Enhancing Knowledge Through Online Learning

Bimonthly online discussions are continuing education opportunities for mental health interpreters and clinicians who work with deaf consumers. QMHI's are required to have 40 contact hours of continuing education per year.

You can go to this URL https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/201362193-How-Do-I-Join-A-Meeting- for more information on how to join the webinar. More tips for using Zoom can be found HERE

All presentations are in the form of a webinar. Links to the webinar will be sent out the same day as the event. This year our webinars will be hosted on Zoom. To use this platform, please read documents on the Zoom Website.

Important: In order to ensure time to process your registration, the completed form and payment must be received 7 days prior to the event you wish to join.

The registration fee for all online discussions in the calendar year 2024 is just $35.*

How to Register:

Download and fill out the 'Permission to File CEUs" form. This will serve as your registration form for all online discussions within that calendar year.

Send a check for $35.00 made out to ADARA- MHIT Fund along with the completed form to:

Shannon Reese, Services Coordinator
Alabama Department of Mental Health
Office of Deaf Services
P.O. Box 301410
Montgomery, AL 36130

* January to December. This fee is NOT pro-rated.

Upcoming Events

All Events run 6:30 - 8:30 PM Central Time

2024 Events

Nov 12 Deaf Refugees and Mental Health

Presenter: Carly Fischbeck

Presented by:

Brian Moss, BSW, VGS

Brian “BAM” Moss, is the Visual Gestural Specialist for the Alabama Department of Mental Health, Office of Deaf Services and is located at Bryce Psychiatric Hospital. BAM grew up in Montgomery where he attended mainstream schools during his early educational years and later attended the Alabama School for the Deaf. He graduated from Jacksonville State University with a Bachelor of Social Work in 2019. BAM is currently a student at Gallaudet for Master of Social Work program. Before returning to college to obtain his degree in Social Work, BAM worked as a Deaf Care Worker for several years under the ADMH. He was very motivated to work closely with patients again, and upon graduation returned to ADMH in his current role. BAM is also a certified Crisis Prevention Intervention (CPI) instructor and a certified Conducting Serious Incident Investigations (CSII) trainer, providing quarterly trainings for employees across Alabama. In the past year, he has presented on various topics related to cultural demands in the mental health field.

The Purpose of the Training

This Bi-monthly online discussion will provide participants with opportunities to interact with interpreters and clinicians in the field of deafness, explore research articles, discuss presentations, and apply the online discussion to service provision.

Language deprivation syndrome is prevalent in 80% of consumers clinicians and interpreters see and work with. The foundation of basic communication skills starts with a necessary knowledge of the consumer themselves and their background, leading to their current level of understanding. A visual-gestural specialist must often expand on common questions and appropriate social skills to explain what kind of information they need or help them figure out how to convey their most basic needs.

The Objectives of the Training:

Define varying levels of language deprivation commonly seen in the MH settings.
Identify the strengths of a visual-gestural communication specialist in MH settings.
Discuss considerations in adapting signs and concepts for language-deprived consumers
.

After the Training, participants will

List three ways to identify language-deprived consumers and their unique ways of communication.
Name two resources that clinicians/interpreters can access for help.
Utilize a few commonly used concepts to determine consumer’s language needs
.

Pre-reading: NA

Target Audience:

Interpreters in Mental Health, Community Interpreters, Mental Health Professionals, School Counselors

"Now Showing"

“Eyes Open in Visual Gestural Approaches”

September 10, 2024

All discussions are conducted from
6:30 - 8:30 Central Standard Time (CST)

Presentation Flyer Available for Download HERE