Wildflower Center for Learning

At Wildflower Center for Emotional Health, we believe in empowering individuals through continuous learning and professional development. Our online platform offers a wide range of courses designed to enhance your therapeutic skills, deepen your understanding of mental health topics, and support your journey towards personal and professional growth. Whether you’re a seasoned therapist or just starting your career, our expertly curated courses provide valuable insights and practical tools to help you make a positive impact. Additionally, our courses offer Continuing Education Units (CEUs), ensuring that your learning contributes to your professional credentials. 

Our training courses are grounded in evidence-based practices and are thoroughly researched to ensure the highest quality of education. We offer specialized training in Wildflower Center for Emotional Health’s core areas, including perinatal and reproductive mental health, sex and sexuality, relationship therapy, trauma, and the treatment of mood and anxiety disorders. These courses are designed to be both engaging and helpful, providing practical tools and insights that can be immediately applied in professional practice.

Join us today and take the next step in your educational journey! For any questions, please contact our Director of Education and Professional Development Eden Himidian, LCSW, RYT, PMH-C at 312.809.0298 or by completing our online inquiry form.

Why Choose Wildflower for Your Educational Development? 


In today’s rapidly evolving mental health landscape, continuous learning and development are more crucial than ever. At Wildflower, we’ve curated a suite of educational offerings that not only address the present challenges but also anticipate the future needs of professionals in the field. Dive into a journey of enrichment and empowerment with us, and discover why Wildflower is the premier choice for many seeking advanced training and knowledge in mental health and related fields.

Reputation for Excellence

As a leader in the mental health field, our programs are recognized for their quality, depth, and innovation. By choosing Wildflower, you’re aligning with a trusted name in professional development.

Diverse & Customizable Offerings

Whether you’re seeking continuing education, hands-on training, or tailored seminars, our expansive catalog caters to a wide range of learning needs and preferences.

Expert Faculty

Our courses are led by seasoned professionals with extensive experience in mental health education and expertise in their respective fields, ensuring a rich and insightful learning experience.

Interactive Learning Environment

Beyond traditional lectures, our programs encourage active participation and collaborative learning, fostering a deeper understanding, promoting meaningful connections, and building a supportive professional network. 

Recognized Accreditation

As a State of Illinois licensed provider for continuing education, our credentials highlight our commitment to maintaining high educational standards. By choosing Wildflower, you’re assured of quality instruction that adheres to industry best practices.

Commitment to Growth 

We believe education and training are critical for developing effective, compassionate, and informed mental health providers and professionals. We go the extra level to create a supportive learning environment. 

Upcoming Lectures & Training for Professionals

Sexuality, Infertility, and Mental Health: Bridging the Gaps for Psychotherapists


Wednesday, November 20th · 1:30 – 3pm CST

Join Kate Ernstrom, LCSW, CST, PMH-C, and Gabby Pendley, LCSW, CADC, PMH-C of Wildflower Center for Emotional Health for a virtual training addressing the interplay between mental health, infertility, and sexuality. Mental health professionals will gain knowledge and skills necessary to provide compassionate, attuned, and culturally competent care to clients grappling with the emotional complexities of infertility and sexuality.

What Makes a Family: Supporting LGBTQ+ Therapy Clients in Redefining Family


Wednesday, December 4th · 1 – 3pm CST

Join Wildflower therapists Kayla Wingert, LSW, and Madeline Wolfe, LSW, for an engaging workshop focused on supporting LGBTQ clients in their family-building journeys. Participants will examine their own positionality and how it shapes therapeutic interactions, while learning practical tools and prompts to enrich conversations with queer clients around reproductive identity and chosen family.

Continuing Education for Mental Health Professionals

At Wildflower, we understand the importance of ongoing learning in the dynamic field of mental health. Our comprehensive professional development opportunities are designed with this in mind.

Community & Connection

We’re not just about imparting knowledge. Our training programs emphasize mutual learning, encouraging colleagues to connect, share experiences, and build lasting professional relationships.

Evidence-Based Training

We pride ourselves on delivering training that’s rooted in the latest research, ensuring that mental health professionals can offer the best care to their clients.

Ethical Learning

In line with our mission, our programs emphasize ethical practice, instilling the values that are foundational to effective mental health services.

Continuing Education FAQs

We provide professional training and lectures for a wide range of professionals, including medical and mental health providers. Our programming that confers continuing education credits is designed for social workers, clinical psychologists, professional counselors, and marriage and family therapists. 

The Professional Development Program at Wildflower Center for Emotional Health is a State of Illinois licensed provider of continuing education. (License numbers: 159.001538, 268.000127, and 168.000258). 

We understand that we live in a fast-paced world and that many mental health professionals juggle countless responsibilities. We host both in-person and online workshops to accommodate your schedules and learning preferences. 

Lectures & Training Testimonials

Sponsorship

At Wildflower, we support the educational efforts of our local mental health professionals. We are available to sponsor CE certificates for workshops and presentations developed by our colleagues. As an approved continuing education provider for the Illinois Department of Professional Regulation (Social Work and Professional Counselor License #: 159.001538, Psychologist License #: 268.000127, Marriage and Family Therapist License #: 168.000258) we ensure that all sponsored presentations and workshops enhance the professional skills and knowledge of psychologists, social workers, and mental health counselors. Our sponsorship covers a range of formats, from one-hour presentations to multi-day workshops. Interested in partnering with us? Contact our Director of Education and Professional Development, Eden Himidian, LCSW, RYT, PMH-C.

Personalized Training for Professional Organizations

We offer a wide variety of training and lectures to diverse audiences of physicians, nurses, midwives, doulas, mental health professionals, attorneys, and others. Our training programs bring colleagues together to learn from one another and create meaningful connections. We offer topic-specific training throughout the year, and we can customize our educational offerings to meet the needs of your organization. 

Didactic Workshops 

Dive into focused topics with our workshops. Structured for clear, evidence-based learning, they’re ideal for in-depth exploration of specific subjects.

Seminars

Expand your insights with our interactive seminars. Engage in discussions, grasp overarching mental health concepts, and learn from both experts and peers.

Training

Acquire practical skills with our hands-on sessions. Mixing theory and real-world application, they’re designed to elevate your professional expertise.

Consultations 

Get tailored advice from our experts. Whether one-on-one or in groups, consultations address specific challenges and guide effective practice refinement.

Training Topics

Below are some of the mental health topics we can present on. Please note that this is not an exhaustive list. 

  • Fundamentals of sex therapy
  • Low libido in women
  • Assessment and treatment of sexual distress and dysfunction in women

  • Sexuality and infertility: Addressing common sexual concerns experienced by infertile couples
  • Infertility and psychotherapy

  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for postpartum clients
  • Like a mother: Clinical implications of providing psychotherapy as a new(er) mom
  • Perinatal trauma and mental health: Facts, myths, and components of recovery
  • The psychodynamics of perinatal transition and distress
  • More than depression: Understanding the complexity of perinatal mental illness and pathways of care
  • Perinatal mental illness: Myths, facts, and pathways to recovery
  • On grief and grieving: Addressing perinatal loss in psychotherapy

  • From overwhelmed to grounded: How to prevent and cope with compassion fatigue and burnout
  • From surviving to thriving: Enhancing resilience in therapy
  • Attending to the therapist: Compassion fatigue, burnout, and imposter syndrome

  • When clients report suicidal thoughts: Strategies for effective management of suicidal crises
  • Introduction to Dialectical Behavior Therapy
  • Introduction to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
  • Dialectical Behavior Therapy in the treatment of trauma
  • The flexible roadmap: Developing an accurate diagnosis, case conceptualization and treatment plans
  • A house without foundation will not stand: Relationship-building and effective dialogues about the psychotherapy process with clients
  • Beyond verbal content: Harnessing the moment-to-moment nonverbal communication process in service of insight and positive change
  • Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and pain management
  • Evidence-based practice and practice-based evidence: How do we determine what interventions to call on and whether they are effective?
  • Lessons from psychotherapy: Adolescent mental health
  • Rocky Terrain: Addressing plateaus, ruptures and terminations in psychotherapy
  • Ethics and integrity in clinical practice