News Detail
SUNY Potsdam offers Empowerment Skills for Family Workers Training
08.13.09
SUNY Potsdam’s Center for Lifelong Education and Recreation (CLEAR) will offer the Cornell University Family Development Training and Credentialing Program (FDC) “Empowerment Skills for Family Workers” beginning Tuesday, Sept. 8, at SUNY Potsdam.
The program focuses on the strengths of individuals and families and how to encourage and involve them in the decisions and processes that affects their future. Using a holistic approach, FDC strives through collaborations between service providers, to address the multi-faceted issues facing families today.
Ninety hours of interactive classroom study covers 10 core competencies in the curriculum with an additional 10 hours of field advisement and portfolio development. The empowerment model teaches family workers how to develop and maintain their level of professionalism while continuing to learn new approaches to working with families.
Portfolio development enables workers to demonstrate their understanding of the lessons learned in class through applications at their worksites and documentation in the form of a portfolio.
With regular attendance, a satisfactory portfolio and passing the New York State Credential Exam, workers will earn a New York State Family Development Credential.
The training is open to individuals working in health, education and human service fields.
For those seeking continuing education units or training towards recertification required for CASEC, this class meets some of the required criteria.
FDC meets weekly from 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. from September 8 through March 23, 2010. Participants who successfully complete this class and pass the New York State exam will also earn seven upper level college credits through Excelsior College (sponsored by the New York State Department of State) and Empire State College.
If desired, 9.5 CEU's are also awarded through Cornell University at the completion of the program upon request.
The fee of $625 covers the cost of enrollment as well as the student manual, “Empowerment Skills for Family Workers: The Comprehensive Curriculum of the New York State Family Development Credential.” There is an additional fee of $250 to sit for the New York State Family Credential Exam.
Class size is limited to 12 participants. For more information about the FDC, please contact Nancy Hess, CLEAR coordinator of conferences and specials programs, at (315) 267-2168 or (315) 267-2538.