DCCBH: Individual Course Summaries
Below, you can review a summary of each course included in Disability Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health Providers (DCCBH) Series, along with expected course duration and continued education (CE) credits awarded.
Continued Education credits are awarded for completion of individual courses.
This introductory course on disability is designed to provide behavioral health professionals with knowledge and skills to better understand and support individuals who have disabilities. This course covers a wide range of topics, including the many identities of people with disabilities, and the social determinants of health, ableism, and the previous models of care that have negatively impacted the well-being of the disabled community. It also highlights what disability-competent care looks like, and the importance of activism, continuous learning, and the disability justice movement.
This course is designed to provide you with knowledge and skills to better understand and support children and youth who have experienced brain injuries. It covers a wide range of topics, including types and classifications of brain injuries, special considerations for working with children and youth, an in-depth look at the school system and academic supports, and specific case studies to illuminate how to work with youth with mild, moderate, and severe brain injuries. Through this course, you will gain a deeper understanding of the impact of brain injuries on a child or youth’s life, including physical, cognitive, and emotional consequences, and come away with tools to help support the individual’s specific needs.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) often goes undiagnosed in patients who have a substance use disorder (SUD), but it's actually quite common. At least one in five people with a substance use disorder may also experience the effects of a brain injury. This is often an invisible disability. This course will give you the knowledge you need to identify, understand, and help your patients prevent and manage their symptoms.
This course delves into the unique experiences, needs, and challenges encountered by Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, and Hard of Hearing communities in accessing medical healthcare. Participants will gain insights into deafness and Deaf culture, enabling them to identify barriers to care, understand health disparities, and implement standards of care to promote equitable health outcomes. Emphasizing the significance of a linguistically and culturally responsive approach in clinical practice, the course guides participants in developing tailored action plans to better serve Deaf and Hard of Hearing patients. Through a combination of research-based readings, observational learning, and practical exercises, learners will acquire the knowledge and skills nee to enhance healthcare equity and outcomes for these communities.
This course provides an overview of the legal and practical aspects surrounding decision-making options for individuals with disabilities. It specifically focuses on individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, who are more often placed under restrictive decision-making arrangements. Whether you are a medical professional, behavioral health provider, or anyone involved in the care and support of individuals with disabilities, this course will equip you with the knowledge to understand and properly communicate the decision-making options available to individuals in the state of Colorado.
Interpretation services are life-changing and sometimes lifesaving services that help to bridge the gap of communication and language barriers in many critical areas of life. Interpretation services are severely underutilized and overlooked in many settings, including in behavioral healthcare spaces. During this course, we will look at the current reality of interpretation services and their usage in behavioral healthcare, while exploring deficiencies and areas for improvement in providing and using interpretation services in care practice. An emphasis is placed on regulatory requirements, holistic care, and diagnostic approaches.
1 in 36 individuals in the U.S. is autistic. This course is designed to provide knowledge and skill development for individuals working with neurodivergent clients. It covers common characteristics of autistic individuals with average to above-average cognitive abilities and risk factors, including associated medical concerns and suicide. Additionally, treatment, research, and cultural considerations are discussed to develop cultural competency skills when serving this population group.
The CDC reports that 1 in 4 adults in Colorado have some type of disability and face a range of barriers when it comes to receiving adequate healthcare. This course is designed to provide you with insights, strategies, and tools (e.g., disability-competent care assessment tool) to provide disability-competent health support to people experiencing a physical disability.
This course aims to equip participants with the knowledge and tools to provide relationship and sexual health support to individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). By the end of the course, participants will be able to identify challenges faced by people with IDD in developing relationships and managing sexual health. They will learn to integrate support strategies addressing development, intimacy, consent, and safe internet practices. Additionally, participants will identify relevant resources for assisting individuals with IDD and will develop a treatment considerations plan for educating them about engaging in healthy relationships and safe sexual activities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that one in four adults in Colorado has some type of disability. The process of transition from child to adult for individuals with disabilities is complex. This course is designed to provide you with knowledge, tools, and insights to provide youth-to-adulthood transition support to people with disabilities. You will gain information and skills to navigate the complexities of long-term services and supports available to eligible youth with disabilities transitioning to adulthood.
This course covers the physiological and psychological effects of brain injury on mental health, including common emotional, cognitive, and behavioral changes. It informs the learner about the prevalence of brain injury in Colorado, how to recognize signs and symptoms, and outline connect to common co-occurring conditions and comorbidities.
This course explores how skills deficits can impact therapeutic interventions and provides effective communication strategies when working with individuals with brain injury and mental health issues. And identifies evidence-based interventions for managing mental health conditions commonly associated with brain injury.
This course describes the importance of screening for brain injury to better understand the severity and impact it has on behavioral health treatment and to better select strategies which can help adapt to these deficits. It includes several common screening tool and tips about how to increase their efficacy with this populations and apply the results.
This course focuses on working with individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (I/DD) aims to equip the learner with the necessary knowledge and skills to understand and support this population effectively. The course covers a variety of topics specifically relevant to I/DD, providing a comprehensive understanding of the unique behavioral health challenges faced by individuals with I/DD.
This course for behavioral health providers offers a deep dive into the unique needs of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), focusing on mitigating diagnostic overshadowing. Central to the course is an examination of diagnostic overshadowing; participants will explore its definition and multifaceted concerns. Participants will learn about the complexities that hinder accurate diagnoses and tailored interventions, such as gatekeeping tendencies and barriers to accessing healthcare. By exploring co-occurring diagnoses, we will analyze essential definitions and considerations that are crucial for accurate assessment and intervention planning, laying the groundwork for nuanced care provision.