Dr. Ingrid Johnson (UAF Justice Department) and Rei Shimizu (UAA School of Social Work) are excited to announce our fourth annual Alaska restorative justice symposium: “To reduce screen-fatigue, we have spread this year’s events over three afternoons from 1-4 PM each day. The sessions will include the perspectives of people who have participated in restorative […]

A Culturally Infused Workshop on Suicide Prevention for Community Members. “Be Sensitive, Be Brave for Suicide Prevention” infuses culture and diversity throughout a foundational workshop on suicide prevention. This free workshop teaches community members to act as eyes and ears for suicidal distress and to connect individuals to help.  

Mental Health First Aid for Older Adults is designed to take the fear and hesitation out of starting conversations about mental health and substance use problems experienced by adults over 65. We know direct care staff as well as spouses, partners or other family members do the majority of caregiving for older adults. As a […]

This workshop introduces participants to dementia; how it affects the brain, sensory system and visual range. Participants will discuss normal vs not normal aging traits. Participants will learn & practice Positive Physical Approach® interaction skills to navigate challenging behaviors, role play common caregiving situations and utilize their physical skills, including ways to ‘activate’ their care […]

In this workshop we will pose and answer a number of questions foundational to examining the nature of psychotic symptoms. Beginning with philosophy of psychiatry, we will consider together: What is the nature of a mental health diagnosis? In what ways might labels help? How might they do harm? How real or symbolic in nature […]

Each time a child moves, whether it be a removal from an unsafe situation, or a move from one place to another, it has an impact on the child’s sense of belonging, sense of self and is a source of trauma. No matter the child's age or developmental stage, the move is experienced as a […]

Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) is an evidence-based attachment-based, trauma-informed, whole-child approach to meeting the needs of children and youth who have experienced early adversity, toxic stress, and/or relational trauma. The TBRI® model was developed at TCU by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. David Cross to address the effects of early adversity and relational trauma through […]

Participants are provided with foundational information on traditional lifestyles and health practices of people living in Alaska prior to western contact. They will be introduced to beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge of health promotion and maintenance that were practiced, and will examine major changes leading to the current health status of the Alaska Native community. Special […]

This second level, in-depth training will present conflict resolution skills through experiential learning exercises and practice with the goal of helping Direct Service providers and community members to think about and make choices to reduce conflicts in work and everyday settings. This is an intensive, three-day learning experience which teaches interpersonal conflict resolution skills through […]