McHenry County Mental Health Board

Trauma 101: Key Principles and Practical Approaches | Virtual | Presented by Gary Rukin, LPC
2026-08-13 14:30 - 16:00, 2026-11-12 14:30 - 16:00 (America/Chicago) | Virtual, IL
REGISTER HERE!
FREE: 1.5 IDFPR CEU for LSW/LCSW, LPC/LCPC, Psychologists, and IAODAPCA

SUMMARY

This training covers basic trauma-informed principles. It distinguishes developmental trauma—chronic, relational, and attachment-based—from shock trauma, caused by sudden overwhelming events. Participants learn how each influences emotional, cognitive, and physiological functioning.
The presentation covers the normal stress-response system and how trauma disrupts it, leading to hyperarousal, hypoarousal, and dissociation. It highlights the roles of biology, genetics, epigenetics, and environment, emphasizing that trauma reactions stem from neurobiology rather than character or willpower.
Attendees are introduced to mindful, expressive, and somatic interventions that support stabilization and nervous-system regulation. The training concludes with an overview of effective and evidence-based trauma therapies.
Participants leave with an understanding of trauma foundations and some practical tools to support clients safely and effectively.
OBJECTIVES

Differentiate between developmental trauma and shock trauma, including their origins and clinical presentations.
Explain the functions of the normal stress-response system and its role in maintaining safety and regulation.
Describe how the stress-response system becomes altered under traumatic conditions.
Discuss how biology, genetics, epigenetics, and environment interact to shape trauma responses.
Apply mindful, expressive, and somatic-based interventions to support trauma recovery in clinical settings.
Identify evidence-based therapeutic approaches effective in treating both shock and developmental trauma.

PRESENTER
Gary Rukin, LPC, MA, MS, has worked in Community Mental Health for the past thirteen years. He serves as the Trauma-Informed Coordinator for the McHenry County Mental Health Board, and has presented trainings on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Understanding Psychosis, Understanding and Treating Emotional Trauma, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Thresholds, The Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Recovery Conference, Northwestern University Hospital, and the Illinois Department of Human Services.

When Anxiety Isn’t Just Anxiety: Recognizing, Understanding, and Treating OCD in Clinical Practice | In-Person | Presented by Laura Miller, LCPC, R-DMT
2026-08-14 09:00 - 12:00 | McHenry County Mental Health Board, 620 Dakota Street, Crystal Lake, IL, 60012, United States
REGISTER HERE!
FREE: 3 IDFPR CEU for LSW/LCSW, LPC/LCPC, Psychologists, and IAODAPCA (Pending)

SUMMARY

This 3-hour training provides a practical, clinically grounded overview of OCD, including how it presents across subtypes, how to differentiate it from other conditions, and how to identify when referral for specialized treatment is appropriate.
The training is designed to help providers feel more confident recognizing OCD in its less obvious forms, and to better understand the treatment approaches that lead to meaningful change.
The goals are to increase provider confidence in identifying OCD across a range of presentations, improve differentiation between OCD, anxiety, and related conditions, and to support more accurate and timely referrals for evidence-based treatment.
OBJECTIVES
Participants will be able to:

Identify core features of OCD, including intrusive thoughts, compulsions, and the anxiety-compulsion cycle
Recognize common OCD subtypes (e.g., harm, relationship, contamination, existential, “pure O”)
Differentiate OCD from generalized anxiety, trauma-related rumination, and other overlapping presentations
Understand the principles of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and why it is the gold standard treatment
Identify when a referral for specialized OCD treatment is appropriate

PRESENTER
Laura Miller, LCPC, R-DMT, is a licensed clinical therapist, private practice owner, and group facilitator specializing in OCD and anxiety. She uses evidence-based approaches, including Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), to help clients break free from cycles of overthinking, fear, and self-doubt.
Laura is known for her structured, practical approach and her ability to make complex patterns feel understandable and actionable. She also brings a background in movement and aerial arts, offering a grounded, experiential lens on emotional regulation and change.

Community Connections Summit | In Person
2026-09-11 09:00 - 15:00 | McHenry County College, Luecht Auditorium, 8900 US-14, Crystal Lake, IL, 60012, United States
VISIT OUR SUMMIT PAGE

Opioid Overdose Prevention & Reversal: Overdose Responder Training | In-person | Presented by Teagan Ferraresi of Liv4Lali
2026-10-08 13:00 - 14:30 | McHenry County Mental Health Board, 620 Dakota Street, Crystal Lake, IL, 60012, United States
REGISTER HERE!
FREE: 1.5 IDFPR CEU for LSW/LCSW, LPC/LCPC, Psychologists, and IAODAPCA

Summary
Attendees will learn what opioids are and how they work, the opioid overdose epidemic, identify the signs of an opioid overdose & learn how to respond and reverse it, all about Naloxone, a little about Harm Reduction, and overdose prevention and policies.
Presenter
Teagan Ferraresi (she/her) is an Outreach Coordinator in McHenry County. With personal experience with Substance Use Disorder, her desire to make a change locally brought her to Live4Lali. After volunteering for a year, she joined the team as a SMART Recovery Facilitator and Overdose Education & Naloxone Distribution (OEND) trainer. She’s a fierce believer in harm reduction and destigmatization through community education, and is passionate about helping others with anything from peer support to treatment navigation.

A Trauma Informed Approach | Virtual | Presented by Gary Rukin, LPC, MA, MS
2026-10-08 14:30 - 16:00, 2026-12-10 14:30 - 16:00 | Virtual, IL
This is not a series. The same session is repeated monthly.
REGISTER HERE!
Free: 1.5 CEUs for LSW/LCSW, LPC/LCPC, Psychologists, and IAODAPCA
Summary:
The presentation, A Trauma Informed Approach, is replacing the monthly ACE Interface Trainings provided by the McHenry County Mental Health Board and differs in several respects. While it incorporates information from the ACE Study conducted by Kaiser Permanente and the Center for Disease Control, it also explores other causes of childhood and adult adverse experiences. These include the role of genetics and epigenetics in transmission of trauma reactions from one generation to the next, environments in which violence is commonplace, behaviors which result from trauma, and begins to delve into ways to mitigate these reactions, and how we can do better as individuals, organizations, and as a society.
Presenter:
Gary Rukin, LPC, MA, MS, has worked in Community Mental Health for the past thirteen years. He serves as the Trauma-Informed Coordinator for the McHenry County Mental Health Board, and has presented trainings on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Understanding Psychosis, Understanding and Treating Emotional Trauma, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Thresholds, The Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Recovery Conference, Northwestern University Hospital, and the Illinois Department of Human Services.
