County Services           How Do I?     

PROS Courses

 
It's Easy to Get Involved

  • Call for a screening appointment (607-274-6200) and ask for Heather or Tammy — we will see you within one week.
  • Send an email to Heather Sanford, hsanford@tompkins-co.org, to request a screening appointment.
  • Ask your therapist to make a referral to PROS.

Spring 2024(March 4-May 31, 2024)

STAFF KEY
HS:Heather,  AV:Aaron,  BF:Bruce,  SC:Severine,  NB:Naomi,  AR:Amy,  CL:Cinder,  TH:Tammy,  LB:Lisa,  AO:Ariana,  KP:Katie,  LH:Lorien
Classes will be offered in person AND on Zoom at the same time, unless otherwise noted.
Download a PDF of the schedule.

Monday

9AM
Breakfast Club

10AM
DBT Interpersonal (AO)
Yoga (AV) (In Person Only)
Adulting – Services/Benefits

11AM
Healthy Living peer support – Ben K (In Person Only)
DBT Process (AV & Aara) 
Trauma Art processing (AR)
Lunch Prep (KP)

12PM
LUNCH BREAK

1PM
Clean up and coping skills for depression (CL) (In Person Only)
Positive Psychology (LB)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (AO)

2PM
Anxious Attachment Recovery (AR)

3PM
Coping through Crafting  (In Person Only)

Course Descriptions


Tuesday

9AM
STAFF TRAINING NO GROUP

10AM
DBT Mindfulness (AR)
WRAP Drop in (KP)
Singing Together (NB)

11AM
Goal Getters (AO)
Mindful Movement (KP) 
Therapeutic Journaling (NB)
Lunch Prep (LH) 

12PM
LUNCH BREAK

1PM
Clean up and coping skills for anxiety (CL) (In Person Only)
Tobacco and You (LB)
DBT Drop-in (KP)
LGBTQ+ Peer Support (AO)

2PM
Workplace Exploration Field Trip (BF) (In Person Only)
Early Recovery (Substance Use) (AV)
RODBT - Social Connection  (LH)

3PM
Workplace Exploration Field Trip (BF) (In Person Only)
CBT for Insomnia (NB)

Course Descriptions


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Wednesday

9AM
Positive Thoughts for a New Day (TH)

10AM
Guitar Lessons (sign up with Naomi)
Art Therapy (AV)
Thriving on the Neurodivergent Spectrum (SC)
Peer Led Fiber Arts  (In Person Only)

11AM
The Value of Self (CL)
Exploring grief through Art (NB)
Peer Support Hour with Katie
Lunch Prep (TH)

12PM
LUNCH BREAK

1PM
Clean up and coping skills for depression (NB)  (In Person Only)
Peer Support (KP CL)
Therapeutic Resourcing (AV)

2PM
Social Skills (SC)
Shadow Work (AR) Cityside

3PM
Building Skills though Games  (In Person Only)

Course Descriptions


Thursday

9AM
Breakfast Cooking (AV) (In Person Only)

10AM
DBT Distress Tolerance (LH)
Drama (AO)
Resiliency Toolkit (LB)

11AM
Emotions 101  (HS& AV)
Mindful Self Compassion (LB) 
Dungeons and Dragons 11am-1pm (LH)  (In Person Only)

12PM
In person closes at noon

1PM
Substance Use Recovery (CL) Zoom only
DBT Emotion Regulation (AV) Zoom only

2PM
No classes

3PM
No Classes

Course Descriptions


Friday

9AM
Gardening (KP) (In Person Only)
Quilting (TH) (In Person Only)

10AM
Conflict Resolution (CL)
Meditation (AR)
Quilting (TH)  (In Person Only)

11AM
DBT Drop-In (AR)
Concentration and Memory (SC)
12 Step Group (KP & Aara)
Lunch Prep (AO)

12PM
LUNCH BREAK

1PM
Clean up and coping skills for social anxiety (SC) (In Person Only)
Peer Support Hour with Cinder
(Sign up at front desk)
Games (AV) IN PERSON ONLY

2PM
ADHD and Executive Functioning(AO)
Peer Zine Making with Karina! (In Person Only)

3PM
Sensory Exploration Art (AO)  (In Person Only)

Course Descriptions


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Course Descriptions

Download Course Descriptions PDF

Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

(CRS Coping Skills) 

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) aims to reduce stress and worry and handle painful feelings and thoughts. ACT is a mindfulness-based program with the primary goal of creating a rich and full life. ACT provides techniques and skills to practice to reach these goals. Are you looking to break self-defeating habits, overcome insecurity, and effectively handle painful feelings? Then ACT may be a great asset to add to your toolbox! The class will directly correspond with the book, The Happiness Trap, by Russ Harris, which takes a behavioral psychology approach in order to live in the present moment. (The book is not needed for the class as we will work from worksheets that correspond with the sections).

ADHD and Executive Functions

(CRS Basic Living Skills Training)

The struggles associated with ADHD are unique and often make executive functions more challenging. Executive functions help us regulate our behavior and plan and achieve goals. Come join this supportive group and learn tools for improving skills, such as attention, focus, prioritization, time management, organization, and memory.

Adulting – Services/Benefits

(CRS WSM Financial Benefits Management)

When living with a mental health or substance use barrier, you may feel like you missed out on learning important “adulting” things, like home management, dealing with landlords, taking care of yourself and managing time so that you feel fulfilled.  This class will be flexible based on the needs of participants, but the overall theme is to increase independence and confidence in living on your own!  Content will focus on Services available in the community and finances/benefits.

Anxious Attachment Recovery

(CRS WSM Coping Skills Training)

Are you struggling to feel secure in your relationships? Are you experiencing anxiety, fear of abandonment, difficulties with trust, and/or struggling with low self-esteem in relationships? Do you identify as having an anxious attachment style? If so, it may be helpful to attend this group to explore attachment styles and learn about strategies for recovery. The goal of this group is to help you feel more secure and comfortable in relationships and minimize distressing feelings that could be impacting your mental health. This is a new group being offered for the first time in Spring 2024.

Art Therapy

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training)

Want to find another way to express your emotions besides talking about them?  Maybe art would be a way that appeals to you.   Art can be a great coping skill as well as a way to connect with others!  No experience needed.  Projects will vary and allow for people with different levels of experience to find something that works for them.  This class is limited in size.  Please commit to come to class for the entire semester!

Breakfast Club

(CRS Basic Living Skills)

Many people struggle with building connections with others, basic social skills, & overcoming anxiety in order to have comfortable social interactions. Join a group of peers & staff in playing games & engaging with one another – having a fun while building skills!

Building Skills through Games

(CRS Problem Solving)

This class is the perfect opportunity to practice skills you have been learning in PROS classes to promote your mental health/substance use recovery in the context of cooperation and building relationships.  Each week will have games to play and talk about managing conflicts or symptoms as the arise,  and talking about how it applies to mental health and substance use recovery.

CBT for Insomnia

(Clinical)

This is a structured, evidence-based approach to combating the frustrating symptoms of insomnia. In this group you will actively be working toward changing unhelpful sleep patterns. You will need to keep a sleep journal for a few weeks, to keep the sleep journal, you will be using a free app that will be able to analyze your sleep patterns and make recommendations based on the data (If you do not have access to a smartphone - there is a paper alternative.).  The group will also look at Sleep Hygiene - and learn helpful tips for better sleep.    *Keeping a sleep journal is a must for this group*

Clean up and Coping skills

(CRS- WSM Coping Skills Training)

Spend some time in a relaxed setting cleaning up quickly after lunch while talking about a different coping skill each class!  The discussions are meant to be more informal than most classes, as you may be moving around or drinking coffee together when you are done cleaning up!  Everyone can benefit from a brush up on old coping skills or learn some new ones!

Concentration and Memory

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training)

If poor concentration or memory creates barriers to goal achievement this class may be appropriate to help learn and practice skills to improve concentration or memory.  This class is activity based and focused on not only helping people improve their concentration and memory, but to learn skills to work with any concentration and memory problems they are already experiencing.

Conflict Resolution

(CRS-WSM Problem Solving Skills Training) 

We encounter conflicts on a daily basis, so how do we handle these conflicts in a healthy and safe way? This class will focus on communication, identifying conflicts, and resolving conflicts.  Participants will learn about self-awareness and the dynamics of interpersonal relationships.

Coping through Crafting 

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training)

Want to find another way to express your emotions besides talking about them?  Maybe art would be a way that appeals to you.   Art can be a great coping skill as well as a way to connect with others!  No experience needed.  Projects will vary and allow for people with different levels of experience to find something that works for them.

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DBT Distress Tolerance Skills

(CRS Coping Skills Training)

This class will focus on the section of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Distress Tolerance Skills.  This training helps individuals expand their toolbox with skills specifically focused on being able to get through difficult and distressing emotions and situations without falling apart.  This class can be a drop in but would be better with regularly attendance.

DBT Drop in - To Process Skills

(CRS-WSM Problem Solving Skills Training)

This class will focus on teaching and reviewing DBT skills while using them with examples provided by class participants.  DBT Skills Practice can be taken alone or with other DBT classes to improve participants’ ability to apply the DBT skills that they have learned to situations currently happening in their lives.

DBT Emotional Regulation

(CRS Coping Skills Training)

Emotion regulation is a dialectical behavior therapy skill used to understand the purpose of emotions, identify the urge that accompanies each emotion, & increase your ability to choose your reaction as opposed to being taken over by the wave of your emotions. In this class we will learn to identify & label emotions, identify obstacles to changing emotions, increase mindfulness to current emotions, & how to apply distress tolerance techniques.

DBT Interpersonal Skills

(CRS Basic Living Skills Training)

This class will focus on the section of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Interpersonal Effectiveness Skills. This training helps individuals communicate with others in a way to get their needs met & maintain relationships and self-respect. This class can be a drop-in, but you will gain more by attending regularly.

DBT Mindfulness Skills 

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training) 

This class will focus on further learning of DBT skills such as mindfulness, meditation, art therapy, and task-focusing. Participants will engage in mindfulness activities each class and will be asked to practice these skills on their own which they will document in daily journal entries. Participants will engage in short meditation activities each class that range from 3-10 minutes.

Drama Therapy

(CRS Coping Skills Training)

IN PERSON ONLY, no experience needed.  This group will use an active and experiential approach that can help people address various issues, including trauma, relationship problems, and personal goal setting.  Participants will engage in a wide variety of drama exercises and activities that will vary each week.

Dungeons and Dragons

(CRS- WSM Problem Solving Skills Training)

This is new and exciting!  Practice solving problems and working with others through this table top role playing game.  NO EXPERIENCE NECESSARY!   Solving problems in “real life” is much easier when you have already had practice through this table top role playing game.

Early Recovery (Substance Use)

(IR-Dual Disorder Treatment)

This class is for participants in all stages of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance).  Participants will gain a better understanding of the stages of change and what stage they are in.  Participants will learn strategies for cutting down or stopping substance use and for dealing with high-risk situations.  Participants will clarify their values and decide which areas they would like to improve.  This class includes an educational component focusing on the interactions between alcohol, drugs, and mental illness.  A commitment to stop using substances is not required.

Emotions Education 101/Change Triangle

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training)

Have you heard your peers talking about this Change Triangle and learning to heal from difficult life experiences instead of just learning coping skills? Do you ever wonder if there is another way to support your recovery when you feel stalled in your progress and bogged down by anxiety and depression that just won’t move? Come check out this class! If you have already taken Advanced Practice, this class would be reinforcing, but not new information!

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Gardening for Health

(CRS Coping Skills Training) 

In this 12 week group, we will lay the groundwork (pun intended) for our PROS garden. We will work to plan our space, plan our crops and their rotations, engage and bring community partners on board, start plants from seedlings, prepare our garden space, and plant into the ground. Gardening can support our health in so many different ways. Please join us!

Games

(CRS Problem Solving)

This class is the perfect opportunity to practice skills you have been learning in PROS classes to promote your mental health/substance use recovery in the context of cooperation and building relationships.  Each week will have games to play and talk about managing conflicts or symptoms as the arise and talking about how it applies to mental health and substance use recovery.

Goal Getters!

(CRS-IRP Planning)

This class covers goal setting in general – how to set goals and prioritize them as well as
practice developing goals. Participants choose what is most important in their recovery. This
group will also address how to build more positive and healthy supports to assist in a successful
recovery. Participants will identify their own personal strengths and learn how to use these
strengths in achieving their recovery goals. This class is ideal for people in screening or those
who feel like they need a jump start on making goals.

Guitar Lessons with Naomi:

(CRS WSM Coping Skills)

Learn some guitar basics with Naomi. We can work on whatever the participants are interested in, including:
Chords; Finger-picking; Flat-picking; Playing melodies; Rhythms and techniques for backing yourself up if you want to sing and play at the same time; Learning to read tabliture. I have many easy and fun tab-sheets for basic folk/bluegrass tunes (created by my dad who is a  bluegrass musician), so we can learn to play melodies and back each other up together, too.

If you have a guitar (or even a banjo!), bring it along. There are a few PROS guitars but the number is limited. Guest teachers may be brought in - and if you are an guitar player interested in sharing your skills, talk to me about this!

LBGTQ+ Peer Support

(CRS  Basic Life Skills Training)

This class will explore the connection between how participants experience their sexuality and gender in relation to their mental health.  The goal of this group is to provide an affirming space for individuals to identify ways of experiencing, expressing, and exploring gender and sexuality / orientation in ways that positively impact mental health and wellness.

Lunch Prep

(CRS WSM Basic Living Skills)

Come join us to improve your cooking skills and give back to the PROS community.  We will work on preparing, cooking, and baking different recipes to share.  Everyone is welcome whether you are a “seasoned” chef or just stepping into cooking for the first time.  Cooking is a wonderful way to nourish yourself and others and a potential coping skill to add to your life.

Meditation

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training) 

This class will focus on further learning of DBT mindfulness skills with meditation. In each class, we will discuss mindfulness skills and engage in a guided meditation that may last from 10-30 minutes. 

Mindful Movement

(CRS-Coping Skills Group)

Mindful Movement will be based on Tai Chi principles and exercises.  We will practice grounding ourselves and noticing how our bodies feel while we focus on our movements.  It is an opportunity to slow down, feel gravity and get our blood moving.

Mindful Self-Compassion

(CRS Coping Skills)

We are often taught to feel and express compassion for others, but rarely to ourselves.  Through readings, workbook exercises, group discussions, informal daily practices, and formal meditations participants will experience the benefit of being their own best-friend. Active and regular participation is required to experience the most benefit from this group.

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Peer Support

(CRS Self-Help) 

Living with mental health and/or substance abuse issues is difficult.  Talking with peers who are working through similar barriers is helpful, but it is hard to know what to say to be supportive.  This class focuses on developing skills to be supportive to others, as well as how to set boundaries to keep yourself healthy in the process. 

Positive Psychology

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training) 

While traditional psychology focuses on psychological diseases, positive psychology is the science that studies happiness and things that make us happy. It is the scientific study of what makes life most worth living. In this group we will look at techniques that will allow us to enhance our lives and enable us to live our lives to the fullest.

Positive Thoughts for a New Day

(CRS Basic Living Skill)

Starting the day on a positive note, with a warm thought in the mind and maybe a warm cup in the hand is what this group will focus on.  Each week we will bring positive stories of encouragement and success to inspire and foster hope before engaging in the “hard” work of the day ahead.

Quilting

(CRS BLST)

Learn how to quilt and do some basic sewing while talking about how this coping skill can help you manage mental health symptoms. We will be creating quilts for the Detox/Stabilization center! You will have a chance to give back to the community through this class, while you are practicing life and coping skills!

Resiliency Toolkit

(CRS WSM Coping Skills)

Are you a resilient person? Would you like to become more resilient? While some people seem to be born with a resilient nature, studies have shown that resiliency can be taught at any age. In this class we will explore what it means to be resilient and we will look at skills you can learn so you can "bounce back" quicker. Life will always hand us hardships but how we react to these hardships can determine if we get "stuck" or if we can move forward.  During this group there will time for reflection and writing., bring your pens and paper!

RO DBT Social Connection Skills

(CRS BLST)

Radically open DBT is a skills-based program that focuses on openness, flexibility and social connection to increase emotional well-being.  Each class we will learn a new RO DBT skill.  Social connection skills include social signaling, building social safety, learning how to hear feedback from others, and interpersonal integrity.

Sensory Exploration Art

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training)

Messy therapy.  Explore your feelings, relationships, stretch your window of tolerance all with fun, hands on (very hands on) art projects!

Shadow Work:

(Intensive Rehabilitation)

In this group, we will explore ways to heal trauma and discover parts of ourselves that we may be repressing. These are parts of ourselves that can be referred to as our "shadow" because we may be avoiding or concealing them out of shame or discomfort. Through shadow work, we can learn to integrate these repressed parts and have a more holistic understanding of ourselves. We will learn to sit with uncomfortable feelings in a gentle way. Each group will include some reading, discussion, and journaling.

Singing Together:

(CRS WSM Coping Skills)

Research has shown that singing in a group is therapeutic and promotes positive emotions and community togetherness, and the vibrations singing makes in your body can have a physical and emotional healing effect. This group will be a way for us to sharing the act of singing in a non-judgemental space. You don't need to have any experience or a "good voice". Every person is welcome! This is more about feeling what it's like to let yourself be free and use your voice than about trying to achieve some goal with the sound... but we will do some fun vocal warm-ups and practice using our voices in different ways. Then we will get to singing – bring song suggestions that we can sing along to, and I will bring songs that I like to sing and share. We can also spend some time talking about our favorite songs and why they move us.

Strengthening Social Skills

(CRS Structured Skill Development)

Oftentimes people are afraid to take steps toward their goals because of fear surrounding how to interact with others.  Social skills are very important every life role goal.  Having confidence in your ability to interact with others in a way that is comfortable and productive can help you reach your goals of employment, healthy relationships and socialization!  Participants in this class will learn a skill, practice a skill and receive feedback and process the experience. 

Substance Use Recovery

(Intensive Rehabilitation-IDDT)

This class is for participants in all stages of change (pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance).  Participants will gain a better understanding of the stages of change and what stage they are in.  Participants will learn strategies for cutting down or stopping substance use and for dealing with high-risk situations.  Participants will clarify their values and decide which areas they would like to improve.  This class includes an educational component focusing on the interactions between alcohol, drugs, and mental illness.  A commitment to stop using substances is not required.

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Therapeutic Journaling

(CRS Coping Skills)

This class will include different prompts every week encouraging participants to explore aspects of their healing journey, goals and dreams, processing past experiences, opening up to inner guidance, as well as gentle questions about what is going well or what we'd like to do differently in the present. Participants can choose to use the prompt, or just do free writing and/or drawing in any way that feels right. The goal of the class is to learn some new journaling prompts that could be helpful to you now or in the future, as well as to have time with others to sit and get out what you need to get out onto the page each day.

Therapeutic Resourcing

(Clinic Treatment)

In this group participants will be engaging in activities that are found in the second phase of EMDR treatment.  Resourcing is a method of identifying and building skills that will help with navigating difficult emotions.  This group may feel like a mindfulness group has come together with a skill development group to form one super group.

Thriving on the Neurodivergent Spectrum

(CRS Self Help)

Learn about the spectrum! We will explore common experiences of neurodivergent folks, myths and misconceptions, and the opportunities and challenges that neurodiversity can represent. All are welcome, regardless of diagnostic or neurodivergent status. If you have an autism diagnosis, think you might be neurodivergent, or are just plain curious, this class is for you!

The Value of Self

(CRS- Self Help)

In this class we will be focusing on many of the different “Selves” regarding self-development. We will explore the importance of cultivating a positive self-image through such topics as practicing self-love, implementing self-care routines, improving self-talk patterns, overcoming and understanding self-sabotage tendencies, and enhancing self-control skills. This class aims to give insights and practical tools to enhance your personal growth and overall well-being.

Tobacco and You

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training) 

Do you use tobacco? Come meet in a supportive class to discuss current tobacco use and to learn about healthy living to support their overall wellness and recovery. Participants are welcome to come and discuss tobacco use, regardless of their interest in making any changes in their current tobacco use.

Trauma Art Processing

(Intensive Rehabilitation)

This is an art therapy group that will focus on processing trauma. Participants have the freedom to respond to each art prompt in the way that feels best and utilize the art materials and styles they prefer. Through art, participants will have the opportunity to explore topics, such as how trauma affects the body, healing, and strength. We will work to better connect with ourselves, our individual experiences, and as a group. This is a new group being offered for the first time in Spring 2024.

WRAP

(CRS WSM Problem Solving Skills Training)

When is the best time to think about what you would do when you are in crisis? Before you are having a hard time!  Do you know what you can do every day to help keep you feeling your best and decrease the chance or severity of mental health or substance abuse relapse?  This class will help you create your very own step – by – step Wellness Recovery Action Plan.

Workplace Exploration

(IRGA)

We will get out and visit a variety of workplaces around the community and learn more about the work people do there, the work environment and culture and the staffing needs of the businesses/organizations we visit.  We'll also have the opportunities to learn more about what hiring authorities look for in candidates who apply to work there and learn some tips to position ourselves to be considered good candidates for employment.  

Yoga

(CRS-WSM Coping Skills Training)

Yoga is an ancient coping skill developed over the centuries to help people relax, center and manage everyday life.  Yoga at PROS is taught by community Yoga instructors with a PROS staff for support.  The instructor modifies the Yoga poses so that they are accessible to everyone.  This includes practicing Yoga in a chair!  Staff will help participants manage anxiety in the group setting, as it arises.  Come and do something good for your body and mind!

12 Step Group

(CRS WSM Self Help)

12 Step recovery groups have been around since the 1930's. This group focuses on recovery from alcohol and/or drug addiction. It is neither an AA or NA meeting, but rather a combination of the two and open to anyone in any stage of change, from precontemplation to maintenance to relapse. Anyone with a desire to learn more about addiction and the 12 Step recovery process is welcome to attend. We'll follow a format, read the 12 steps and 12 traditions, a short story from recovery literature, and then open the meeting for individuals to share their experience, strength, and hope. This is an introduction to what 12 step groups in the community are like. Anyone may join us as we explore our paths from active use of substances to becoming responsible, productive members of society.


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