Wayne State University

Empowerment Education Training Modules

The Empowerment Education Direct Support Professional (DSP) training modules cover various topics important to being a successful, informed and effective DSP.  The current list of topics* is below followed by a short description of what each training module covers.  To download a PDF version of our training list, please click here and either print or save the file to your computer.

Supporting Growth Through Opportunity and Choices
This training is designed to give you information about how to support people with disabilities in making their own choices without influencing them in their decision making. Individuals attending this training will have the opportunity to:
  • Understand the definition of choice
  • Understand why people need choices
  • Understand why you may want to make choices with someone
  • Identify three ways to assist you in supporting consumer’s choices
Ten Successful and Assertive Steps for Working with Professionals (Also Available on CDROM!)
This training is designed to give you practical ideas on how to increase your own level of assertiveness when working with professionals in service to people with disabilities. Individuals attending this training will have the opportunity to:
  • Assess our current level of assertiveness
  • Identify characteristics of aggressive, passive and assertive behavior
  • Understand the concept of personal assertive rights
  • Identify the 5 Ps of successful change
  • Practice to construct and use person anchors
  • Assess our problem areas of assertiveness and develop an action plan
Person-Centered Planning: Valuing the Contributions of Direct Support Professionals (Also Available on CDROM!)
This training is designed to address the needs of people who support people with disabilities. Person-centered planning is a process that can be used to assist people plan for their future through building of community relationships. Individuals attending the training will have the opportunity to:
  • Understand the definition of person-centered planning
  • Understand the contributions of direct support professionals
  • Identify 10 ways to contribute to the person-centered planning process starting tomorrow
  • Try 5 new person-centered planning methods within the next 3 months
Supporting People in Establishing Friendships and Making Community Connections
This training is designed to give you information about ways you can support people with disabilities in developing relationships/friendships with people in the community. Individuals attending this training will have the opportunity to:
  • Understand the importance of relationships/friendships
  • Identify difficulties people with disabilities experience in developing relationships/friendships
  • Understand the role of direct support professionals in facilitating and supporting relationships
  • Identify opportunities for people with disabilities to develop relationships/friendships
  • Understand that facilitating relationships/friendships is something that can be incorporated into day-to-day support strategies
Conflict Resolution
This training is designed to help you understand what causes conflict and learn ways you can respond to conflict in a constructive manner. Individuals attending this training will have the opportunity to:
  • Learn about attitude and self-image
  • Learn how to achieve control through self-talk
  • Understand conflict and criticism
  • Learn how to control emotions
  • Learn how to resolve conflict
Teaching Made Easy
This training is designed to give you information on how you can effectively teach people with disabilities new skills. Individuals attending this training will have the opportunity to:
  • Understand the definition of direct instruction and the definition of task-analysis
  • Identify the five steps of direct instruction
  • Learn how to use task-analysis to teach someone a new skill
Stress Management: It’s All About Awareness, Attitude, and Action at Work (Also Available on CDROM!)
This training is designed to help participants learn about how to recognize and deal with workplace stress. Individuals attending the training will have the opportunity to:
  • Understand what stress is
  • Learn the difference between “good” and “bad” stress
  • Identify causes of stress
  • Develop awareness of the signs of stress within us
  • Identify ways to relieve stress
Self-Advocates and Direct Support Professionals Working in Partnership to Achieve Life’s Dreams
This training is designed for people with disabilities and their direct support professionals. By attending the training and working together as a team, participants will learn about effective self-advocacy techniques. The training will also focus on the role of direct support professionals in assisting self-advocates to help them get what they want out of life.  The learner objectives are to:
  • Understand the meaning of self-advocacy
  • Identify the steps in developing an advocacy plan
  • Identify the skills needed to be a successful advocate
  • Learn to use negotiation as a tool
Making the Transition A.S.A.P.-As Smooth As Possible
This training is designed for new and seasoned direct support professionals. The training was developed in response to the high rate of turnover in the profession. The training provides you with techniques that assist in making the transition from one direct support professional to another less taxing on the consumer. The learner objectives for the training are to:
  • Understand why there is turnover
  • Recognize the advantages and disadvantages that accompany turnover
  • Understand the importance of communication between the incoming and outgoing direct support professionals as well as the consumer
  • Recognize and respond to the difficulties caused by the transition situation
Self-Determination: Our Right to Meaningful and Fulfilling Lives (Also Available on CDROM!)
This training module was developed to instruct people with disabilities and those who support them about the right of all people to live valuable and fulfilling lives. The learner objectives for this training are to: 
  • Understand the meaning of self-determination
  • Identify skills required to make decisions (Self-Determination Skills)
  • Develop a preliminary life plan
Living a Self-Determined Life
This training module was developed to compliment the previous module focusing on Self-determination. This module will examine aspects of living a self-determined life in greater detail by breaking down the various characteristics and elements of a self-determined life. The learner objectives for this training are to: 
  • Know the three characteristics of self-determination
  • Know the six critical elements of living a self-determined life style
  • Know the three tools of self-determination
  • Be able to apply the idea of self-determination to your own life and to the lives of those around you
Direct Support Professionals: Your Career Opportunity    (**Only Available in CDROM Format)
This module is intended to aid those interested in becoming Direct Support Professionals (DSP) in better understanding the opportunities and options that exist in the field. The learner objectives for this module include: 
  • Define the job of a Direct Support Professional
  • Identify 3 places that employ Direct Support Professionals
  • Identify 3 personality characteristics of highly affective DSP’s
  • Identify 3 positive aspects of joining this profession