Goal Planning for Community Inclusion

The concept of Community Inclusion is often misunderstood in recovery services. While Community Inclusion can mean hosting special events and trips for our participants, it’s also about helping people to reclaim their independence. Rather than grocery shopping on a person’s behalf, staff have the opportunity to promote participant choice and self-determination by assisting individuals with the process of making a list, discussing recipes they would like to try, shopping together, and ultimately cooking that special meal side-by-side. This type of fulfilling and impactful engagement facilitates a greater degree of dignity and autonomy, while also building trust, rapport, and meaningful connection. In this workshop, attendees will learn strategies for helping service recipients to develop goal plans that are robust, achievable, and grounded in the tenets of Community Inclusion.

Schedule

1:45-2:00 PM | Virtual training room opens
2:00-2:15 PM | Welcome, introductions, & check-in activity
2:15-2:45 PM | Defining community inclusion, intersection of community inclusion and direct service supports
2:45-3:15 PM | Case study review & discussion
3:15-3:30 PM | Summary, closing remarks, & Q&A

Learning objectives
When attendees return to the workplace, they will be able to:

• Define community inclusion and articulate the importance of utilizing community inclusion practices in service delivery
• Understand intersections of community inclusion and basic direct service supports
• Utilizing case study examples, identify how incorporating community inclusion practices in service delivery can positively impact program participants

Target Audience: Social service providers and helping professionals
with direct client contact, including case managers, peer specialists, and clinical supervisors.
Social Work Practice Level: This course is appropriate for beginner and
intermediate BSW/ MSW learners.
Content Level: This course covers beginner and intermediate
level material.
Course Delivery Format: Live webinar
Interactivity: This course will offer 15 minutes of Q&A time, as well as real-time polling, and group discussion prompts.
LSW/LCSW and PCB Continuing Education Credit: 1.5*
Fees: $20 general registration; additional $5 for registration with LSW/LCSW CE credit
For PCB credit please use the general registration for checkout.  
Registration includes access to the live event and recording, PDF of slides, and relevant training tip sheets/resources.

Session Facilitators:

Rob Wetherington, MA joined Pathways to Housing PA in 2012 to develop art programming to foster connections between staff and participants. Having spent more than fifteen years in homeless services both as an employee and volunteer, Rob’s emphasis has been to help people reimagine their lives through the arts, peer support, and clinical services. Rob has helped to build the Community Inclusion and Advocacy Department at Pathways, which acts as a conduit to community resources and strives to support participants living in the community like everyone else. Partnering with the clinical teams, the department assesses activities participants want to explore and bridges participants to the community. Rob earned a BFA in Art Education from Old Dominion University and an MA in Urban Studies at Eastern University.

Ryan Villagran, LSW, joined Housing First University in June 2021 as a Training Specialist. Ryan holds a Master of Social Work from Temple University with a concentration in Communities & Policy. His clinical background includes delivering psychiatric rehabilitation services in the mental health recovery model at a Community Integrated Recovery Center. Ryan also developed and coordinated a training program in a university setting for social workers serving transitional-aged youth and later taught a Human Behavior in the Social Environment course for graduate social work students. Ryan is involved in organizing efforts around ending mass incarceration and believes in the power of our collective imagination to dream of a better future centered around the most vulnerable members of our community.

*CE credit is available to (1) PA Certification Board credentialed professionals, (2) Licensed Social Workers (LSW), and (3) Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) ONLY.  Due to current regulations, CE credits cannot be offered to social workers in the states of New Jersey or New York.  All others: please check with your professional licensing board to see if this course qualifies for credit towards your needed continuing education hours.