Guiding Groups from Conversation to Action
Practical Facilitation Skills for Prevention Professionals
An Enhanced Prevention Learning Series
Series Overview
Prevention work almost always involves bringing people together. Sometimes those people already understand prevention and are ready to work. Sometimes they have different priorities, different levels of experience, different ideas about what should happen next, or very different reasons for being at the table.
And very often, the prevention professional is the person expected to help that group figure out how to move forward.
Guiding Groups from Conversation to Action is a six-session Enhanced Prevention Learning Series focused on the practical facilitation skills prevention professionals need in real-world group settings. Participants will practice how to prepare for a conversation before it begins, explain prevention in ways that make sense to different partners, create meaningful participation, help groups make decisions, work through disagreement and difficult moments, and regroup when plans or circumstances change.
This is not a series about becoming the person with all the answers. It is about learning how to create the conditions that help a group understand the work, contribute meaningfully, make sound decisions, take responsibility, and move forward together.
Throughout the series, participants will apply what they are learning to a real group or situation from their own prevention work and build a practical facilitation plan they can use right away.
Series Learning Objectives
By the end of the series, participants will be able to:
• Prepare for a group conversation or process by clarifying their role, what the group needs to accomplish, who needs to be involved, and how the conversation should be structured.
• Explain prevention in clear, everyday language and connect the work to what different partners genuinely care about.
• Use facilitation strategies that help people participate and take ownership, including clarifying roles, making room for different voices, and sharing responsibility realistically.
• Help groups move from discussion to decision and action by clarifying what needs to be decided, choosing an appropriate decision-making process, and identifying who will do what next.
• Respond effectively when group work gets difficult by recognizing different kinds of disagreement, tension, conflict, or harmful behavior and choosing an appropriate response.
• Help groups regroup and adapt when plans change, something is not working, setbacks occur, or new opportunities emerge.
When:
States & American Samoa:
Dates:
November 3, 10, 17, December 1, 8, 15, 2026
Time:
4:00 PM – 5:30 PM Arizona
3:00 PM – 4:30 PM Pacific
1:00 PM – 2:30 PM Hawaii
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM American Samoa
Pacific Jurisdictions:
Dates:
November 4, 11, 18, December 2, 9, 16, 2026
Time:
11:00 AM – 12:30 PM Republic of the Marshall Islands
10:00 AM – 11:30 AM Pohnpei and Kosrae
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Chuuk, and Yap
8:00 AM – 9:30 AM Republic of Palau
*No session will be held the week of November 24.
Facilitator:
Angela Da Re, CCPS, ICPS
Angela Da Re is a national prevention consultant, trainer, and coalition capacity builder with more than 25 years of experience in substance use prevention. She specializes in community-based prevention, coalition development, strategic planning, sustainability, adult learning, and helping groups move from discussion to meaningful action.
Angela has trained prevention professionals and community coalitions across the country through organizations including CADCA and the Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) Network. Known for her practical, engaging approach to training and facilitation, she helps professionals navigate group dynamics, build participation, strengthen collaboration, and create meetings and processes that lead to clear decisions and next steps.
Angela is a Certified Prevention Specialist and serves as CEO of Delta Prevention.
Audience:
• Substance misuse prevention practitioners located in the Pacific Southwest (HHS Region 9) states and jurisdictions of American Samoa, Arizona, California, Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Guam, Hawaii, Nevada, Republic of Marshall Islands, and Republic of Palau.
• Please note: This training is reserved for prevention professionals working in HHS Region 9.
• Prevention professionals interested in this course but who work outside of HHS Region 9 are encouraged to contact their region’s PTTC to learn about similar courses available to them.
Participant Commitment and Expectations:
• If your experience with Zoom is limited or you want to review key features of Zoom, please view the 20-minute Introduction to Zoom video prior to the first session on Tuesday, November 3, 2026 on how to use and maximize the platform.
• Participate in 6 sessions of training, for 1.5 hours on scheduled series days/times.
• Use a web-camera and have access to appropriate technology to join the online videoconferencing platform (i.e., internet connection, built-in or USB webcam, desktop/laptop computer, built-in/USB/Bluetooth speakers & microphone).
• Actively engage and be on camera 90% of the time during each session, since this is not a webinar series and active participation is essential to gain/improve skills.
Please Note:
This EPLS is not a webinar series. Active participation in each session is essential to gain and improve skills. If you cannot attend these sessions, you will forfeit your attendance.
The Pacific Southwest PTTC is committed to the safety of all participants. Driving while participating in these sessions is strongly discouraged, as it is seen as a danger to the participant. If driving cannot be avoided during your scheduled session for any reason, please contact the PTTC staff at pspttc-info@casat.org.
Certificates:
Participants who complete all 6 sessions will receive a certificate of attendance for 9 contact hours. No partial credit is given for this course. Participants will need to confirm with their certification board to determine if these certification hours are accepted towards their specific certification requirements.
To help make engagement more comfortable, we limit the number of people who can enroll in EPLS. If you cannot commit to joining the sessions or completing the prep-work packets, please defer this opportunity to others on our waiting list.
The Pacific Southwest PTTC is administered by CASAT at the University of Nevada, Reno.