Motivational Interviewing (MI) is a collaborative, person‑centered communication style that helps individuals strengthen their own motivation for change. This introductory session offers practical tools you can immediately apply in your work with clients and community members.

Thursday, November 12
10:00-11:30am
DeKalb Center Norristown, Community Room, 1st Floor

Only 50 Seats Available!

Who Is This For?

All Nonprofit Professionals

Learning Goals and Objectives

• Define discord, including the what, the why, the how
• Identify what to say and what NOT to say during discord
• Apply concepts and skills to a real client interaction

Meet the Trainer

Ryan Flynn
Caseworker Supervisor, Office of Community Connections, Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County

Ryan Flynn is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, with over a decade of experience in mental health and human services. He holds a Master of Social Service from Bryn Mawr College, and a Master of Health Administration from the University of Scranton. He is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers. He currently works for Montgomery County Health and Human Services in the Office of Community Connections, supervising a team of counselors and social workers. He also works in private practice as a therapist.

This timely virtual briefing will feature Secretary Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH, in conversation with Bucks and Montgomery County (Health and) Human Service leaders to explore Medicaid changes, timely health policy updates, and what these shifts will likely mean for residents, families, providers, and the regional health and human services safety net in 2027. Join us!

Thursday, November 12
12:00-1:00pm
Zoom

Can’t make it live? Register to receive the recording in the follow-up materials and access the content on your own schedule.

Who Is This For?

All Nonprofit Professionals

What You’ll Take Away In 1 Hour

• A clearer understanding of anticipated Medicaid changes in 2027, who may be affected, and what these changes could mean for individuals, families, providers, and the regional health and human services safety net.
• Practical guidance and resources to help organizations prepare, share accurate information, and identify opportunities for partnership and advocacy in the months ahead.

Featuring

Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH
Secretary of Human Services
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services

Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH, was appointed to lead the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services by Governor Josh Shapiro on January 17, 2023. As Secretary of Human Services, Secretary Arkoosh has focused on embedding a whole-person, proactive, and preventive approach to service and care delivery, building supports and interventions that help Pennsylvanians achieve greater stability and better health. Under her leadership, PA DHS has expanded Medicaid coverage for evidence-based programs like doula care and street medicine, launched PA Navigate to connect health care providers and social services/non-profit systems to those needing services in their communities, and invested in access to care by working to eliminate the adult emergency waiting list for Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism. Under Secretary Arkoosh, PA DHS also released Healthy Moms, Vibrant Futures, the Shapiro Administration’s maternal health strategic action plan and was awarded $193M for the first year of its Rural Health Transformation Plan.

Prior to state service, Secretary Arkoosh served on the Montgomery County Board of Commissioners for eight years, serving as Commission Chair from November 2016 through January 2023. Arkoosh is a graduate of the University of Nebraska College of Medicine and, upon obtaining a Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2007, Arkoosh became deeply engaged in the national effort to achieve comprehensive health care reform. She led the National Physicians Alliance, a national non-profit organization of physicians, who, putting their patients before profits, joined a broad-based nation-wide coalition for reform. During this time, she developed policy and legislative strategy, and promoted public engagement in Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania, and throughout the country. Dr. Arkoosh maintains comprehensive knowledge of the implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and its impact on individuals and the health care system.

Patricia McKernan
Director of Health and Human Services
Department of Health and Human Services, Montgomery County

Rachael Neff
Director of Human Services
Bucks County

Thank you to AARP PA for their support of our community!

PART 1: VIRTUAL TRAINING | The emotional and physical cost of being an engaged and empathetic caregiver can be an occupational hazard. Considering the potential impact of vicarious and secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout, caregivers are provided with critical steps in identifying signs and symptoms of each.

Additionally, practical skills and a commitment to self-care are an integral part of this interactive workshop.

PART 2 | IN-PERSON APPLIED LEARNING CIRCLE (ALC) | In this workshop, we will integrate the themes and tools from Trauma 103 into our work and lives through guided reflection, experiential learning, and applied practice to strengthen participants’ use of trauma-informed approaches.

Part 1: Virtual Training
Thursday, November 19, 10:00am-12:00pm
Zoom

Part 2: In-person ALC (Optional, But Strongly Recommended)
Friday, November 20, 10:00am-12:00pm
Lakeside Global Institute, North Wales, PA

Who Is This For?

Trauma workshops are free and open to all Bucks-Mont Collaborative member organizations – staff, board members, volunteers, and other stakeholders – and Foundations Community Partnership grantees. Not sure if your organization is a member? View the network.

If you are not a current member, please contact Nadja Mummery.

What You’ll Take Away

• Caregiver strain is a recognized occupational hazard. Deep engagement and empathy come with real physical and emotional risks—such as vicarious trauma, secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, and burnout—making early identification of these warning signs crucial for professionals.
• Proactive self-care is essential, not optional. Protecting well-being requires more than just awareness; professionals must build practical skills and make a concrete commitment to self-care practices to sustain their work and health over time.
• A certificate of completion for your professional development records and free CEU credits through Gwynedd Mercy University.

Meet the Trainers

Melissa Groden
Human Services Practitioner
The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc.

Melissa is a Human Service Professional with 29 years of experience in the field. She engages in a person-centered approach to support, educate, and empower those in need.

She has worked at The Council of Southeast Pennsylvania, Inc. for seventeen years, overseeing the Prevention, School Services, and Training Programs, and has also been an adjunct professor at Chestnut Hill College for seventeen years, instructing and writing curricula in both classroom and hybrid formats for the School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

Melissa is a Human Services – Board Certified Practitioner, Certified Family Recovery Specialist, Adjunct Trainer for Lakeside Global Institute, and a Certified Trainer in the Pennsylvania Student Assistance Program and Youth Mental Health First Aid. She holds a master’s degree in administration of human services from Chestnut Hill College with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and a minor in criminal justice, from Temple University. Melissa is currently a Psy.D. student in behavioral health leadership with a focus on industrial and organizational psychology.

Deb Harris
Geriatric Counselor
Family Services of Montgomery County

Deborah Harris has been in the social services field for twenty-five years. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, and in her current position she is a Geriatric Counselor with Family Services of Montgomery County. Prior to this she has worked in the areas of substance abuse treatment for teens, community mental health, and in a college student counseling center.

She has also been involved in research on childcare quality, AmeriCorps Vista, and Adult Literacy. With her varied experience, she has found that trauma impacts us in all life stages. She is looking forward to the opportunity to be a Trauma Workshop instructor as she enjoys teaching and leading groups and believes it will be a meaningful experience to assist others in learning how to recognize and handle trauma when it comes up in our work lives.

This training will use the concept of intersectionality to explore how poverty and discrimination contribute to trauma impact. Attendees will identify the unique challenges faced by people who experience multiple forms of oppression and develop strategies for working with people who have experienced poverty, trauma, and discrimination in a trauma-informed and culturally competent way.

Tuesday, December 8
9:00am-12:00pm
Zoom

Who Is This For?

• Emerging Nonprofit Professionals
• Executive Directors, CEOs, and Senior Leadership
• Program Staff
• Development & Fundraising Professionals
• Human Resources Professionals
• Board Members
• Volunteers
• Consultants/Capacity Builders

What You’ll Take Away

• Compounded systemic barriers: Overlapping marginalized identities (race, gender, disability, class) multiply discrimination, deepening trauma and poverty.
• Brain impact of scarcity and bias: Scarcity drains mental bandwidth, while trauma and implicit biases push the brain from logical problem-solving into survival-mode reactivity.
• Tools for personal and systemic change: Tackling these issues requires individual action using trauma-informed tools (like LATE and PALS frameworks) alongside macro-level policy advocacy.
• Free CEU credits through Gwynedd Mercy University.

Meet the Trainer

Nadja Mummery
Training Institute Coordinator, Bucks-Mont Collaborative
Founder, Learn to Heal Consulting

Nadja Mummery is a seasoned community educator with over a decade of experience promoting positive change in the Greater Philadelphia and North Penn regions. Nadja has been instrumental in developing trauma-informed and racial equity programs focused on poverty, trauma, and discrimination.

Beyond her direct program work, Nadja has also provided training to organizations and individuals, equipping them with tools to navigate these complex issues through Learn to Heal Consulting.

As the Training Institute Coordinator with the Bucks-Mont Collaborative, Nadja is excited to continue her dedication to community support and training. Her work centers on building knowledge and promoting equitable, trauma-informed practices within the community.

Advocacy is hard: long legislative timelines, an endless news cycle, bills that go nowhere. On December 9, join us for a morning of connection, creativity, and discussion led by Nia Eubanks-Dixon of Creative Praxis, to help you walk into 2027 inspired, supported, and a little lighter.

Over two hours of art-making, reflection, and conversation, you’ll name what makes advocacy hard right now, ground yourself in the values that brought you to this work, set boundaries that protect your capacity, and meet colleagues across Bucks and Montgomery counties who can share the load. You’ll leave with practical tools for your personal, organizational, and collective advocacy work.

Cosponsored by HealthSpark and the Tigris Foundation.

Wednesday, December 9
9:30-11:30am
Community Partners Center, 2506 North Broad Street, Colmar, PA 18915

Only 100 Seats Available!

Who Is This For?

Open to nonprofit professionals, advocates, and community members.

What You’ll Take Away In 2 Hours

• Boundaries you can start using right away, so advocacy fits the capacity your organization actually has
• Renewed belief that this work matters and can be effective, even when progress is slow
• New connections: the people and organizations you can partner with so the load isn’t yours alone
• Take-home tools and slides to revisit when the work gets heavy

Meet the Trainer

Nia Eubanks-Dixon
Founder, Creative Praxis

Nia Eubanks-Dixon (she/her/we) is the founder and creator of Creative Praxis (CP). The art-infused, healing-informed, and joy-filled trainings of CP emerged from over 20 years of research and experience working with diverse communities worldwide. Nia is dedicated to interactive, healing-centered, and transformational facilitation.

Nia is an international seasoned trainer/facilitator, counselor, professional dancer/storyteller, teacher,published author, and therapeutic restorative community artist. She is certified in life
coaching, crisis intervention, the dialogic process, restorative practices, interactive mediation, restorative arts, trauma healing, trauma-informed spaces, and de-escalation techniques.

In 2002, Nia received her BFA in Dance Education from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. In 2017, she received her Master’s Degree in Urban Studies with a concentration in Therapeutic Restorative  Community Arts from Eastern University. She has worked as a site director for a member of out-of-school-time programs, a teaching artist, a middle school teacher, a General Education Development (GED) program director, a life coach, a youth community organizer, a care practitioner, an international youth program director, a touring artist for renowned dance companies, and practicing community healer.

Each year, Nia trains thousands of people globally. She has worked globally with organizations, including but not limited to the American Friends Service Committee, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, The Harmony Project, The Aspen Institute, Jobs for the Future, and Urban Bush Women. Her liberation-centered pedagogy has been incorporated into classrooms, community centers, and nonprofit organizations throughout the Philadelphia region and beyond.

Join fellow Bucks-Mont Collaborative and C3 members for guided, small-group conversations with Bucks and Montgomery County state legislators about the issues that matter most to our sector.

No advocacy experience is needed—conversations will focus on your experiences and the basics.

Friday, January 22
10:00am-12:00pm (Doors open at 9:30am for registration and networking. The event will start promptly at 10:00am.)
Horsham Township Community Center, 1025 Horsham Road Horsham, PA 19044

 

 

 

Space is limited- Sign up early!

Who Is This For?

Open to staff, board members, volunteers, and other stakeholders of Bucks-Mont Collaborative member organizations and to members of our C3 partners, the Tri-County Community Network (TCN) and the Interagency Council of Norristown (ICN). There is no cost beyond membership in one of those networks, and no cap on how many people from your organization take part. Learn More!

Why Attend?

• Engage directly with state representatives and senators representing the communities you serve.
• Help lawmakers better understand your organization, your clients, and what you’re seeing on the ground.
• Take part in structured, supportive conversations focused on our shared priorities as a sector, including housing and behavioral health. Tables will be assigned based on legislative districts and service areas to keep conversations relevant and productive.

Collaborative Connections is our quarterly networking series designed to strengthen relationships across Bucks and Montgomery Counties. Join nonprofit and community leaders for meaningful conversation, resource sharing, and the opportunity to build connections that can support you, your organization, and the communities we serve together.

Thank you to the Montgomery County LGBT Business Council for hosting this gathering! Light refreshments will be provided. Register today and join us!

Whether you’re looking to meet new partners, reconnect with colleagues, share resources, seek advice, or simply invest in your network, we’d love to see you there.

Light refreshments will be provided.

Wednesday, January 27, 2027
5:30-7:00pm
Montgomery County LGBT Business Council, 300 Brookside Ave, Building 4, Suite 125, Ambler, PA 19002

Who Is This For?

All Nonprofit Professionals

What You’ll Take Away

• New connections and strengthened relationships.
• Resources and contacts to support you, your work, and your organization.

Pennsylvania’s state budget shapes critical decisions about funding, services, and resources for our communities. For nonprofits working in health and human services, understanding how those decisions are made—and when advocacy can make a difference—is essential.

This practical session breaks down Pennsylvania’s budget process, from the Governor’s proposal to final passage, and explains the key players, decisions, and opportunities for advocacy along the way. We’ll translate the jargon, explore what makes Pennsylvania’s budget process unique, and identify concrete strategies nonprofits can use to influence budget priorities at each stage.

Whether you’re new to advocacy or looking to sharpen your approach for the 2027 budget cycle, you’ll leave with a clearer understanding of the process and how to make your organization’s voice heard when it matters most.

Thursday, January 28
12:00-1:15pm
Zoom

Who Is This For?

All Nonprofit Professionals

What You’ll Take Away

• Understand the process: Learn the key stages of Pennsylvania’s budget cycle, from the Governor’s proposal through legislative negotiations and final passage.
• Know the players: Identify the key decision-makers who shape the budget and understand how your Bucks and Montgomery County legislators’ committee and leadership assignments can influence budget decisions and inform your advocacy efforts.
• Recognize opportunities for influence: Discover when and how nonprofits can engage throughout the budget process to communicate their priorities and make their advocacy more timely and effective.

Meet the Trainer

Aaron Zappia
Associate
Long Nyquist & Associates

Aaron Zappia has two decades of experience serving in legislative, political, and government relations roles with expertise in the Pennsylvania General Assembly.

Working for over a decade in the Senate of Pennsylvania for the late Senator Stewart J. Greenleaf, Aaron helped lead efforts to pass landmark legislation including the Clean Indoor Air Act of 2008 and the Criminal Justice Reform Act of 2012.

Most recently, as Director of Government Affairs for the Housing Alliance of PA, Zappia lobbied for historic state investments in affordable housing, blight remediation, increases to the state housing trust fund, and creating the first ever Whole Home Repair Program.

Aaron resides in Bucks County with his wife and son. In his spare time, he enjoys fishing and spending time with his family.