“True Grit: Building Resilience in Corrections Professionals™” is a 5-day, 40-hour Instructor

Training with certification, authored by Caterina Spinaris, Ph.D., LPC, for the 8-hour training

with the same title. “True Grit” is positive, practical, empowering, engaging, motivating—

and FUN! It is packed with skill-based tools derived from evidence-informed factors that

promote resilience in military and other populations, adapted to corrections employees’

work and home life realities. The course combines research findings on psychological and

neurophysiological correlates of resilience with the addressing of occupational demands,

work/home life balance issues, and health concerns faced by the corrections workforce.

The “True Grit” training includes individual exercises, action plans, and small group work.

1. Describe the nature and characteristics of psychological resilience.

2. Present evidence-informed factors that foster resilience, and translate

them to the corrections context.

3. Identify skill-based resilience-promoting behaviors to practice at

work and at home.

4. Practice resilience-promoting skills during small group activities.

Caterina Spinaris, PhD, is DWCO’s founding Director and a Licensed Professional Counselor in

the State of Colorado. Dr. Spinaris has been treating and training correctional employees

and their families since the year 2000. She also develops wellness-related educational materi-

als, and conducts research on subjects related to correctional employee wellness, particularly

in the area of post-traumatic stress. Dr. Spinaris is the 2014 recipient of the Colorado Criminal

Justice Association's Harry Tinsley award, and the author of the books Staying Well: Strate-

gies for Corrections Staff, now in its second edition, and More on Staying Well: More Strategies

for Corrections Staff. Dr. Spinaris is also the author of DWCO’s signature course, From Correc-

tions Fatigue to Fulfillment™, which received the 2016 Commercial Product of the Year Award

of Excellence by the International Association of Correctional Training Personnel, and the author of the course

“Correctional Family Wellness™.”

COURSE OBJECTIVES

COURSE AUTHOR

ABOUT THIS COURSE

“By far the best training I have been through.” C.S., Lt.

“This course will have a profound impact on all correc-tional staff both at home and at work.” V.S., Trainer

5-day Instructor Training

“True Grit: Building Resilience in

Corrections Professionals™” DATES

14-18 Oct 2019

23-27 Mar 2020

14-18 Sep 2020

“True Grit” is designed for all custody and non-custody staff who manage/supervise/treat adults or juveniles in correctional institutions (prisons and jails) or in the community (probation, parole and aftercare settings).

The corrections work environment, whether in institutions or in the community, can be

relentlessly demanding and extremely stressful. As Corrections Fatigue accumulates over

time, it undermines staff’s well-being, home life, and professional functioning. Resili-

ence—the ability to endure challenges, bounce back, and even grow positively from

them—is essential if corrections employees are to perform their jobs effectively while

also maintaining healthy personal lives. “True Grit: Building Resilience in Corrections

Professionals™” presents actionable and practical skills based on four evidence-

informed clusters of resilience-promoting behaviors. This course is the sequel to Desert

Waters’ award-winning course “From Corrections Fatigue to Fulfillment™,” and it is also

a stand-alone training.

Nature of resilience; post-traumatic growth; evidence-informed resilience-boosting psychosocial factors; effective self-regulation strategies; strategic coping behaviors; positive relating strategies; mastery strategies; individual exercises; small group activities

5-day, 40-hour, Instructor training, followed by three 1-hour tele-

phonic coaching sessions with DWCO’s coaches.

Team teaching is required for delivery of the “True Grit” course.

Instructor candidates who complete all course requirements suc-

cessfully are certified by DWCO for three years as “True Grit” In-

structors or Co-instructors . (Co-instructors must train with a lead

Instructor; Instructors can offer the course on their own if needed.)

DWCO-certified “True Grit” Instructors can offer the “True Grit” 1-

day course, only to staff at their agency, as often as needed during

their 3-year certification. They are not certified to offer the “True

Grit” course to employees of other agencies.

This is NOT a Master Instructor training. DWCO-certified “True

Grit” Instructors are not certified to train other instructors.

Re-certification involves passing an online examination, the fee for

which is $390.00 per Instructor/Co-instructor.

FEE

$1,395.00

DATES

14-18 Oct 2019

23-27 Mar 2020

14-18 Sep 2020

8:00am–5:00pm

DWCO Offices

431 E. Main St.

Florence, CO

WHY THIS COURSE

TARGET AUDIENCE COURSE TOPICS

ABOUT “TRUE GRIT”

INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION

Prior Instructor certifications recommended, including for DWCO’s course “From Corrections Fatigue to Fulfillment™”

Experience training in classroom settings 5 years+ of working in corrections/detention work settings

recommended Experience having successfully worked through some work-

related challenges Ability to motivate staff

Desert Waters Correctional Outreach is a 501(c)(3) corporation in Florence,

Colorado, with the mission to promote the occupational, personal and

family well-being of the corrections workforce through the provision of

evidence-informed resources, solutions, and support.

DWCO, PO Box 355, 431 East Main Street, Florence, CO 81226

FEIN: 30-0151345

CONTACT US: desertwaters@desertwaters.com

719-784-4727 (O), 719-784-2214 (F)

REGISTRATION FORM

“True Grit” Instructor Certification Course: Dates ☐ Oct 2019 ☐ Mar 2020 ☐ Sep 2020

Instructor Candidate Name: ______________________________________________________

Agency Name: _________________________________________________________________

Mailing Address: _______________________________________________________________

Email Address:___________________ Phone: __________________ FAX: _________________

Fee: $1,395.00 per Instructor Candidate. Non-refundable if Instructor Candidate fails to meet certification require-

ments. Fee includes three 1-hour telephonic coaching sessions.

Credit/Debit Card payment and Purchase Orders accepted. Please do NOT email credit card information.

Method of Payment: Check enclosed, payable to DWCO, P.O. Box 355, Florence, CO 81226

Credit Card: □ Visa/MC □ Discover □ American Express Amount: _______________

Credit Card #: ____________________________________________ Expiration Date: _______________

Name on Card: ___________________________________________________________________

Authorized Signature: ____________________________________________________________

Cancellation Policy: Full refunds up to three weeks prior to the training, and 75% refunds less than three weeks prior to the training.

Registrations are transferable at any time to other Instructor candidates of the same agency that meet Instructor candidate selection criteria.

Photos Copyright T.C. Brown

CRITERIA FOR “TRUE GRIT”

INSTRUCTOR CANDIDATE SELECTION

ABOUT DWCO

“This course delivers the

answer to the ‘Now what?’

question after CF2F. It builds

and strengthens the toolbox

for employees working in

such high stress environ-

ments in a simple yet pro-

found way. ‘True Grit’ gen-

erates bond building discus-

sion with real life applica-

tion.” S. R., Staff Wellness

Coordinator