Mental Health/IDD Training and Resources

The Mental Health/IDD Training and Resources series was made possible through a partnership between PDAP and the Delaware County Public Defender office. The goal of this programming was to educate all Public Defenders, including the SWIM community Social Workers/Social Service Advocates, Investigators, & Mitigators), on how to best advocate for and legally represent their mentally ill and neurodivergent client populations.

Programming consisted of two training conferences – one for attorneys and one for SWIM staff. Topics mirrored the Delaware County Public Defender’s training manual on mental health and neurodivergence, including an introduction to neurodivergent clients, mental health 101, accessing services and resources for clients, building rapport and relationships with clients, competency, mitigation, and the GBMI defense.

No future programming dates have been confirmed at this time, but the Mental Health Training Manual is available below for any Public Defenders looking to learn more about existing mental health resources for their clients. It is also accessible through our social service referral resources.