Continuing Education Courses
Rutgers IIPR offers continuing education courses on a variety of topics related to Psychiatric Rehabilitation in an inpatient setting.
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Click on the BUY NOW button below each course to register. Certificates of completion are provided for all courses.
NJDOH staff please CLICK HERE to access these trainings at no cost.
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Developed by: Tom Bartholomew, PhD. and Jennifer Sperduto, MS
How can clinical supervision transform both staff well-being and client outcomes? In this course, you’ll discover the essential functions and best practices of clinical supervision, tailored for behavioral health supervisors and those aspiring to the role. Through a blend of foundational theory, practical strategies, and reflective exercises, you’ll learn to foster accountability, develop clinical competencies, and support emotional resilience in your team. By the end, you’ll be equipped to implement evidence-based supervision practices that promote professional growth, mitigate burnout, and align your team’s work with organizational standards—all within a supportive and reflective supervisory environment.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Jennifer Sperduto, MS
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This course will prepare students to facilitate an Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) program. This course satisfies many state requirements for the provision of this progam in partial care and inpatient programs. IMR is an evidence-based practice which helps clients develop tools to manage their mental health conditions, set meaningful goals and make progress towards their personal recovery. In this course, students will gain an understanding of the motivational, educational and cognitive behavioral strategies that IMR facilitators use. The program can be run for individuals or used in group settings. This course takes approximately 2 hours to complete. Students will receive a link to a free SAMHSA IMR manual and, upon passing the course, receive a certificate of completion.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Jennifer Sperduto, MS and Dawn Reinhardt-Wood, MA, DRCC
This course will introduce you to Safewards as a multidimensional model for reducing violence in a hospital setting. Safewards is a program that encourages staff and patients to work together to make the hospitals safer for everyone. Safer means a calmer and more positive place with fewer points of conflict and containment. Safewards uses 10 simple strategies that staff and patients can use to decrease conflict and containment. Students, after passing the course, will receive a certificate of completion. This course takes approximately 1 hour to complete.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Dawn Reinhardt-Wood, MA & Jennifer Sperduto, MS
This course will provide an overview of mental illness, its causes, treatment, and common symptoms exhibited by people in inpatient psychiatric hospitals — important concepts foundational to working with individuals recovering from mental health conditions. We will look at the practical facts about mental illness and identify ways in which we can support individuals through their recovery journey. This course takes approximately 1 hour to complete. Students, once they pass the course, will receive a certificate of completion.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Jennifer Sperduto, MS & Kenneth Kinter, MA, LPC
This course will introduce you to the therapeutic communication techniques known as OARS. OARS represents communication strategies that can help a practitioner engage in therapeutic communication in a variety of ways: group settings, individual interactions, and are useful tools for de-escalation. This course takes approximately 45 minutes to complete and students will receive a certificate upon passing the course.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Jennifer Sperduto, MS and Dawn Reinhardt-Wood, MA, DRCC
This course will provide an overview of Recovery and Wellness — two important concepts foundational to working with individuals recovering from mental health conditions. Just as every individual is unique, the supports that help people recover and maintain their overall psychiatric and general health should also be person-centered and individualized to the person in recovery. We will look at the basics of Recovery and Wellness and identify ways in which we can support individuals through their recovery journey. The course takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. Students, once they pass the course, will receive a certificate of completion.
Level: Introductory
Developed by: Tom Bartholomew, PhD. and Jennifer Sperduto, MS
This course introduces you to an evidenced informed approach to violence prevention called Three Steps to Safety. Students will learn the primary driver of reactive violence and how to build a therapeutic “Bank Account ” with their clients. An implementation manual is included to aid in staff training as are demonstration videos detailing the use of the Three Steps. This program is currently in use in hospitals in NJ, MA, VA and WA states. This course takes approximately 45 minutes to complete and students will receive a certificate upon passing the course.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Dawn Reinhardt-Wood, MA, DRCC
This course will provide an overview of Tools for Moving On (TFMO), a group curriculum for use in inpatient psychiatric settings to prepare patients for transition to community living and more successful discharges. This course will prepare you to facilitate TFMO in group or individual settings. TFMO was adapted by Rutgers University from SAMHSA’s Tools for Tenants Toolkit content. Course includes Facilitator Guide, Patient Manual, and Supplemental Modules. This course takes approximately 45 minutes to complete and students will receive a certificate upon passing the course.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Kenneth Kinter, MA, LPC
This training introduces you to Self Management and Recovery Training (SMART). the training will prepare you to run inpatient groups. Normally SMART is peer run, however this training is focused on staff led strategies using the REBT and CBT framework of SMART. Learners will be directed to free online resources. This training should take you approximately 60 minutes and contains exercises, video clips, and knowledge assessments. Prerequisites include a basic knowledge of group dynamics and addiction treatment. Students, once they pass the course, will receive a certificate of completion.
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Level: Intermediate
Developed by: Giovanna Giacobbe, MSW
This course is designed as a brief introduction for staff who will be leading Managing Difficult Life Experiences (MDLE) groups. In addition to this online training, staff should be using the MDLE manual and all its material to run and guide each group session. The course includes the MDLE Group Sessions Manual. This course takes approximately 60 minutes to complete and students will receive a certificate upon passing the course.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Giovanna Giacobbe, MSW & Maria Kirchner, PhD.
This course will introduce you to 5 Universal Precautions staff must use when interacting with patients to prevent trauma and re-traumatization from occurring at our hospitals. These precautions are to be used in our everyday communications with patients and our fellow colleagues to begin to establish a Trauma-Informed Culture. We will explore these 5 Trauma-Informed Universal Precautions and demonstrate how to apply them to create an environment that promotes a safety, collaboration, mutual respect and most importantly, healing to the people we serve. This course takes approximately 60 minutes to complete and students will receive a certificate upon passing the course. Resources included.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Dawn Reinhardt-Wood, MA, DRCC
This course provides an introduction to the science of behaviorism including behavioral strategies and interventions used to address problematic behaviors in an inpatient setting. The focus is on learning how staff can inadvertently reinforce non adaptive patient behaviors. Learners will understand the role of operant conditioning, reinforcement, and extinction in shaping healthy behaviors in both colleagues and clients. Recommended concurrent or prerequisite courses include Recovery and Wellness and Practical Facts about Mental Illness. This course takes approximately 60 minutes to complete and students will receive a certificate upon passing the course.
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Level: Introductory
Developed by: Kenneth Kinter, MA, LPC
This course will teach you to utilize Social Skills Training for Schizophrenia (Bellack et al., 2004) and the Social Skills Group Manual (Kinter & Sperduto, 2025) to facilitate more effective social skills groups. The text creates a structured program that helps individuals with mental health conditions acquire and improve skills to make progress towards their own personal recovery goals and our Facilitator’s Guide included with this training will help you use the text more effectively. This training contains exercises, video clips, and knowledge assessments. This course takes approximately 1 hour to complete and students will receive a certificate upon completion.
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Level: Intermediate