Training Institute
Building Capacity for Social Change
Pursuing our commitment to implement racial and social justice programming in our daily work is an impetus of our Training Institute. Offering educational and informative presentations by mental health professionals, social workers, educators, school counselors, youth workers, nationally-known speakers, and others working in social service organizations, provides the opportunity to disseminate new ideas on racial justice and equity in our communities.
The Training Institute includes the provision of continuing education units for licensed professionals, as well as personalized organizational training for community entities seeking to address equity issues in their work.
YWCA Greater Austin's Training Institute is a regionally recognized training site for students completing their licensure requirements in social work and counseling.
Services
YWCA Greater Austin works cooperatively with colleges and universities to provide students impactful and inspiring real world experience. All volunteers and interns receive orientation training, weekly supervision, professional development, and access to YWCA Training Institute class offerings.
Most of our masters-level interns are social work and counseling students who plan to provide therapeutic services or who are on the administrative track. Students typically receive 15 hours of training, carry a case-load, attend individual and group supervision, conduct research and co-facilitate groups.
Our bachelor-level internships are more generalist and offer students the opportunity to develop care coordination, advocacy and outreach, group facilitation, administrative, fund development, grant researching and writing, education, planning skills, etc.
We regularly collaborate with The University of Texas at Austin, St. Edward's University, Baylor University, Texas State University, and The University of Texas at San Antonio and others. We look forward to fostering relationships with other universities and colleges as students express an interest.
Volunteer Opportunities
Clinical Volunteers: the YWCA Counseling and Referral Center accepts those with LPC-Is and LMSWs working towards completing their clinical hours for advanced licensure. Clinical volunteers formulate a plan with their supervisor, carry an on-going caseload, co-facilitate groups, and attend individual and group supervision.
Non-Clinical Volunteers: positions include social media and marketing, fund development and event planning, grant writing and researching, assisting with the Training Institute, care coordination, advocacy and outreach, group facilitation, administrative, fund development, grand researching and writing, education, planning skills, etc.
Warmline Volunteers: YWCA Greater Austin developed the warm line as a response to the increase in calls from people needing a space to talk about the stressors and isolation related to COVID-19, but not necessarily seeking therapy. The Warmline is designed to prevent a mental health crisis by connecting people to each other and to assist with coping. Through the WarmLine, people can share their experiences, receive emotional support and/or get connected to YWCA services if they choose. For warmline volunteers, we are searching for mental health professionals and people with shared experiences.
To Apply
If you are a professor or student interested in the social work/counseling intern/practicum program, or if you are interested in the clinical or other volunteer positions, please contact the Volunteer and Education Coordinator, Haleigh Campbell at haleigh@ywcaaustin.org.
Internship Opportunities
YWCA Greater Austin works cooperatively with colleges and universities to provide students impactful and inspiring real world experience. All volunteers and interns receive orientation training, weekly supervision, professional development, and access to YWCA Training Institute class offerings.
Most of our masters-level interns are social work and counseling students who plan to provide therapeutic services or who are on the administrative track. Students typically receive 15 hours of training, carry a case-load, attend individual and group supervision, conduct research and co-facilitate groups.
Our bachelor-level internships are more generalist and offer students the opportunity to develop care coordination, advocacy and outreach, group facilitation, administrative, fund development, grant researching and writing, education, planning skills, etc.
We regularly collaborate with The University of Texas at Austin, St. Edward's University, Baylor University, Texas State University, and The University of Texas at San Antonio and others. We look forward to fostering relationships with other universities and colleges as students express an interest.
Volunteer Opportunities
Clinical Volunteers: the YWCA Counseling and Referral Center accepts those with LPC-Is and LMSWs working towards completing their clinical hours for advanced licensure. Clinical volunteers formulate a plan with their supervisor, carry an on-going caseload, co-facilitate groups, and attend individual and group supervision.
Non-Clinical Volunteers: positions include social media and marketing, fund development and event planning, grant writing and researching, assisting with the Training Institute, care coordination, advocacy and outreach, group facilitation, administrative, fund development, grand researching and writing, education, planning skills, etc.
Warmline Volunteers: YWCA Greater Austin developed the warm line as a response to the increase in calls from people needing a space to talk about the stressors and isolation related to COVID-19, but not necessarily seeking therapy. The Warmline is designed to prevent a mental health crisis by connecting people to each other and to assist with coping. Through the WarmLine, people can share their experiences, receive emotional support and/or get connected to YWCA services if they choose. For warmline volunteers, we are searching for mental health professionals and people with shared experiences.
To Apply
If you are a professor or student interested in the social work/counseling intern/practicum program, or if you are interested in the clinical or other volunteer positions, please contact the Volunteer and Education Coordinator, Haleigh Campbell at haleigh@ywcaaustin.org.
Building Capacity for Equity
Community-based organizations and nonprofits are often limited in the funding that they have for staff development and growth. YWCA Greater Austin leverages its expertise to help sister organizations in the community acquire skills and tools to better reach, work with and enhance the services they provide to those they serve. We believe this is a way for us to exponentially and strategically increase the impact of our work promoting the health and safety of women and girls and their economic empowerment and advancement.
Through the YW Volunteer and Training Institute, we provide local community-based, non-profit and educational organizations an opportunity to receive no-cost training and professional development for their staff and volunteers.
Who is eligible to be a YWCA Community Partner?
Community based, educational or nonprofit entities that:
- Provide services that align with YWCA's mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.
- Understand that staff development is essential to creating more impactful, responsive and efficient service delivery aimed at strengthening the Greater Austin Community.
- Commit to ongoing collaboration with YWCA for the duration of the partnership.
- Serve the Greater Austin Community and are located in Travis, Hays, Williamson, Bastrop, Fayette, Llano, Burnet and/or Blanco counties.
- Partner organizations will be able to register up to 12 staff or volunteers to attend YW Volunteer and Training Institute workshops, classes and training free of charge per year.
Licensed professionals will earn continuing education units where applicable.
Where does my organization sign up?
If you are interested in learning more about the YWCA Volunteer and Training Institute Community Partnership Initiative, please contact our Volunteer and Education Coordinator at haleigh@ywcaaustin.org.
Building Capacity for Equity
Community-based organizations and nonprofits are often limited in the funding that they have for staff development and growth. YWCA Greater Austin leverages its expertise to help sister organizations in the community acquire skills and tools to better reach, work with and enhance the services they provide to those they serve. We believe this is a way for us to exponentially and strategically increase the impact of our work promoting the health and safety of women and girls and their economic empowerment and advancement.
Through the YW Volunteer and Training Institute, we provide local community-based, non-profit and educational organizations an opportunity to receive no-cost training and professional development for their staff and volunteers.
Who is eligible to be a YWCA Community Partner?
Community based, educational or nonprofit entities that:
- Provide services that align with YWCA's mission of eliminating racism and empowering women.
- Understand that staff development is essential to creating more impactful, responsive and efficient service delivery aimed at strengthening the Greater Austin Community.
- Commit to ongoing collaboration with YWCA for the duration of the partnership.
- Serve the Greater Austin Community and are located in Travis, Hays, Williamson, Bastrop, Fayette, Llano, Burnet and/or Blanco counties.
- Partner organizations will be able to register up to 12 staff or volunteers to attend YW Volunteer and Training Institute workshops, classes and training free of charge per year.
Licensed professionals will earn continuing education units where applicable.
Where does my organization sign up?
If you are interested in learning more about the YWCA Volunteer and Training Institute Community Partnership Initiative, please contact our Volunteer and Education Coordinator at haleigh@ywcaaustin.org.
YWCA Greater Austin's first documented education and training experience dates back to 1920. Since then its course offerings have evolved to meet the changing realities of the Greater Austin community. The Volunteer and Training Institute promotes racial justice and civil rights by building capacity both within YWCA Greater Austin and in the Greater Austin community to address the root causes of gender and racial injustice from the personal to the professional and institutional.
Request a Training
As an equity centered nonprofit, YWCA Greater Austin creates personalizable professional development opportunities based on the specific need of the requesting organization. Could your organization benefit from training that addresses the root causes of gender and racial injustice? One that explores intersectionality, mental health topics, or ethics?
To request a training, complete the form here.
Available Trainings
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Mental Health First Aid | Skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use issues, steps to take in order to connect individuals to mental health resources, and awareness about how to appropriately respond to an individual experiencing a mental health crisis or issue. This is an 8-hour (minimum) course which can be presented in one day or broken into sections over multiple days. |
| Non-violent Crisis Intervention | This program is considered the global standard for crisis prevention and intervention training. With a core philosophy of providing for the Care, Welfare, Safety, and Security of everyone involved in a crisis situation, the program's proven strategies give human service providers and educators the skills to safely respond to various levels of risk behavior while balancing the responsibilities of care. |
| Mindfulness Through Art | When the mind is at peace and given space to wonder, beautiful things can result. There may be painting and/or other messy mediums involved so please wear or bring comfortable clothing that you don't mind getting a little messy. This workshop will incorporate simple mindfulness and art practices to promote relaxation and creativity. |
| Culture Shock | This training will provide an overview of culture shock and help service providers understand and learn to support clients in the four distinct phases and manifestations thereof: honeymoon, negotiation, adjustment, and adaptation. |
| Opening Up the Dialogue | This workshop serves as an opportunity for people to begin to embrace a culture of openness and thoughtful conversations around difficult subjects. People often have difficulty discussing issues associated with the "elephant in the room." It can be challenging to bring up differences in age, ethnicity, and/or experiences related to social/systemic oppression, social justice, and intersectionality. Special consideration is given to organizational dynamics, worker/client relationships, and self-awareness. The YWCA Greater Austin believes that the best way to handle a difficult subject is through open, honest, productive conversations with many voices in the room. The workshop will involve experiential exercises, group interactions, and large group discussion. |
| Oppression in the Session | A focus on public policy change is crucial in addressing structural racism and sexism. The possibility for change is always present. Understanding which values touch constituencies and how to define those in ways that build momentum is necessary to ensure that our democracy is defined in ways that benefit all. |
| Trauma and Oppression | Trauma is a psychological dimension of oppression, which is the systemic abuse of power. This workshop will explore how institutionalized oppression creates and re-creates powerlessness and trauma, how it manifests at different levels of a community, how to identify challenges to having conversations about oppression and learn ways to address them. |
| Gender Analysis and Mainstreaming | Gender mainstreaming is a strategy to achieve gender equality. It is shorthand for saying that the impact of all policies and programs on women and men should be considered at every stage of the policy or program cycle - from planning to implementation and evaluation. This workshop familiarizes participants gender mainstreaming and gender analysis through best practice and case studies from around the world, by focusing on specific sectors or policy areas. |
| Systemic Solutions for Racial Equity | This workshop focuses on the concept of structural racialization. It explores and emphasizes the processes by which institutions and systems create and maintain racism and helps identify tools for equity-based solutions to create change. |
| Exploring Systemic Privilege and Microagressions | This workshop evaluates systemic power dynamics and imbalances. It provides tools to identify and remedy subtle/hidden barriers inherent that are codified through existing and acceptable policies and procedures. |
| Addressing Intersectionality: Gender and Race | This workshop examines race, class and gender as influential, interlocking dimensions of social identities that shape institutions, dynamics, processes, and cultures. It draws on a variety of sources to understand how race, class and gender set-up power dynamics in different social environments and systems, thereby impacting the lived experiences of vulnerable/marginalized communities. |
| Know Thyself: Identifying Patterns of Oppression | This workshop guides participants through an honest discussion and assessment of the barriers that exist within an organization that inhibit equity and access and how individuals contribute to the continuation of these barriers. Participants will begin to develop ideas around addressing the barriers and integrating social equity as part of the organizational culture. |
| Power Dynamics & Eliminating Racism: A Multi-dimensional Community Endeavor | Engaging racial justice work consistently involves sustained community engagement. Building community power to effect structural change involves identifying where power relations need to shift. Learning objectives: understanding the role every individual plays in sustaining power dynamics, engaging in self-diagnosis of power, and understanding how to identify and develop strategies to begin to shift power dynamics that do not support racial justice. |
| Neurobiology of Trauma | Forthcoming |
| Exploring Implicit Bias | Forthcoming |
| Understanding Self-Medication Theory and co-occurrence with Mental Health Issues | Forthcoming |
| Equality and Access: Understanding the Hidden Social Barriers | Forthcoming |
| Eliminating Racism: A Multi-dimensional Community Endeavor | Forthcoming |
| Communication Keys: Delivery of Direct Client Services | Forthcoming |
| De-escalation: 4-part series | Forthcoming |
| Trauma 101 | Forthcoming |
| The Art of Being Present: Introducing mindfulness to manage stress and to reduce burnout in childcare settings | Forthcoming |
| The Art of Being Present: Introducing mindfulness to manage stress and to reduce burnout | Forthcoming |
| Always a Parent | Forthcoming |
| Attachment and Parenting | Forthcoming |
| The Ethics of Confronting the "isms" | Forthcoming |
Consultations
Forthcoming