Person-Centered Strategies
We put people first. We are passionate about making seats at the table for people with diverse lived experiences and centering this expertise in all we do—both as the people most impacted by service systems and as the sources of the wisdom, perspective, and inspiration that drive system transformation. Because many of the people most affected by our service systems have been systematically marginalized and disproportionately impacted due to their race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, and other identities, we center equity. We start with racial equity because racism permeates every institution and system in the US.
Our staff support teams in developing and enhancing equitable, person-centered skills and practices for working with diverse populations. Health and human service providers implementing trauma-informed care are better able to respond to the needs of trauma survivors, prevent re-traumatization, and design and deliver effective services. For practitioners who want to help people make positive changes related to their health, behavioral health, housing status, and overall well-being, Motivational Interviewing (MI) approaches are effective.
Harm reduction techniques meet people where they are and support them in making and sustaining changes in behaviors and identifying and attaining their own goals. Critical Time Intervention (CTI) can help people during times of transition by strengthening networks of support in the community. Person-centered case management strategies ensure timely access to and coordination of medical, housing, and psychological services while reducing cost and duplication of services and improving outcomes. Integrating peer workers into case management practices can also improve outcomes.
Our expert trainers can support you in increasing equitable, person-centered strategies and skills in your agency or program. As a result of lived experience, many C4 trainers bring first-hand knowledge about receiving and delivering services. More than 45% of our staff is in recovery from substance use and mental health disorders, homelessness, incarceration, and trauma. Many more are family members and allies of people in recovery as well as clinicians, practitioners, and leaders with on-the-ground experience designing and delivering services.
We Can Help You
- Develop equitable, person-centered strategies, practices, policies, and programs
- Prioritize meaningful involvement and leadership of diverse people with lived experience
- Design and facilitate a dialogue process to engage diverse stakeholders—including people most impacted by proposed solutions—in collaborative planning and transformation efforts
- Lead conversations, listening sessions, and structured interviews about racism with staff, board members, service providers, community leaders and those you serve
- Review, update, and operationalize policies and procedures to ensure equity
- Develop action steps to shift organizational culture and implement strategies for making equitable change
- Understand trauma, including racial trauma, and its impact
- Integrate best practices for trauma-informed services, policies, and procedures
- Address self-care, vicarious trauma, and burnout prevention
- Gain an understanding of MI and begin having motivational conversations
- Show proficiency in strategic use of MI skills
- Understand theories of behavior change and harm reduction
- Identify and implement comprehensive risk assessments to help clients reduce risks
- Learn how to implement CTI in your agency
- Learn about principles, definitions, and models of case management
- Gain core competencies required to provide effective case management
- Identify research-based case management strategies
- Increase skills for implementing case management strategies with diverse populations
"Relevant, taught with a sense of humor, and meaningful. It gives hope to those we work with today." -Participant in Harm Reduction Training
Learn more about partnering with us.
Our Experts
Katie Volk, Senior Advisor
Example of Our Work
Implementing Harm Reduction Approaches
The City of Boston Harm Reduction Toolkit provides best practices for integrating harm reduction into your work and communities while equipping you with the tools to get started. This toolkit was developed to build a culture of harm reduction in Boston. It contains information helpful to folks from all over about applying the principles and practices of harm reduction, involving the community, and designing, delivering, and evaluating harm reduction services. The toolkit was developed by the Boston Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services in partnership with RIZE Massachusetts and C4 Innovations.
Learn More
- Essentials of Person-Centered Case Management: online course starts May 7, 2024
- Facilitating Post-Traumatic Growth and Recovery: online course starts June 26, 2024
- Equity in Action: Trauma-Informed Supervision: online course starts October 23, 2024
- Equity and Inclusion: Navigating Systemic Marginalization: online course starts November 14, 2024
- Whole-Person Care for People Experiencing Homelessness and Opioid Use Disorder—video recording of webinar sponsored by the Homeless & Housing Resource Center featuring C4’s Ken Kraybill and Steven Samra (88:55 minutes)
- Whole-Person Care for People Experiencing Homelessness and Opioid Use Disorder: A Toolkit—developed by C4 staff in collaboration with the Homeless & Housing Resource Center (PDF)
- Critical Time Intervention: What is it & What's New—webinar recording with Center for the Advancement of Critical Time Intervention (CACTI) (1:28:33 minutes)
- Building Knowledge in Motivational Interviewing—self-paced course
- Introduction to the Motivational Interviewing Competency Assessment (MICA)—self-paced course
- Motivational Interviewing: Talking with People about Change—webinar recording hosted by Ken Kraybill (60:48 minutes)
- Supporting Staff in These Extraordinary Times—webinar recording hosted by Ken Kraybill (59:56 minutes)
- Facilitating Post-Traumatic Growth with the People We Serve—webinar recording hosted by Ann Marie Roepke and Ken Kraybill (66:35 minutes)
- Trauma-Informed Care
- TICOMETER, a scientifically validated instrument that measures the levels of trauma-informed care in health and human service organizations
- Motivational Interviewing
- Critical Time Intervention
- Integrating and Supervising Peer Workers
Learn more about our expertise and training and technical assistance approaches and offerings.