Special Topics
Advancing
Social Change
Enhance your care and career.
Human service professionals work with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities to promote social justice and social change. We provide training on relevant Special Topics, developed to promote awareness and sensitivity of cultural and ethnic diversity to ensure we collectively live and practice core values.
Biennium 2025-2027 Classes
Registration is now open for biennium 2025-2027.
Empowering Employment: Guiding Clients with Disabilities Toward Workplace Success!
October 16, 2025
8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Virtual
Fee: $109
Discover how social workers, counselors and therapists can be pivotal in helping clients build confidence and seize opportunities in the workforce. We will explore the transformative impact of employment for individuals with disabilities. Beyond financial stability, meaningful work offers a sense of purpose, belonging and self-empowerment. We will also explore the fundamental principles of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and incentive benefit planning. This module equips you to support your clients on their path to independence, growth and professional fulfillment.
- Explore the diverse range of hidden disabilities, gaining a deeper understanding of what they are and how they silently affect employees in the workplace.
- Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of hidden disabilities and their potential impact on employee performance and well-being.
- Integrating employment into treatment by guiding clients toward understanding the benefits of meaningful employment and incorporating employment goals.
Continuing Education: 0.4 CEUs/4 CEHs
Instructor
Kate Kirchner, CRC, LPC
Kate Kirchner is experienced in providing comprehensive vocational services and supports to individuals with disabilities. Skilled in vocational evaluation, assessment and job placement services, she evaluates strong ability to evaluate and analyze detailed labor market information. She has proven skills in engaging and networking with employers to develop employment options, which has resulted in an 83% job placement rate.
Unlocking Healing: Exploring Brainspotting & the Triune Brain for Post-Traumatic Growth
December 11, 2025
8:30-10:30 a.m.
Virtual
Fee: $49
Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how the brain processes trauma, adversity and social conditioning—and how bottom-up therapy methods, primarily Brainspotting, can foster profound post-traumatic growth.
- Explore the triune brain model, discovering how different regions respond to stress and trauma, and why traditional talk therapy may not fully access the deeper, implicit memories stored in the brain.
- Learn the foundational principles of Brainspotting, including how “where you look affects how you feel,” the uncertainty principle, dual attunement frame and the connection between Brainspotting and brain functioning.
- Understand and differentiate between the two primary models of Brainspotting: activation and resource, and how each approach offers unique support in processing and healing.
Continuing Education: 0.2 CEUs/2 CEHs
Instructor
Patrice Flanagan Morris
Patrice Flanagan-Morris is a licensed clinical social worker and owns a Brainspotting group practice in Waukesha, Empowerment Within LLC. Patrice prides herself on supporting her clients and community on psychoeducation to destigmatize mental health struggles and helps them find innovative ways to heal.
EFCT (Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy)
April 9-10, 2026
8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
In-Person, Green Bay Campus
Fee: $229
Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) is an evidence-based, structured approach to couples therapy that helps partners create stronger, more secure emotional bonds. Grounded in attachment theory, EFCT offers a roadmap for understanding relational distress and guiding couples toward deeper connection and lasting change. In this interactive workshop, participants will explore the foundational concepts of EFCT and gain practical skills to begin incorporating EFCT principles into their clinical work. Whether you are new to EFCT or looking to deepen your understanding, this workshop will provide a comprehensive introduction to this transformative therapeutic model. **This workshop is ideal for mental health professionals, graduate students, and anyone interested in learning how to help couples build stronger, more secure connections.
- Understand attachment theory as the foundation for EFCT and its role in shaping relationship dynamics.
- Explore the role of emotions in EFCT and how they drive relational patterns.
- Learn the three stages and nine steps of EFCT, providing a structured framework for therapy.
Continuing Education: 1.2 CEUs/12 CEHs
Instructors
Jennifer Olkowski
Jennifer Olkowski is a mental health therapist with over 20 years of experience helping clients move through their crisis and challenges and life adjustments.
Jessica Schroeder
Jessica Schroeder is the owner and clinical director of JS Therapy Group, LLC which has three locations located in the Kansas City metro.
Be the
Change
Self-paced Special Topics courses offered in collaboration with Aspire Training.
We have collaborated with Aspire Training to offer a UW-Green Bay discount on self-paced courses that fulfill Special Topics requirements. Your choice of bundles or individual courses in wide-ranging topics, including therapeutic communication, harm reduction, service plans, multiculturalism and more.
Ethics and Boundaries
Our courses in Ethics and Boundaries are rooted in the core values of service, social justice, dignity and worth of the person, importance of human relationships, integrity and competence.
Free APS Program
If you are a licensed professional, serving protected adults, we partnered with Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) to offer a free Adult Protective Services (APS) program, delivering expert-led sessions that will expand your knowledge, skills and best practices.
Need Guidance?
If you need additional guidance, please contact Kayle Petitjean, Office of Professional Continuing Education, at professionaled@uwgb.edu or (920) 465-2642.