Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental health challenges and substance use disorders (SUDs) in young people. This training gives you the skills you need to reach out and provide initial support to a young person who may be developing a mental health or substance use issue and help connect them to the appropriate care. Attendees will complete a 2-hour self-paced class (pre-work) and then participate in a 4.5-hour instructor-led class using video conferencing via Zoom. Course capacity is limited, so please only register if you are able to fully attend the training.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Participants will learn to: Identify mental health challenges and SUDs in young people Methods for outreach and support for youth Connect youth with appropriate care   CONTINUING EDUCATION Participants who fully atternd this training will be eligible to receive 5 continuing education (CE) hours certified by the Illinois Certification Board (ICB). CE certificates will be managed by ICB.   PRESENTER Natalie Maggiore, Prevention Specialist for IABH, works with the COO/VP of Programs to develop, implement and evaluate the Association’s youth leadership conference - the Cebrin Goodman Teen Institute. Natalie works with the Prevention Program Director to assist CGTI and Operation Snowball Action Teams throughout the year as they create and implement Action Plans to better their schools and communities. Natalie holds a master’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, Columbia, and continues to pursue expanding mental health education and awareness through that avenue. She is also a certified instructor for Youth Mental Health First Aid and Teen Mental Health First Aid (tMHFA).   The Great Lakes MHTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

This is an application, and not all people who apply will be able to get in due to class size. The South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) invites peer specialists from across Region 6 to apply for the Youth and Young Adult Peer Specialist training. The Youth and Young Adults Peer Support training was developed to train peer supporters on the topics of youth voice and issues specific to youth navigating mental health or substance use challenges. The Youth and Young Adults Peer Support training is available for anyone who works, or is interested in working, as a peer specialist. This three-day training provides participants with a foundation for youth experience with mental health and substance use challenges, the unique issues for youth navigating recovery and youth-serving systems, and best practices and tools for peer specialists looking to support youth. The training will also encourage participants to consider how to use their own lived experience when supporting youth through structured reflection, group discussion, and interactive activities. There is no age requirement for participating in this training. Applicants will be informed of acceptance before April 5, 2024. Applicants will be accepted on a rolling basis, so we encourage interested folks to apply early since space in the training may fill up quickly. Not all applicants will be accepted as we have limited seats available. The Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training is appropriate for anyone working or volunteering (or interested in working or volunteering) as a peer specialist. The only prerequisite to attendance is that participants must have previous formal training in peer support practice (e.g., their state’s Peer Specialist certification training, Intentional Peer Support, etc.). Priority consideration will be given to people who are interested in attending the YAYAPS Training of Trainers so that they may facilitate the Youth and Young Adult Peer Support Training in their communities. Learning Objectives At the end of this training, it is envisioned that participants will be able ​​to: Define the term “youth” Identify and practice effective ways of meeting youth and young people “where they are” Build authentic connections with young people based on lived experience, regardless of differences in age or other experiences Identify stigmatizing language used to describe young people and effectively reframe such language through the lens of peer values Understand how resistance or other actions may be forms of self-advocacy, communication, or responses to trauma Identify common responses to trauma that young people experience Support young people in exploring different ways to heal from trauma Utilize foundational knowledge of power and privilege to support youth experiencing oppression Assist young people in learning to advocate for themselves within the settings that young people must navigate Set and hold boundaries with persons served and coworkers Identify challenges and ethical boundaries for supporting family members of a young person     Facilitators Jessi Davis (she/they) is an experienced Program Coordinator and Peer Specialist with a demonstrated history of working in the Peer Support, Mental Health, and Substance Use Recovery industries. Jessi is known for work surrounding Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training, technical assistance, and leadership. Currently working at the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, Jessi works to provide support, technical assistance, and training to the Peer Workforce throughout the 5 states and all tribal communities within Region 6. They have spent much of their career focused on promoting access to quality Peer Specialist services across the lifespan. Darcy Kues (she/her) is a Project Manager with the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center and the Addiction Research Institute, where she writes curricula focused on peer support and recovery services. She has over 7 years of experience in curriculum development, grant writing, and program coordination for peer support services and recovery-oriented behavioral health. Darcy has developed trainings on reentry peer support, youth and young adult peer support, trauma responsiveness, peer support supervision, LGBTQ affirming services, and more. She is committed to building a world where recovery and lived experience are centered at every level of decision-making.

Support for Students Exposed to Trauma (SSET) is an evidence-based intervention focused on managing the distress that results from exposure to trauma. It is designed to be implemented by teachers or school counselors with small groups of students. In January we trained a cohort of 20. There are 4 following TA Calls to go in depth with case consultation and problem-solving. This SSET training is specifically for non-licensed educators, school counselors, or nurses. This is a closed training. 

Recording of the event Autism in the Black Community, originally held on April 18, 2024. Presentation Slides

Recording for the National Center for School Mental Health led event Strategies for Discussing Race, Racial Discrimination, and Racial Trauma with Youth, originally held on March 12, 2024. Presentation Slides

This event is part of the UW SMART Center's 2024 Virtual Speaker Series. Learn more and register for upcoming events in the series here. Bullying Prevention in Elementary and Middle Schools: Leveraging Experts in Your Building Description: Session attendants will learn about the types of bullying, strategies to disrupt bullying in schools, and focus specifically on how to leverage school resource officers, bus drivers, and other safety personnel in your bullying prevention efforts. Objectives: Participants will be able to describe at least four different types of bullying and their characteristics Participants will be able to identify a schoolwide strategy to disrupt bulying Participants will be able to train school resource officers, bus drivers, and other safety personnel in the schoolwide prevention strategy   Presentation Materials Recording Coming Soon!   About the Presenter: Sara McDaniel, Ph.D. Professor of Special Education in the Department of Special Education and Multiple Abilities, and Director of the Center for Interconnected Behavioral and Mental Health Systems at the University of Alabama Dr. McDaniel is a professor of Special Education in the Department of Special Education and Multiple Abilities at the University of Alabama and is the Director of the Center for Interconnected Behavioral and Mental Health Systems (CIBMHS). The CIBMHS is a research center that engages in rigorous research in schools and focuses on supporting schools and districts in implementing Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) and school-based mental health services. Dr. McDaniel conducts research and teaches in the areas of: (a) PBIS, (b) classroom management assessment and coaching, (c) Tier 2 social, emotional, and behavioral supports, and (d) preventative treatments for diverse populations of students placed at high risk.       Want more information and school mental health resources? Visit the Northwest MHTTC's School Mental Health page and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates about events, trainings, and resources available to the Northwest region.