Supporting People With Lived Experiences of Homelessness
People with lived experiences of homelessness may need basic care, comfort, and mental health support. Explore this collection to learn Psychological First Aid (PFA) skills to support people with lived experiences of homelessness, as well as stress management and self-care skills to support your own emotional health.
De-escalation and Safety Webinar
Due to stress factors caused by COVID-19, many people may be experiencing intense emotions. Watch this webinar about de-escalation and safety skills to keep yourself and others safe when working with people experiencing intense emotions. Anytime session recorded on April 17, 2020.
Helping Clients Transition to and Sustain Housing
This training will explore considerations for supporting previously unhoused or unstably housed individuals in transitioning into and staying in housing. Housing retention needs, barriers, and strategies will be reviewed, informed by core clinical approaches of recovery-oriented care, trauma informed care, and harm reduction, as well as the housing first model. Anytime session recorded on June 5, 2020.
Housing First
In discussing Housing First, there are often many conflicting thoughts about its effectiveness. This training will engage service providers to consider how Housing First has long-lasting impact by looking at measured and repeated examples from around the globe. Participants will explore what barriers they are faced with in implementing Housing First, and how to become an advocate for this practice to community members.
How to Interact With People Experiencing Psychosis
Experiencing psychosis can be overwhelming and frightening for people especially during the COVID-19 crisis. This webinar will help you identify the symptoms of psychosis and discuss ways to interact with people experiencing psychosis effectively and compassionately. Recorded on April 2, 2020. Please note that CEs are only available by attending the live virtual training, not the anytime session.
Moral Agency in Homeless Engagement
This training draws from anthropological theory and methods to inform a recovery-oriented approach for clients experiencing homelessness. We define important aspects of moral agency (i.e., autobiographical power, peopled opportunities, and social bases of self-respect) that matter for both providers and for the clients they serve. Moral agency is the freedom to influence the narrative about one’s identity and build respectful relationships in order to live a “good life” based on local expectations of what constitutes the “good.” Using ethnographic data, this training discusses how mental ...
Persistent and Committed Engagement: Practical Strategies for Difficult to Reach Clients
Outreach and Engagement (O&E) is a key phase of treatment across Full Service Partnership (FSP) and Homeless Outreach Mobile Engagement (HOME) teams within Los Angeles County. During this time, it is crucial to begin building a solid therapeutic relationship with clients. We will discuss techniques to reinforce this relationship, including shared decision making and other collaborative strategies. This training will also facilitate a space for reflection on engagement practices from both a clinical and practical lens. Utilizing evidence-based practices from trauma informed care to motivational ...
Provider Wellbeing & Self-Care: Creating a Wellness Plan
This training discusses the concepts of uncertainty, rumination, and self-care. The presenter discusses how uncertainty and rumination contribute to an increase in anxiety and stress. Anytime session recorded on February 12, 2025.
Provider Wellbeing & Self-Care: Imagination as a Resource in a Time of Crisis
This training discusses the possible uses of imaginative states of mind (reverie, daydreaming, night dreaming, fantasy, imagery, etc.) in weathering crises and recovering from trauma. In particular, it discusses the role of imagination as a tool for orienting positively toward the future in ways that build vitality, courage, and community in the present. Anytime session recorded on April 13, 2020.
Provider Wellbeing & Self-Care: Practicing Self-Compassion
This training will highlight the core concepts of self-compassion (self-kindness, common humanity, and mindfulness), the research-based positive impacts of self-compassion, and what distinguishes self-compassion from other similar concepts. Participants will understand how to define "trying times" on an individual and systemic level, and how these difficult situations can impact our ability to support our wellbeing and the wellbeing of our clients. Participants will learn best practices for applying elements of self-compassion in these challenging scenarios. This training is intended for field-based mental health and homeless ...
Strategies for Assessment and Engagement of Homeless Individuals With Psychosis
Understanding the symptoms of psychosis are a crucial part of outreach and engagement, especially with those that are experiencing homelessness. In this training, we will focus first on assessing psychosis, in particular as to how it impacts one’s speech, behavior, thought processes, and decision making. We will also highlight the importance of noting one’s appearance, behavior, and environment when engaging in street outreach as another core component of assessment. Engagement strategies are emphasized, with an empathetic and person-centered lens to steadily build rapport. Practical application, ...