6 Modules + 12 CEU’s + Extra Training Included
Charting the Course
Taking the mystery out of navigating client substance use.
You want to help your clients move away from coping with substances, but you wish you were more knowledgeable in that area.
You became a therapist to help people heal and live more fulfilling lives. You learned everything you could in school, soaked up knowledge from colleagues, listened intently to clients and learned the art of being a therapist.
Over the years you’ve seen countless clients with a wide range of issues. You’ve learned how to work with all sorts of people and all of their different issues. You’ve taken training to learn new skills and approaches. You’ve read, you’ve listened and you’ve watched to help yourself grow as a therapist.
There’s one area where it’s been hard to find the answers you need, substance use. Your clients trust you, like talking with you and you don’t want to refer out. You’ve searched and perhaps gone to trainings, but haven’t found what you are looking for. You want to be able to work with client’s substance use in-house.
You wish you could find a way to learn how to treat substance use without going back for another license or learning a new modality. You know that there must be a way to help your clients without sending them away. You’re ready to dig into this area with your clients, now you just need the right information.
What would it be like
if you felt confident addressing substance use
without needing to specialize?
- Imagine if you would know how to accurately assess your client’s use of substances
- Imagine if you would be able to quickly determine what your client needed and what to do next
- Imagine if you could use the skills you already have to address substance use
- Imagine if you wouldn’t have to refer out to a different therapist and could build on the relationship you already have
- Imagine if you could feel confident in your knowledge of substances and addiction
- Imagine if you would know how substance use impacts mental health and progress in therapy
- Imagine if you wouldn’t feel hesitant in asking your client about their substance use
I created the Charting the Course program to give you the information you need to feel confident and competent to effectively address your clients substance use no matter who comes your way.
Hi, I’m Betsy.
I’m here to help you gain confidence and competence
in working with substance use.
I’m a licensed therapist, substance use counselor, clinical supervisor and a person in long-term recovery from substance use. When I started in our field I felt confident in my grad school education and life experience. I figured that I knew most of what I needed to know about doing therapy.
In my first year as a therapist I learned quickly that I was missing a large chunk of information. I had clients who were using substances and I realized I had no idea what to do. I had found my way into my own recovery from substances, but I didn’t know how to translate that to my clients.
I spent the following few years learning everything I could from the substance use counselors I worked with. I went to training, I read articles and talked with my clinical supervisor. I was so thankful that I was able to catch up and learn what I needed to know!
When I became the clinical supervisor I committed to myself and to those who worked on our team that they would be able to feel confident and competent in this area. I saw therapists and interns be able to work more effectively with their clients.
I am passionate about the work we do and I believe we are uniquely suited to help clients with their mental health and their substance use. I’m so excited to bring this course to you so that you can bring more healing and freedom to your clients!
What Other Therapists Have Said
Check out what others have to say about working with me:
When you join the Charting the Course Program, you’ll get:
- 6-module course: Video access immediately & downloadable resources to help further your learning. All of it is yours for life!
- Course available on-demand: Modules are always available so that you can do the course at your own pace and whenever you have the time.
- Resource Vault: Students receive worksheets and handouts to help further expand on information and assist with integration into your current practice. Any future updates to these resources are yours to have.
- Option to have consultation calls and extra support: Some folks want to do the course all on their own, at their own pace. Other folks would like a little more structure. Those folks can choose the course + support.
- Option to have access to private messaging with Betsy: Students who choose a support package will have access to private message me using the chat app Voxer. This allows a container for asynchronus conversations about the course content.
“Substance use has always felt like a gap in my training/education and an area that I have been hesitant to “dive” into when it comes to helping clients.This program gave me the confidence to better address substance use issues with my clients. I feel like I have the knowledge and resources I need and an understanding of how my current skills can be transferable to helping with substance use issues. I totally got what I was looking out of the program!”
“Charting the Course was exactly what I needed to gain the info and skills I knew I needed for my practice but didn’t know where to go. Substance use in my clients is so common yet I didn’t feel prepared to even ask them about their use. Before Charting the Course I was nervous to even broach the topic with my clients and now I have the confidence and knowledge to do not only a thorough assessment and treatment plan but show up in the therapy room as the warm and compassionate therapist I strive to be. If you’re looking for a no BS approach that gives you crucial skills for addressing substance use with your clients, look no further. Betsy teaches what you need to know and doesn’t waste your time like so many other trainings.”
You might be wondering…
Do I have enough clients that struggle with substance use
that would warrant me taking this course?
For instance, the more we screened for trauma, the more we found people had trauma (even if they didn’t realize it). The more we ask about medical issues the more we find that people have some unmet medical needs. The same is true with substance use.
Course Breakdown
MODULE 1: All About Us
Evaluate your scope of practice and your own experiences with people using substances.
MODULE 2: Addiction 201
Deepen your knowledge beyond just the basics to help understand the cycle of addiction, the role of the brain and the impact on therapy.
MODULE 3: Popular Substances
Explore current substance and mental health trends to sharpen your knowledge and keep your practice relevant.
MODULE 4: The Assessment
Unlock key questions to ask your clients, discover what the answers mean, and identify potential roadblocks.
MODULE 5: The Plan
Examine levels of care, plan next steps for your client and determine how and when you will be involved.
MODULE 6: Putting it all Together
Integrate course information with your current skill set and theoretical approach so you can work with clients without having to specialize or learn a new modality!
MODULE 1:
All About Us
Evaluate your scope of practice and your own experiences with people using substances.
MODULE 2:
Addiction 201
Deepen your knowledge beyond just the basics to help understand the cycle of addiction, the role of the brain and the impact on therapy.
MODULE 3:
Popular Substances
Explore current substance and mental health trends to sharpen your knowledge and keep your practice relevant.
MODULE 4:
The Assessment
Unlock key questions to ask your clients, discover what the answers mean, and identify potential roadblocks.
MODULE 5:
The Plan
Examine levels of care, plan next steps for your client and determine how and when you will be involved.
MODULE 6:
Putting it all Together
Integrate course information with your current skill set and theoretical approach so you can work with clients without having to specialize or learn a new modality!
This is the information you need to feel confident and competent in helping your client assess their substance use and move towards the life they want.
You can have the tools to accurately assess your clients’ use of substances and confidently plan the next steps for treatment. You can work a high majority of substance use issues in-house and you will know when your client needs a higher level of care. I am here to support you as you begin to integrate this into your existing practice.
By participating in the Charting the Course program you will understand how to ask about your client’s use and interpret their answers. You will be able to determine if there is an urgent issue and what next steps you need to take. You will be able to use your existing skills to do the work your clients need without learning a new modality. As a result your clients will be able to find more freedom in their lives.
You already have the skills you need to address your client’s substance use. All you have been missing is information and some guidance. In this course you will get the missing pieces, feel competent and confident in this area.
Purchase Options
Self-paced course
without extra support
$297 USD
You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours.
Self-paced course with support:
See details and support options in the next step!
Option 1: $498.50
Option 2: $997
You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours,
Self-paced course
without extra support
$297 USD
You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours.
Self-paced course with support:
See details and support options in the next step!
Option 1: $498.50
Option 2: $997
You will receive a confirmation email within 24 hours,
From the Therapists’ Desks
More thoughts from clinicians I’ve worked with:
FAQs
What if some of my clients have substance use that is too much for outpatient therapy?
This is very likely! Once it’s routine that you ask about substance use, you may find that someone’s use is much bigger than it originally seemed. There is definitely a limit to what we can do in therapy. This course will help you evaluate your client’s use and decide what next steps should be. You will learn about levels of care and how to determine what a client needs.
You will have the chance to stay connected to your client as they transition to more specialized treatment. It is likely that you would be able to collaborate with the treatment providers and focus on mental health support while treatment occurs.
In my experience, clients appreciate this so much! They are often fearful and hesitant about seeing another provider. It helps ease their fears if you can help them transition.
How do I access the course?
The course is located online via a system called ThriveCart. It’s an excellent, easy to use system that holds all the module videos, extra resources, and the extra trainings that are included.
What can I expect from each lesson?
Each lesson video is 2 hours long. Some of the modules have worksheets that go with it that are built to help with integrating the information. With extra support, you can plan your consultation calls around the modules to provide you support and give you the ability to ask questions. Additionally, if you have questions you can private message me to get specific answers.
What is the resource vault?
The Resource Vault is where I put worksheets and other videos that I have created. As I add resources in the future, you will find them in the Vault. For instance, there is a Recovery Plan worksheet to use with clients and that will go into the resource vault for Charting the Course students even though others will need to purchase it.
What extra training opportunities are included?
There are 2 programs, 2 hours each, that are available within the course room. One is called Considering Cannabis. This is an unbiased look at marijuana, its effects and our response as therapists to the increased prevelance of marijuana use. The second training is called Analyzing Alcohol. This is a look at normal drinking, gray area drinking and where alcoholism begins. We will cover alcohol, its effects, risks and specifically when drinking moves away from normal drinking into something else.
Are there Continuing Education Units (CEU’s)?
Charting the Course is approved for 12 hours of continuing education credits. The approval is approved by the MN Board of Social Work (MSW), the MN Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy (LPC/LPCC) and the MN Board of Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT). Most states will accept the approval from another state board. Be sure to check your state and board statutes. You will receive a certificate of completion with clock hours of training once you have completed the final quiz. (Quizzes are required by state boards for on-demand training)
What if I want more support from you?
I’m glad you asked! Originally, I provided this course live and did consultation calls with students. It was very difficult to get everyones schedules together for providing the program and the follow up calls. So I decided to offer the program in a self-paced set-up and offer up options for support.
Option 1: Private messaging access via voxer. Voxer is a messaging app and you can find out more about it in the FAQ dedicated to it. It is asynchronous (meaning you can write the question whenever) and I will answer you within a couple of days. It will hold voice messages or text messages. Whichever is easiest to get your question across. The messages are saved in the app so that you can refer to them when needed. Both support options include this feature. Option 1 also provides you with 3 individual, 60 minute consultation sessions with me. You have 6 months from the date of purchase to schedule these sessions with me. During our time together, you will be able to ask questions, talk about clients or anything else related to substance use. I love doing consultation with clinicians and can’t wait to talk with you!
Option 2: Private messaging access via voxer. Voxer is a messaging app and you can find out more about it in the FAQ dedicated to it. It is asynchronous (meaning you can write the question whenever) and I will answer you within a couple of days. It will hold voice messages or text messages. Whichever is easiest to get your question across. The messages are saved in the app so that you can refer to them when needed. Both support options include this feature. Option 2 also provides you with 6 individual, 60 minute consultation sessions with me. You have 6 months from the date of purchase to schedule these sessions with me. During our time together, you will be able to ask questions, talk about clients or anything else related to substance use. I love doing consultation with clinicians and can’t wait to talk with you!
What is Voxer?
Voxer is a free walkie-talkie app and also works in the browser/on desktop. You can leave voice messages or text messages for me. The message response time is similar to how we all use texting and messaging apps. I will answer within 2 days at most. If you have further questions that need a video call we can talk about what that would look like in terms of consultation time.
Voxer turned out to be a great addition to programs I’ve participated in as it helped me further integrate the new information!
Are you available to teach this program live to a team or group of clinicians?
Yes! I would love to present the program in real-time as a virtual/online training. I originally designed the program to be done live, but scheduling module calls around all of our busy lives is challenging! If you have a group of clinicians that would like to have this training presented for them, I’d be happy to talk about it as well as discuss consultation options for ongoing support. Feel free to email me at betsy@betsybyler.com
What is your refund policy?
Since you have access to the full course immediately, I cannot provide refunds to folks who have logged into the system (ThriveCart). Once you log-in, I will see that you connected. I am not able to see if you watched any videos or interacted in any way. This makes refunds not possible. For those who have not logged into the system, you can receive a refund up until 30 days from the date of purchase.
Feel competent and confident
to address any substance use that comes your way.
With clients who are appropriate for outpatient therapy you’ll know how substance use and specific substances impact mental health and brain function. This has huge implications for clients’ progress in therapy and informs the way we work with people. Finding the information you need for substance work is daunting! I do the work for you and give you what you need to know.
Your clients came to you and want to stay with you. Now you can keep working with them and in most cases won’t need to refer out. After all, the relationship they build with us is a big part of why people benefit from therapy.
Look no further, this is the comprehensive course for therapists, taught by a therapist.