The NCG Institute was developed to ensure that the clinical care delivered by employees of NCG is second to none. The Institute supports the professionalism, integrity and compassion of our clinical staff through the implementation and maintenance of quality assurance and compliance verification systems.The NCG Institute has, as a fundamental goal, the mission to continuously train and educate staff, colleagues, associated professionals and the community at large. We believe that knowledge is power and that the provision of effective, timely and challenging learning opportunities translate into more competent and confident individuals and groups.The NCG Institute is committed to not only equipping our employees with the necessary skills to consistently perform above industry standards but also to develop them as individuals and professional leaders. The Institute intentionally makes a sharp distinction between management and leadership, the former focusing on the successful execution of processes and protocols critical to day-to-day operations and the latter emphasizing the importance of influence and credibility in relationships.

Quality. Education. Leadership. Advancing the delivery of mental health service.

Quality

The NCG Institute was developed to ensure that the clinical care delivered by employees of NCG is second to none. The Institute supports the professionalism, integrity and compassion of our clinical staff through the implementation and maintenance of quality assurance and compliance verification systems. Our goal is to ensure that our counselors are fully prepared at all times to meet the varied and complex needs of the youth, families and adults they work with while providing clear and appropriate evidence of the quality work they provided.

Through a series of company-wide checks and balances that include a monthly internal auditing program, monthly and quarterly quality assurance activities, the collection and compilation of outcome data, and supervisor training and development, the NCG Institute staff assess overall adherence to Federal and State guidelines and regulations, NCG Methods of practice and quality of care standards. Results from these monthly reviews are shared with regional and site management who then work with the Director of Operations to address and improve outcomes that fall short of established goals.

Quality care is also enhanced through education and leadership development. Results from company-wide reviews help NCG Institute staff know where to target specific and ongoing training. Additionally, through supervisor development and training, we are able to utilize clinical supervisors as our partners in the process teaching the NCG Method, which incorporates our own best practices for mental health care, case management and professionalism, to our clinical staff company-wide.

Education

The NCG Institute has, as a fundamental goal, the mission to continuously train and educate staff, colleagues, associated professionals and the community at large. We believe that knowledge is power and that the provision of effective, timely and challenging learning opportunities translate into more competent and confident individuals and groups. Further, we believe that the appropriate application of that knowledge and the ability to transfer it to larger populations is a key component of the NCG Mission to Alleviate Suffering and Improve Lives.

Competence and confidence is an ideal mixture in the workplace. The more ways we present information, the more our staff will learn and retain. We vary the pace and style of our trainings. From the perspective of the NCG Institute, the goal of training is not training. The goal of all NCG’s job-related training can be boiled down to one deceptively simple phrase: to achieve long-term improvements in the way NCG employees do their jobs. The net result is a transfer of training into direct application of knowledge and skill to work, to self and to the community. One essential goal of the NCG Institute is to promote and develop in each employee a sense of autonomy, mastery and purpose.

The NCG Institute firmly asserts that the quality of counselors’ work is directly related to the quality of the training they receive. All staff receive a minimum of 40 hours of intensive training when they are hired – and receive on-going professional development training throughout their career with National Counseling Group. All employees are expected to attend mandatory trainings as directed, but are further encouraged and supported to pursue additional training and learning opportunities on their own. The Institute will work with Regional Directors, Site Directors and Supervisors to identify both site-specific and employee specific -training needs and then find ways to train them – either through the Institute, Regional Training Teams, or through location of an appropriate training source.

Leadership

The NCG Institute is committed to not only equipping our employees with the necessary skills to consistently perform above industry standards but also to develop them as individuals and professional leaders. The Institute intentionally makes a sharp distinction between management and leadership, the former focusing on the successful execution of processes and protocols critical to day-to-day operations and the latter emphasizing the importance of influence and credibility in relationships. We believe that the overall effectiveness - and eventual success – of every employee is directly related to his or her ability to develop leadership talent. To the extent that each employee taps into his or her leadership potential, that individual, the company and the community benefit.

The NCG Training Academy

To prepare all new hires for their professional roles with National Counseling Group, The NCG Institute holds an intensive two-day training each month in Richmond. Day I provides attendees with a detailed orientation to National Counseling Group, including its history, practice and business model, core ideology, services, structure, employee benefit packages, quality assurance and compliance model, and the typical opportunities and challenges in the “daily life” of an NCG counselor. Day II focuses on the specific philosophies and strategies that underlie all clinical work performed, regardless of service type. Attendees get the opportunity to engage in experiential and collaborative learning, role-playing, case conceptualization and documentation practice.

In addition to their attendance at the Training Academy, all new hires receive additional training at their respective local sites prior to beginning clinical work. Regional Trainers provide new hires with extensive training on Human Rights/HIPPA Regulations, Funding Sources (including Medicaid and CSA), Documentation/Reports & Record-Keeping (including use of Penelope, computer software program for client files), Handle With Care (behavior management system), First Aid/CPR, Courtroom Etiquette and Testimony, Substance Use Disorders (assessment, treatment, drug/alcohol testing procedures), and orientation to the local site programming, protocols, resources and community “landscape” in which they work. Shadowing seasoned counselors and participating in “ride-alongs” are an important component of the indoctrination of new hires. New hires will receive a minimum of 40 hours of training at the outset of their employment with NCG.

Only after successful completion of Training Academy and Local Trainings (and completion of competency-based tests) will a counselor be assigned cases to work. NCG Counselors continue to receive on-going training commensurate with their role and are expected to develop both professionally and personally as long as they are employed with National Counseling Group. The NCG Institute will both develop, coordinate, and provide on-going relevant trainings for all staff and will also identify pertinent training opportunities in the community for staff to attend as appropriate.