NYS OMH Children, Youth and Families Mental Health Evidence-Based Practice Project
In collaboration with the New York Office of Mental Health’s Western Region, we offer free training to eligible agency employees within the 19 western region counties who work with children, youth and their families in providing mental health services.
Eligibility
Who is eligible to attend? Staff from agency providers within the 19 counties of Western New York who provide NYS OMH funded services to children, adolescents and their families. If you are not sure your program is eligible, please contact sw-ebp@buffalo.edu.
Add to Email List: If you would like to be added to our email list, and meet the eligibility criteria, please follow the directions for signing up and registering to join the OMH EBP Membership Group.
- Go to the membership page. Click on the "Join" button. This will prompt you to login or create an account.
- New accounts: If you are creating an account for the first time, you may create an account with a personal or agency email. The email used to create your account will receive training announcements.
- Existing accounts: If you already have an account from taking any of our online self-study programs (including any of our trauma certificate programs), please use the login information you used for these courses.
- Once you create an account or log into an existing account, you will be able to complete your request to join the OMH group. If you have trouble, go back to the membership page.
- NOTE: You have to go through the process as if you were making a purchase and authorize the membership renewal question. There is no cost and you will not be asked to provide any payment information. You know you are done when you select "Click here to complete this order" and receive a confirmation email.
- All membership requests are reviewed for eligibility and you will be considered "pending" until "approved". You will receive email updates regarding the status of your membership and you can check the status in your account by going to the "Membership" tab.
- We ask that anyone who changes employers prior to the annual renewal contact sw-ebp@buffalo.edu to determine continued eligibility.
- All courses can be found on this webpage by clicking on the workshop title below.
- NOTE: Courses will not appear in the catalog until the day registration opens. To access the course information prior to registration opening you must use the title links to expand the section and click on the registration button. As in the past, an email notification will be sent the day registration opens with a direct link to register for the workshop in our new system.
- Once registration opens, you must be signed in to register for courses. You can access trainings open for registration by going to the "Membership" tab in your account, find the OMH membership group, and click on the "Enter Group" button to be taken to a list of all active trainings open for registration.
Annual Training Schedule
Each year, approximately four trainings are scheduled that are free to eligible staff. Once scheduled, details will be posted in this section. Registration opens approximately six weeks prior to the training date. Scheduled trainings are announced via email.
2026 Workshops
Tuesday, September 29, 2026 9:00am - 4:00pm Understanding and Treating Youth Impacted by Parental Mental Illness with Jaimee Arnoff, PhD
Registration Opens 7/21/26
Friday, October 23, 2026 9:00am - 4:00pm Pediatric Bipolar Spectrum Disorder: Differential Diagnosis and Evidence-Based Psychosocial Approaches with Tina Goldstein, PhD
Registration Opens 8/14/26
Friday, November 6, 2026 9:00am - 4:00pm The Mental Playbook: Core Performance Psychology Strategies for Youth Clinical Practice with Craig Cypher, PsyD, CMPC
Registration Opens 8/28/26
Thursday, July 24, 2025: Strengthening Families: Engaging Fathers and Father Figures in Child Welfare and Treatment with Michelle Reines, MSW | Todd Hickman, LCSW
Registration opens: May 15, 2025
Tuesday, August 19, 2025: Families & Schools Together (FAST) - An Evidence-Based approach to supporting children by empowering families, strengthening protective factors, and building meaningful connections with Nichole Christiansen, M.S., C.A.S. | Marlen Pérez, LMFT
Registration opens: June 10, 2025
- FAST Live In-Person in Buffalo - location coming soon.
- FAST Live Online simultaneously
Wednesday, September 17, 2025: Drugs, Alcohol, Pregnancy and the Vulnerable Family: Ensuring Best Outcomes for Families and Children Affected by Perinatal Substance Abuse with Ira Chasnoff, MD
Registration opens: July 9, 2025
Thursday, October 30, 2025: Understanding Problematic Sexual Behaviors in Children and Youth: Identification, Differentiation, and Intervention with Geoff Sidoli, MSW, LCSW, ATSAF
Registration opens: August 14, 2025
- Problematic Sexual Behaviors in Youth Live In-Person at UB
- Problematic Sexual Behaviors Live Online simultaneously
Thursday, November 6, 2025 (morning): Cultural Humility and Mandated Reporting: Providing Respectful Services to Clients and Families with Wayne Brown, LCSW, EdM.
Important: This training meets the new requirements as of September 1, 2025 and requires completion by all mandated reporters by November 17, 2026. Questions? Email sw-ebp@buffalo.edu or call 716-829-5843.
Registration opens: August 14, 2025
Registration opens: September 5, 2025
Friday, November 14, 2025 (morning): Inclusive and Effective Mental Health Practices for Autistic and Neurodivergent Children and Adolescents with Diane Gould, LCSW
Registration opens: September 5, 2025
Mental Health Practices for Autistic and Neurodivergent Children and Adolescents - Live Online ONLY
Monday, June 17, 2024: The (not so) Silent Crisis: Understanding and Addressing Youth Suicide Risk with Jonathan Singer, PhD, LCSW
Registration opens 4/29/24
Wednesday, July 24, 2024: Culturally Competent Boundary Setting and Mandated Reporting: Providing Respectful Services to Clients and Families with Wayne Brown, LCSW, EdM
Registration opens 5/29/24
- Boundaries and Mandated Reporting Live In-Person
- Boundaries and Mandated Reporting Live Online simultaneously
Friday, September 13, 2024: From Jinxes to “Just right” to Germs: Applying Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy to Pediatric OCD and Related Disorders with Jessica Bodie, PhD
Registration opens 7/19/24
- Pediatric OCD and Related Disorders Live In-Person
- Pediatric OCD and Related Disorders Live Online simultaneously
Monday, October 28, 2024 (morning): Strategic Patient Diagnosis: Enhancing Therapeutic Alliances, Diagnostic Precision, and Inter-Professional Communication in Clinical Practice with Iustinian Rusu, MD
Registration opens 8/26/24
Monday, October 28, 2024 (afternoon): Mood Disorders Across Developmental Spectrums: Assessment and Interventions with Iustinian Rusu, MD
Registration opens 8/26/24
Friday, September 8, 2023: Surviving and Thriving in Children's Mental Health Care Settings with Beth Tripi, LCSW-R, PhD Candidate
Registration Opens: 7/14/23
Thursday, September 21, 2023: Measurement-Based Care: Guiding treatment and improving outcomes using the tools you already have with Ruben Martinez, PhD
Registration Opens: 7/27/23
Friday, October 6, 2023: Effective Planning, Strategies, and Immediate Techniques: Working with Oppositional, Defiant & Disruptive Behavioral Populations with Jennifer Wilke-Deaton, MA, LPA
Registration Opens: 8/11/23
Thursday, November 2, 2023: The Power of Showing Up: Clinical Application of Interpersonal Neurobiology, and Practical Parenting with the Brain in Mind with Tina Payne Bryson, PhD, LCSW
Registration Opens: 9/7/23
We hope you enjoyed the 2022 Family Therapy Series! See you next year. Missed a course? Check the links to see if there is a self-study available (if there is you will see the listed course as not active but a note on the side for other formats and self-study will be listed)!
August 2022:
- Tuesday, August 2, 2022: Effectively Engage Parents in Treatment: Teaching Parent Skills to Improve Child Outcomes with Francyne Zelster, PsyD and Ariel Kornblum, PsyD, BCBA, LBA.
- Wednesday, August 10, 2022: Functional Family Therapy: An evolving Evidence-Based treatment for contemporary family issues with Thomas Sexton, Ph.D. and Marta Anderson, LCSW.
September 2022:
- Wednesday, September 14, 2022: Passing It Along: Family Coping with Continuous Stress & Trauma with Laurel Kiser, Ph.D., MBA.
- Friday, September 23, 2022: Parenting the Rainbow: Supporting Families of Transgender Youth with Misty Ginicola (She/They), Ph.D., LPC, CYA-RYT-200.
October 2022:
- Friday, October 14, 2022: A Family and Developmentally based CBT Model for Treating Anxiety in Youth with Anne Marie Albano, PhD, ABPP.
- Tuesday, October 25, 2022 (morning): Understanding, Identifying, and Using Countertransference with Families with Laura Rivela, LCSW-R, BCD, BCTP-II.
- Tuesday, October 25, 2022 (afternoon): Countertransference Skills for the Clinical Supervisor: A Spotlight on Family Therapy with Laura Rivela, LCSW-R, BCD, BCTP-II.
Missed a course? Check the links to see if there is a self-study available (if there is you will see the listed course as not active but a note on the side for other formats and self-study will be listed)!
Friday, July 23, 2021: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Youth Anxiety in the Era of COVID with Omar Gudiño, Ph.D., ABPP
Due to the nature of this training, it is limited to 100 participants.
August 2 and 4, 2021 (2 Half-Days): Foundations of Anti-Racist Clinical Practice: Examining Biases and Harmful Thinking, with Lyrica Fils-Aimé
Friday, August 20, 2021 (Half-Day): Therapeutic Crisis Intervention (TCI): Individual and Organizational Criteria That Lead to a Successful Response to Stressful Incidents with Mary Ruberti, LMSW
Monday, September 27, 2021: Grief Wisdom for Youth and Families: Understanding the journey of loss and accessing the wisdom of grief with Charlene Ray, LICSW
Wednesday, October 20, 2021: Advances in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: Positive Psychology Interventions to Promote Resilience, Positive Emotions & Personal Growth in Youth with David Pratt, Ph.D., MSW.
Friday, December 3, 2021: Strengths-based strategies for reducing substance use and mental health in urban Black youth and families with Ijeoma Opara, Ph.D., LMSW, MPH
ADA Accomodations
If you require any support for your accessibility (ADA) needs in the United States, please contact us at least 3 weeks prior to the event by email at sw-ebp@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5843.
Customer Service
We are happy to respond to any concerns or questions you may have. Please contact us at by email at sw-epb@buffalo.edu or by phone at 716-829-5843.
Cancellation Policy
Please notify us by email at least five business days before the scheduled training for anticipated cancellations. All emergency cancellations must also be reported by email. Contact us at sw-ebp@buffalo.edu.
Due to the popularity of the workshops, no shows are at risk for not being able to attend future workshops.