How might we adapt and provide a statewide school mental health curriculum and professional development approach for Arizona?

Times: 9:00am - 4:00pm (check in begins at 8:30am)

The National Coordinating Office of the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) and the University of Maryland’s Center for School Mental Health recently released the SAMHSA-funded National School Mental Health Curriculum (July 2019). The curriculum is an exciting new national resource for developing and overseeing school mental health systems at the school district and building levels. The curriculum focuses on the following core components of comprehensive school mental health:

• Educators and Student Instructional Support Personnel
• Collaboration and Teaming
• Multi-Tiered System of Supports
• Evidence-Informed Services and Supports
• Cultural Responsiveness and Equity
• Data-Driven Decision Making

The modules align with the national performance domains and indicators established as part of the National Quality Initiative on School Health. The curriculum contains:

• A trainer manual
• A participant manual
• 8 slide decks – each module is designed for delivery in one-hour, in-person sessions

The Invitation:

Join us to adapt and contextualize the curriculum to reflect Arizona’s landscape, our state systems’ and districts’ strengths, and alignment with existing school mental health initiatives (PBIS, Safe Schools, ACEs, etc.).

Come for a one-day, no-cost Arizona School Mental Health Collaborative to learn more about the curriculum; become familiarized with the train the trainer content; join a module workgroup; and have the opportunity to participate in ongoing virtual collaborative sessions to share resources, updates, reflections, and more.

Recommended Audience:

• Teachers
• School district and state administrators
• School counselors and psychologists, licensed mental health clinicians
• Superintendents/district leadership
• School board members
• Community-based organizations (training agencies, etc.)
• Leadership teams for skills training programs, counseling, and family support (e.g., PBIS leadership teams, Arizona AWARE leadership)

Note that we recommend bringing 2-3 team members per organization.

To register, visit: https://tinyurl.com/Arizona-SMH-Collaborative

Registration is required and due by COB November 27, 2019. Space is limited.

Additional Information:

• Participants will be on their own for food, as federally funded projects do not allow food to be provided.
• Participants are responsible for expenses and coordination of their own travel accommodations.
• Onsite parking is available at no cost.

About the Facilitators:

Leora Wolf-Prusan, EdD, is the School Mental Health Lead for the Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, a SAMHSA project that provides no-cost professional development to support the school mental health workforce in the Pacific Islands, Hawaii, California, Nevada, and Arizona. She formerly served as the field director for a SAMHSA Now Is The Time Initiative, ReCAST (Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma), which involved providing support to the 10 grantee cities and counties as they built city-based resiliency plans to respond to civil unrest due to community- based trauma. In addition to these national grants, she provides consulting and training for numerous other clients around issues related to school climate and positive youth development, educator mental health and wellness, and trauma-informed approaches to education.

Christina Borbely, PhD, is the co-director for the Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. She has been a lead technical assistance provider analyst at Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS) for over 10 years, spanning seven statewide TTA projects and multiple national initiatives. Her doctoral training at Columbia University included serving as a research coordinator at the National Center for Children and Families; working on Moving to Opportunity; and conducting a multi-site evaluation of evidence-based programs. In 2004, she founded and has since served as lead partner of a private consulting firm providing research, evaluation, and training support to local, county, state and national agencies. Projects have included outcome evaluation of statewide initiatives; training on strategic planning frameworks; mental health curriculum development and implementation for mental health literacy and student wellness initiatives; community-driven county strategic plans for mental health and substance abuse prevention; and integration of CLAS standards on state and local workforce diversity plans. She is dedicated to translating EBPs into systems, policies, and practices for culturally and developmentally responsive services and supports.