Training Projects
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The Center for Family and Community Well-Being advances professional learning by offering high-quality professional development opportunities, including social work continuing education workshops, community symposiums and national conferences focused on critical and emerging issues. Through the development and delivery of engaging, evidence-based trainings, the Center supports professionals across disciplines in building knowledge, skills and practical strategies that can be applied in real-world settings. These offerings are designed to be accessible and responsive to community needs, strengthening professional capacity while promoting individual and collective well-being.
Child Welfare Projects
Exploring the significant impacts of the social determinants of health (SDOH) on child welfare
Through a partnership with Kentucky Department of Community Based Services, this innovative training was designed exclusively for child welfare and family support workers throughout the state of Kentucky. The goal is to enhance the understanding and skills in addressing the complex social determinants impacting child welfare.
Striving to enhance trauma-informed care across all levels of practice
The Center partnered with Key Assets Kentucky to design and deliver a comprehensive training initiative tailored to direct care staff, supervisors and organizational leadership. This project focused on building shared understanding and practical application of trauma-informed care principles throughout the organization. Trainings were customized for each role, addressing direct care practices, reflective and supportive supervision and leadership strategies for embedding trauma-informed values into policies, procedures and organizational culture.
Improving the quality and effectiveness of services for children and families
Maryhurst delivers services to at-risk youth and partnered with the Center to strengthen practice through evidence-based Motivational Interviewing (MI). The Center provided customized MI training for staff, including core instruction, monthly booster sessions, and evaluation of knowledge and fidelity. A train-the-trainer model further supported sustainability by preparing Maryhurst trainers to independently deliver and evaluate MI training across the organization.
Building parent and family knowledge around opioid use prevention and available supports
Maryhurst, a provider of services for at-risk youth, partnered with the CFCWB to build staff capacity in supporting families around opioid use prevention. The Center delivered a CFCWB‑developed training, Family-Centered Prevention and Support for Opioid Use in Teens, through a train‑the‑trainer model that prepared Maryhurst staff to effectively educate and engage parents of youth receiving services. This approach supported consistent, evidence-informed parent education while strengthening prevention efforts across the organization.
Deepening understanding of poverty, strengthening systems awareness, and motivating action across individual, organizational, and policy levels
This experiential training builds understanding of the root causes of poverty by examining how policies and systems shape lived experiences. Through hands‑on activities and reflection, participants explore the challenges of navigating child welfare and related supports while living in poverty and connect these insights to practice at the micro, mezzo and macro levels.
Adversity and Mental Health Projects
Building awareness, reducing stigma and equipping the UofL campus community to recognize and respond to students in crisis
Cards SPEAK is a coordinated suicide prevention effort that provides training, awareness campaigns and accessible resources for University of Louisville students, staff and faculty. The initiative promotes a culturally competent, campus‑wide approach to mental health education with a strong emphasis on suicide prevention. By increasing awareness, reducing stigma and fostering shared responsibility, CARDs SPEAK strengthens a community of caring individuals prepared to identify concerns, offer support and connect students to appropriate help.
Supporting the professional development and licensure needs of mental health professionals
Previously housed within the Center for Family and Community Well‑Being (CFCWB), this Kentucky Board of Social Work approved continuing education program develops and delivers high‑quality continuing education opportunities for professionals in social work, therapy and related fields. All workshops are designed to strengthen core competencies, enhance professional practice and support ongoing licensure requirements. Trainings are offered year‑round in both in‑person and live‑stream formats, with a strong emphasis on engaging, skill‑focused learning that translates directly to practice.
Supporting the social, emotional, and developmental needs of unhoused parents and children
Creating Resiliency Among Families in Transition (CRAFT) is a six‑module program designed to support the social, emotional and developmental needs of unhoused parents and children. Implemented and evaluated in partnership with two agencies serving families experiencing homelessness, the program focused on strengthening resilience and family well‑being during times of transition.
Unifying the child welfare decision making process to promote safety and well-being
Structured Decision Making (SDM) is a research-based system using assessment tools and defined criteria to guide consistent, equitable decisions in child welfare at key points, reducing subjectivity and improving outcomes by providing clear frameworks, definitions and data-driven insights for workers.
Supporting and educating University of Louisville faculty and staff
In partnership with CFCWB, the University of Louisville Employee Success Center offered professional development and support programming for faculty and staff at UofL. As new issues emerged, such as the challenges of the COVID 19 pandemic and multiple transitions, there was a need for the development and offering of evidence-informed programming to address these challenges.
Empowering youth to navigate life’s challenges, transform adversity into triumph and build lasting resilience
Mind Matters is a program designed to help teens and adults cope with adversity and stress. It offers practical tools for managing emotions, reducing stress and building resilience. Mind Matters helps participants develop skills to handle life’s challenges and promote long-term well-being. CFCWB has been awarded several JHFE grants to offer Mind Matters to the community. The most recent grant focused on working with Jefferson County Public Schools mental health practitioners and working with community youth service agencies.
Meeting workforce training and support needs to improve resiliency, morale and retention
The Louisville Metro Public Health and Wellness (LMPHW) workforce was significantly impacted by the COVID 19 pandemic and identified a number of workforce needs. The workforce not only experienced direct impacts of the pandemic as a public health entity, but also experienced secondary effects such as turnover, rapid expansion of the workforce and promotions to leadership, traumatic stress associated with personal and professional illness, occupational stress of remote work and family life and many more.
Strengthening mental health literacy, resilience and support skills across the student‑athlete ecosystem
In partnership with the University of Louisville’s Athletic Department, the Center developed and delivered evidence‑informed mental health trainings for student‑athletes, parents, coaches and support staff. The initiative strengthened mental health awareness, resilience and early response skills across athletic settings, supporting well‑being throughout the student‑athlete community.
Advancing trauma‑informed practices and promoting well‑being among physician leaders and healthcare organizations
The Center developed and delivered a trauma-informed leadership training for University of Louisville physicians. The training focused on increasing awareness of stress and trauma in healthcare settings while equipping physician leaders with practical strategies to support personal well‑being, effective leadership and healthier organizational cultures.