Improving Client Outcomes Through Cutting Edge Care

LSS Professional Development

The number one priority at LSS is responding to the ever-changing needs of South Dakota communities. Your support enables LSS to continue strengthening its commitment to providing the highest quality of care and services to clients seeking support. The Cutting Edge Care Fund provides broadened opportunities for specialized training to meet the growing needs of those we serve and improve client outcomes.

Last year, thanks to a generous match during South Dakota CARES, more than $32,000 was raised to support our professional development efforts. This funding was put to great use at LSS, supporting a variety of different education and training needs, including:

• Zero Suicide: an evidence-based practice utilized as an ongoing assessment and prevention framework for therapists in LSS Behavioral Health Services to use with at-risk and potential high-risk clients seeking mental health counseling.

• Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Training: including resources and tools for treatment of offenders and victims as well as addressing why victims stay and why offenders abuse.

• Brainspotting Treatment: a powerful, focused treatment method that helps youth heal and overcome struggles by identifying, processing and releasing core neurophysiological sources of emotional/body pain, trauma, dissociation and other challenging symptoms.

• Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention Training: provides assessment tools to unmask self-harming and suicidal thoughts and adapt interventions to work with struggling adolescents in LSS Residential Services for Children & Youth.

• Intensive Trauma Treatment: helps therapists and social workers identify and implement therapeutic strategies to most effectively address trauma recovery and provide better outcomes for youth served at LSS.

Twenty-five donors to the Cutting Edge Care Fund will unlock $15,000 to support our efforts to implement trauma-informed and evidence-based practices across the board! Please consider making a donation today to the LSS Cutting Edge Care Fund to ensure that therapists, social workers and direct care staff will continue to be on the cutting edge of new treatment modalities that are proven to be successful, ultimately changing the trajectory of the lives of those we serve.