Tools to Support Equity & Mental Health for Gender Diverse Students

Two sets of Identity Plan tools that are available for elementary, middle, and high school personnel use
View Identity Support Plans

New Podcast! Dreams, Dilemmas, and Dialogues

This four-part podcast explores thought-provoking discussions between educators and school mental health providers on issues that impact our schools, classrooms, and communities.
Learn More

Social Media & Youth:

Perils, Powers, and Pathways to Resilience A resource compendium to assist social media and mental health literacy
Learn More

Our Young Children & Suicide Prevention

A new product for parents and caregivers!
View Resources

Fostering Grief Ready Workplaces:

A Starter Kit for Mental Health and School Mental Health Leadership
Learn More

NOW AVAILABLE:

Classroom WISE This FREE course for educators and school personnel offers strategies and skills to engage and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom
Learn More

Advancing Diversity, Inclusion & Equity

This guide provides practical strategies for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in your mental health organization or agency
View Guide Here

School Mental Health Crisis Leadership Lessons This product explores how school mental health leaders can and do work through crises.

This product explores how school mental health leaders can and do work through crises.
View Guide Here

Supporting Student Mental Health:

Resources to Prepare Educators
Download This Product

Shining a Light on API Mental Health in the Time of COVID Webinar

Recording Now Available
View Archived Webinar

Stay Connected Subscribe to Our Monthly Newsletters

Join Now

Supporting the Mental Health Field in Region 9

Share Your TTA Needs and Topics of Interest

New Product!

Self-Harm and Suicide Awareness and Prevention in Childhood and Early Adolescence: A Resource for Elementary School Educators & School-Based Professionals
Access Resource

Tools to Support Equity & Mental Health for Gender Diverse Students

Two sets of Identity Plan tools that are available for elementary, middle, and high school personnel use
View Identity Support Plans

New Podcast! Dreams, Dilemmas, and Dialogues

This four-part podcast explores thought-provoking discussions between educators and school mental health providers on issues that impact our schools, classrooms, and communities.
Learn More

Social Media & Youth:

Perils, Powers, and Pathways to Resilience A resource compendium to assist social media and mental health literacy
Learn More

Our Young Children & Suicide Prevention

A new product for parents and caregivers!
View Resources

Fostering Grief Ready Workplaces:

A Starter Kit for Mental Health and School Mental Health Leadership
Learn More

NOW AVAILABLE:

Classroom WISE This FREE course for educators and school personnel offers strategies and skills to engage and support students with mental health concerns in the classroom
Learn More

Advancing Diversity, Inclusion & Equity

This guide provides practical strategies for increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in your mental health organization or agency
View Guide Here

School Mental Health Crisis Leadership Lessons This product explores how school mental health leaders can and do work through crises.

This product explores how school mental health leaders can and do work through crises.
View Guide Here

Supporting Student Mental Health:

Resources to Prepare Educators
Download This Product

Shining a Light on API Mental Health in the Time of COVID Webinar

Recording Now Available
View Archived Webinar

Stay Connected Subscribe to Our Monthly Newsletters

Join Now

Supporting the Mental Health Field in Region 9

Share Your TTA Needs and Topics of Interest

New Product!

Self-Harm and Suicide Awareness and Prevention in Childhood and Early Adolescence: A Resource for Elementary School Educators & School-Based Professionals
Access Resource

Pacific Southwest MHTTC

Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS)
1275 4th Street #190
Santa Rosa,
CA
95404
HHS Region 9
AZ, CA, HI, NV, AS, FM, MP, GU, MH, PW
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The Pacific Southwest MHTTC serves the priorities of SAMHSA Region 9 states and territories, including: Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and U.S. Pacific Islands of American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau. We offer a collaborative MHTTC model in order to provide training, technical assistance (TTA), and resource dissemination that supports the mental health workforce to adopt and effectively implement evidence-based practices (EBPs) across the mental health continuum of care. The Pacific Southwest MHTTC also provides TTA and resources at a national level on specialty area focused on youth and young adults of transition age.

Recent News

From the Pacific Southwest MHTTC
Jan. 03, 2024
SAMHSA’s 20th Prevention Day (SPD) takes place on Monday, January 29, 2024, in conjunction with CADCA National Leadership Forum at the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in National Harbor, Maryland.   Join them for the largest annual national gathering dedicated to advancing the prevention of substance use and misuse. They'll celebrate the 20th anniversary […]
Oct. 16, 2023
December 5-7, 2023 | New Orleans, LA The Pacific Southwest MHTTC is pleased to announce this event, which our Center’s team and many within the MHTTC Network will be attending. We hope to see you there!   LEARN MORE AND REGISTER NOW!     Each year, the Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health brings […]
Oct. 03, 2022
From September 15 to October 15, we observe National Hispanic Heritage Month by celebrating the contributions of Hispanic and Latino people in the United States. As we honor the achievements of Latinos—including those who identify as Afro-Latino, Black, Indigenous, and more—we invite you to check out resources developed by the PS MHTTC that may be […]

Upcoming Events

Hosted by the Pacific Southwest MHTTC
Webinar/Virtual Training
WEDNESDAY, April 3, 2024 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. PT [Find your local time zone here] Workshop 3 of 6 in the "Trauma-Informed, In School Sessions" Workshop Series (view series page for full details) The Power of a Witness: Using Narrative Exposure Therapy (an Evidence Based Approach) to Support Students' Trauma Recovery Trauma Informed Principle to Practice: Empowerment, Collaboration This workshop provides an exploration of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), an evidence-based approach tailored for adults or children, particularly refugees and immigrants, with multiple traumatic experiences. Kids Narrative Exposure Therapy (KIDNET) is a therapy designed for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma, especially in conflict zones. KIDNET therapy focuses on reprocessing traumatic memories by contrasting the memories with the present feelings through narration. It focuses on helping them process their traumatic memories by creating a "lifeline" and uses techniques like storytelling, art, and role-play to aid in healing and recovery.   Led by Dr. Alejandra Acuña, this workshop guides us towards a comprehensive understanding of NET's principles and techniques, learning how to utilize storytelling to help students process and integrate traumatic memories resulting in reduced PTSD symptoms. Attendees will walk away equipped with practical strategies and insights to provide culturally responsive support to students, fostering resilience and facilitating healing within diverse educational settings (e.g., green lights, yellow lights, and red lights of NET implementation!).   Importantly, Dr. Acuña will share not only about the evidence based approach, but how the implementation of it in itself can and should be trauma-informed and culturally responsive so that students and their families experience their recovery through the trauma-informed principles of empowerment and collaboration     Audience: School mental health professionals (school social workers, school psychologists, school counselors), student support services administrators and supervisors, and anyone interested.   Faculty   Alejandra Acuña, Ph.D., MSW, LCSW, PPSC (she/hers) Alejandra Acuña's career focus has been in academia, research, and practice, notably in school social work. With a Ph.D. in Social Welfare from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), LCSW licensure and a PPS credential in California, she has studied stress, trauma, and resilience, particularly among adolescents and marginalized communities. Dr. Acuña has taught at UCLA and earned tenure at California State University, Northridge (CSUN). She is currently the Executive Director of Valley Nonprofit Resources, a program in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences at CSUN.     Priming Materials   Robjant, K., & Fazel, M. (2010). The emerging evidence for narrative exposure therapy: A review. Clinical psychology review, 30(8), 1030-1039. DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2010.07.004 Schauer, M., Neuner, F., & Elbert, T. (2017). Narrative exposure therapy for children and adolescents (KIDNET). Evidence-based treatments for trauma related disorders in children and adolescents, 227-250. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-46138-0_11 Schauer, M., Neuner, F., & Elbert, T. (2011). Narrative exposure therapy: A short-term treatment for traumatic stress disorders. Hogrefe Publishing GmbH. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-08-097086-8.21058-1    
Webinar/Virtual Training
WEDNESDAY, April 10, 2024 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. PT [Find your local time zone here] Workshop 4 of 6 in the "Trauma-Informed, In School Sessions" Workshop Series (view series page for full details) Counseling with Care: Trauma Informed School Counseling Practices Trauma Informed Principle to Practice: Peer Support, Empowerment Are you a school counselor, becoming a school counselor, or someone who teams/works with school counselors? Zeyda Garcia, founder of Healing Aguas Wellness Solutions and school counseling professor, joins our series to share how we can anchor and apply trauma-informed principles in school counseling practices, programs, and policies. In this workshop we will discuss a high-level overview of trauma, its impacts on students, and different strategies we can implement to support young people in counseling settings.   Utilizing trauma informed school counseling practices, we can support young people in regulating their own nervous system and support them in accessing their education. Join us as we reflect on our unique school and personal practices, in order to enhance our trauma-informed support of students.   Participants will walk away with practical tools they can use in sessions with students, families, and school-wide. Most importantly, and in Zeyda’s words, the workshop hopes to offer school counselors with “more creativity, courage and confidence in yourself as a counselor and a commitment to caring for yourself.”       Audience:  School counselors, school-based clinicians, counselor educators, counselor supervisors, mental health counselors, and anyone interested.   Faculty   Zeyda Garcia, M.A., LPCC (she/hers) Zeyda Garcia is a licensed therapist, school counselor, founder  and counselor educator dedicated to ensuring all students have access to counseling services in schools. She is a systems driven, community oriented thinker and clinical supervisor who has created multiple counseling programs within the school setting. Zeyda is a highly esteemed adjunct professor at University of San Francisco where she has trained hundreds of graduate students to be community responsive counselors. She is also the Founder of Healing Aguas Wellness Solutions, LLC,  which provides mental health consulting, counselor coaching  and socio-emotional curriculum to schools.     Priming Materials   The School Counselor and Trauma-Informed Practice (ASCA, 2022) The Basics of Being a Trauma-Informed School Counselor (Povall, 2022) A Trauma-Informed Approach to School Counseling (2018)     
Webinar/Virtual Training
WEDNESDAY, April 17, 2024 2:30 - 4:00 p.m. PT [Find your local time zone here] Workshop 5 of 6 in the "Trauma-Informed, In School Sessions" Workshop Series (view series page for full details) "You Can Talk to Me": A Family Guide to Support Students' Mental Health and Well-Being Trauma Informed Principle to Practice: Trustworthiness & Transparency, Collaboration & Mutuality How might we partner with parents, caregivers and families through trauma informed approaches to support the mental health and well-being of the children and teens in their lives? In 2023, Project Cal-Well (a cross-agency mental health initiative led by the California Department of Education to promote mental health awareness and wellness among California's K-12 students) designed the Family Guide to Supporting Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being for parents and other caregivers (available in English and Spanish), with input from families, educators, mental health professionals, and youth. By sharing tips for families on how to have conversations about social media use, mental health, anti-LGBTQ experiences, bullying and more, this guide provides parents and other caregivers with information and easy-to-use strategies to support their children’s overall well-being and mental health.   How did the guide’s authors partner with students and their families to create this guide? How might we support students and families to dig into its information and leverage this resource to partner with parents and other caretakers? Join us to explore these questions, and the guide itself, while learning from several of its authors about how the guide’s development process was trauma informed.   Participants will: (1) learn about the development and content of the guide; (2) have the opportunity to consider how to get the guide and related local resources into the hands of families; and (3) generate ideas for how to use individual sections of the guide to align with a school’s continuum of trauma-informed approaches and social, emotional, and behavioral supports.   Audience:  Educators, school site leaders, school mental health professionals, youth advocates, trauma-informed professionals, family and caregivers, family mental health advocates, technical assistance providers, and anyone interested.   Faculty Hilva Chan, MSW, is an Education Programs Consultant with the California Department of Education. Hilva has extensive experience coordinating and managing programs promoting youth resiliency and wellness both at the state and local levels, and has managed several federal grants addressing school safety, positive school climate, and student mental health. She is currently the program director for two mental health projects, Project Cal-STOP and Project Cal-Well, and oversees the statewide implementation of the California School Climate, Health and Learning Surveys.     Kenwyn Derby, MSW (she/her) is a Senior Research Associate at WestEd. Kenwyn partners with educators, policymakers, and community members at local and state levels to generate and apply evidence to improve student outcomes, with a focus on supporting the whole child, increasing family engagement, and improving school climate and culture. Her work, from coaching school teams to facilitating LEA improving networks, emphasizes equitable access and outcomes for all K–12 students and their families. She is a co-author of the Project Cal-Well Family Guide to Supporting Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being: Information, Tips, and Resources. Kenwyn holds master’s degrees in organizational psychology and social work. She is also a part-time practicing clinical social worker in a community-based mental health agency.   Natalie Romer, Ph.D (she/her) is a Senior Program Associate in WestEd’s Resilient and Healthy Schools and Communities content area. She leads and supports state and federally funded projects that include technical assistance, research, evaluation, and training focused on developing effective and efficient systems to support the social and emotional well-being and mental health of school communities. Natalie has been supporting Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) SEA programs since 2013. She provides technical assistance to Project Cal-Well and is a co-author of the Family Guide to Supporting Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being: Information, Tips, and Resources. Natalie is also a licensed psychologist, nationally certified school psychologist, and board-certified behavior analyst.       Priming Materials   Derby, K., Romer, N., & McCullough, S. (2023). Family guide to supporting young people’s mental health and well-being: Information, tips, and resources. WestEd. Derby, K., Romer, N., & McCullough, S. (2023). Guía familiar para apoyar la salud mental y el bienestar de los jóvenes: Información, consejos y recursos. WestEd.    

Products & Resources

Developed by the Pacific Southwest MHTTC
Print Media
By adopting trauma-informed practices, schools can create environments that empower students, support healing, and break the cycle of bullying. This infographic illustrates the different approaches to address bullying in schools.
Multimedia
In "Fronterismo - Supporting Transborder School Mental Health," the third installment of The Needs and Joys of our (Im)migrant Students, Families, and Community Partners: Exploring and Expanding our School Mental Health Practice, a special three-part series focused on (im)migrant student mental health, we: focused on shared risk and protective factors for vulnerable populations outlined school programs like CBITS and restorative justice Community Building Circles highlighted cultural adaptations of both models.   The audience for the event included mental health professionals, administrators, educators, recovery specialists, students and others.
Print Media
On September 14th, 2023, over 60 attendees gathered to explore grief leadership, to create space for providers to process the August 8th wildfires in Lahaina, Hawai'i, and to explore how those devastating fires affected people far beyond Maui. This session was a collaboration of the School Crisis Recovery & Renewal Project (a National Child Traumatic Stress Network Category II site) and the youth and young adult specialty program of the Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center    In times of crisis, coming together to make meaning of what we are each holding helps us show up for ourselves and for each other professionally. Our time together was designed to gather school crisis leaders, youth and young adult providers, and peer support professionals to explore how the Lahaina fires were experienced across multiple communities and ways to better support impacted children, youth, and young adults.   After rich discussions and collective learning and resourcing, we offer the following summary to steer our grief leadership, now and in the weeks, months, and years to come.   
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