cognitive loss interacts with existing mental health conditions and offers practical approaches to support positive, respectful experiences for both clients and support workers.

This session will help your staff:

recognize how depression and cognitive loss may present in clients
prioritize concerns and determine what to respond to first
apply interventions tailored to each client’s unique needs
share positive approaches and effective strategies with team members

Who Should Attend

Supporting Clients Who Have OCD or Hoarding Disorder

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:24 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Mental Health > Supporting Clients Who Have OCD or Hoarding Disorder

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This session discusses Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Hoarding Disorder as distinct conditions. We’ll examine specific characteristics of each, as well as outline approaches that assist the client to manage characteristics.

This session will help your staff:

recognize the key characteristics of Hoarding Disorder
understand the features of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and how it differs from hoarding
select and apply interventions that are responsive to each client’s unique needs
share successful strategies and positive approaches with colleagues to support consistent care

Who Should Attend

Supporting Clients with Depression and Anxiety

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:22 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Mental Health > Supporting Clients with Depression and Anxiety

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This session covers the fundamentals of both acute and chronic variants of depression and anxiety. It will discuss anxiety and depression as often co-existing conditions. We’ll discuss interventions that are useful in supporting a client as well as signs that additional intervention may be needed. There will be ample opportunity for your staff to discuss their own experiences and learn new techniques and approaches to better identify and support clients with depression and anxiety.

This session will help your staff:

identify the key characteristics of anxiety and depression
distinguish between acute and chronic forms of each condition
apply interventions that are tailored to individual client needs
understand the importance of sharing effective, strengths-based approaches with the care team

Who Should Attend

Making the Connection with Clients Facing Mental Health Issues

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:20 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Mental Health > Making the Connection with Clients Facing Mental Health Issues

Post Title

Enhanced Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

Establishing rapport with clients experiencing mental health challenges can be complex and requires a thoughtful approach. This session focuses on building trust, strengthening engagement, and using effective communication techniques to support meaningful connection and collaboration.

This session will help your staff:

understand the factors that may affect a person’s willingness to accept support or trust others
strengthen interpersonal skills to overcome client hesitation and build trust
use effective communication techniques to engage clients who are reluctant or withdrawn
communicate client progress and observations clearly with other team members

Who Should Attend

Introduction to Mental Health

Tue, 24 Jun 2025 14:19:19 GMT

Complete Skill Building Workshops > Mental Health > Introduction to Mental Health

Post Title

Introductory Workshop

Workshop Description

3-hour interactive virtual session

This session provides an overview of mental health, mental health issues and mental illness. This 3-hour session covers basic concepts, myths, barriers to support, and the PSW role in supporting a client with mental health issues. It provides a base for our other workshops on mental health and is aimed at PSWs and other support workers who have not had recent training in mental health.

This session will help your staff:

examine personal beliefs about mental health issues, mental illness and the impact those beliefs may have when working with a client.
understand in general terms the most common types of mental illnesses among older people, including mood disorders, depression and other affective/thought disorders.
identify fundamental support techniques useful in working with clients with mental health issues.
identify risks to the support worker’s own boundaries and well-being - and strategies to address them.

Who Should Attend

Introductory workshops are designed for PSWs who are new to the topic. They provide a broad overview and introduce key concepts to build foundational understanding.