• About the Presenter: 

Susan Martin, LISW is an energetic and engaging presenter who draws on her 28 years of experience as a Mental Health Therapist and Administrator to educate and inspire change. Ms. Martin went to Indianola High School, graduated from the University of Northern Iowa with a BSW and the University of Iowa with a MSW. She has served her community in multiple settings including the Veterans Administration, Hospitals, Home Health organizations and Outpatient Mental Health Clinics. Ms. Martin has worked for Optimae LifeServices for 22 years and currently is the Chief Operating Officer for Optimae Services. She has traveled the Midwest and nationally to educate and inspire others with warmth, good humor and positive examples through seminars and a variety of speaking engagements.

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Working with Challenging Behaviors

• Presented by: Jim Aberg, MAE, former service provider, private consultant
• Date and Time: Monday, March 8, 2021, 9:30 am - 10:30 am
• Description: 

Albert Einstein says that in order to solve a problem, you need to understand the problem. Teams and direct support professionals need fully understand the reasons and motivation for the problem behavior(s) a client displays. This understanding helps to develop an effective behavior intervention plan to support an individual.

The presenter, using the approach of understanding a problem to develop more effective solutions will present information on utilizing the bio/psycho/social model as a tool to better understand problem behaviors. Case examples utilizing the bio/psycho/social model will be shared to help the attendees better understand and apply the model in their own organizations.

• About the Presenter: 

Jim Aberg, MAE, has over 43 years of experience working with adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities with dual diagnoses who may experience problem behaviors. Jim has worked for IDD providers for 40 years and County Social Services (CSS) as the I-START Program Director for 2.5 years. Jim retired in January 2019 from CSS. Jim has developed a consulting business and is presently doing expert testimony in civil lawsuits in defense of IDD providers, consulting with an out of state provider starting services in Iowa, providing training for a IDD providers, and consulting with CSS.

Cultural Competence for DSPs

• Presented by: Motier F. Haskins, MSW, Instructional Track Lecturer, University of Iowa School of Social Work
• Date and Time: Monday, May 10, 2021, 9:30 am - 10:30 am
• Description: 

Claire Benway provides technical assistance, training and development support within the direct support profession. She works on state and federal projects focusing on improving community services for children and adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her current projects involve training, technical assistance and state policy development in person-centered thinking/planning, direct support workforce development and community living. She authors content and provides quality assurance for on-line curricula in DirectCourse. Claire is a certified Person-Centered Thinking 2 Day Mentor Trainer and holds a Masters in Theatre Education from Emerson College in Boston Massachusetts.

Avoiding Burnout

• Presented by: Dr. Celina Peerman, President, The Peerman Group
• Date and Time: Monday, September 13, 2021, 9:30 am - 10:30 am
• Description: 

Workload isn't decreasing, stressors increasing and our need to thrive even in uncertain times is critical.  With an energetic, interactive approach, this session will review recent findings from the research and apply key actions that help us all succeed as helping professionals. Participants will go through a range of exercises to build skills and strengthen resiliency to bounce back under the pressures and weight of our responsibilities. Come renew your energy and passion for your work in an uplifting session to go back out and keep doing the great work you strive to do.

• About the Presenter

Dr. Celina Peerman currently serves as an organizational psychologist with over 27 years of experience from front line to senior level positions, in a wide range of industries and organizations. She is passionate about engaging our human resources in new ways to achieve even better organizational results. Celina is a strategist with a sense of humor and a love for building capacity in organizations. She has presented at numerous conferences for local, state, and national audiences. Her work in Southeast Asia, Canada and Central America give additional operations experience, further developing her strong international interests with the ability to walk into every type of company daily to learn firsthand the challenges and opportunities to build better performance. 

Celina holds a Ph.D. in Psychology, a master’s degree in business, with undergraduate degrees in psychology and international studies. She sees over 250 groups a year: including over 6000 people in 2019, large groups, small groups, and even one-on-one learning about the opportunities and challenges we face every day with leadership, strategy, and workplace behavior.  She started her career...as a DSP.