Well-Being Academy
Building the Future of Behavior Support in Ohio
As the needs of people with developmental disabilities become more complex, the demand for skilled, confident professionals has never been greater. The Well-Being Academy is designed to strengthen your team’s ability to support people in meaningful, person-centered ways—reducing risk, improving outcomes, and promoting long-term well-being.
Through hands-on learning and real-world application, participants will gain practical tools to assess needs, support teams, and respond effectively to behavioral and mental health challenges—helping organizations build stronger, more sustainable systems of support.
Who Should Attend
Developmental disabilities professionals working for county boards or service providers who want to expand their behavior support expertise or prepare for a Behavior Support Assessor/Strategist role.
Why Attend
- Build internal expertise in behavior support and wellbeing
- Strengthen person-centered, trauma-informed practices
- Reduce reliance on restrictive interventions
- Gain practical tools you can apply immediately
What Participants Will Learn
- Skills to serve as a specialist who functions as a Behavior Support Assessor/Strategist
- Strategies for practices that are preventative and function as early interventions to deter from the use of restrictive measures
- Experience applying person-centered, trauma-informed practices
- A foundation in well-being, abuse prevention, and positive behavior supports
- Hands-on learning through capstone case studies focused on real-world challenges
- Thorough understanding of the DODD Behavior Support Rule
Curriculum Highlights
Participants will learn about a variety of topics focused on enhancing the health, safety, and wellness of people served. This includes:
- Framework for Providing Support: Understanding well-being, abuse awareness and prevention, trauma-informed practices, lived experience with restrictive measures, person-centered positive behavior supports, and success planning.
- Contributing Factors: Medical concerns, mental health, substance use, diagnostic overshadowing, co-occurring conditions, and reframing concerns as unmet needs, pain, frustration, anxiety, loneliness, or trauma.
- Technical and Operational: Observations, assessments, bio/psycho/social review, documentation, progress monitoring, DSP training, protocol development, reduction of restrictive measures, and use of AI in the behavior support process.
- Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Working with ancillary professionals, clarifying scope of practice, coordinating referrals, understanding risk assessments, and strengthening relationships with law enforcement.
- Crisis Intervention/Solutions: Risks and safeguards related to restraints, conflict resolution, de-escalation, and difficult conversations with teams, families, and clinical partners.
- Compliance: Aligns with Ohio rule requirements related to prohibited and restrictive measures, Human Rights Committees, informed consent, equal rights, and the role of behavior supports.
- Notable speakers: Speakers will come from a variety of states and disciplines, including physicians, clinical psychologists, and behavior specialists.
Capstone Project
Participants will apply academy learning from start to finish through team-based case study work and service coordination across all six curriculum areas.
Program Details
Capacity: 30-35 participants
Format: In-person sessions in Columbus, featuring presenters from multiple states and disciplines
Course Design: 2 days per month for 10 months, followed by 6 months of mentoring at no additional cost
CPDUs: 100 hours
Total Program Cost: $1,750.00
2027 Cycle Sessions in Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr, May, Jun, Aug, Sep, Oct, and Nov; graduation in Dec
Schedule
Sessions will run from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., with November capstone presentation days extending to 4:30 p.m. No sessions are scheduled in July.
1: Framework for Supports
| January 11 |
Well-Being, Trauma-Informed Practices and Abuse Prevention Introduction to the Academy, expectations and self-assessment. Explore well-being beyond rule compliance, trauma-informed approaches, and practical abuse awareness and prevention. |
| January 12 |
Lived Experience and Positive Behavior Supports Hear perspectives on restrictive measures; strengthen person-centered positive behavior supports and success planning, including individual success stories. |
2: Narrowing the Focus / Contributing Factors
| February 1 |
Recognizing Hidden Contributing Factors Explore diagnostic overshadowing, substance use disorders and related risks, adapted treatment approaches, and possible effects of dementia on behavior and support needs. |
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February 2 |
Medical, Mental Health and Co-Occurring Conditions Examine medical conditions that may appear as behavior concerns; assessment, diagnosis and treatment; common mental health conditions; psychotropic medication risks, polypharmacy, deprescribing, and catatonia in I/DD. |
3: Technical and Operational
| March 1 |
Observations and Assessments Learn when and how to use observations and assessments, document findings, apply least-restrictive approaches, and coordinate with behavior, medical and mental health professionals. |
| March 2 |
Biopsychosocial Assessment and Support Strategies Use biopsychosocial findings to select practical supports and strategies; examine benefits, risks, oversight, safeguards and protections. |
| April 12 |
Documentation, Progress Monitoring and DSP Support Review documentation types, analysis, and limitations; establish progress monitoring; and strengthen DSP training and support, including language and cultural considerations. |
| April 13 |
Risk of Harm and Well-Being Protocols Identify and assess the severity of self-injury, harm to others, and other serious risks. Develop proactive well-being protocols using physical and mental health supports, communication and environmental changes. |
| May 3 |
Developing a Risk-of-Harm Protocol Build risk-reduction protocols from incident identification and contributing-factor assessments through prevention, crisis response, monitoring, implementation and team/DSP training. Introduction to Capstone work. |
| May 4 |
Reducing Restrictive Measures and Using AI Review the process for reducing restrictive measures and explore ways artificial intelligence can complement the behavior support process. |
4: Interdisciplinary Collaboration
| June 14 - VIRTUAL |
Ancillary Services and Care Coordination Coordinate with OT, PT, SLP, nursing, medical, mental health and ABA professionals. Clarify scope of practice, referrals and support when specialized services are limited; form Capstone teams. |
| June 15 - VIRTUAL |
Ethics, Risk Assessment and Community Partnerships Examine ethical decisions and risk tolerance, specialized assessments for sexual offenses, arson and violence, law-enforcement relationships, and staffing ratios. |
5: Crisis Intervention / Solutions
|
August 16 |
Restraint Safeguards and Conflict Resolution Review risks and safeguards associated with chemical, manual and mechanical restraints, followed by conflict resolution approaches that support well-being. |
| August 17 |
Difficult Conversations and Collaborative Solutions Continue conflict resolution work and practice navigating difficult conversations with teams, families, healthcare and mental health professionals and court-related partners. |
6: Compliance
| September 13 |
Ohio Rules, Restrictive Measures and Human Rights Committees Review prohibited and restrictive measures under Ohio DODD Rule 5123-2-06 and the Human Rights Committee process, responsibilities and training. |
| September 14 |
Informed Consent, Rights and Behavior Supports Explore informed consent, equal citizenship and individual rights, the role and limitations of guardians, and the purpose of behavior supports. |
Capstone Case Study Projects
| October 4 |
Integrated Case Study Development Apply all six curriculum areas in team-based case studies: contributing factors, technical practices, collaboration, crisis solutions, compliance and the framework for supports. |
| October 5 |
Capstone Case Study Development · Continued Continue coordinated case-study work, integrating assessment findings, interdisciplinary supports, risk reduction, documentation and progress monitoring. |
Capstone Presentations and Graduation
| November 15 |
Self-Harm and Vulnerability to Victimization Capstone teams present two case studies, including risk analysis, support strategies and implementation plans, followed by Human Rights Committee review and group feedback. |
| November 16 |
Physical Harm to Others and Sexual Offenses Capstone teams present case-study approaches to physical harm to others and sexual offenses, with Human Rights Committee review and structured colleague debriefing. |
| December TBD |
Graduation and Celebration Celebrate completion of the Wellbeing Academy and recognize the practical learning and collaborative work of participants. |
Attendee Registration
Participants will earn 100 hours of continuing education.
Total Program Cost: $1,750.00
Register for the Well-Being Academy
Location
In-person sessions of the Well-Being Academy will be held at the Quest Conference Center,
9200 Worthington Road, Suite 400
Westerville, OH 43082
Sponsorship Opportunities
Presenting Partner ($5,000)
- Premier recognition at all 20 Well-Being Academy sessions, including opening and closing remarks, capstone presentations, and graduation.
- Opportunity to deliver a 5–10-minute presentation about your organization during the lunch hour of one Academy session.
- Premier logo placement on Academy materials, including attendee booklets and agendas.
- Featured logo and website link on the OACB website.
- Recognition in Academy promotional emails and select OACB social media posts.
- Dedicated sponsor spotlight in an OACB publication.
- Opportunity to provide branded materials or promotional items to Academy participants.
- Special recognition during the Academy graduation ceremony.
Supporting Partner ($2,500)
- Recognition at all 20 Well-Being Academy sessions, including opening and closing remarks, capstone presentations, and graduation.
- Logo placement on Academy materials, including attendee booklets and agendas.
- Logo featured on the OACB website.
- Recognition in select Academy promotional emails.
- Opportunity to provide promotional materials to Academy participants.
Academy Supporter ($1,000)
- Recognition at all 20 Well-Being Academy sessions, including opening and closing remarks, capstone presentations, and graduation.
- Organization name listed on the OACB website as an Academy supporter.
Lunch ($500)
- Recognition at Wellbeing Academy session of choice.
- Logo on signage during lunch.