The West Virginia Behavioral Health Workforce and Health Equity Training Center is now live at Marshall University. The collaboration between the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources Bureau for Behavioral Health and Marshall University provides training for behavioral health professionals throughout the state.
Through the training center, a series of professional development webinars will be provided. Professionals can earn contact hours at no cost while building on evidence-based practices to better meet the need for behavioral health services, which have grown due to COVID-19.
Participants will be trained in seven key areas:
- Trauma-Informed Practice
- Cultural Humility
- Decreasing Behavioral Health Disparities
- Motivational Interviewing
- Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment
- Suicide Prevention
- Person-Centered Care
Keigan Aabel-Brown is the coordinator for the West Virginia Behavioral Health Workforce and Health Equity Training Center.
“We are honored to be able to coordinate this behavioral health initiative with the West Virginia Bureau for Behavioral Health,” Aabel-Brown said. “Many populations, such as members of ethnic minorities, individuals who are LGBTQI and rural communities, face additional challenges in accessing and receiving care due to historic and present stigma and discrimination. We are determined to ensure all behavioral health providers in West Virginia have the skills and awareness to provide services that are effective, inclusive, engaging, culturally responsive and culturally appropriate.”
Funding for the center was provided through the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration’s Treatment Block Grant and the Community Mental Health Services Block Grant.
The $425,000 grant aims to increase behavioral health workforce excellence by providing training in evidence-based practices statewide to reduce behavioral health disparities related to mental health and substance misuse. The center encourages professionals throughout the state to sign up for the free virtual trainings that will run through the summer months.
For more information contact Aabel-Brown by e-mail aabelbrown@marshall.edu.