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Live Zoom Professional Development

These are live webinar courses.  In-person workshops will be identified. If you want to take them on demand, do not register here.

WMHCA Cancellation Policy

To receive a refund for a Zoom workshop, less a $15 cancellation fee, cancellations must be made by contacting WMHCA at least 48 hours prior to the workshop date. There will be no refunds within 48 hours of the workshop date.To receive a refund for a live in-person workshop, less a $15 cancellation fee, cancellations must be made by contacting WMHCA at least 7 days prior to the workshop date. There will be no refunds within 7 days of the workshop date.


Please make sure you have the link 24 hours prior to the event starting.  

Upcoming events

    • 08/14/2025
    • 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Live Synchronous Zoom Event
    • 22
    Register

    Description:

    Ever since the 2014 Matt Adler Act was signed into law, mental health professionals have been required to receive training in assessment, management, and treatment of suicide risk as part of their continuing education requirements.  This six-hour presentation meets the Washington state CE requirements, and provides a practical, hands-on introduction for both new and experienced practitioners.  The presentation will cover the assessment, management, and treatment of suicide risk in depth. The Assessment section will address informed consent and confidentiality, interviewing, risk factors and warning signs, accessory behaviors and co-morbid issues, suicide contagion, and using risk protocols.  The Management section will explore immediate threats, active ideation, and emergencies, alongside distal threats, passive ideation, and para-suicidal behavior such as self-injury. Methods of reducing risk of contagion in a community following a suicide are reviewed, alongside the documentation of persisting suicidal risk.  In the Treatment section, participants will be trained in the use of safety planning and coping skills training.  Throughout the training, participants will have the opportunity to watch videos, engage in role-playing, and complete case studies in teams.  

    Meets Department of Health requirement of being on the model list. 


    Objectives: Participants will:

    • Understand legal reporting and documentation requirements for working with suicidal clients, compared to homicidal clients

    • Know risk factors and protective factors for suicide attempts among different social and cultural populations, including population-specific data to clients in the military/veterans

    • Learn to evaluate risk of imminent harm through self-injurious behaviors or lethal means, including objects, substances and actions commonly used in suicide attempts and their lethality, the importance of screening for and restricting access to lethal means in effective suicide prevention, communication strategies for talking with clients and their support people about lethal means, and how to recognize non-suicidal self-injury and other self-injurious behaviors and assess the intent of self-injury through suicide risk assessment

    • Learn how to structure an interview to gather information from a client on suicide risk, protective factors, and warning signs, including substance use

    • Practice strategies for safety planning and monitoring use of the safety plan, including how to conduct means restriction counseling with suicidal clients, particularly in regard to firearms, and continuity of care through transitions such as discharge and referral

    • Learn empirically-informed approaches to the treatment and management of suicide risk, including strategies from dialectical behavior therapy alongside medical interventions

    • Determine when to involve third party support systems in the treatment and management of suicidal clients

    • Consider when to refer suicidal clients to more intensive and restrictive settings on the continuum of care, and identify appropriate actions and referrals for various levels of suicide risk

    • Differentiate between suicidal vs. non-suicidal self-injury

    • Examine special considerations for suicidal risk among veteran populations through a guided case study and practice skills through small group work

    About the Presenter: 

    Emily is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Substance Use Disorder Professional and a clinical supervisor with the state of Washington. Emily has a private practice that is telehealth based with an office in South King County. She sees adults, teens and couples.

    Emily has also been involved in training and teaching and has done so with NW ATTC, the Washington Mental Health Counselor’s Association, City University of Seattle and she has been a guest speaking at a variety of schools in the greater Seattle area. Throughout her career she has worked in crisis management and stabilization primarily with youth and young adults. This work was done in a community based mental health agency, as the lead for a crisis outreach team and as a mental health evaluator at Seattle Children’s Hospital emergency room.  In her work with clients, her areas of expertise include working with teens, young adults, adults and couples in life transition and mood-related disorders, and around self-harm/suicide assessment, prevention, intervention, and management, the intersection of co-occurring disorders and in clinical supervision.
    Registration closes: August 11, 2025 

    This course is approved for 6 CE hours for LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and all associate-level licensees in Washington State


    Washington Mental Health Association (WMHCA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 2079. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. WMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

    WMHCA Cancellation Policy

    To receive a refund, less a $15 cancellation fee, cancellations must be made by contacting WMHCA at least 48 hours prior to workshop date. There will be no refunds within 48 hours of the workshop date. Please make sure you have the link 24 hours prior to the event starting. 

    • 08/26/2025
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Live Synchronous Zoom Event
    • 17
    Register

    Description:

    For many clinicians, patient lethality and mandatory reporting are some of the most difficult topics to navigate. In this 3 hour workshop we will examine the applicable Washington State laws and regulations regarding mandatory reporting obligations with a specific focus on how these rules apply to the delicate balance of protecting client best interest and confidentiality while still meeting the reporting obligations in behavioral health settings.

    Participants will gain increased ability to implement strategies to minimize risk and to limit liability to best support their clients and patients. This course is intended to meet ethics CE requirements.

    Objectives:

    • Participants will be able to:
    • Identify and apply legal guidelines regarding mandatory reporting obligations;
    • Distinguish mandatory reporting obligations from the duty to avoid harm;
    • Create and evaluate strategies to meet legal reporting requirements while maximizing client/patient support;
    • Apply the legal and ethical standards to a range of case study scenarios. 

    About the Presenter:

    Eric Ström is an attorney and Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Seattle,Washington. As an attorney, Eric provides legal counsel, consultation, and guidance to mental health professionals. Eric’s clinical practice is focused on providing counseling services to combat veterans and those in other high-stress professions.  Eric currently serves on the American Mental Health Counselors Association Ethics Committee, and is the ethics advisor for the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association.  Eric has taught a range of courses in counseling and professional ethics at a variety of graduate and undergraduate programs.

    Eric earned a PhD in Counseling at Oregon State University, graduated cum laude from Wayne State University School of Law in Detroit Michigan, earned a Master of Arts Degree in Counseling Psychology from the Northwest School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University Seattle, attended the Hague Academy of International Law in the Hague Netherlands, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics from the University of Michigan.
    Registration closes: August 22, 2025

    This course is approved for 3 CE hours for LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and all associate-level licensees in Washington State


    Washington Mental Health Association (WMHCA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 2079. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. WMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

    WMHCA Cancellation Policy

    To receive a refund, less a $15 cancellation fee, cancellations must be made by contacting WMHCA at least 48 hours prior to workshop date. There will be no refunds within 48 hours of the workshop date. Please make sure you have the link 24 hours prior to the event starting. 

    • 08/28/2025
    • 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM
    • Live Synchronous Zoom Event
    • 34
    Register

    Description:

    Ever since the 2014 Matt Adler Act was signed into law, mental health professionals have been required to receive training in assessment, management, and treatment of suicide risk as part of their continuing education requirements.  This six-hour presentation meets the Washington state CE requirements, and provides a practical, hands-on introduction for both new and experienced practitioners.  The presentation will cover the assessment, management, and treatment of suicide risk in depth. The Assessment section will address informed consent and confidentiality, interviewing, risk factors and warning signs, accessory behaviors and co-morbid issues, suicide contagion, and using risk protocols.  The Management section will explore immediate threats, active ideation, and emergencies, alongside distal threats, passive ideation, and para-suicidal behavior such as self-injury. Methods of reducing risk of contagion in a community following a suicide are reviewed, alongside the documentation of persisting suicidal risk.  In the Treatment section, participants will be trained in the use of safety planning and coping skills training.  Throughout the training, participants will have the opportunity to watch videos, engage in role-playing, and complete case studies in teams.  

    Meets Department of Health requirement of being on the model list. 


    Objectives: Participants will:

    • Understand legal reporting and documentation requirements for working with suicidal clients, compared to homicidal clients

    • Know risk factors and protective factors for suicide attempts among different social and cultural populations, including population-specific data to clients in the military/veterans

    • Learn to evaluate risk of imminent harm through self-injurious behaviors or lethal means, including objects, substances and actions commonly used in suicide attempts and their lethality, the importance of screening for and restricting access to lethal means in effective suicide prevention, communication strategies for talking with clients and their support people about lethal means, and how to recognize non-suicidal self-injury and other self-injurious behaviors and assess the intent of self-injury through suicide risk assessment

    • Learn how to structure an interview to gather information from a client on suicide risk, protective factors, and warning signs, including substance use

    • Practice strategies for safety planning and monitoring use of the safety plan, including how to conduct means restriction counseling with suicidal clients, particularly in regard to firearms, and continuity of care through transitions such as discharge and referral

    • Learn empirically-informed approaches to the treatment and management of suicide risk, including strategies from dialectical behavior therapy alongside medical interventions

    • Determine when to involve third party support systems in the treatment and management of suicidal clients

    • Consider when to refer suicidal clients to more intensive and restrictive settings on the continuum of care, and identify appropriate actions and referrals for various levels of suicide risk

    • Differentiate between suicidal vs. non-suicidal self-injury

    • Examine special considerations for suicidal risk among veteran populations through a guided case study and practice skills through small group work

    About the Presenter: 

    Emily is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Substance Use Disorder Professional and a clinical supervisor with the state of Washington. Emily has a private practice that is telehealth based with an office in South King County. She sees adults, teens and couples.

    Emily has also been involved in training and teaching and has done so with NW ATTC, the Washington Mental Health Counselor’s Association, City University of Seattle and she has been a guest speaking at a variety of schools in the greater Seattle area. Throughout her career she has worked in crisis management and stabilization primarily with youth and young adults. This work was done in a community based mental health agency, as the lead for a crisis outreach team and as a mental health evaluator at Seattle Children’s Hospital emergency room.  In her work with clients, her areas of expertise include working with teens, young adults, adults and couples in life transition and mood-related disorders, and around self-harm/suicide assessment, prevention, intervention, and management, the intersection of co-occurring disorders and in clinical supervision.
    Registration closes: August 25, 2025 

    This course is approved for 6 CE hours for LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and all associate-level licensees in Washington State


    Washington Mental Health Association (WMHCA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 2079. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. WMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

    WMHCA Cancellation Policy

    To receive a refund, less a $15 cancellation fee, cancellations must be made by contacting WMHCA at least 48 hours prior to workshop date. There will be no refunds within 48 hours of the workshop date. Please make sure you have the link 24 hours prior to the event starting. 

    • 09/25/2025
    • 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Live Synchronous Zoom Event
    • 168
    Register

    Description:

    Balancing the protection of client confidentiality against compliance with subpoenas and court orders can be both challenging and stress-inducing for may clinicians.  An effective understanding of the legal and ethical requirements regarding confidently, subpoenas, client advocacy and in-court testimony is vital to effective clinical work and is a key part of sound professional practice.  In this workshop we will examine legal and ethical standards regarding releasing client information within the legal system.  We will also discuss best-practices to support effective clinical work with clients while minimizing exposure to liability.  This course is intended to meet Law & Ethics CEU requirements.

    Objectives:

    Participants will be able to:

    • Locate and describe legal and ethical standards relating to confidentiality and privilege;

    • Locate and describe Federal and Washington State legal standards relating to subpoenas;

    • Create and evaluate strategies to for in court testimony and advocacy to best support effective work with clients;

    • Apply best practice standards to responding to subpoenas and other court orders.

    About the Presenter:

    Eric Ström is an attorney and Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Seattle,Washington. As an attorney, Eric provides legal counsel, consultation, and guidance to mental health professionals. Eric’s clinical practice is focused on providing counseling services to combat veterans and those in other high-stress professions.  Eric currently serves on the American Mental Health Counselors Association Ethics Committee, and is the ethics advisor for the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association.  Eric has taught a range of courses in counseling and professional ethics at a variety of graduate and undergraduate programs.

    Eric earned a PhD in Counseling at Oregon State University, graduated cum laude from Wayne State University School of Law in Detroit Michigan, earned a Master of Arts Degree in Counseling Psychology from the Northwest School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University Seattle, attended the Hague Academy of International Law in the Hague Netherlands, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics from the University of Michigan.
    Registration closes: September 21, 2025

    This course is approved for 3 CE hours for LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and all associate-level licensees in Washington State


    Washington Mental Health Association (WMHCA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 2079. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. WMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

    WMHCA Cancellation Policy

    To receive a refund, less a $15 cancellation fee, cancellations must be made by contacting WMHCA at least 48 hours prior to workshop date. There will be no refunds within 48 hours of the workshop date. Please make sure you have the link 24 hours prior to the event starting. 

    • 10/09/2025
    • 10/16/2025
    • 2 sessions
    • Live Synchronous Zoom Event
    • 169
    Register

    Description:

    Expanding your clinical practice with employees can provide a range of opportunities and potential pit falls.  In this workshop we will examine the legal, ethical, and practical standards regarding employment in health care. Among the topics we will discuss are, types of employment, the hiring process, employment contracts versus handbooks, wage and benefit requirements, employee termination, and Washington’s non-compete laws.  This course is intended to meet ethics continuing education requirements.

    Through this two-part 6 hour workshop, participants will have the opportunity to discover the guidance provided by state law, federal law, and a range of applicable ethical codes.  In addition to the provided case studies and scenarios, participants are encouraged to share their own experiences, questions and thoughts.

    Objectives:

    Participants will be able to:

    • After taking part in this training, participants will be able to:

    • Describe the key legal, ethical, and liability differences between employees and independent contractors;

    • Understand and describe difference between At-Will and For Cause employment;

    • Identify and describe Washington legal standards regarding termination of employment and non-compete agreements;

    • Create strategies for legal and ethical hiring processes.

    • Describe and apply Washington state sick leave and family care leave rules.

    About the Presenter:

    Eric Ström is an attorney and Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Seattle,Washington. As an attorney, Eric provides legal counsel, consultation, and guidance to mental health professionals. Eric’s clinical practice is focused on providing counseling services to combat veterans and those in other high-stress professions.  Eric currently serves on the American Mental Health Counselors Association Ethics Committee, and is the ethics advisor for the Washington Mental Health Counselors Association.  Eric has taught a range of courses in counseling and professional ethics at a variety of graduate and undergraduate programs.

    Eric earned a PhD in Counseling at Oregon State University, graduated cum laude from Wayne State University School of Law in Detroit Michigan, earned a Master of Arts Degree in Counseling Psychology from the Northwest School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University Seattle, attended the Hague Academy of International Law in the Hague Netherlands, and received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Linguistics from the University of Michigan.
    Registration closes: October 5, 2025

    This course is approved fo 6 CE hours for LMHCs, LMFTs, LCSWs, and all associate-level licensees in Washington State


    Washington Mental Health Association (WMHCA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 2079. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. WMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

    WMHCA Cancellation Policy

    To receive a refund, less a $15 cancellation fee, cancellations must be made by contacting WMHCA at least 48 hours prior to workshop date. There will be no refunds within 48 hours of the workshop date. Please make sure you have the link 24 hours prior to the event starting. 

WMHCA will grant scholarships to online webinars for a limited number of applicants who would not otherwise be able to attend due to financial constraints. The number of available scholarship seats for each webinar will be determined based on total space available and other constraints specific to the individual webinar.

Learn More about Professional Development Scholarships Applicant must meet the following criteria:
  • Current, active member of WMHCA
  • Have an active license or associate license in Washington State
  • Currently serving clients
  • Experience financial constraints that would otherwise prohibit attendance

Priority will be given to applicants of historically marginalized identities with particular attention to BIPOC, immigrant, LGBTGEQIAP+, and disability identities.

WMHCA will offer scholarships for online webinars to a limited number of applicants who are unable to attend due to financial constraints.The number of scholarship seats available for each webinar will depend on the total capacity and specific limitations for that particular webinar.

WMHCA tracks demographic data to ensure our policies and practices allow for equitable access to our programming. WMHCA encourages you to log in to your member profile on our website and ensure your demographic information is completed.

Washington Mental HealthCounselors Association (WMHCA) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP   No. 2079. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. WMHCA is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

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