SAMH Providers Training and Technical Assistance
To enhance Florida’s behavioral health system, the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health provides training, technical assistance and resources based on research, best practices and federal and state government accountability standards. SAMH contracts with several provider agencies to coordinate and conduct training and technical assistance. Trainings focus on evidence-based practice, skill-building sessions, emerging trends and performance improvement.
2019 Florida Behavioral Health Workforce Survey
The Florida Department of Children and Families Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health (SAMH), in partnership with the Florida Certification Board, conducted a statewide behavioral health workforce survey to identify specific training needs and gain insight into the work competencies, supervision, job retention and satisfaction rates for behavioral health practitioners. The survey also assessed the knowledge, attitudes and practices related to opioid use disorder and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT).
2019 Florida Behavioral Health Workforce Survey
Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association (FADAA) Webinars
The Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health contracts with the Florida Alcohol and Drug Abuse Association for training and technical assistance to enhance the knowledge and capacity of the behavioral health field for workforce development. Topics include: drug usage trends, medication-assisted treatment, recovery, ethics, evidence-based practice, trauma-informed care and more.
https://www.fadaa.org/page/Training_Library
Florida Certification Board Online Training Courses
The Florida Certification Board, in partnership with the Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, offers a variety of online educational opportunities through its Workforce Development Center. All courses are self-paced so the learner can set the pace of learning the material. Course topics include child welfare and substance use, cultural competency, peer and recovery support, women and substance use, substance-exposed infants and serving intravenous drug users.
The link to the online education platform is https://fcbonline.remote-learner.net/admin/search.php.
NAADAC Webinars Now Approved for NASW CEs - Over 75 Hours of Free Addiction Education!
NAADAC is excited to announce that its Webinar Series has been approved by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) for continuing education (CE) hours. Social workers can now stay current on addiction issues through NAADAC's 75 hours of free addiction-related webinars, available 24/7, live or on-demand, through their computers, tablets, and smart phones.
Registry of Peer Specialist Trainers
The following is a list of trainers who are certified to facilitate the forty hour curriculum, Helping Others Heal: A Peer Support Training Manual. This training and curriculum covers the Florida Certification Board’s four content learning areas (mentoring, advocacy, recovery support, and professional responsibility) and applies to both mental health and substance use peers. The training is intended to enable individuals to master the job tasks necessary to effectively work as a peer specialist, whether working as an Adult, Family, or Veteran peer specialist. Some trainers are willing to travel statewide. This list denotes which regions they are closest to. Please contact trainers directly to organize a training or to find out if a training is being offered in your region.
Central Region
Northeast Region
- Kristina B. Krug, @email, 904-646-6392
- Bryan Mingle, @email, 904-337-4061
- Rico Bodin, @email, 904-387-4661 ext.1020
- Diane Scott, @email, 904-506-9682
- Sarah Sheppard, @email
- Desiree Manning , @email, 904-528-8375
Northwest Region
- Beth Dees, @email, 850-766-4925
- Jennifer Williams, @email, 850-481-2954
- Crystal Gery-Agee, @email, 850-491-8447
SunCoast Region
- Carol Eloian, @email, 813-740-4811, ext. 289
- Stephanie Wolf, @email, 727-544-3560
- Beth Piecora, @email, 813-740-4811 ext. 255
- Ken Brown, @email, 813-422-3509
- Jennifer Lapham, @email, 310-994-5547
Southeast Region
- Bobbie Linkhorn, @email, 954-773-6232
- Susan Nyamora, @email, 954-629-0405
- Alfonso Ruiz, @email, 954-901-6051
- Frederick Orr, @email, 561-502-2118
- Barbara Anne DeVoe, @email, 772-913-2019
- Barbara Moody, @email
Southern Region
- Tanya Humphrey, @email, 786-918-8597
2015 Compendium of Training and Self Study Resources, 2nd Edition For Recovery Peer Specialists and Recovery Support Specialists
The Florida Certification Board, in partnership with and funding from the Florida Department of Children and Families’ Office of Substance Abuse and Mental Health, is offering new resources to build the recovery peer specialist and recovery support specialist workforce. Achieving professional certification is the first step in demonstrating the credibility and competency needed to build one’s employability. The Compendium of Training and Self-Study Resources was researched and compiled to assist individuals identify the training resources needed for certification as a CRPS or CRSS in Florida. These resources may be useful for review and preparation for the certification examination. Certified recovery peer specialists and recovery support specialists will also find that the Compendium contains resources and information for continued professional development.
Compendium of Training and Self-Study Resources, 3rd Edition
FCB and SAMH also developed a study course to prepare for the peer and recovery specialist certification exam. The link to the online education platform is http://fcbonline-ed.mrooms3.net/.
