Training Resources
TNP can directly provide trainings and presentations, or arrange them with our coalition members and community partners. We can provide a variety of mental wellness & substance misuse topics, including Norwalk data and current youth trends. See topics below and contact us for more info. See also The Hub's regional event calendar for other trainings.
Courses for the General Public
National / state curricula
Mental Health First Aid
MHFA teaches how to recognize & respond to a mental health crisis. The virtual class involves 2 hours of individual online work followed by a 4 1/2-hour session online. Certification good for 3 years. Multiple modules exist, including Teens, Youth, Adult, First Responders, Spanish. During COVID not all modules may be available online. The in-person training is 6 hours.
Suicide Prevention
Question-Persuade-Refer (QPR) is a 1.5 hour skills training including videos and role play that can be offered for up to 30 people, in English or Spanish. Can be scheduled for a specific group, or individuals can attend one of the free online trainings offered each month. (Evening training by Positive Directions here; daytime training by The Hub here.) Talk Saves Lives (TSL) is a 45 minute awareness presentation that can be provided to large audiences. Note: QPR can be combined with opioids training in one 2-hour session.
Courageous Parenting 101
Courageous Parenting 101 is a 2-hour educational program aimed at parents featuring Ian's story, told by his mother, Ginger Katz, founder of the Courage To Speak Foundation here in Norwalk, and a presentation on how to keep kids safe from drugs.
Johnny's Ambassadors Marijuana Presentation
We are licensed by Johnny's Ambassadors, as part of Positive Directions' community coalition, to provide the adult and youth versions of the Johnny's Ambassadors Marijuana Prevention Education program. We have both youth and adult presenters.
Opioids & Narcan
45 minute training about the opioid crisis including its connection to suicide, and how to administer Naloxone (Narcan) to reverse an overdose. Participants will receive a free Narcan kit. English or Spanish. Training can be combined with QPR suicide prevention in one 2-hour session.
Hidden in Plain SIght
The HIPS training allows parents to identify signs that a teen may be using drugs, explore a teen's bedroom to see where drugs may be hiding, and learn what to do next. 1-1 1/2 hours.
Special Programs
TNP involves more than 30 community organizations providing mental health and substance misuse services. We can coordinate speakers and presentations from these organizations on the topics below or other topics upon request
Norwalk Youth: Survey Results
Slideshow presentation of the results of our June 2021 survey of 7th through 12th graders. Will be updated following the October 2022 survey.
Vaping
Slideshow presentation including updated resources. See also The Hub's list of curricula for vaping prevention, vaping cessation, and alternatives to suspension.
If They Had Known
30 minute documentary film about the risks of combining prescription drugs and alcohol, created and told by the friends of Clay Soper, a 19 year old who died. Followed by facilitated discussion. Provided through Positive Directions' license.
The New Marijuana
Presentation combatting misinformation about marijuana and presenting the latest research into health effects.
Sensory Cafe
Interactive experience for youth where small groups cycle through different stations for different sensory experiences & are helped to process what helps them relax / cope. Provided by the young adults from the TurningPointCT project at Positive Directions.
Anxiety in Youth & Young Adults
Panel including a clinician and a person with lived experience
In Our Own Voice
A presentation by NAMI featuring two speakers accompanied by videos to share diverse personal experiences with mental illness
Personal Recovery Story
Young adults in recovery from the TurningPointCT.org project at Positive Directions share their mental health or substance misuse journey
More Trainings
See The Hub's inventory of regional trainings & trainers.
Since TNP's launch in September 2020, we have organized community trainings for the general public, parents, school nurses, school security guards, school administrators, people in recovery, hospital staff, and teens. Trainings have included:
Presentations on current youth needs, strategies and resources for parents developed by TNP coalition members including Child & Family Guidance, Kids in Crisis, Mid-Fairfield, Norwalk ACTS, Positive Directions, and Triangle Community Center - recordings are available throughout this website
Question-Persuade-Refer suicide prevention training - provided by Positive Directions
Opioid education & Narcan administration - provided by Positive Directions, Human Services Council, NCC
LGBTQ 101: Identities & Allyship - presented by Triangle Community Center
LGBTQ 201: Substance Use in the LGBTQ Community - presented by Triangle Community Center
Power of Parents workshop - presented by MADD
"If They Had Known" film + discussion about the risks of college student party culture - presented by Positive Directions
Resilience panel - provided by Silver Hill Hospital
Multiple presentations on marijuana, vaping, and mental health to our coalition members