Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC

Session Description: Executive functions (EF) are crucial cognitive processes that help individuals manage the demands of college life effectively. For students with mental health conditions (MHCs), challenges with EF can be significant barriers to academic persistence and success. This workshop is designed for supported education providers assisting postsecondary students with MHCs, offering a comprehensive exploration of executive functioning support strategies. We will review primary categories of EF, understand the impact of executive dysfunction on educational pursuits, and discuss practical strategies and interventions tailored to strengthen EF skills. Participants will gain insights and guidance on supporting students with MHCs in enhancing their executive functions, ultimately promoting their academic persistence and overall well-being. Session Objectives: Define executive functioning. Identify the primary categories of executive functions. Describe executive dysfunction. Discuss strategies and interventions to enhance executive function skills.   Presenter Bio: Amy Banko, MS, LAC, NCC, CIPS, CPRP is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers University. In addition to providing course instruction, Ms.Banko serves as an implementation consultant at the Integrated Employment Institute of Rutgers. Within this role, she facilitates trauma-informed, Supported Employment and Supported Education training and technical assistance to enhance practitioner competencies and program outcomes. She is a co-investigator on two federally funded studies exploring postsecondary education, mental health conditions, and trauma. Additionally, Ms. Banko co-authored several best practice manuals for providing career services to transition-age youth and adults with mental health conditions. Ms. Banko’s research agenda focuses on rehabilitation counseling, social/transformative justice, and critical disability theory as she seeks to build interventions and counseling services that bolster the social determinants of health for those with mental health conditions. She is passionate about addressing systemic injustice and improving the social determinants of health for people with disabilities and those who experience the intersectionality of disability with other marginalized and oppressed identities. Additionally, Ms. Banko leverages her lived experience of a mental health condition to inform her research, course instruction, and counseling. Ms. Banko is currently attending her doctoral studies at Kean University for Counseling and Supervision, focusing on trauma and resilience counseling.

Session Description: In this session, we'll be launching a new manualized positive psychology intervention for people with serious mental health conditions. This program will give you, as the facilitator, practical and effective tools from positive psychology to teach people how they can take steps to feel happier in their daily lives. You might even find that these strategies help you feel happier too! The intervention is based on existing research about happiness, methods to build on what works in one’s life, and strategies to explore new areas for growth. Unlike more traditional mental health interventions which often focus on the problems or symptoms people experience, this program encourages people to look beyond what is going wrong and focus on what is strong, nurturing these areas and developing new abilities. Feeling happier does not only come from minimizing or eliminating mental health symptoms –it involves creating a more satisfying and fulfilling life.   Presenter Bios: Michelle Zechner, PhD, LSW, CPRP, is a clinical intervention researcher, educator, and psychiatric rehabilitation practitioner. Her work aims to promote recovery and multidimensional wellness for people with mental health conditions so that they can lead happier and more fulfilling lives. She has developed and evaluated best practice group psychosocial interventions and facilitated group interventions in outpatient and inpatient mental health settings. She has collaborated on positive psychology initiatives and has taken coursework in positive psychology coaching. Her work in positive psychology has focused on organizational strategies to promote flourishing, workforce development initiatives, and strategies to build personal resilience for people with serious mental illnesses, and employees in mental health and higher education settings. Kaitlin Mitchell, LCSW is a PhD candidate, adjunct faculty member, and Senior Training & Consultation Specialist in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers University. She has over 10 years of clinical experience working with individuals living with serious mental health conditions in a variety of inpatient and outpatient programs. Ms. Mitchell has participated in research on the development and implementation of evidence-based positive psychology interventions in mental health settings. She has received additional training in positive psychology through the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) World Congress. Ann A. Murphy, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and Director of the Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers, School of Health Professions. Dr. Murphy conducts research focused on interventions to improve the lives of people with mental illnesses, and previously provided psychiatric rehabilitation services. She develops training, technical assistance, and resources to enhance the capacity of the behavioral health workforce to provide evidence-based and empirically supported practices.  

This presentation will provide an overview of the 988 Lifeline, which provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress and crisis resources for people experiencing emotional distress or suicidal crisis. We will discuss when and how 988 could be helpful during interactions with patients, students or colleagues and offer additional resources for people who are in emotional crisis.

  This 4-part webinar series on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers an exploration of DBT's core modules, designed to enhance the skills of students and new professionals. This series is designed to provide a foundational overview of DBT to cover the skills for mindfulness and how to help individuals stay present in the moment, regulate emotions and reduce emotional vulnerability, cope with crises and difficult situations without making them worse, and navigate interpersonal relationships effectively. Throughout the series, participants will gain valuable insights and practical techniques to support individuals in applying tools to their daily lives. Webinar objectives: Discuss interpersonal effectiveness skills for maintaining effective relationships, setting boundaries, and communicating needs Review a case study and practical examples of using these skills with clients   Presenter: Crystal Socha, MS, LPC, CRC, NCC, ACS (she/her) is a PhD Candidate and Senior Training and Consultation Specialist at Rutgers School of Health Professions in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions. Crystal's primary role includes providing in-person and remote training, consultation, and technical assistance to New Jersey agencies that provide Community Support Services. She has over 10 years of experience in the behavioral health field, delivering trauma-informed, culturally responsive, gender-affirming care and supporting individuals in building a life worth living. Before joining Rutgers, she provided recovery-oriented services in supportive housing, intensive in-home and in-community settings, community mental health centers, integrated primary care, hospital systems, and private practices. She has received a 40-hour foundational training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) by a Linehan Board Certified Clinician and utilizes a DBT informed approach within her work as a counselor.  

  This 4-part webinar series on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers an exploration of DBT's core modules, designed to enhance the skills of students and new professionals. This series is designed to provide a foundational overview of DBT to cover the skills for mindfulness and how to help individuals stay present in the moment, regulate emotions and reduce emotional vulnerability, cope with crises and difficult situations without making them worse, and navigate interpersonal relationships effectively. Throughout the series, participants will gain valuable insights and practical techniques to support individuals in applying tools to their daily lives. Webinar objectives: Explore emotion regulation strategies and their importance in DBT Review a case study and practical examples of using these skills with clients   Presenter: Crystal Socha, MS, LPC, CRC, NCC, ACS (she/her) is a PhD Candidate and Senior Training and Consultation Specialist at Rutgers School of Health Professions in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions. Crystal's primary role includes providing in-person and remote training, consultation, and technical assistance to New Jersey agencies that provide Community Support Services. She has over 10 years of experience in the behavioral health field, delivering trauma-informed, culturally responsive, gender-affirming care and supporting individuals in building a life worth living. Before joining Rutgers, she provided recovery-oriented services in supportive housing, intensive in-home and in-community settings, community mental health centers, integrated primary care, hospital systems, and private practices. She has received a 40-hour foundational training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) by a Linehan Board Certified Clinician and utilizes a DBT informed approach within her work as a counselor.

  This 4-part webinar series on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) offers an exploration of DBT's core modules, designed to enhance the skills of students and new professionals. This series is designed to provide a foundational overview of DBT to cover the skills for mindfulness and how to help individuals stay present in the moment, regulate emotions and reduce emotional vulnerability, cope with crises and difficult situations without making them worse, and navigate interpersonal relationships effectively. Throughout the series, participants will gain valuable insights and practical techniques to support individuals in applying tools to their daily lives. Webinar objectives: Examine distress tolerance skills for navigating a crisis and intense emotions Review a case study and practical examples of using these skills with clients   Presenter: Crystal Socha, MS, LPC, CRC, NCC, ACS (she/her) is a PhD Candidate and Senior Training and Consultation Specialist at Rutgers School of Health Professions in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions. Crystal's primary role includes providing in-person and remote training, consultation, and technical assistance to New Jersey agencies that provide Community Support Services. She has over 10 years of experience in the behavioral health field, delivering trauma-informed, culturally responsive, gender-affirming care and supporting individuals in building a life worth living. Before joining Rutgers, she provided recovery-oriented services in supportive housing, intensive in-home and in-community settings, community mental health centers, integrated primary care, hospital systems, and private practices. She has received a 40-hour foundational training in Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) by a Linehan Board Certified Clinician and utilizes a DBT informed approach within her work as a counselor.