Learn About the Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC

Who We Are

En Español Sobre Nosotros | Adiestramiento y Capacitación | Iniciativa de salud mental escolar del MHTTC | Recursos de COVID-19

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Learn About the Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC

Who We Are

En Español Sobre Nosotros | Adiestramiento y Capacitación | Iniciativa de salud mental escolar del MHTTC | Recursos de COVID-19

Ver Página

Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC

Rutgers School of Health Professions Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions
675 Hoes Lane West, 8th Floor
Piscataway,
NJ
08854
HHS Region 2
NY, NJ, PR, USVI
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The Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC serves New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands, providing training, technical assistance, and resource dissemination to support and enhance the mental health workforce. 

The Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC is located at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey, School of Health Professions, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions.  

Funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the MHTTC will work with organizations and practitioners who provide mental health services to strengthen their capacity to deliver effective, evidence-based interventions. 

We will offer:

  • Targeted trainings for specific audiences (e.g., providers, administrators, teachers, police, peers) delivered in-person and via online educational courses.
  • Intensive train-the-trainer programs to enhance local capacity and sustainability of new practices.
  • Technical assistance/consultation to facilitate the translation and adoption of new approaches into practice. 
  • Webinars on a range of topics informed by stakeholder input. 

Recent News

From the Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC
Sep. 18, 2023
Because individuals with vision loss can experience a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues as compared to their sighted peers, Prevent Blindness, the nation’s leading nonprofit eye health and safety organization, has engaged experts from around the country to raise awareness, provide education and offer newly developed resources for patients, care […]
Jul. 24, 2023
The Northeast & Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) is currently conducting a research study to increase our collective understanding of the experience, knowledge, attitudes, and perceived needs of mental health providers in delivering services and supports to individuals who are blind or visually impaired. With the information gained from this survey, we hope […]
Jul. 22, 2021
The Northeast & Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) is asking for less than ten minutes of your time to complete a short needs assessment. This needs assessment is intended to identify mental health training and technical assistance needs among individuals in New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands (HHS […]

Upcoming Events

Hosted by the Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC
Webinar/Virtual Training
Description: How did you learn about substance use, addiction, treatment and recovery? What are the sources of information that shaped your views? This workshop will discuss how news, entertainment, and social media, as well as personal experience, influence how people understand substance use disorders and different pathways to recovery. It will also address common beliefs like, “You have to hit rock bottom” and “Recovery is rare,” and explain how attitudes, practices, and data collection have evolved. Information from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and other sources will be presented, including prevalence of illicit substance use, substance use disorders, and co-occurring mental health challenges. Goals: Encourage participants to examine the sources of their attitudes and beliefs about substance use, addiction, treatment and recovery, reconsider any misperceptions, and expand their understanding of these topics by presenting current research and statistics. Workshop Outline: Discuss where participants learned about addiction, treatment and recovery (personal experience, news and entertainment media, etc.). Highlight themes that often appear in films, TV shows, books, music, and social media, including overview of research findings. Discuss critiques of media coverage of these topics. Address common beliefs and whether they’re supported by evidence (hitting rock bottom, enabling and co-dependency, tough love). Discuss how personal experience influences attitudes and beliefs. Present graphics illustrating types of substance use (experimental, social, risky, etc.). Discuss different reasons people use drugs, and how that varies for different substances over time. Present substance use and mental health statistics, using sources such as the 2022 NSDUH. Discuss criteria for diagnosing a substance use disorder (mild, moderate or severe). Trainer Bio: Susan Stellin, MPH is a writer, educator, and public health consultant focusing on health-centered responses to substance use and addiction. Since earning a master's in public health at Columbia University, she has worked on projects about ways to reduce overdose deaths, reform punitive drug policies, and expand access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support. Recent clients include NYU Langone’s Health x Housing Lab, the Northeast & Caribbean Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the Opioid Response Network, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Overdose Prevention Program at Vital Strategies, and the Vera Institute of Justice. She regularly leads training workshops for service providers working with people experiencing substance use, mental health, and housing challenges, and has also taught undergraduate courses about media ethics, collaborative storytelling, and the history of journalism.   Other Session in this Series: Session 2: Current Substance Use Trends and Evolving Risks Session 3: Harm Reduction Principles, Strategies and Limits Session 4: Understanding Addiction and Options for Care
Webinar/Virtual Training
Description: For those who grew up associating drugs with natural sources like marijuana plants, poppy fields, and cocoa leaves, it can be tough to keep up with the shift to synthetic drugs made of chemicals some people may not know they’re ingesting. This workshop will help participants understand the current drug landscape, including stimulants (e.g. methamphetamine and cocaine), powerful opioids like fentanyl and nitazines, and xylazine, an animal tranquilizer increasingly showing up in the drug supply in some regions. It will also cover drug use trends, such as increasing polysubstance use, higher potency drugs, and the risks of mixing illicit drugs, alcohol, and medications. Participants will learn about factors that have contributed to rising overdose rates—including nonfatal overdoses—strategies to minimize risks, and how to recognize and respond to an overdose, as well as where to obtain naloxone. Goals: Increase participants’ awareness of current drug use patterns, the increasing potency of both plant-based and synthetic drugs, and how to prevent, recognize, and respond to an overdose. Workshop Outline: Discuss drug use trends (increasing polysubstance use, shift to synthetics vs. plant-based drugs, mixing prescription medications & illicit drugs, increasing stimulant use). Present graphics depicting increasing strength and potency of illicit drugs (cannabis, methamphetamine, etc.) and effects of different drugs. Overview of fentanyl and xylazine as well as other drugs like nitazines + kratom. Overdose statistics and definitions (opioid vs stimulant ODs). Risk factors for an overdose (including nonfatal overdoses). Strategies to reduce overdose risks. Signs of an overdose. Naloxone – brief overview and where to get it, plus sources for additional training. Good Samaritan laws protecting people who respond to an overdose. Trainer Bio Susan Stellin, MPH is a writer, educator, and public health consultant focusing on health-centered responses to substance use and addiction. Since earning a master's in public health at Columbia University, she has worked on projects about ways to reduce overdose deaths, reform punitive drug policies, and expand access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support. Recent clients include NYU Langone’s Health x Housing Lab, the Northeast & Caribbean Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the Opioid Response Network, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Overdose Prevention Program at Vital Strategies, and the Vera Institute of Justice. She regularly leads training workshops for service providers working with people experiencing substance use, mental health, and housing challenges, and has also taught undergraduate courses about media ethics, collaborative storytelling, and the history of journalism. Other Session in this Series: Session 1: Addressing Myths About Substance Use, Addiction, Treatment, and Recovery Session 3: Harm Reduction Principles, Strategies and Limits Session 4: Understanding Addiction and Options for Care
Webinar/Virtual Training
Session Objectives: Understand the importance of family and community engagement within a CSMH system. Consider family and community engagement through a culturally sensitive, trauma-informed lens. Be able to discuss implementation steps to creating effective School-Family-Community partnerships to support student mental health.   Facilitator: Tania Leonard has 20+ years of experience identifying and connecting resources for schools, districts, and urban communities. She has a rich history working in the mental health field and education leadership and has worked tirelessly with child servicing agencies at the city and state levels. Tania has provided leadership, guidance, and coaching to schools. She has supported school teams with implementing evidence-based support, responding to behavioral health emergencies, and managing the aftermath of school and community crises. Tania is committed to providing quality services to the most vulnerable populations.

Products & Resources

Developed by the Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC
Multimedia, Presentation Slides
Participants will be able to define a school-wide crisis and an individual student emergency, understand incident management guidelines at each phase, and identify possible barriers to school emergency responses in order to positively engage leadership/staff during an emergency.
Multimedia, Presentation Slides
Session learning objectives: Provide an overview of the prevalence of mental health challenges among youth before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Examine specific groups of youth that may be more vulnerable to mental health challenges post-pandemic. Explore pandemic-related changes in behavior patterns and coping mechanisms adopted by youth, including the role of technology. Describe ways in which schools can identify students who experience persistent challenges and implement school-based programs to best support these youth.  
Multimedia, Presentation Slides
This webinar will explore the concept of healthy aging for people living with serious mental health conditions. While people aging in this group may experience health challenges, supporters can encourage and empower people to take actions toward healthy aging despite challenges. Objectives: Explore healthy aging for people aging with serious mental health conditions List methods to promote healthy aging Identify strategies to empower older adults to make informed decisions about resources for care and supports  
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