By Caitlyn Veenstra
The National Center for START Services® offers several professional development courses open to all professionals working with people with intellectual/developmental disabilities and mental health needs (IDD-MH). A snapshot of these courses from 2023 to 2024 shows an increase in the number of attendees and an increase in attendee skills and abilities!
- Direct Support Professionals
- Care Coordinators and Case Managers
- Mobile Crisis Responders
- Applied Positive Psychology
The IDD-MH Professional Development Series aims to enhance the competence and confidence of professionals in delivering effective, evidence-based services, support, and treatment for individuals with IDD-MH and their families. By building competence and confidence, these courses promote self-efficacy, which is linked to educational persistence, the pursuit of ongoing learning, and advanced skill application (Ponton et al., 2014). For adult online learners, this enhanced efficacy encourages engaged, self-motivated, lifelong learning (Bandura, 1995). The series ultimately cultivates a resilient, adaptable workforce capable of providing high-quality, person-centered support across diverse professional settings.
| 2023 Snapshot | 2024 Snapshot |
|---|---|
| 7 course cohorts | 9 course cohorts |
| 787 total enrolled trainees | 1,424 enrolled trainees |
On average, attendees in 2023 had a 47% increase in confidence, skill, and ability after completing the course. (2024 data is still being calculated).
With an 80% increase in the number of IDD-MH Professional Development series enrollees, the NCSS training team is excited to see what 2025 brings!
Interested in Getting Involved?
We are always interested in talking to prospective facilitators! Do you have, or know someone who has, a proven commitment and interest in facilitating a Professional Development course? Reach out to NCSS Training Coordinator Caitlyn Veenstra at Caitlyn.Veenstra@unh.edu
References
Bandura, A. (1995). Exercise of personal and collective efficacy in changing societies. In A. Bandura (Ed.), Self-efficacy in changing societies (pp. 1-45). Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.
Ponton, M. K., Carr, P., & Wiggers, N. (2014). Self-efficacy to do or self-efficacy to learn to do: A student related to perseverance. International Journal of Self-Directed Learning, 11(1), 29-40.
