Training at Prevention First

During this course participants will explore the six principles of the Prevention Code of Ethics. Participants will then learn and use an ethical decision-making process to apply the Prevention Code of Ethics to a variety of realistic ethical examples that substance use prevention professionals may encounter.  

This course was developed by the SAMHSA Center for Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT) and will be facilitated by Prevention First’s Substance Use Prevention Training and Technical Assistance Specialists. A certificate for six (6) training hours is provided upon completion. This ethics training has been endorsed by the International Certification & Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC) and meets the IC&RC’s prevention ethics education requirement for prevention specialist credentialing.

The Foundations of Prevention Ethics Training was originally developed under SAMHSA’s Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies. Revised version was created through a collaborative efforts of SAMHSA’s regional PTTCs and National Coordinating Office.  

QPR Training + OEND Training

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer — the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide.

According to the CDC, youth suicide attempts soared during the pandemic. Rates of suicide among youth in Black and Brown communities have risen faster than in any other racial/ethnic group in the past two decades.  Just as people trained in CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver help save thousands of lives each year, people trained in QPR learn how, in a short timeframe, to recognize the warning signs of a suicide crisis and how to question, persuade, and refer someone to help.

In the OEND bonus/add-on training, we will offer a 30-minute training session on “How to Use Naloxone aka “Narcan” which is the medicine that reverses an opioid overdose.

During training, you will learn how to use the Naloxone Nasal Spray in a crisis and receive a kit for your organization.  Please see the flyer for additional information.  Once you register for the QPR Training, you will receive an email to confirm whether you will attend the bonus training. This training is open to anyone who attends the QPR Training.  

During this course, you will learn how to support young people in your life and your work.

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental health and substance use challenges among adolescents ages 12-18. You will build the skills and confidence you need to reach out and provide initial support to young people who are struggling. You will also learn how to help connect them to appropriate support.

After the course, you will be able to:

• Recognize common signs and symptoms of mental health challenges, including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD).
• Recognize common signs and symptoms of substance use challenges.
• Understand how to interact with a young person in crisis.
• Know how to connect a young person with help.
• Better understand trauma, substance use, self-care, and the impact of social media and bullying.

TGFD/Maximizing Life is a school-based prevention program designed to reduce the risk factors and enhance the protective factors related to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use among students. Participants will gain hands-on experience with the core curriculum while acquiring essential prevention education teaching strategies. The trainer will familiarize participants with the research, theory, and concepts behind the program and provide an opportunity for facilitation practice.

The Too Good for Drugs/Maximizing Life Program has a developmentally appropriate and separate curriculum for grades K-12. This training is designed to prepare facilitators to implement the Too Good for Drugs (TGFD) Program for either 4/5^th, MS or HS grades successfully and with fidelity within a classroom setting.

This training will meet the IDHS training requirements for those implementing TGFD/Maximizing Life in either 4^th/5^th grade, middle school, or high school. 

The Alcohol Policy Resource Center and the Cannabis Policy Resource Center are hosting two one-day Alcohol & Cannabis Prevention Policy Summits. The Summit will cover topics such as alcohol, cannabis and suicide; retail availability of high ABV and hemp-based beverages, alcohol and cannabis marketing; enforcement strategies and coalition collaboration; and the prevention of impaired driving. The Summit is for law enforcement, prevention professionals, and prevention coalition members.

• April 13, 2026 – Harper College, Palatine, IL
• April 14, 2026 – ILEAS Training Center, Urbana, IL
• 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Keynote Speakers:

Dr. Matthew Rossheim is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. His work, including more than 90 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and 100 scientific presentations, has helped influence the development of laws and regulations from the local- to federal-levels. He is one of the nation’s leading public health experts on “supersized” alcopops and derived intoxicating cannabis products (such as delta-8 THC). His related publications illustrate how these harmful intoxicating substances are made appealing and accessible to young people. His research has been cited in reports by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO), as well as featured by BBC, CNN, CBS, NBC, NPR, Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Amy Miles is a Program Project Manager at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) and serves as a Regional Toxicology Liaison for the Midwest, supporting MI, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, SD, and ND. Amy has over 25 years of experience in forensic toxicology. In addition to her work with the RTL program, Amy is involved in public health as it relates to forensic toxicology. She is the co-chair of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Overdose Biosurveillance Task Force. Offering resources to public health laboratories performing non-fatal overdose surveillance testing. Amy partners with the University of Wisconsin on research projects focusing on impaired driving and drugs and human performance.

Amy has given hundreds of presentations on the topic of drugs, alcohol and human performance, and public health at state and national conferences and in-service trainings and has contributed several articles to national publications. She is a member of several professional organizations and committees that pertain to alcohol, drugs and human performance and public health. Amy is the Past President of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and is a National Judicial College faculty member. In 2020, Amy received the IACP DRE Ambassador Award, and in 2023 the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ Gold Standard Award, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s Kathryn JR Swanson Public Service Award and the SOFT Teaching and Mentoring Award. In 2025, Amy received the Robert F. Borkenstein Award.

The Alcohol Policy Resource Center and the Cannabis Policy Resource Center are hosting two one-day Alcohol & Cannabis Prevention Policy Summits. The Summit will cover topics such as alcohol, cannabis and suicide; retail availability of high ABV and hemp-based beverages, alcohol and cannabis marketing; enforcement strategies and coalition collaboration; and the prevention of impaired driving. The Summit is for law enforcement, prevention professionals, and prevention coalition members.

• April 13, 2026 – Harper College, Palatine, IL
• April 14, 2026 – ILEAS Training Center, Urbana, IL
• 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

Keynote Speakers:

Dr. Matthew Rossheim is an Associate Professor at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. His work, including more than 90 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and 100 scientific presentations, has helped influence the development of laws and regulations from the local- to federal-levels. He is one of the nation’s leading public health experts on “supersized” alcopops and derived intoxicating cannabis products (such as delta-8 THC). His related publications illustrate how these harmful intoxicating substances are made appealing and accessible to young people. His research has been cited in reports by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and World Health Organization (WHO), as well as featured by BBC, CNN, CBS, NBC, NPR, Washington Post, and The New York Times.

Amy Miles is a Program Project Manager at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene (WSLH) and serves as a Regional Toxicology Liaison for the Midwest, supporting MI, OH, IN, IL, WI, MN, SD, and ND. Amy has over 25 years of experience in forensic toxicology. In addition to her work with the RTL program, Amy is involved in public health as it relates to forensic toxicology. She is the co-chair of the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) Overdose Biosurveillance Task Force. Offering resources to public health laboratories performing non-fatal overdose surveillance testing. Amy partners with the University of Wisconsin on research projects focusing on impaired driving and drugs and human performance.

Amy has given hundreds of presentations on the topic of drugs, alcohol and human performance, and public health at state and national conferences and in-service trainings and has contributed several articles to national publications. She is a member of several professional organizations and committees that pertain to alcohol, drugs and human performance and public health. Amy is the Past President of the Society of Forensic Toxicologists and is a National Judicial College faculty member. In 2020, Amy received the IACP DRE Ambassador Award, and in 2023 the Association of Public Health Laboratories’ Gold Standard Award, the Governor’s Highway Safety Association’s Kathryn JR Swanson Public Service Award and the SOFT Teaching and Mentoring Award. In 2025, Amy received the Robert F. Borkenstein Award.

The ability to lead groups is essential to a wide variety of positions within the prevention field. This two-day training builds basic facilitation skills of individuals working with youth and/or adult groups. By the end of the training, participants will understand the stages of group development and the major issues associated with them, as well as how to identify and use interventions that will influence group behavior. This is an interactive training that will incorporate theory into discussions, group interaction, role playing and practice, and applied learning.

The ability to lead groups is essential to a wide variety of positions within the prevention field. This two-day training builds basic facilitation skills of individuals working with youth and/or adult groups. By the end of the training, participants will understand the stages of group development and the major issues associated with them, as well as how to identify and use interventions that will influence group behavior. This is an interactive training that will incorporate theory into discussions, group interaction, role playing and practice, and applied learning.

The ability to lead groups is essential to a wide variety of positions within the prevention field. This two-day training builds basic facilitation skills of individuals working with youth and/or adult groups.

By the end of the training, participants will understand the stages of group development and the major issues associated with them, as well as how to identify and use interventions that will influence group behavior. This is an interactive training that will incorporate theory into discussions, group interaction, role-playing,  and practice, and applied learning.

*Note: This is a two-day and all-day in-person training; to receive credit, participants must attend both days of training.