Free, OASAS-Sponsored EBP Trainings

Certified professionals can learn the latest evidence-based models, principles, and techniques in addiction and behavioral health treatment at Outreach Training Institute (OTI). Participants can earn CASAC hours, as well as Continuing Education Hours for Social Workers, Mental Health Counselors, and Marriage and Family Therapists.

OTI’s experienced team of trainers, the majority of whom work in the field, offer students an informative and valuable skills-building experience. Courses feature overviews of evidence-based practice models such as Seeking Safety and Motivational Interviewing, two of our most popular and in-demand courses.

Professional Development Training for your Organization

Liliane Drago, MA, CASAC, MAC
Director, Outreach Training Institute
lilianedrago@opiny.org

SOR Training

Free training for staff working in OASAS-licensed programs in New York State via OASAS-Funded State Opioid Response (SOR) Grant-Funded Training. All courses provide continuing education hours for CASAC, SW, MHC, and MFT!

Training for all staff working in OASAS-licensed programs in New York State are available at no charge under the OASAS SOR grant. SOR funded agencies throughout New York State will be prioritized, and others can also be admitted space permitting. Please see a listing of the trainings currently scheduled.

Important: Outreach Training Institute has transitioned to a new Learning Management System, Digital Chalk. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to create an account. To apply for any of the courses, you will need to complete a separate registration form for each course. You will receive a response to confirm your enrollment. Please save your login credentials, as you will need them to access the training and future certificates or course registrations. 

SOR REGISTRATION LINK

September

Working with Alcohol and Substance Abusers Who Are Unable to Sustain Abstinence (3 hours)

Many people making recovery attempts, whether through treatment or other means, find themselves unable to sustain long term abstinence.  These “chronic” patients are a source of frustration to treatment staff and others.  Mere repetition of past interventions with the patient is often unproductive.  The workshop will provide a framework to identify and address possible hidden factors which have been obstacles to sustained abstinence.

  • Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

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Writing a Billable Note (3 hours)

This course will teach participants the elements of a good progress note that includes the criteria required by Medicaid and other payers. Participants will learn to write exactly what is needed for reimbursement and to be more efficient in their documentation by eliminating unnecessary verbiage.

  • Date: Tuesday, September 9, 2025
  • Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

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Fentanyl, Xylazine and Polysubstance Use (3 hours)

This training will review information on recent drug adulterants , fentanyl and xylazine, including prevalence rates and implications of use. The training will also review extant guidelines on safer use and strategies to facilitate discussions about drug adulterants.

  • Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Registration Deadline: September 12, 2025

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Improving Client Engagement and Compliance (3 Hours)

This course will focus on how to effectively engage clients in treatment and use evidenced-based strategies shown to increase retention. Strategies to develop rapport, address client anxieties and apprehensions about treatment, increase motivation, collaboratively establish treatment goals, and establish a working alliance will be examined. Participants will practice using some of these strategies in counseling simulations.

  • Time: 2:00 pm – 5:00 pm

Registration Deadline: September 12, 2025

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Crisis Prevention and De-Escalation (3 hours)

This course teaches participants to use Nonviolent Crisis Intervention by the Crisis Prevention Institute (CPI). Participants learn to appropriately intervene at every level of a crisis, with emphasis on the identification of the early stages of a crisis and how to prevent its escalation. The use of verbal de-escalation and personal safety techniques is introduced and practiced. The overarching priority of this approach is to keep both clients and staff safe.

  • Time: 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM
  • Trainer: Dr. Kalisha Smith, DSW, LCSW, CASAC Master Counselor, Director, Outreach Training Institute, Outreach Development Corporation

Registration Deadline: September 19, 2025

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Important: Outreach Training Institute has transitioned to a new Learning Management System, Digital Chalk. As part of the registration process, you will be asked to create an account. To apply for any of the courses, you will need to complete a separate registration form for each course. You will receive a response to confirm your enrollment. Please save your login credentials, as you will need them to access the training and future certificates or course registrations. 

SOR REGISTRATION LINK

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