The MHTTC Network will be presenting seven sessions at the 2023 Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health! Learn about our sessions below. Access the complete ASMH conference program here.
Behavioral threat assessment was developed to prevent targeted attacks, such as school shootings. However, there are concerns about the use of threat assessment in schools, including as it relates to student mental health. This symposium by the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office and National Center for School Mental Health details results of a key informant roundtable, scoping review, and white paper that examine considerations for behavioral threat assessment, research outcomes, and recommendations for the future of behavioral threat assessment in schools.
What does school mental health have to do with my job? Why am I the only one supporting this student? Answers to common questions faced by school mental health professionals can get lost in translation. This session by the Southeast MHTTC is for those communicating about school mental health with audiences who do not have a mental health background, and it describes a research-based toolkit designed to communicate with teachers, staff, and other adult allies about their role in supporting school mental health.
This session by the Northwest MHTTC will provide an overview of universal screening as part of a comprehensive school mental health system. Best practices, tool selection, and critical steps (with resources) for implementation including data analysis and connecting students to supports will be shared. Participants will hear a state-level approach to policy and capacity for installing universal screening with practical examples from district exemplars. Action planning tools and briefs will be provided.
Educators are commonly the first staff to refer students for mental health concerns, making Mental Health Literacy (MHL) a crucial component for positive student outcomes. Self-efficacy is linked to the quality and rate that teachers provide social, emotional, and behavioral support to students. This session by the Mid-America MHTTC highlights how Classroom WISE, a free training for educators, builds evidence-based skills to support students experiencing a range of concerns. Upon completion, participants showed increases in self-efficacy in MHL.
98% of Nebraska counties are recognized behavioral health workforce shortage areas (HRSA, 2022). There is a demonstrated need to expand the school-based mental health workforce in delivering comprehensive, effective, and efficient school mental health systems. This symposium by the Mid-America MHTTC will highlight three exemplars of pre- and in-service training in Nebraska and share how they adapted, implemented and provided training in this framework. Presenters will discuss innovative solutions to address barriers.
A major concern in school communities across the country is school violence. Through an environmental scan and gap analysis, the MHTTC Network compiled existing training and resources on school violence and mental health and identified gaps that exist in addressing school violence. This symposium will provide an overview of the results, and highlight training and technical assistance (TA) that the MHTTC Network is leading on addressing school violence and school mental health.
In this session, participants will learn about the evidence base for the CSLA and the SCCATE to assess school culture and preparation for a nationwide Randomized Controlled Trial beginning in Fall 2023. The New England MHTTC will present the results of a cultural adaptation of the S-CCATE to evaluate and monitor elements of equity, cultural responsiveness, and antiracist school practices, as well as the results of a Feasibility Study with ten middle schools across the country.