Recent News

Editors' Note: This story ran in our June newsletter, published June 4.   Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Populations Information & Resource Kit (SAMHSA) - This kit equips prevention professionals, health care providers, and educators with information on health issues among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population. It includes an overview of terms […]

Telehealth for the Treatment of Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders This guide, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, reviews ways that telehealth can be used to provide treatment for serious mental illness and substance use disorders among adults. It includes a brief overview of the current landscape of telehealth, current evidence […]

  The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) and SAMHSA have partnered with lead authors to develop two publications on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) that address the importance of the routine availability of CBTp in the United States: The first is a new guide published in May 2021 by the Substance Abuse […]

Serious mental illness (SMI) is defined as someone over the age of 18 who has (or had within the past year) a diagnosable mental, behavior, or emotional disorder that causes serious functional impairment that substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities. This resource page from Serious Mental Illness Adviser (SMI Adviser) includes […]

Racial and ethnic minority groups have experienced disparities in mental health and substance misuse related to access to care, psychosocial stress, and social determinants of health. Combined prevalence estimates of current depression, initiating or increasing substance use, and suicidal thoughts/ideation among U.S. adults aged ≥18 years were 28.6%, 18.2%, and 8.4%, respectively. Hispanic adults reported a […]

Since the first U.S. COVID-19 diagnosis in January 2020, research has found increased anxiety, depression, traumatic stress, and substance use across the nation. Isolation, financial hardship, and fear of infection are just some of the many pandemic-related stressors that have disrupted lives and posed serious threats to mental health. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health […]

Join us for this upcoming NAADAC webinar: Advancing Awareness in LGBTQ Care, Part I: History of Specialized Treatment for LGBTQ+ Clients Our director, Anne Helene Skinstad, PhD, PsyD, will be presenting, "20 years of PRIDE: Celebrating our history of substance abuse treatment for LGBTQ individuals," as a part of this NAADAC webinar.  The need for […]

Editors' Note: This story ran in our June newsletter, published June 4.   How can schools prevent crisis events, and under unpredictable circumstances, how can schools respond and encourage student and educator resilience?   Expect the Unexpected: Preparing for Crises in Schools is a webinar series geared toward education professionals, administrators, and stakeholders who are working together […]

Editors' Note: This story ran in our June newsletter, published June 4.   The Mid-America MHTTC is inviting all school, district, educational agency, and state-level leaders to a half-day workshop to learn about educator well-being and determine how to fit educator well-being into their schools' plans for the 2021-2022 school year.   Educator Well-Being Strategic Planning […]

Editors' Note: This story ran in our June newsletter, published June 4.   Applications to the Mid-America School Mental Health Provider Learning Community are due 5 p.m. Friday, June 11.   This learning community is focused on comprehensive service delivery in school-based settings. Trainers will help school-based providers with integration into school settings and address school mental health from […]

Editors' Note: This story ran in our June newsletter, published June 4.   In May, we released our sixth and final episode of Burnout Busters: The Podcast, featuring an interview with host Hannah West, PhD, LP, who talks about her work with trauma patients and with organizations on addressing trauma among caregivers, prior to and in the […]

Editors' Note: This story ran in our June newsletter, published June 4.   All webinars from our Coming Home to Primary Care: Pediatric Integrated Health series are now available for viewing at your convenience.   This monthly series ran from July 2020 through May 2021 and covers topics pertinent to both new and established integrated care programs. Our […]

Editors' Note: This story ran in our June newsletter, published June 4.   The final webinar in our Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce series, How Families Can Foster Independence: Housing, aired May 20.   This series, produced in collaboration with Omaha-based Community Alliance, presented SAMHSA-published competencies in peer support and featured guests who shared their powerful personal […]

         June is PTSD Awareness Month. Join us in raising awareness about the approximately 8 million U.S. adults currently experiencing PTSD and the many effective PTSD treatment options available.  To learn more about PTSD causes, symptoms, and treatment options, click here.         

Participate in the Region 8 Mental Health Needs Assessment Survey! Identifying Mental Health Training Needs The Mountain Plains 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 […]

The Weight of the White Coat Physicians in the United States have the highest rate of suicide of any profession. The "weight of the white coat" refers to the magnitude of responsibility that comes with being a professional healthcare provider while facing unrealistic expectations related to duties, infallibility, and omniscience. The lab coat signifies expertise, knowledge, and […]

A New guide on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis (CBTp) is now available for download from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) website.  The guide, Routine Administration of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis as the Standard of Care for Individuals Seeking Treatment for Psychosis, provides mental health decision-makers such as state/local mental health directors, […]

Announcing the Launch of 'A Mindful State' A unique, people-powered approach to mental and emotional wellness for Washingtonians. Olympia, WA, May 12, 2021 — The Washington State Department of Health, in partnership with Governor Inslee’s Social Supports Community Leaders Group, announces an innovative campaign designed to address the growing mental and emotional health consequences of the […]

Medicaid & CHIP and the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Preliminary Medicaid & CHIP Data Snapshot - Services through October 31, 2020 As of October 2020, over 100 million Americans, including children, pregnant women, parents, seniors, and individuals with disabilities, were enrolled across each state’s Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) for at least […]

Understanding and Responding to Kids in Distress - Webinar and Toolkits May 27, 2021 10:00 AM/MST | 11:00 AM/CST Join the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) in Region 8 (CO, WY, UT, ND, SD, MT) for a training to learn how to understand and […]

Region 8 MHTTC Co-Project Director Retires Thomasine Heitkamp, Co-Project Director of the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (Mountain Plains MHTTC), is retiring after a 39-year career at the University of North Dakota (UND). Dr. Shawnda Schroeder will fill Heitkamp's role at Mountain Plains MHTTC as the new Co-Project Director at UND, alongside Dennis Mohatt, Co-Project […]

Child & Adolescent Mental Health ECHO for Native American Youth Thursday, June 17, 2021, 12:00 PM - Thursday, August 26, 2021, 1:30 PM PST Overview The Child & Adolescent Mental Health ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) for Native American Children and Youth project is a collaboration between the Stanford Center for Youth Mental Health and […]

SAMHSA has created a toolkit that will help families who have a loved one who is suicidal or has made a suicide attempt. It will provide information on understanding suicide, warning signs and action steps to take, and how to prevent future attempts and keep your loved one safe. To access the resource please click here.  

Helping Your Loved One Who is Suicidal: A Guide for Family and Friends This guide, from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will help families who have a loved one who is suicidal or has made a suicide attempt. It provides information on understanding suicide, warning signs and action steps to take, and how […]