What is PARedu?
No, we did not become a university overnight. However, we are here to educate! PARedu will offer a combination of educational trainings, development programs and informative webinars, organized by PAR, that are available to PAR members and non-members. We believe that training and development for our industry presents prime learning opportunities to expand one's knowledge base in various subjects which in turn strengthens the capacity of your team.
Click here for a list of past trainings.
Interested in becoming a part of the PARedu lineup? Fill out the below PARedu Proposal Form.
UPCOMING EVENTS
How to Have Difficult Conversations and Productive Conflict. The Good, The Bad, and the Total Train-Wrecks
Thursday // February 27
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
As a leader, or soon to be leader, you must know how to successfully navigate conflict and how to have difficult discussions that are productive. Let’s face it, most people hate conflict! The thought of disciplining someone makes your palms sweat and your heart pound so loud you can hear it in your ears! Conflict and difficult discussions can be hard! Yet, to be a successful leader you must learn how to handle conflict and embrace difficult discussions. We will show you how!
In this session participants will learn:
- How to Deal with Difficult People
- How to Confront and Address Undesirable Employee Behavior
- How to model behavior that others will WANT to follow
- How to clearly communicate and reinforce the behavior that you desire
Examples and role play scenarios will be presented around issues such as call off/scheduling conflicts, not wanting to take individuals served out on an outing (because it’s too hot, too far, too inconvenient), not respecting individuals' rights, punctuality, and non-compliance with documentation
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Nurturing a Culture of Radical Person-Centerdness: Building an Ecosystem for Empowerment and Collaboration
Monday // March 10
11:00 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
This training offers a comprehensive approach to embedding radical person-centered practices into organizational culture, focusing on individualized support, active collaboration, and value-driven actions. Participants will learn how to cultivate an "ecosystem" that champions person-centeredness, where each person served can lead a unique journey supported by a culture of trust, respect, and empowerment. Through practical strategies and core competencies, participants will be equipped to overcome common barriers, implement effective support practices, and engage in continuous quality improvement to foster a thriving person-centered environment.
Objectives:
- Understand the Radical Person-Centered Ecosystem: Recognize how core elements such as individualized support, collaborative relationships, and continuous learning build a sustainable, person-centered culture.
- Implement Key Competencies for Person-Centered Support: Identify and apply competencies for providing individualized support, fostering strong relationships, and embodying person-centered values in everyday interactions.
- Identify and Address Barriers to Person-Centeredness: Analyze barriers like control, trust, and trauma, and develop strategies to reduce or remove these obstacles.
- Develop an Action Plan for Continuous Improvement: Establish a framework for feedback-driven improvement that adapts to the evolving needs of those supported, ensuring alignment with person-centered principles.
- Create a Culture that Prioritizes Individual Journeys: Use practical tools to reinforce values and practices that sustain a person-centered environment, encouraging meaningful, person-driven paths for each individual served.
Frontline Supervisor Training - Two Days
Tuesday & Wednesday // March 11 & 12
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You’ve just received a big promotion, a new set of keys, access to approve timesheets, and an eager team to supervise, educate, support, and lead. Problem is, nobody’s shown you how. As a frontline supervisor you are a pivotal link in the service delivery chain and the key to your organization’s effectiveness. (No pressure.) You are now completely responsible for the performance of your team, regulatory compliance, translating instructions from upper management, and staff development, all while performing a multitude of administrative tasks and helping to ensure the health and welfare of those we serve. Chances are, you could use a few new tools in your management toolbox. In these two half-days of hands-on training with Sara Sherman, supervisors will:
- Learn the 10 Fundamentals of Supervision
- Discover the secret to finding and addressing the root cause of performance issues
- Identify their own supervisory strengths and vulnerabilities
- Understand two of the most challenging employee personality types, and learn how to stop them in their tracks
- Leave with a written Supervisory Success Outline
This training is a 6-hour training split over two days. Attendees should plan on attending both days of this two-day, two-part training.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
The Intersection of Trauma, Equity, and Person-Centered Planning: Transforming Practices for Inclusive Support
Monday // March 17
11:00 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
This training explores how trauma-informed care, equity, and person-centered planning intersect to create inclusive and empowering support practices. Participants will learn to identify and address the effects of trauma and systemic inequities on the planning process, relationship-building, and trust. Through interactive discussions and practical examples, attendees will leave with strategies to implement equity-focused, person-centered planning that respects the dignity, autonomy, and unique experiences of each individual.
Objectives:
- Explain the Principles of Person-Centeredness and Equity: Describe core principles of person-centeredness and equity, and understand how these principles support inclusive planning practices.
- Recognize the Role of Trauma-Informed Care: Identify and apply trauma-informed care principles to enhance equity and safety within person-centered planning.
- Analyze Barriers to Effective Planning: Identify barriers such as trauma, trust issues, and power imbalances, and understand their impact on relationship-building and engagement.
- Develop Practical Approaches for Inclusive Planning: Apply strategies that promote a supportive, equitable environment, fostering individual dignity, choice, and meaningful participation.
- Implement Key Competencies for Person-Centered Support: Identify and apply competencies for providing individualized support, fostering strong relationships, and embodying person-centered values in everyday interactions.
- Identify and Address Barriers to Person-Centeredness: Analyze barriers like control, trust, and trauma, and develop strategies to reduce or remove these obstacles.
- Develop an Action Plan for Continuous Improvement: Establish a framework for feedback-driven improvement that adapts to the evolving needs of those supported, ensuring alignment with person-centered principles.
- Create a Culture that Prioritizes Individual Journeys: Use practical tools to reinforce values and practices that sustain a person-centered environment, encouraging meaningful, person-driven paths for each individual served.
Change is Hard! How to Overcome Organizational Resistance to Important Change
Tuesday // March 25
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Explore effective strategies for managing organizational resistance to change. This session offers techniques to communicate changes clearly and implement them in ways that encourage acceptance and ownership by staff members.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify common reasons for resistance to change within organizations.
- Develop clear communication strategies to articulate changes to staff.
- Implement change in a way that promotes staff acceptance, ownership, and engagement.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Create an Internal Compliance System - Two Days
Thursday & Friday // April 17 & 18
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You know the rules, and your team is trained on the expectations; but your organization still struggles with compliance. There are too many panic moments, too much chaos, and internal and external audits reveal errors. How can this be?
The problem is that you don’t have an effective internal quality assurance system.
With an effective internal QA system, you will:
- Catch errors quickly…before they become big problems.
- Quickly return to your QA system after an emergency or crisis. (Never get permanently derailed again.)
- Use a straightforward system of checks and balances to maintain compliance and catch errors, instead of just relying on 1 or 2 key personnel.
- Practically eliminate the new staff learning curve that inherently creates risk for your agency.
- Meet the compliance requirement of having an internal compliance system.
In this training participants will map out a high-level compliance blueprint that can easily be adapted for each agency’s unique needs.
This training is a 6-hour training split over two days. Attendees should plan on attending both days of this two-day, two-part training.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Cultivating the Resilience that is Essential for Leadership
Tuesday // April 29
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
"Cultivating the Resilience that is Essential for Leadership," is a session that explores the vital role of resilience in leadership, integrating Stoic philosophy and mindfulness practices to empower attendees with the tools needed to thrive in challenging environments. Learn how to develop, practice, and impart resilience within your team, enhancing your effectiveness as a leader committed to excellence in care.
Learning Objectives:
- Understand Resilience Foundations: Gain a comprehensive understanding of resilience as it relates to leadership, including an introduction to key Stoic and mindfulness principles that support emotional and mental strength.
- Resilience in Practice: Master practical strategies for cultivating your resilience, enabling you to maintain focus and composure in the face of daily challenges in a caregiving environment.
- Teaching Resilience: Learn effective methods for mentoring and fostering resilience in others, ensuring your team can also navigate and adapt to stressors while maintaining high-quality care.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
How to Create a Year's Worth of Meaningful Activities on Just a Few Interests
Thursday // May 15
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Is everybody a little bored?
Does it seem like the individuals you serve end up doing the same activities week in and week out?
Is it a struggle to come up with new ideas to keep life fresh and interesting for the individuals you serve and keep your DSPs busy and creative?
It’s not easy to come up with new ideas day in and day out, but with a little know-how it is possible to leverage an individual’s likes and hobbies to create a robust list of things to do.
In this hands-on session supervisors and managers will learn how to:
- Turn just a few interests of the individuals you support into a full calendar year of meaningful activities.
- Use an individual’s interests to naturally connect to the community
- Empower DSPs to take the reins in planning, organizing, and implementing these activities.
- End “same old, same old” forever.
Effective Communication Between Staff and Supervisors
Tuesday // May 20
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
The key to present and future agency success will be how well communications are performed between supervisors/managers and staff. Let’s remember that Staff are a key to positive PR with individuals, stakeholders and the community. What they say reflects on YOUR agency and reputation and will directly reflect how well your supervisory staff are trained in handling interpersonal interactions.
In this training, participants will learn:
- How to identify key communication issues using focus groups!
- The four (4) steps in fairly and empathetically interacting with stressed/angry staff.
- The four (4) steps in objectively and fairly managing and directing staff.
- At least one (1) strategy to use in building a positive workplace culture.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Ongoing Training Techniques
Thursday // June 12
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
One of the biggest challenges providers face as they work to maintain regulatory compliance is to ensure staff receive continual and ongoing training. The challenge is further compounded because employees are spread across service settings, counties, have differing schedules, and often work alone. Lack of ongoing training can be key reason for citations and regulatory non-compliance. Creativity and innovation are required in order keep staff on their toes and stay in compliance with requirements. In this online interactive session with Sara Sherman, supervisors and leaders in your organization will learn:
- The tools and techniques to implement ongoing staff training, even across multiple and diverse service locations.
- The biological barriers that make learning new information a challenge, and how to surpass those challenges.
- How to create a work culture that expects and strives for compliance.
- Methods to measure and track progress and identify shortcomings for quick remediation.
This training is designed for trainers, frontline supervisors, managers, directors, executives and other stakeholders.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Nurturing the Nurturer: Mastering Self-Care with Self-Compassion and Mindfulness to Better Care for Others
Tuesday // June 17
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Designed specifically for caregivers and individuals in nurturing roles who often prioritize the well-being of others over their own. This course aims to shift that focus, providing practical strategies for integrating self-compassion and mindfulness into daily life to enhance personal wellness. Through guided sessions, participants will explore how cultivating their own physical, emotional, and mental health can profoundly impact their ability to care for others effectively.
Learning Objectives:
- Develop Self-Compassion Skills: Learn to practice self-compassion through mindfulness techniques, which can transform self-criticism into supportive inner dialogue, enhancing emotional resilience.
- Establish a Mindful Self-Care Routine: Gain the tools to incorporate mindfulness practices into daily life, ensuring a balance between caring for oneself and others, thus preventing burnout.
- Enhance Emotional and Physical Well-being: Understand the connection between mental health and physical health, and learn strategies to improve both, thereby increasing overall life satisfaction and effectiveness as a caregiver.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Developing a Positive Culture for Staff and Individuals
Monday // July 14
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
A high quality, positive culture is critical for your Agency’s success. In this post pandemic world filled with staff recruitment and retention issues and general societal negativity, it has become imperative to have a culture which is positive, supportive, and responsive. A culture YOU and your Staff brag about to family, friends, stakeholders and others!
In this training, participants will learn how to:
- Teach staff the “true value” of their efforts.
- Design positive messaging to Staff.
- Create a daily positive interaction diet.
- Construct an “OREO” communication message to ensure positive messaging is used when Individuals are the focus.
- Take care of self during the “stressful” times.
- Use the three secrets of positive engagement with Individuals and other stakeholders.
- Avoid the five “no-no’s”!
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Frontline Supervisor Training - Two Days
Thursday & Friday // July 17 & 18
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
You’ve just received a big promotion, a new set of keys, access to approve timesheets, and an eager team to supervise, educate, support, and lead. Problem is, nobody’s shown you how. As a frontline supervisor you are a pivotal link in the service delivery chain and the key to your organization’s effectiveness. (No pressure.) You are now completely responsible for the performance of your team, regulatory compliance, translating instructions from upper management, and staff development, all while performing a multitude of administrative tasks and helping to ensure the health and welfare of those we serve. Chances are, you could use a few new tools in your management toolbox. In these two half-days of hands-on training with Sara Sherman, supervisors will:
- Learn the 10 Fundamentals of Supervision
- Discover the secret to finding and addressing the root cause of performance issues
- Identify their own supervisory strengths and vulnerabilities
- Understand two of the most challenging employee personality types, and learn how to stop them in their tracks
- Leave with a written Supervisory Success Outline
This training is a 6-hour training split over two days. Attendees should plan on attending both days of this two-day, two-part training.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
Management Success in 2025
Tuesday // August 12
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Agencies ask “How do we recruit and keep staff?” What we hear from staff during exit interviews is that one of the major reasons they leave is the QUALITY of their Managers and lack of feeling valued. This begs the question of how Managers have been trained – usually not well or at all. Do your managers have the basic skills and training to help minimize turnover and deal with the myriad issues they face or have they been “thrown” into their positions with little training?
This presentation will focus on 50+ Management tidbits for new Managers to use and existing Managers to consider. These tidbits will assist developing the skills necessary to improve staff morale, facilitate positive communications and help with accountability and having difficult discussions with challenging staff.
Learning Objectives:
- The importance of Communication Style
- The importance of Expectations and how to create them
- How to use a Positive Actions Log
- How to use reinforcement/praise appropriately, it’s SIC
- Why reinforcement does not work at times
- The four steps of reducing conflict situations
- The four steps of dealing with challenging staff behavior
- Five (5) Management “No, No’s”
- Five (5) Management “admonitions to heed”
- Ten (10) positive management tips
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Freeing Individuals to Live Their Most Independent Lives
Thursday // August 14
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Do you feel like, sometimes, your staff create more dependence than independence?
We all know that the goal for the individuals we serve is to increase independence through skill acquisition, but in those day to day moments when decisions are made and supports provided, the needle sometimes doesn’t move any closer to independence, if it moves at all.
In this workshop agency leaders will learn how to teach staff to support individuals in ways that:
- Expand Individuals’ independence
- Empower individuals to develop decision making skills
- End unnecessary dependence on staff
- Make it clear when success is achieved (both for the individual and the staff)
- Support staff to create a full company culture of empowering individuals
This training is designed for trainers, frontline supervisors, managers, directors, and executives.
Healthy Meal Planning
Tuesday // September 9
9:30 am - 12:30 pm EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
We recognize nutrition as the foundation of good health and as the source of sufficient energy to power through our days, yet we often don't give sufficient time or attention to planning and preparing healthy meals. The typical American diet is recognized as too high in sugar, sodium, and carbs, and too lacking in fruits, vegetables, and lean protein.
We ask our Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) to assist individuals to prepare healthy meals, but we don't often give DSPs the instructions they need in order to accomplish that task. The result is that DSPs can only implement their own personal meal practices, and if those practices are not in line with federal healthy eating standards, individuals do not have access to the benefits of a healthy diet.
The result is that individuals are often eating the same things repeatedly, meals are not balanced, individuals do not have access to the best possible health, and they don't experience the full enjoyment and benefit of healthy foods.
In this hands-on, train-the-trainer style workshop participants will learn:
- The basics of healthy meal planning - how to create a diverse menu, shop, and prepare meals based on an individual's preferences and a budget
- How give the individuals you serve the maximum level of ownership possible over their own meal planning and preparation, and subsequently their health
- How to accommodate busy schedules into the meal planning process
- How to develop expectations for staff around meal planning and incorporate those expectations into your agency's internal QA process
- And more...
This training is designed for trainers, frontline supervisors, managers and other stakeholders.
How to Have Difficult Discussions and Productive Conflict Part II
Monday // September 15
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Conflict resolution and management is an essential skill of any leader. For an organization to grow and thrive, diverse opinions and thoughts must be welcomed and encouraged. These diverse opinions and thoughts will often result in conflict. Will this conflict propel your organization forward or bring it down?
Learning Objectives:
- Learn tactics and methods that promote and support healthy and productive conflict
- Learn the HEAT method to turn down the temperature of difficult situations
- Learn the DESC method (Describe, Express, Specify and Consequences) to hold someone accountable in under three minutes
- Learn how to be aware of your body language, tone and overall presence so you may cultivate “Cowboy Energy”
- Learn how to create effective communication expectations where your staff feels safe to say what is on their minds in a respectful manner while recognizing that difficult discussions are an essential part of any healthy organization
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Stinkers! How to Motivate, Manage, and Deal with Difficult and Toxic Staff Members
Monday // October 20
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Discover effective strategies for managing 'Stinkers'—employees whose toxic behaviors negatively impact your organization. This session provides insights on navigating challenging attitudes and fostering a positive work environment with proven effective methods.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify characteristics of difficult employees and understand their impact on workplace culture.
- Learn strategies to motivate and improve the behavior of challenging employees.
- Develop skills to manage difficult employees in a manner that is both empathetic and effective.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
How to Effectively Navigate Confrontation
Monday // November 3
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
A not so secret, secret – CONFLICT permeates our lives! From mild disagreements to “finger pointing” hostility, we deal with conflict all the time. Most persons avoid conflict like the flu or a root canal, yet conflict can be constructive, informative and manageable! Are there ways to positively deal with conflict and can we manage it – YES, THERE ARE, AND YES, WE CAN!!!!
Learning Objectives:
- What conflict is and what it is not!
- The three (3) types of disagreement.
- To identify conflicts in their present positions.
- How to respond objectively and positively to conflict.
- Five (5) general conflict concepts.
- How to use the four (4) steps of conflict resolution!
- Five (5) tips when managing conflict situations.
- Three (3) strategies to use to reduce/prevent workplace conflict.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
Appreciology
Monday // December 8
9:30 - 11:30 am EST // Virtual
Speaker Bio
Nearly 40% of staff report leaving their jobs because of feeling “underappreciated!” The old styles of leadership are no longer effective given a new staff generation, new technologies and new issues never before encountered. Through a seriously humorous presentation Mr. Speaks and Dr. Greg will discuss the art and science of appreciation which will assist in expanding your LEADERSHIP TOOL KIT!
Learning Objectives:
- The six (6) principles of appreciation.
- Four (4) practical ways to demonstrate appreciation.
- How to hold staff accountable while using appreciative techniques.
- How to appreciate and assist with recruitment, retention and agency reputation.
HRCI and SHRM CEUs will be offered for this training.
This training will be recorded and shared with all registrants. The recording will be valid for 30 days!
PARedu Trainings are an initiative of Pennsylvania Advocacy and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disability, a 501(c)3 organization.
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