Primary consultant & trainer William J. Koehler, PhD, LCSW has been in clinical practice with children and adults exposed to trauma and abuse since 2005. He currently provides consulting and training for agencies, private practitioners and human services staff related to working with:
- LGBTQ+ youth and adults
- Transgender and gender expansive individuals seeking transitioning services
- Those living with HIV/AIDS
- Children, youth, and adults experiencing traumatic stress symptoms and complex trauma histories.
- Those seeking EMDR certification (note: EMDRIA approved Consultant)
What types of consulting and training do we do?
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: From its founding, Journey has been intentional about building a diverse staff. Our efforts have brought us some hard-earned experience navigating difficult conversations around sexuality, gender, race, different ability and other intersections of diversity. Our consultants leverage our experience, research, and professional development to work with you and your team and create a plan tailored to your needs. We utilize the Global Diversity and Inclusion Benchmarks (used with permission from the Centre for Global Inclusion as the gold standard for our work with you. Our DE&I work takes a de-centralized (decolonized) approach to create accountable spaces, policies, and procedures. A typical DE&I consulting agreement consists of a pre- and post-consulting assessment, meeting with all levels of the organization, basic DE&I training, workshops for agency-specific interaction/training, and a summary report of findings. Ongoing ‘booster’ consultation and training is also available.
LGBTQ+ Sensitivity and Competency-Building: LGBTQ+ consultation is probably Journey’s signature offering within Erie and surrounding communities. Collectively, our consultants have over 35 years of research, teaching, training, and consulting experience. Utilizing this experience as a foundation and applying the most recent research and standards of care, Journey consultants tailor training and consulting agreements to the unique needs of your organization, school, agency, or team. During our training, workshops and consulting, we create a uniquely safe environment for your team to ask questions they might not in other contexts. Some of the specific LGBTQ+ focused categories of consultation we provide include:
- LGBTQ+ Youth in an educational setting
- LGBTQ+ Youth resilience and barriers in health care and behavioral health settings
- Bystander Intervention and Empowerment
- Families in Transition Consulting (navigating systems of care where one or more members are coming out as LGBTQ+)
- LGBTQ+ Youth in Residential Program settings
- Addressing Title IX concerns specific to the LGBTQ+ Community
- The Journey of Post Traumatic Growth in the LGBTQ+ Community
Community/Campus Needs/Climate Assessment and Improvement Planning: Journey consultants have worked with universities, school districts, municipalities and other key stakeholders in both rural and urban settings to identify and meet the needs of the LGBTQ+ community in their regions throughout the last 10 years. Together, your team and Journey consultants create strategies to address identified needs and leverage existing strengths, resources and supports already in place to enhance the lives of LGBTQ+ people and improve safety and quality of life.
EMDR Consultation/Education: EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one of the evidenced-based approaches to the treatment of PTSD and many other traumatic-stress related symptoms. The EMDR International (EMDRIA) has established a certification for EMDR practitioners to ensure ethical and appropriate treatment of their clients. It also maintains a database of EMDRIA certified clinicians and consultants which people can search for EMDR therapists in their area. At Journey, not only do we have 13 therapists trained in EMDR, but we offer consultation and workshops through an EMDRIA certified consultant. Offering EMDR consultation is a valuable asset to our entire Erie community, helping EMDR-trained therapists obtain certification and collaboration with peers for support. Journey offers monthly group consultation in a lunch ‘n’ learn style. We also offer individual consultation.
Parents of Children within the School Special Education System: For families who are new to navigating special education supports, we can provide assistance in learning the terminology and understanding documentation and reports furnished by your child’s school. The evaluation report and Individualized Education Plan process can be overwhelming and can sometimes leave you with more questions than answers. We can help you prepare for the meeting to ensure your concerns for your child can be processed and that a collaborative connection can be nurtured between your family and the school. We can discuss attainable goals for your child and the specially designed instruction and accommodations that will help them be successful in the school environment. We can also provide education on previously obtained diagnoses and available services and resources in our community. Additionally, support can be provided to help you advocate for your child in your circle and community, develop consistent medication management strategies, and help you as a caregiver develop the self-care regimen that is essential to caring for both you and your loved ones.
For your child, we can assist in helping them understand how their mental health needs may affect their functioning in school, home, and with their peers. We can work to develop social and emotional skills, coping strategies, and executive functioning needs for your child or teen. We can develop an intervention plan to address concerning behaviors at home and we are also willing to collaborate with schools to provide similar support. Madelyn has a special interest in working with the neurodivergent population and helping others navigate a neurotypical world. Together we can identify concrete strategies to address your concerns and support you on your path.
