Psychopharmacology for Mental Health Professionals: A Foundational Overview of Psychotropic Medications and Other Drugs and Their Impact on the Body, Brain, and Behavior

"Strengthening Our Capacity to Serve as Collaborators with and Advocates for Our Clients Along the Continuum of Care"

DESCRIPTION: Though it is important to stay within our scope of practice as mental health professionals, we often find ourselves in situations where having some basic information about psychotropic medications and/or other psychoactive substances can be quite useful. With this knowledge, we become better advocates for our clients with other medical and mental health professionals as well as collaborators with our own clients. Such knowledge includes how medications and other substances are introduced into the body, how they are metabolized and distributed throughout the body, and finally how they are excreted. It also requires a working understanding of how medications and other substances affect the central nervous system, their short and long term effects on other body systems, as well as how they interact with one another. Using an engaging and participatory learning format, participants in this training learn the major classifications of psychotropic medications and psychoactive substances, gain a better understanding of how neurons and neurotransmitters work within the central nervous system, and become better acquainted with common side effects and adverse reactions to be watching for with their clients. In particular, this training focuses on antidepressants (e.g. MAO inhibitors, SNRIs, SSRIs, tricyclics, etc.), antipsychotics (typical and atypical neuroleptics), anxiolytics (e.g. barbiturates, benzodiazepines, etc.), mood-stabilizers (lithium, anticonvulsants, etc.), and cognitive enhancers/anti-ADHDs (psychostimulants, SNRIs, beta-blockers, etc.). We will look at some “off label” uses of these common psychotropic medications for other psychological symptoms or psychiatric diagnoses. Participants also learn about the DEA’s schedule of drugs and the most common psychoactive substances - including central nervous system depressants, central nervous system stimulants, opiates/opioids, hallucinogens, cannabis/cannabinoids, inhalants, anabolic steroids, designer drugs, and a few others. Additionally, MAT or medication-assisted treatment options for some addictive substances and/or behaviors is then explored (e.g. NRT, bupropion, naltrexone, buprenorphine, methadone, etc.). Finally, we address the issue of discontinuing psychotropic medications and/or other psychoactive substances, the problems associated with withdrawal and rebound effects, as well as the range of possible alternative treatments outside pharmacotherapies. NOTE: This training can be taken independently and also as part of the Noeticus Science and Technical Excellence - Practice Endorsement™ (NSTE-PE); Save an additional 20% by purchasing the complete NSTE-PE Course Package. Learn more or register HERE.

• DATE: November 23 and 24, 2026 (Monday & Tuesday).
• TIME: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• BREAKS: 10:30-10:45 am; 12:00-1:00 pm; and 2:30-2:45 pm.
• CE CONTACT HOURS: 15.0 Contact Hours.
• CE APPROVALS: DORA, NAADAC, NBCC; Applicable to the Noeticus Science and Technical Excellence - Practice Endorsement™ (NSTE-PE).
• RECOMMENDED TEXT: Participants may find it helpful to read this book by psychologist and psychiatrist team, JoEllen Patterson, PhD, A. Ari Albala, MD, Margaret E. McCahill, MD, and Todd M. Edwards, PhD, available HERE.
• PREREQUISITE(S): None.
• PAYMENT PLAN: A payment plan can be established through the online registration process.
• DISCOUNTS: Groups of 3+ = Save an Additional 10%; Military/Veterans = Save an Additional 15%; Graduate Students = Save an Additional 20%; BBIPOC/LGBTQIA+/Social Justice Rate = Save an Additional 25%; Noeticus Staff/Former Staff = Save an Additional 30% (Only One Category Available; Discount Provided Automatically at Check-Out).
• PACKAGE DISCOUNT: In addition to the discounts mentioned above, save an additional 20% by purchasing the complete NSTE-PE Course Package. Learn more or register HERE.

Motivational Interviewing I for Mental Health Professionals: Guiding Therapeutic Change with a Client-Centered Approach to Transforming Ambivalence

"Digging for Treasure - Together"

DESCRIPTION: Motivational Interviewing (MI) is an evidence-based practice originally developed for the treatment of substance use disorders, but has been found to support many other types of behavioral change as well. MI focuses on exploring and resolving therapeutic ambivalence by engaging motivational processes within the client that facilitate change. By looking at the change process that clients are embarking upon as one that has both positive and negative attributes, the MI approach has the tendency to dispel power struggles between therapist and client and dissolve notions such as "resistance" and "non-compliance." Because only about 10-15% of the people wanting to make a change are actually at a place where they are ready, willing, and able to make those changes, it is crucial for mental health professionals to have an understanding of what the change process looks like, how to assess clients for their stage of change, and determine the therapeutic skills and interventions that are most effective at each stage of change. Motivational Interviewing provides just such a framework and therefore significantly increases the chances of making a positive impact on the other 85-90% of individuals who are involved in the change process. NOTE: This training is not BHA-approved and cannot be taken to meet CAC/LAC requirements. Look under our NACCTP course list for that MI class. It can be taken independently and also as part of the Noeticus Evidence-Based Approaches - Practice Endorsement™ (NEBA-PE) and/or the more comprehensive Noeticus Counselor Training and Practice - Certification Program™ (NCTP-CP); Save an additional 20% by purchasing the complete NEBA-PE Course Package. Learn more or register HERE.

• DATE: December 1 and 2, 2026 (Tuesday & Wednesday).
• TIME: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• BREAKS: 10:30-10:45 am; 12:00-1:00 pm; and 2:30-2:45 pm.
• CE CONTACT HOURS: 15.0 Contact Hours.
• CE APPROVALS: DORA, NAADAC, NBCC; Applicable to the Noeticus Evidence-Based Approaches - Practice Endorsement™ (NEBA-PE). (NOTE: The NCPD MI training is not BHA-approved and cannot be taken to meet CAC/LAC requirements. Look under our NACCTP course list for that MI class.)
• RECOMMENDED TEXT: Participants may find it helpful to read this book by the founders and developers of MI, William R. Miller, PhD, and Stephen Rollnick, PhD, available HERE.
• PREREQUISITE(S): None.
• PAYMENT PLAN: A payment plan can be established through the online registration process.
• DISCOUNTS: Groups of 3+ = Save an Additional 10%; Military/Veterans = Save an Additional 15%; Graduate Students = Save an Additional 20%; BBIPOC/LGBTQIA+/Social Justice Rate = Save an Additional 25%; Noeticus Staff/Former Staff = Save an Additional 30% (Only One Category Available; Discount Provided Automatically at Check-Out).
• PACKAGE DISCOUNT: In addition to the discounts mentioned above, save an additional 20% by purchasing the complete NEBA-PE Course Package. Learn more or register HERE.

Attachment-Friendly DBT® for Distressed Couples: Strengthening the Safe Haven with Clear Skills for Fostering Validation and Connection

"Integrating DBT® Concepts with Attachment Theory for More Effective and Accessible Self and Co-Regulation in Relationships"

DESCRIPTION: In adult relationships, difficulties with self-regulation are often rooted in problems with early invalidating environments, but invalidating environments in adult relationships can be fostered and often exacerbated by pervasive disruptions in self-regulation. This is a dangerous trap that can snare many unwary couples. Ideally, adult partners would be able to turn toward one another for validation and comfort when intense emotions arise using tools that facilitate clear connection. Frequently, however, this healthy urge for connection is communicated in distorted ways because there is a perceived or real threat to the underlying structure of the relationship that doesn’t convey a sense of “safe haven.” The result of that dynamic is an all too common scenario in which, “just when your partner most needs you to connect, it is often the most difficult time to do so.” In that moment, a dual set of skills becomes very useful, those being the complementary skills of self-regulation and relational co-regulation. Learning to recognize and apply self-regulation skills within the context of relational co-regulation can be a tricky business though. Both sets of skills are necessary for healthy, securely attached adult relationships and often therapists gravitate toward one side of the equation at the expense of the other depending on their individual theoretical orientations. This training is designed to highlight the utility and necessity of both skill sets and aptly place them in a dialectical framework with one another. This training emphasizes the importance of balancing individual self-regulation skills within the context of relational co-regulation. It provides experiential activities and integrative techniques designed to support both in a dialectical fashion. NOTE: This training can be taken independently and also as part of the Noeticus Relational and Systemic Approaches - Practice Endorsement™ (NRSA-PE); Save an additional 20% by purchasing the complete NRSA-PE Course Package. Learn more or register HERE.

• DATE: December 3 and 4, 2026 (Thursday & Friday).
• TIME: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• BREAKS: 10:30-10:45 am; 12:00-1:00 pm; and 2:30-2:45 pm.
• CE CONTACT HOURS: 15.0 Contact Hours.
• CE APPROVALS: DORA, NAADAC, NBCC; Applicable to DBT® Certification; Applicable to the Noeticus Relational and Systemic Approaches - Practice Endorsement™ (NRSA-PE).
• RECOMMENDED TEXT: Participants may find it helpful to read this book by DBT® trainer and author Alan E. Fruzetti, PhD, available HERE.
• PREREQUISITE(S): DBT® Facilitator Training or Other Basic DBT® Training.
• PAYMENT PLAN: A payment plan can be established through the online registration process.
• DISCOUNTS: Groups of 3+ = Save an Additional 10%; Military/Veterans = Save an Additional 15%; Graduate Students = Save an Additional 20%; BBIPOC/LGBTQIA+/Social Justice Rate = Save an Additional 25%; Noeticus Staff/Former Staff = Save an Additional 30% (Only One Category Available; Discount Provided Automatically at Check-Out).
• PACKAGE DISCOUNTS: In addition to the discounts mentioned above, save an additional 20% by purchasing the complete NRSA-PE Course Package. Learn more or register HERE.

Group Counseling Skills: A Learning Laboratory for Clients to Gain Insight, Practice Skills, and Receive Feedback

"Fostering Skills to Facilitate Effective Recovery Groups that Address Group Tasks as well as Group Process"

DESCRIPTION: Group counseling or psychotherapy is a powerful tool in delivering addiction treatment services. Groups have many therapeutic elements and effects that draw people into the culture of recovery. Groups provide useful information; allow one or two therapists, depending on group size, to facilitate the group process which helps a number of clients simultaneously; and provide positive peer support and pressure for recovery. This class will help aspiring addiction counselors understand the use of group therapy in the addiction treatment field and demonstrate the skills necessary to facilitate a therapy group. The class will focus on the group process and will discuss diversity within groups as well as the many challenges a group leader may face. The class will also present models of effective group practice. Additionally, this and all addiction counselor classes seek to enhance the ability of the counselor to offer treatment services in a manner that respects gender, race and ethnicity, sexual orientation, cultural, familial, systemic, and socioeconomic diversity. NOTE: This class can be taken independently, as a required course for CAT/CAS/LAC credentialing, and also as part of the Noeticus Addiction and Recovery Therapy - Certification Program™ (NART-CP); Save an additional 20% by purchasing the complete NART-CP Course Package. Learn more or register HERE.

• DATE: December 7, 8, and 9, 2026 (Monday, Tuesday, & Wednesday).
• TIME: 9:00 am to 5:30 pm.
• BREAKS: 10:30-10:45 am; 12:00-1:00 pm; and 2:30-2:45 pm.
• CE CONTACT HOURS: 21.0 Contact Hours.
• CE APPROVALS: DORA, NAADAC, NBCC; Applicable to CAT/CAS/LAC Credentialing; Applicable to the Noeticus Addiction and Recovery Therapy - Certification Program™ (NART-CP).
• RECOMMENDED TEXT: Participants may find it helpful to read the Handbook for Addiction Counselors (CAC/LAC), available HERE.
• CLASS CATEGORY: CAT Class.
• BHA REQUIRED INSTRUCTOR: No (May Apply for Educational Equivalency).
• PREREQUISITE(S): CAT/CAS = Addiction Counseling Skills; LAC = N/A (Not Required).
• PAYMENT PLAN: A payment plan can be established through the online registration process.
• DISCOUNTS: Groups of 3+ = Save an Additional 10%; Military/Veterans = Save an Additional 15%; Graduate Students = Save an Additional 20%; BBIPOC/LGBTQIA+/Social Justice Rate = Save an Additional 25%; Noeticus Staff/Former Staff = Save an Additional 30% (Only One Category Available; Discount Provided Automatically at Check-Out).

Clinical Supervision III: Experiential Application and Integration for Mental Health Professionals

"Transforming Accidental Intervention into Deliberate Oversight"

DESCRIPTION: In Colorado (and many other states), the only legal requirement to provide clinical supervision is having an active mental health license. Because of that, many mental health practitioners become clinical supervisors immediately upon receiving their licenses without having any additional training in the specialized counseling practice of clinical supervision. Functionally, this often translates into new supervisors using counseling skills to work with new supervisees instead of supervision skills, a scenario that isn't always very effective or even helpful. As an antidote to this serious problem within all of the mental health professions, the Center for Credentialing and Education (CCE); An affiliate of the National Board for Certified Counselors [NBCC]) developed the voluntary Approved Clinical Supervisor™ (ACS™) credential. This training is the final part of a three-part series covering the theory and practice of clinical supervision, all of which (when taken together) meet the training requirements for the ACS™ through the CCE. During our Clinical Supervision I training, participants learn the theoretical foundations. During our Clinical Supervision II training, participants build upon their theoretical foundations and add to them practical skills. Finally, during our Clinical Supervision III training, participants integrate the principles and theory they learned in Clinical Supervision I with the advanced concepts and skills taught in Clinical Supervision II and apply them in an experiential format. NOTE: This training can be taken independently, as an educational requirement for ACS™ Certification through the CCE, and also as part of the Noeticus Intentional Clinical Supervision: Level 1 - Professional Endorsement™ (NICS-PE-1) and/or the more comprehensive Noeticus Intentional Clinical Supervision - Certification Program™ (NICS-CP); Save 20% by purchasing the complete NICS-PE Course Package. Learn more or register HERE.

• DATE: December 15 and 16, 2026 (Tuesday & Wednesday).
• TIME: 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.
• BREAKS: 10:30-10:45 am; 12:00-1:00 pm; and 2:30-2:45 pm.
• CE CONTACT HOURS: 15.0 Contact Hours.
• CE APPROVALS: DORA, NAADAC, NBCC; Applicable to ACS™ Certification through the CCE; Applicable to the Noeticus Intentional Clinical Supervision: Level 1 - Professional Endorsement™ (NICS-PE-1) and/or the more comprehensive Noeticus Intentional Clinical Supervision - Certification Program™ (NICS-CP).
• RECOMMENDED TEXT: Participants may find it helpful to read this book by counselor educators and supervisors Gerald Corey, PhD, Robert Haynes, PhD, Patrice Moulton, PhD, and Michelle Muratori, PhD available HERE.
• PREREQUISITE(S): Clinical Supervision I = None; Clinical Supervision II = Clinical Supervision I (ACS Only); Clinical Supervision III = Clinical Supervision I & II (ACS or through our CAC/LAC Track).
• PAYMENT PLAN: A payment plan can be established through the online registration process.
• DISCOUNTS: Groups of 3+ = Save an Additional 10%; Military/Veterans = Save an Additional 15%; Graduate Students = Save an Additional 20%; BBIPOC/LGBTQIA+/Social Justice Rate = Save an Additional 25%; Noeticus Staff/Former Staff = Save an Additional 30% (Only One Category Available; Discount Provided Automatically at Check-Out).
• PACKAGE DISCOUNT: In addition to the discounts mentioned above, save an additional 20% by purchasing the complete NICS-PE-1 Course Package. Learn more or register HERE.