ALAMEDA TCOM COLLABORATIVE
  • Home
  • About TCOM, CANS, ANSA
  • Manuals & Scoresheets
  • Engagement & Planning Tools
    • Engagement Guides
    • Assessment Tools >
      • Introducing CANS
      • Assessment Interviews
      • Trauma Assessment
      • Assessment FAQs
    • Treatment Planning
  • Supervision
  • Training Resources
    • Training Calendar
    • Training Registration
    • Certification
  • Collaborative Partners
  • Contact
  • Blog

Dear Collaborative-CANS/ANSA Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

10/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Question 1 (Q1): Should I take the practice exam?
Answer 1 (A1): This is entirely up to you.  You are given 2 hours to test and if you pass the practice exam, it will not count towards your certification so this will likely double the amount of testing time which is why many people opt to move directly to the real exam.  No one gets penalized for taking the test more than once and there is no limit on the number of times that you can take the test.  One benefit to taking the practice exam is that it will show you which answers that were incorrect so that you can figure out where to adjust your thinking or seek consultation to help support your efforts to pass the certification test.

Q2: What do I do if I work in 2 Counties?
A2: Email support@tcomtraining.com and ask for help registering your account under both Counties.

Q3: Do I have to take multiple certification exams if I serve multiple age groups of people?
A3: No, if you pass the certification exam for any age group (CANS or ANSA), you are certified to complete any of the CANS/ANSA versions.

Q4: How do I know what caregiver to rate in the exam when there are multiple referenced in the test vignette?
A4: The name of the caregiver that you should rate during the test is listed at the top of each vignette but make sure you ONLY rate the caregiver within the caregiver needs domain.  The rest of the ratings in the CANS/ANSA should be based on the strengths and needs of the youth/young adult/adult who is officially the identified client/patient.

0 Comments

The Annual TCOM Conference is happening virtually this year!

10/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Click here to register now
0 Comments

Ever Wish You Could See All the Changes Made Between CANS 2.0 and CANS 3.0 in One Place?

10/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

Well it is your lucky day!  We have created a version of the new and improved CANS 0-24, with all the changes embedded and highlighted through different symbols including new items, name changes, and description changes. The changes were based on the following:
  • Item analysis;
  • Integration of the ANSA-T;
  • Consolidation of and updates to the 0-5 and 6-17 versions of the CANS so they more closely align with the CA-50;
  • The county's desire to reduce documentation requirements; and
  • A need to improve the visual look of the tool to better align with training and typical Electronic Health Record (EHR) structures.

Click Here to view the CANS 0-24 with Changes Embedded
0 Comments

Technical Tips for CANS/ANSA Testing

10/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
In the new virtual environment, we’ve all had new challenges added to our already sometimes difficult jobs. Some of these challenges are as simple as technical barriers. Alameda County CANS/ANSA users are issued a variety of devices to use for their work. You could be on a phone, laptop, desktop, Chromebook, or iPad and all of these have large or small screens that make work easier or harder depending on what you’re doing. We also often don’t have printers available at home the way we might have at the office to print big documents like the CANS or ANSA manuals. This can negatively impact some people’s learning as well. Your goal when testing on CANS/ANSA is to pass the test and we want to support you with some suggestions:
  1. Try to test on as big of a screen as possible so you can keep multiple tabs or even multiple screens available to you.
  2. Open the manual in another screen, tab or even browser so you can reference it as you think about each item on the score sheet. You can press "Ctrl" and "F" at the same time to use the "Find" function and enter item names in order to locate those items faster within the electronic manual.  We suggest you DO NOT test without your manual available online or on paper.
  3. Copy and paste the vignette into a word document so you can highlight or underline content electronically or print out the 1-page vignette, if you have a printer available, and underline or highlight content manually. If you have it in a separate electronic document, you can use a split screen or open it in another tab. This ensures that as you scroll through the ratings items you can easily refer to the vignette without scrolling to the top again on the testing screen and losing your place within the test.
A little prep goes a long way. If you don’t know how to do some of these things, like split your screen or use multiple tabs, use google or more tech savvy friends to learn how to do these BEFORE testing. We hope these simple tips assist you to test more confidently.


0 Comments

Alameda County CANS/ANSA Live Online Trainings

10/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Alameda County Behavioral Health CANS/ANSA Collaborative is currently offering the following live online trainings on an ongoing basis:
  • CANS/ANSA Live Certification Overview Course (offered monthly & includes at least 2 hours of optional testing support at the end of the training)
  • Treatment Planning with CANS/ANSA (2 hours)
  • Engagement with CANS/ANSA (2 hours)

The following are the dates for forthcoming offerings of these trainings:
  • 11/18 from 1-3pm: Treatment Planning with CANS/ANSA
  • 11/30 from 9am-4pm: CANS/ANSA Live Certification Overview
  • Date/Time to be determined: Engagement with CANS/ANSA
  • 12/18 from 9am-4pm: CANS/ANSA Live Certification Overview

To enroll in one of these trainings, click on the link below to go to the Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) Website and follow the additional steps described below.

www.tcomtraining.com
  1. Login on the website (If you do not have an account, please create one. If you need assistance in creating and account or if you do not remember the login information for your account, email support@tcomtraining.com).
  2. Once you are logged in, at the top of the page you will see “training”.  Hover your cursor over “training” and from the drop down click “courses.”
  3. In the “type of search” field, type the name of the course. 
  4. Click on the title of your course.
  5. Once in the course, click the “ENROLL NOW” button (If you are taking the live Alameda County CANS/ANSA Live Certification Overview course, pick the date you want to attend).
  6. You will receive an email from no-reply@Schoox.com confirming your enrollment.  Please promptly log into the Training website, go to the course, and follow the instructions in Step 1 of the course. This includes ensuring that you register for the zoom session in step 3 of the course that applies to you.
 
If have any issues with this process, try using the guide below or email support@tcomtraining.com.
CLICK HERE FOr A Training Enrollment Guide with Screen Shots
0 Comments

Using the CANS/ANSA in Treatment Planning

10/6/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Are you interested in learning how to utilize the CANS or ANSA in the Treatment Planning Process? Did you know that if you conduct the CANS or ANSA collaboratively that the treatment plan essentially writes itself? The "Treatment Planning with CANS/ANSA" training explores how to effectively use CANS and ANSA tools and TCOM (Transformative Collaborative Outcomes Management) principles in the service planning process. Participants will learn about developing a shared vision with clients and explore how to translate this into CANS/ANSA scores that support and guide ongoing collaborative treatment planning activities and documentation. Participants will learn how to prioritize and address CANS/ANSA items in service planning activities. The training includes  group activities, vignette work, and service planning examples that align with Alameda County Quality Assurance guidelines. The next training will be November 18th from 1-3pm.

Login Here to Register Now
0 Comments

Get ready for the Launch of the Alameda County Child Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) for Ages Birth to 24

4/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
The new CANS (Birth to 24) will be tentatively launching in the summer of 2020. This will be the third edition of the Alameda County CANS and it will integrate the Early Childhood (Birth to 5), Child and Youth (6-17) and the Transitional Age Youth (18-24) versions into one document.

Our current versions of CANS do not allow for continuity of questions or long-term CANS data analysis and did not include all of the state mandated questions.

The new CANS (Birth to 24) will have 10 Domains and within each domain, there will be sub-sections by age group, as some questions only pertain to specific age groups:
  1. Life Functioning Domain (Ages 0-5) (Ages 6-24)
  2. Behavioral/Emotional Needs Domain (Ages 0-5) (Ages 6-24)
  3. Individual Strengths Domain (Ages 0-5) (Ages 6-24)
  4. Risk Behaviors and Factors (Ages 0-5) (Ages 6-24)
  5. Cultural Factors (Ages 0-24)
  6. Developmental Factors/Milestones (Ages 6-24)
  7. Dyadic Considerations Domain (Ages 0-5)
  8. Traumatic/Adverse Childhood Experiences (Ages 0-24)
  9. Traumatic Stress Symptoms (Ages 6-24)
  10. Transition Age Youth Domain (Ages 18-24)

There will be 7 modules. Modules are more specific questions that will need to be answered based on a CANS response of a 1, 2, or 3 on certain questions. There are 7 questions that will trigger a module. The modules are:
  1. Daycare/Preschool Module (Ages 0-5)
  2. Developmental Needs Module (Ages 0-24)
  3. School Module (Ages 6-24)
  4. Substance Use Disorder Module (Ages 6-24)
  5. Suicide Risk Module (Ages 6-24)
  6. Dangerousness/Violence Module (Ages 6-24)
  7. Vocational/Career Module (Ages 18-24)

Hopefully, further details can be shared with all agencies in May 2020 including the CANS (Birth to 24) Manual and Scoresheet, which are being tested and finalized now.
 
  Facts about the transition to CANS (Birth to 24):
  • All data from past assessments will be converted over to the new CANS (Birth to 24). There are some exceptions where the questions have been deleted on the new version.
  • Agencies who directly enter CANS data into Objective Arts will see very few changes.
  • Those who were completing ANSA-T will now use CANS (Birth to 24).
  • Those who were completing the Early Childhood CANS will now use CANS (Birth to 24).
  • The age specific versions of CANS and ANSA-T will continue to function for several months while the new Birth to 24 version is functional. The overlap will be 3-4 months. At some point in the fall 2020, the old versions will no longer be functional.
  • Spanish and other threshold language versions of CANS (Birth to 24) will not be available this summer at the launch but they are currently in the process of being created by the Praed Foundation.
  • Agencies who have CANS as part of their electronic health record will be receiving Comma-separated values (CSV) conversion information from Alameda County Behavioral Health Information Systems in the near future.
  • There will be a couple of Information Training calls with the CANS Coordinator and Objective Arts staff for providers who need more support. Information on dates/times/dial-in numbers will provided once determined. Information will be sent through email to every agency.
  • ANSA 25+ will not be affected by the CANS (Birth to 24). They will continue to use the ANSA 25+.
 
Please contact Christine Mukai if you have any questions related to CANS (Birth to 24) at:  Christine.Mukai@acgov.org  or 510-567-8238.


0 Comments

Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) for Troubled (Pandemic) Times

4/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Like most of the Bay Area, many service providers have begun exploring the intricacies of working from home.  At times this has meant connecting with kids, teens, families, and young adult clients remotely through phone, video, or other tele-health modalities, and often in the context of new evolving demands from families and our communities.
 
With the call to action to many providers to maintain the continuity of care, we find the need to re-balance ourselves and move beyond the technology challenges and general uncertainties to fully ground ourselves in values underlying the CANS--collaboration and client care.
 
Our clients thrive when they feel safe, seen, heard and helped. This calls on us to be there--not to fix, but to provide the containment to hold all the new needs and strengths that are arising with these changing circumstances.  The ability to maintain a transformational relationship in the context of a pandemic is founded on the ability to provide clients a steady, authentic presence in a sea of unknowns, and to commit to their care, understanding that in times like this, your services are needed more than ever.  
 
Social distancing does not need to mean social isolation. But it does mean that we have to be intentional about connecting. While we may not be able to provide quick fixes or cures to the pandemic, our presence holds healing and transformative power. Remember, there is value in maintaining and tending to those relationships, innoculating against fear with accurate information, and reminding families that we are still committed to their transformational change and intend to still see them face-to-face when this is all over.

By Cinthya Chin Herrera on Behalf of the Alameda County TCOM Collaborative

Resources to Support TCOM amidst COVID-19 Challenges:
  • John Lyons and April Fernando recently recorded a webinar titled, "Collaborative Assessment in the “New Normal”: Completing the CANS and ANSA via phone" which focused on the use of the CANS and ANSA in non-face-to-face modalities (e.g. telephone).
Click Here to download the webinar for free
  • Community Data Round Table has also published two great articles focused on the maintenance of TCOM during our management of the COVID-19 outbreak. Click on the links below to access these articles.
Adjusting to COVID-19
ACTION Trajectories FOR COVID-19
0 Comments

ANSA/CANS Certified Trainer Training

4/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
May 22 and 29, 2020
April D. Fernando, PhD  Center for Innovation in Population Health
University of Kentucky
Time:  9:00am – 1:00pm
This course will be conducted via video-conference and attendance at both sessions is required.

Course Description:  The Alameda County Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment (ANSA) and Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) are a collaboratively completed measure of either individual adult or child and family strengths and needs. These evidence-based, standardized assessments were developed to support decision-making, including level of care and action planning, to facilitate quality improvement initiatives, and to allow for the monitoring of clinical and functional outcomes.  As a communication tool, it facilitates the linkage between the assessment process and the design of individualized service plans. The ANSA/CANS Certified Trainer Training workshop is designed for individuals who have completed the ANSA/CANS Orientation and TCOM Overview and are interested in coaching and/or training their staff on the ANSA or CANS.  Key concepts and skills will be practiced through small group discussions, exercises and activities. 

In addition to participating in this 2-session video-conference workshop, ANSA/CANS Certified Trainer credentialing includes:
• Achieving a ANSA/CANS certification reliability of .80 or above;
• Developing examples of the Six Key Principles of a communimetric tool;
•Developing ANSA/CANS domain level mini-vignettes to help in identification of specific domain items and determine action levels;
•Developing and submitting one original vignettes with recommended action levels and rationale using the ANSA/CANS; 
•Developing a case plan using the corresponding action levels from the trainer developed vignette; and
•Articulating an introduction to TCOM and the ANSA/CANS to be delivered to clients and their families.

At the end of the 2-session workshop and once all credentialing steps and materials noted above are met, trainers will be provided access to ANSA/CANS training curriculum and materials on TCOMtraining.com. CANS Certified Trainers are to re-certify annually on TCOMtraining.com to maintain their trainer status. Certified Trainer re-certification requires annual re-certification ANSA or CANS reliability of .80 or above.  Attendance at the annual TCOM Conference once every 2-3 years is highly recommended.

Click here FOR TCOM TRAINING NEW USER REGISTRATION
Click HERE for instructions on COURSE ENROLLMENT
0 Comments

Welcome Our New CANS/ANSA Collaborative Member

4/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Michael Kessler, LPCC, CRC is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor. He began his work in mental health settings in 1994 as a Registered Music Therapist (RMT). In 2011 Michael began his work at Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services, and currently he is the Clinical Program Specialist for the Older Adult Division. In that capacity, he ensures that the needs of Alameda County’s older adult mental health consumers are being addressed and that services for that population are available and implemented. Previously, Michael spent 15 years as the Director of Therapeutic Activities at the San Francisco Mental Health Rehabilitation Center (SFMHRC), where he was responsible for the development, implementation and supervision of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Inpatient Program. During his tenure at SFMHRC he was also a Lecturer at the Department of Counseling at San Francisco State University, where he taught Advanced Counseling Process and supervised students in advanced practicum and internships. Throughout his career he has been an advocate for the use of expressive arts therapies, primarily music therapy, in the design and development of psychiatric rehabilitation programs.


0 Comments
<<Previous

    About

    Blog content is created by the shared effort of the Alameda TCOM Collaborative members. Send feedback through the Contact page.

    Archives

    October 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    August 2019
    April 2019
    December 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    March 2018

    Categories

    All
    Dear Collaborative
    Fred Finch Youth Center
    Resources
    Stars
    TCOM Spotlight
    The Hume Center
    Training
    Westcoast Children's Clinic


    Receive the TCOM Newsflash in your inbox!

Picture

Alameda County Behavioral Health Care Services

2000 Embarcadero Cove
Suite 400
Oakland, CA 94606
​Home site
Picture

Praed Foundation

550 North Kingsbury St.
​Suite 101
Chicago IL 60657
Home site

Support

Contact
© 2018, ALAMEDA TCOM COLLABORATIVE, ​ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • Home
  • About TCOM, CANS, ANSA
  • Manuals & Scoresheets
  • Engagement & Planning Tools
    • Engagement Guides
    • Assessment Tools >
      • Introducing CANS
      • Assessment Interviews
      • Trauma Assessment
      • Assessment FAQs
    • Treatment Planning
  • Supervision
  • Training Resources
    • Training Calendar
    • Training Registration
    • Certification
  • Collaborative Partners
  • Contact
  • Blog