The Teen Mental Wellness (TMW) Facilitator Training is a professional development program designed to equip adults with the skills to lead our experiential mental wellness programs for teens. This training includes in-person and online instruction, group discussions, and skill-building activities. Once certified, trainers are eligible to become paid contractors for RBF facilitator workshops as part of after-school programs and evening and weekend programs for teens in and around Loudoun County, Virginia.
Can’t make the Spring Training?
Save the date for the Fall 2025 in-person training scheduled for September 27th and 28th and complete this interest form to express your interest in joining a future training.
TMW Spring 2025 Training Schedule
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Virtual Orientation: (Scheduled based on cohort availability)
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Self-Paced Online Content: 2 hours
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Blended Youth Mental Health First Aid Course (Scheduled based on cohort availability)
- Volunteer at one in-person FORT event (Sundays from 1-4pm)
- In-Person TMW Training Sessions: (Scheduled based on cohort availability)
*Completion of all virtual and in-person sessions is mandatory for certification.
Training Cost
All training costs are waived for participants who contractually commit to facilitating 10-12 RBF workshops as a paid contractor during the 12 months following their certification with 6 completed in the first 6 months.
Expectations
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Complete all training events. All virtual and in-person sessions are mandatory.
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Commit to facilitating a minimum of 10 RBF workshops as a paid contractor during the 12 months following their certification.
Who Should Apply?
We’re looking for passionate individuals who:
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Are 18 years or older.
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Live within driving distance of Loudoun County.
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Can commit to facilitating a minimum of 6 (paid workshops) after school, in the evenings, and on Sunday afternoons within 12 months of certification.
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Have at least 3 years of experience working with teens (educators, coaches, counselors, specialists, youth leaders, therapists, etc.).
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Have a passion for promoting mental health and resilience in teens.
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Possess skills and interests that align with our workshops (yoga, fitness/movement, mindfulness, art, music, horticulture, animals such as therapy dogs or equine, drama/theater, photography, etc.).
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Can attend all of the TWM program training events
Please complete the TMW Facilitator Application to be considered by February 28th, 2025 11:59pm EST.
Training Program Includes:
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Youth Mental Health First Aid: Enhance your mental health literacy and skills for supportive conversations and crisis response.
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Grounding in RBF’s Mission: Learn our values and approach to incorporating protective factors into teen experiential mental wellness programs in a creative and engaging way. This includes using activities and workshops that explore mindfulness, expressive arts, nature, animals, physical activity, and social-emotional support as strategies to promote resilience in teens while using trauma-informed and culturally responsive facilitation techniques.
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Creating Safe Spaces: Foster acceptance, connection, resiliency, and hope in teens.
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Skill Development: Engage in supported practice, peer learning, feedback, and coaching to advance your teen facilitation skills.
FAQ
Why complete the TMW Facilitator Training? • To learn how to lead creative, resilience-based workshops that explore mindfulness, expressive arts, nature, animals, relationships, and social-emotional support. • To learn strategies to create a safe space for teens to be authentic selves that fosters acceptance, connection with teens and adults, resiliency, and hope. • To provide interactive resilience-based workshops to young people as a paid contractor in RBF’s community-based programs or partnership with RBF in your school or organization. • To join a cohort of professional colleagues passionate about youth mental health and benefit from peer-to-peer sharing of experiences, best practices, and connections. • To get supervised facilitation practice, feedback, and ongoing coaching and support from RBF staff. • To achieve a new professional credential to showcase on professional materials/platforms to differentiate yourself, complete with a certification to distinguish your commitment to building resilience in teens. • To contribute to the RBF mission of fostering a community of acceptance, compassion, and inclusion where all young people feel connected and hopeful and have the will to live.
How do you achieve TMW Facilitator Training Certification? 1. Complete the TMW Facilitator Training Application and submit a background check. 2. Participate in a virtual interview with RBF staff. 3. Complete all of the TMW Training Sessions: • Virtual Orientation: (scheduled based on cohort availability) • Self-Paced Online Content: 2 hours • Blended Youth Mental Health First Aid Course (scheduled based on cohort availability) • Volunteer at one FORT event (Sundays from 1-4pm) • In-Person Sessions: Weekend of March 22-23, 9:30 AM - 4:30 PM 4. Demonstrate the ability to present a FORT workshop to a group of RBF youth. 5. Sign the RBF TMW Facilitator Agreement, committing to facilitating 10 (paid) workshops within 12 months of certification.
What do TMW Facilitators do? • Facilitators are critical to fostering a community of acceptance, compassion, and inclusion where all young people feel connected and hopeful and have the will to live. Facilitators engage teens during THE FORT, a safe, healing community space for young people to connect. Facilitators lead creative, resilience-based workshops that explore mindfulness, expressive arts, nature, animals, relationships, and social-emotional support. Facilitators help teens: • Learn coping skills to manage stress, anxiety, and depression. • Develop a growth mindset from exposure to new modalities for learning stress management • Practice healthy ways of communicating when life is challenging • Establish connections with peers and adults in a safe, healing, inclusive community. • Develop self-awareness of existing strengths • Facilitators lead FORT workshops for young people as paid contractors in RBF’s community-based programs. Facilitators may also be able to provide FORT workshops in partnership with RBF in their schools or youth-serving organizations.
How do you maintain your TMW Facilitator Training Certification? Once certified, Facilitators are expected to lead at least ten RBF mental wellness workshops (paid) during the 12 months (with six completed in the first six months) following their certification and will be eligible for additional contracted facilitator roles. Facilitators are encouraged to join coaching calls with RBF staff and colleagues to discuss challenges and opportunities during the year.
Ready to Apply?
Take the next step in supporting teen mental wellness by applying for the TMW Facilitator Training! Start your application by visiting:
Questions?
Feel free to reach out to us at Dr. Lacey Rosenbaum for any inquiries about the application process or the training program.
Help us make a difference in the lives of teens. Apply now!
Meet Our FORT Facilitators
Doreen Zebdi, MA
Hello Friends! I’m Doreen Zebdi, a movement specialist with a MA in Dance from American University where I studied modern dance. Are you ready to create and move at the Movement for Well-being Workshop? I’m so excited to share my passion for movement with you! Creative dance is one way you can express how you feel without words. Movement and dance have profound connections to mental health. The best part is that there is no right or wrong. When we move more, we simply feel more. That’s because dance offers a unique avenue for emotional expression, so you can convey feelings and experiences that you just can’t put into words. Have fun moving and dancing while you hear about all the ways dance can boost mental well-being. The way you feel in your head matters. Let’s use those feelings and create an expressive outlet through creative dance. Just Move! I studied modern dance and teaching techniques from American University. I also teach barre, cycle, strength and yoga classes through her company; UnFancyFitness. I am a certified ACE® Health and Fitness Coach and AFAA® Personal Trainer teaching virtual and in-person fitness classes and 1:1 health coaching.
Hello Friends! I’m Doreen Zebdi, a movement specialist with a MA in Dance from American University where I studied modern dance. Are you ready to create and move at the Movement for Well-being Workshop? I’m so excited to share my passion for movement with you! Creative dance is one way you can express how you feel without words. Movement and dance have profound connections to mental health. The best part is that there is no right or wrong. When we move more, we simply feel more. That’s because dance offers a unique avenue for emotional expression, so you can convey feelings and experiences that you just can’t put into words. Have fun moving and dancing while you hear about all the ways dance can boost mental well-being. The way you feel in your head matters. Let’s use those feelings and create an expressive outlet through creative dance. Just Move! I studied modern dance and teaching techniques from American University. I also teach barre, cycle, strength and yoga classes through her company; UnFancyFitness. I am a certified ACE® Health and Fitness Coach and AFAA® Personal Trainer teaching virtual and in-person fitness classes and 1:1 health coaching.
Nancy McGovern, MS, RYT-500 & C-IAYT
Hi, I’m Nancy! I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance from Florida State University and a Master of Science in Yoga Therapy from Maryland University of Integrative Health. Certifications include RYT-500 & C-IAYT. I spent three years as the District Director for the Muscular Dystrophy Association before starting my first business, Dance To You. As owner, director, and primary instructor, Dance To You’s, Kids ‘N Motion program taught dance & tumbling in area preschools for 25+ years. In 2017, I became a certified yoga teacher and began to add yoga and mindfulness to the Kids ‘N Motion curriculum. In July of 2018, Dance To You was renamed Corner of the Sky. I spent many years as a performing artist. I danced and acted professionally and have been a member of the Screen Actor’s Guild for over 25 years. I taught creative movement in area preschools for 30 years. I love spending time with my husband and grown children. The beach in St. Augustine, Florida is my happy place.
Kirsten Shabanowitz, RYT-200
Hello my friends, I’m Kirsten, a yoga and meditation teacher for kids through adults. I am a big believer in the power of yoga for both our physical and mental health. Whether we are moving, meditating, breathing, journaling or getting out in nature it is all a part of yoga and can provide our minds with a sense of calm and clarity through regular practice. Yoga practices are all about connecting to yourself and keeping expectations far away! Just like we all learn differently and at different paces, our bodies move and act differently from one another’s and there is no need for comparison. My goal is to not only teach what yoga is, but also how to apply it to your daily life in a way that makes sense for you. You can take what works and leave behind what doesn’t. I invite you to bring a smile, your sense of humor, any questions you may have and I will see you on the mat!
Dave Edwards, LPC
Hi, my name is Dave Edwards. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), and the owner/clinical director of Evolve Family Counseling and Sports Psychotherapy, a private group practice in Lansdowne, VA. I have been working with children and adolescents for 36 years and have been providing therapeutic services to children, adolescents, adults, and families in the Northern Virginia region since 2015. I work with clients of all ages, but specialize in work with children, adolescents, and families, as well as all sports performance-related issues. I played soccer at the professional level in the U.K., and have coached professionally for over 36 years. I graduated with honors from the highly accredited Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Marymount University in 2016.
Michael Kruczkowski (they/them)
Hello, my name is Michael Kruczkowski. I have been working in public education since 2015. Prior to serving LCPS in my current role as an Instructional Technology Facilitator, I taught middle school Visual Arts for ten years. I graduated from James Madison University with a Bachelors in Art Education with concentrations in both Ceramics and Fiber Arts. I am also the music and technical director of the Lionheart Players, a middle school performing arts group. I love working with young creatives using both the visual and performing arts to express themselves and share their stories.