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Counseling Individuals with Intellectual Disability Training Program

Enroll in the Online Self-Study Program and complete the training on your own schedule.
12 CE Credits available for behavioral health clinicians.

People with intellectual disability (ID) make up nearly 3% of the U.S. population—yet they remain largely invisible in mental health settings. Despite being disproportionately impacted by trauma, abuse, and neglect, their mental health needs have been historically overlooked, leaving clinicians undertrained and clients underserved.

This course empowers you to bridge that gap. Through evidence-based strategies and practical adjustments, you’ll learn how to confidently support this marginalized and underserved population while upholding your ethical duty to serve all members of your community.

Earn your ID Counseling Certificate and provide more affirming care.

$397 – 12 CE hours + certificate included

 

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Dr. Jason Buckles, Ph.D., brings over 20 years of hands-on expertise in supporting individuals with intellectual disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions. From leading statewide behavioral health programs to teaching university courses on ID and DSM assessment, Dr. Buckles bridges the gap between theory and day-to-day practice with clarity and warmth.

In this course, Dr. Buckles emphasizes relational, trauma-informed, and person-centered counseling strategies. His teaching blends deep clinical insight with practical techniques to help you adapt assessment, diagnosis, and treatment methods in real-world settings—including telehealth environments.

Topics include the evolution of ID diagnosis and terminology, the social construction of disability, common misconceptions, legal rights and self-determination, co-occurring mental health conditions, diagnostic overshadowing, trauma-informed care, adapting CBT, autism-specific and bereavement considerations, and collaborative supports. You’ll also learn how to modify intake procedures, assessments, and mental status exams to be more accessible and effective.

Dr. Jason Buckles' headshot

Instructor

Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Jason earned his Bachelor’s in Psychology at New York University in 1996. While there he worked on diagnostic projects at Bellevue Hospital and the New York State Psychiatric Institute. He earned his Master’s in Counseling at The University of New Mexico in 2001 and PhD in Special Education at The University of New Mexico in 2016. His dissertation focused on the experiences of direct support professionals who support people with sexually challenging behavior. Since 2002 Jason has been owner of Talkabout Inc., a Behavior Consultation agency specializing in supports for people with intellectual disability and concurrent mental health diagnoses. From 2012 through 2016 Jason was the Statewide Clinical Director of the New Mexico Department of Health – Bureau of Behavioral Support overseeing statewide systems of behavioral support consultation.

From 2016-2019 Jason was the Executive Director of A Better Way of Living, a CQL accredited agency that provides life-wide supports for people with intellectual disability. He is currently a contracting consultant with the New Mexico Department of Health where he supervises the sexual risk screening program, the ongoing development of behavior support systems, and provides statewide trainings on co-occurring mental health conditions for people with intellectual disability among other topics. For several years Jason has also served as the Program Manager for the Developmental Disability/Mental Illness project with the University of New Mexico. For most of the past 20 years he was a part time instructor at both The University of New Mexico teaching Introduction to Intellectual Disability and at New Mexico Highlands University teaching DSM Assessment for Counselors.

Key Takeaways:

  • Counsel with confidence: Adjust your clinical approach to better serve individuals with ID across a variety of presenting concerns.
  • Recognize and respond to bias: Identify and reduce diagnostic overshadowing, historical harms, and systemic barriers.
  • Expand your clinical toolkit: Apply inclusive, trauma-informed, and neurodiversity-affirming strategies in both individual therapy and interdisciplinary care.

Why this certificate program?

  • A uniquely qualified instructor: Dr. Buckles’ rare combination of clinical, academic, and policy-level experience makes this course far more robust than others on the topic.
  • A values-aligned training partner: Telehealth Certification Institute is known for delivering high-quality, accessible CE courses that support equity and excellence in care.
  • A vital area of professional growth: As behavioral health care becomes more inclusive, clinicians who are equipped to support people with ID will be in high demand.

Learning Objectives:

  • Explain historical and current concepts of disability and intellectual disability (ID).
  • List the current definitional requirements for ID.
  • Explore the historical mistreatment and current misconceptions of ID in US service systems.
  • Discuss the concept of social construction as applied to disability.
  • List the areas of the Americans with Disabilities Act as they apply to counseling all community members.
  • Explain differences in how co-occurring mental health conditions may present in people with ID.
  • Discuss potentially useful adjustments to initial psychosocial assessment procedures and mental status exam components.
  • Explain how enlistment of other supporters and providers may aid the counseling process with this population.
  • Discuss current literature on the efficacy of counseling for people with ID.
  • Explore methods of adjusting typical counseling practices such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy.
  • Explore alternate counseling models for this population, such as autism-specific considerations, bereavement counseling, and experiential counseling.

If you're ready to expand your reach and serve with more confidence, this course will equip you with the tools, insight, and mindset to meet the moment.

Add it to your CE library today—your future clients will thank you.

This is a non-interactive, self-study course with a total of 12 hours of video instruction and a post-test.

Enroll to start the 12 CE Certificate Program

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Availability: From the time of registration, you have six months to access the coursework.

Who Should Attend: This course is intended for clinicians who provide behavioral health services.

Teaching Methods: This is a non-interactive, self-study course. Teaching methods for this course include recorded lectures, videos, a post-test, and a course evaluation.

How to attend: Directions for completing a course can be found by clicking here.

This program was recorded on May 25 & 26, 2023

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