Many candidates will be interested in professional development opportunities in the Child and Youth Mental Health Services. The following capsule descriptions provide examples of the types of core training provided. There are also additional opportunities for employee and professional development provided through the Ministry of Children and Family Development.

• Aboriginal Child, Youth Mental Health Cultural Sensitivity Training (5 days)
• Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety (2 days)
• Advanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Training for Depression (1 day)
• Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT) (2 days)
• EPI training for CYMH Clinicians (2 days and
  web-based modules)
• Advanced DSM for Clinicians (1 day)
• FRIENDS prevention program for anxiety and depression
  (1 day)
• Clinical Supervisors' Training (sessions 1-3)
• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy for Adolescents (2 days+)
• Early Childhood Intervention (Infant Mental Health)
  (3 days)

Aboriginal Child, Youth Mental Health Cultural Sensitivity Training

This is a five-day, regionally specific training in Aboriginal cultural sensitivity. The workshop curriculum includes:

• Historical and geographical knowledge such as colonization, racism and oppression
• Exercises in self assessment and reflection regarding biases, assumptions and knowledge
• Involvement of Elders
• Indigenous and Western wellness approaches: differences and commonalities

Participants will begin to develop a personal practice model that incorporates indigenous knowledge and approaches into their work with Aboriginal children, youth and their families who have mental health needs. Note: This is considered core training for clinicians.

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) for Anxiety

This training is designed for child and youth mental health clinicians and aims at increasing their expertise in the utilization of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with children and youth. The workshop component is a two-day module that focuses on general CBT principles and techniques and on treatment protocols for specific anxiety disorders. This is considered core training, as it is expected that all clinicians working in CYMH will have these skills whether they are acquired by this training or by previous training. Clinicians who participate in the training can opt to register for a certification program that will carry the acquired skills further and will provide clinical consultation on CBT cases over a period of several months. Clinicians can work through the web based mentoring program at their convenience, over a period of up to 12 months.

Please note: CBT for anxiety training is a prerequisite for CBT for depression training.

Advanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) Training for Depression

This one-day workshop builds on the CBT training for anxiety and focuses on CBT treatment protocols for depression. It includes interventions throughout the therapeutic process, as well as management of special problems and group CBT. Participants are required to have completed the CBT training for anxiety.

Interpersonal Psychotherapy (IPT)

IPT is an evidence-based therapy designed to treat depressed adolescents and their families. It focuses on problem areas of interpersonal role disputes, role transitions, interpersonal deficits and grief. A one day training is offered to clinicians and provides an introduction to IPT principals and therapeutic techniques. An intensive group supervision training program is also available which includes ongoing supervision and consultation. The commitment for this in-depth training program is approximately 18 months.

Early Psychosis Intervention (EPI) Training for CYMH Clinicians

This training aims at increasing the skills of interested clinicians and physicians, particularly in rural and remote areas, to detect psychosis early and to apply evidence-based and clinically sound practices to the assessment and treatment of early psychosis. The training has two components:

1. Two-day training at the EPI program at the Peace Arch Hospital in White Rock
2. Web-based training modules and long distance consultations.

Both aspects of the training are necessary for completion. This training will be offered about four times a year for groups of 8-10 clinicians and physicians at a time.

Advanced Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV-TR) for Clinicians

This one-day workshop will provide an opportunity for those clinicians who have a good working knowledge of the DSM system to refine their diagnostic skills. The workshop will be interactive and focus on complex diagnostic issues and include discussion of clinical case examples.

FRIENDS is an Australian-developed, evidence-based, prevention and early intervention program shown to be effective in reducing the occurrence of anxiety disorders in children. The ten-week, school-based program follows the CBT model and teaches children how to cope with anxiety. One-day training's are offered to all BC teachers and school staff who are interested in implementing the program with grades four and five students. CYMH clinicians are invited to attend and participate in the training.

Clinical Supervisors' Training

Workshops for clinical supervisors are held annually or more often and are aimed at updating Child and Youth Mental Health (CYMH) clinical supervisors about core responsibilities, current practices and emerging research. As well, 3-day clinical supervision training is being provided as part of the implementation of a competency based model of clinical supervision throughout the province.

Dialectical Behaviour Therapy (DBT) for Adolescents

DBT is a therapeutic intervention well supported by research and used to help adolescents who have problems regulating their emotions and who might engage in self-injurious behaviours. The initial in-depth training conducted in 2005-2006 required a significant commitment from clinicians for a period of 18 months, and included several workshops and monthly phone consultations. This training was designed to model the treatment experientially while fostering team development, an essential element in DBT implementation. Further to this training additional consultations will be available to the trained participants for a period of a year. Additional future workshops will be offered for clinicians who want to participate in the existing DBT teams.

Early Childhood Intervention (Infant Mental Health)

This training will focus on working with children under six years of age and will cover interventions that are best supported by research or, given the scarcity of research with this age group, practices that seem most promising and clinically sound. Workshops will take place in September and October 2006 and the Fall 2007.