Products and Resources Catalog

The Healing and Transformation Learning Academy (HTLA) manual was created to provide guidance on facilitating this program. It is intended to facilitate a process of professional growth, and guide participants on their creation of a "final project." The manual is available at no cost through the download link on this page. The Healing and Transformation Learning Academy (HTLA) is founded on the principles of peer support, acknowledging and respecting the unique paths individuals have taken in their lives. Consequently, it does not have a predetermined outcome in mind. This framework empowers participants to explore unlimited pathways that will lead them to their intended destinations throughout their time in HTLA. Although this document provides detailed facilitator notes, the space is collaboratively created to meet individuals where they are. Email [email protected] for any Technical Assistance on the utilization and implementation of this program.

First-episode psychosis can strip away one's identity, obscure one’s history, and shatter one’s vision for the future. And often, this process happens through contact with the mental health system, rather than the condition itself. At just 17 years old, Leah Giorgini found herself navigating a descent to invisibility after a traumatic childhood marred with violence, neglect, and parental death led to a first episode of psychosis. Once a high achiever, Leah became a patient adrift from the world, paralyzed by antipsychotic medication and low expectations. However, when a progressive therapist lent Leah a book about Feminist Perspectives on Mental Health, Leah suddenly felt seen as a whole person in context and began to reemerge as a visible and capable individual. Now an Occupational Therapist working in nonprofit leadership, Leah is working to change the societal inequities that lead to and perpetuate human suffering. She will present her story and outline how connecting the dots of trauma, intersectionality, and occupation can lead to rights-based care that helps people feel seen and empowered.  By the end of this training, participants will be able to:  Describe the importance of acknowledging intersectionality in mental health care, particularly in understanding how various aspects of identity, such as gender, race, and socioeconomic status, intersect with experiences of psychosis and recovery.  Describe the role of occupation in the recovery process for individuals with first-episode psychosis, and understand how occupational therapy principles can be integrated into rights-based care approaches to support individuals in regaining agency and meaning in their lives.  Identify the key factors contributing to the social invisibility experienced by individuals with first-episode psychosis, including the impact of interactions with the mental health system.  About the Presenter: Leah is a British-Indonesian immigrant who moved from England to the United States in 2016. As a psychiatric survivor, domestic violence survivor, former foster youth, and a person who has previously experienced homelessness, Leah is working towards a world free of oppression and injustice. She believes that promoting psychological and social approaches to psychosis is equity in action towards this vision.  Trained as an Occupational Therapist, Leah primarily worked in clinical mental health settings until she came to the United States, where she found a home working in nonprofit leadership. Leah has worked in an array of settings with people diagnosed with psychosis, including working in early intervention in psychosis, assertive outreach, a mental health recovery café, a high-secure forensic hospital, and homeless emergency shelters. She currently serves as Executive Director of the US Chapter of the International Society for Psychological and Social Approaches to Psychosis (ISPS-US.)   

Although there is increasing awareness of the social determinants of mental health, the intersection of social determinants and first-episode psychosis is still a developing field. This presentation will highlight the growth in the field and the increasing complexity that must be considered as it relates to structural racism and oppression. Evidence of the role of social determinants of mental health in driving inequitable outcomes in first-episode psychosis will be discussed. Finally, solutions for improving outcomes and achieving mental health equity will be considered.  Learning Objectives:  Define key concepts associated with the social determinants of mental health Evaluate recent evidence of the role of social determinants in driving first-episode psychosis outcomes Identify solutions to achieving greater equity in first-episode psychosis outcomes   About the Presenter: Ruth Shim, MD, MPH (she/her) is the Luke & Grace Kim Professor in Cultural Psychiatry and Professor of Clinical Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis. She also serves as Associate Dean of Diverse and Inclusive Education at the University of California, Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Shim received an MPH in health policy from Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University and an MD from Emory University School of Medicine. She is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Scientific Advisory Council of Bring Change to Mind, an organization co-founded by actress Glenn Close to reduce stigma and discrimination associated with mental illness. She serves on the Research and Evaluation Committee of the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. She serves on the Editorial Boards of JAMA Psychiatry, Psychiatric Services, Community Mental Health Journal, and American Psychiatric Publishing, and is co-editor of the books, The Social Determinants of Mental Health, and Social (In)Justice and Mental Health. Dr. Shim is an at-large member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. In 2021, she was the recipient of a NAMI Exemplary Psychiatrist Award and the UC Davis Health Deans’ Award for Excellence in Mentoring. She was named a Top 20 Black Change Maker of 2023 by The Sacramento Bee. Dr. Shim provides clinical psychiatric care in the UC Davis Early Diagnosis and Preventative Treatment (EDAPT) Clinic.

Living with a psychotic disorder can be an experience of uncertainty, isolation, and diminished hope for young people and their loved ones. For providers, supporting people with complex psychological conditions increases the risk of burnout. This presentation discusses how intentional kindness and community-building strategies are good medicine practices that can benefit young people with psychosis, families, and care teams.  This presentation challenges providers face to maintain spaces that support deep human connection: This presentation will discuss specific barriers and responses to barriers faced during the last three years to sustain and expand human connection among program participants and care team members.  Learning Objectives Have a greater understanding of the subtle and explicit ways how psychotic disorders impact a large network of people, to include young people experiencing symptoms, family members, and care providers.   Review the positive impact that kindness practices and intentional human connection have in people’s physical, mental and spiritual health.   Discuss specific ways how EPICenter (A FEP in Tucson Arizona) integrates kindness practices and community building initiatives as core components of their program.     About the Presenter: Gustavo Perez, PhD, (he/him) is a clinical associate professor at the University of Arizona, College of Medicine, Psychiatry Department where he directs the Early Psychosis Intervention Center (EPICenter). Dr. Perez's priorities include: Supporting young adults with serious mental illness in building a life of connection and purpose, advocating for families, preparing the next generation of providers to offer best diagnostic and intervention practices, and engaging with local communities to reduce stigma and increase opportunities for youth in different stages of psychotic disorder. Dr. Perez is a licensed psychologist and a certified trauma specialist. He completed his doctorate degree in school psychology at the University of Texas at Austin and his clinical psychology internship at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. Prior to joining the University of Arizona, Dr. Perez was the chief psychologist at the Pima County Juvenile Detention Center in Tucson AZ.

In this 60-min session we will explore the common challenges providers face when supporting people who see, hear, and otherwise experience things that others around them do not. Tasked with time-sensitive concrete requirements, such as completing an eligibility assessment or person-centered recovery plan (PCRP), professionals may struggle to meet the needs of the behavioral health system while also prioritizing the more immediate and subjective needs of the human being in front of them. Join Amy and Amanda as they share from both their relevant personal and professional experience regarding this challenge and highlight ideas for staying connected with yourself and the people you support. Although the session is brief, attendees can expect story-telling, short examples, and a few take-home resources.  Learning Objectives: Describe two actions that promote trust and partnership during a mental health distress,  Name two behaviors professionals should avoid that can damage the relationship with people who are hearing and seeing things that others do not, and  Identify an approach that simultaneously balances the needs of the person and the system.    About the Presenters: Amanda Bowman, LCSW-S, PSS (she/her) is a clinical social worker, certified peer specialist supervisor, and WRAPⓇ facilitator, using her professional and lived experience with mental health challenges to promote person-centered practices in behavioral health care. Coming from direct social work practice and administrative leadership within the public mental health system, she joined Via Hope in 2013, where she served as Recovery Institute Director until 2023. In this role, she oversaw the development and delivery of organizational change programs, which included statewide initiatives to support the implementation of person-centered planning, peer support services, and trauma-responsive work environments. Now the owner of Sidecar Consulting, Amanda uses her passion for participatory learning methods to facilitate collaborative learning events and serves as a subject matter expert for programs designed to support change within and across agencies. She has called Austin home since 2000 when she moved from Louisiana to obtain a Master’s degree at UT. Outside of work, you may find Amanda with her family hiking the Barton Creek Greenbelt or enjoying live music. Amy Pierce (she/her) has been working in the Peer Movement in the State of Texas for almost two decades. She currently serves as Recovery Institute Associate Manager at Via Hope by serving as a subject matter expert on the implementation of peer services and  other recovery-oriented practices. She has extensive experience in the peer support sector, having started the first peer support program in the state hospitals in Texas, implementing peer support programs in the community as well as the Program Coordinator for a transitional peer residential housing project.   Prior to Via Hope, she was the CEO of Resiliency Unleashed, an international training and consulting company. Amy is a peer, and family member, with both mental health and addictions experience. Amy was previously Chair of the PAIMI Council in Texas and currently serves on the Disability Rights Texas Board of Directors.

This presentation will explore ways to make meaning of experiences labeled as psychosis, as well as identify strategies for building partnerships to help navigate those experiences along the way. As we learn to pause and unpack not only our own purpose, but also the perspectives of those we are supporting, we can deepen our connections and more easily find the path to guide people toward becoming the experts of their own experiences in a way that works for them. Approaches from the Hearing Voices Movement and Intentional Peer Support will be introduced through the values of the Wildflower Alliance. Over a decade of working with people and their families – as well as a lifetime of first-hand experiences of voices, visions and unusual and extreme states – will inform the presentation.  Learning Objectives:  Participants will be able to name at least strategies for managing voices and extreme states beyond medication and distraction.  Participants will be able at least two ways trauma can impact the type of voices and unusual beliefs a person may have.  Participants will be able to name two dialogue approaches that increase connection and partnership    About the Presenter:  Cindy Hadge is an internationally recognized educator providing training and consultations to mental health providers, worldwide who are looking for innovative ways to approach voice-hearing, extreme states, and trauma. She draws from her own experience of childhood trauma, experiences in the traditional mental health system, and navigating her own voices, visions, and unusual beliefs. She is passionate about developing and facilitating healing spaces for those going through these kinds of experiences and their families. Cindy is a pioneer in developing Hearing Voices Network USA Family and Friends Groups in 2019 and has been an HVN USA trainer since 2012. Cindy is the Lead Trainer for the Wildflower Alliance as well as an Intentional Peer Support trainer.

Psychosis is often understood as an illness that happens to people, a brain problem that has little to do with what has happened in that person’s relationships with others or in their relationship with themselves.  Much evidence however points to a different reality, where psychosis quite often follows traumatic experience that damages both social and intrapersonal relationships, and where recovery typically involves the restoration of healthy relationships with both external and internal “others.”  Treatment is different when we conceptualize psychosis as primarily a disturbance in relationships.  The goal then shifts from suppressing “symptoms of psychosis” to first finding healthy ways for us to relate to the person with psychosis and then ways to help them rebuild trust and constructive relationships with family, friends, and others including the parts of themselves from which they may have become alienated.  Let’s explore what is possible when working from this radically humanistic paradigm!    Learning Objectives: Discuss the evidence linking traumatic experiences with psychosis and the impact of trauma and psychosis on social and intrapersonal relationships.  Explain how a paradigm shift to viewing psychosis as relational alters treatment goals, orienting towards building healthy relationships instead of symptom suppression.  Explore compassionate and empathetic therapeutic strategies for helping individuals with psychosis rebuild connection with others and with alienated and dissociated parts of themselves.     About the Presenter: Ron Unger is a licensed clinical social worker, therapist, and consultant specializing in CBT and related approaches for psychosis.  For the past 2 decades he has been providing seminars on therapy for psychosis, working with the intersection of trauma and psychosis, and addressing cultural and spiritual issues within treatment for psychosis, at universities and mental health facilities across the United States and internationally.  His teaching aims to inspire and guide people to relate to the essential humanity in otherwise puzzling extreme states of mind, and to reveal possible pathways people can take toward recovery and healing.  He chairs the Pacific Northwest Branch of ISPS-US, and maintains a blog at recoveryfrompsychosis.org 

Team dynamics can impact the care that is provided to young people in early psychosis programs. Fostering a positive dynamic can be challenging, and there are few trainings and resources to support early psychosis team leads in leadership and team dynamics. During this panel, early psychosis team leaders, Sharhonda Webster and Linda C Williams, will discuss how positive team dynamics can support individuals with early psychosis. They will discuss the potential impact of leadership styles and the importance of individualizing your leadership approach to each staff member, incorporating individual differences and culture. They will use their experience as team leaders to discuss considerations for managing team conflict, incorporating diverse perspectives, and changing team culture.   Learning objectives:   Understand how team dynamics can influence client care   Identify multiple considerations for early psychosis team leaders    Discuss how individual differences of team members can be incorporated to foster positive team dynamics     About the Presenters: Linda C Williams, LPC (she/her), Clinical Program Coordinator at the Spindletop Center in Beaumont, Texas. I received my calling to help others who experienced mental health issues in 2007 where I was part of a wonderful ministry serving the homeless called the Archangels Motorcycle Ministry. There I would speak face-to-face with those who needed mental health assistance but all I could do was provide them with resources. I wanted to do more so I went back to college to finish my educational journey. I started my professional journey working in mental health in 2014. I began my service work with children and adults with IDD ending in 2016, then with adults in the Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) ending 2018, with the Mobil Crisis & Outreach Team (MCOT) ending in 2021, and finally with the FEP unit known in the company as the Early Onset Program (EOP). Sharhonda Webster, LPC, (she/her) is a visionary leader who is passionate about serving and empowering vulnerable and at-risk individuals. She is the Coordinated Specialty Care Team Lead at Tri-County Behavioral Healthcare. She is an advocate for individuals who have been impacted by systematic oppression and committed to building environments where everyone has the opportunity to thrive. Her focus is on creating and building leaders who will positively impact the world, and being able to walk alongside them as they flourish. One of her favorite quotes that she lives by is “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King Jr.

Members of the new SAMHSA funded National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Early Serious Mental Illness (ESMI TTA Center) will (1) present an overview of the ESMI TTA Center’s work and activities and (2) provide practical tools, tips, and resources on Shared Decision Making in the context of working with people with early serious mental illnesses.    Learning Objectives: Identify the resources and capabilities available through the ESMI TTA Centers for providers, policy makers, individuals, and families.   Understand what shared decision making is and how to do it.  Appreciate developmental considerations related to shared decision making.   About the Presenters: Preethy George, PhD. (she/her) is a Principal Research Associate at Westat with a doctoral degree in clinical psychology and more than 20 years of experience in mental health, early intervention, and public-sector behavioral health services for youth and young adults. Her work spans technical assistance, program evaluation, and the translation of clinical research to inform practice and behavioral health policy. Dr. George has played key roles on federally funded projects focused on early psychosis for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), and the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE), which have involved working with early psychosis researchers, providers, advocacy groups, and service recipients and their families to advance early intervention services across the country. She currently serves as the Project Director for the National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Early Serious Mental Illness (ESMI TTA Center). Apruva Bhatt, M.D. (she/her) is a child, adolescent and adult psychiatrist and Clinical Assistant Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine. Her role spans the General Adult Psychiatry Division, Child Psychiatry Division, and Center for Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing Division. Dr. Bhatt specializes in early psychosis evaluation and treatment. She currently provides clinical care in both the Lucille Packard Children’s Hospital Child INSPIRE early psychosis clinic and the Stanford Health Care INSPIRE clinic. She contributes to early psychosis program development in California (through EPI-CAL) and nationally (through PEPPNET/Westat). She is also co-chair of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Adolescent Psychiatry Committee and Early Psychosis work group.  Shannon Pagdon, BA (she/they), is a joint masters/doctoral student at the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Forensic Psychology at John Jay College of Criminal Justice and is a former Research Coordinator for EPINET New York State Psychiatric Institute. Shannon also does ongoing work with the EPICAL network. She is someone with lived experience of psychosis and has a background in peer support. She is the co-creator of Psychosis Outside the Box and is currently serving as the Vice President of lived experience research within IEPA. Within her graduate program, she studies under Dr. Nev Jones and is currently focusing on a qualitative in-depth examination into peer support nationwide. 

The South Southwest MHTTC and the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health hosted a webinar on Reflective Supervision, specifically designed for newcomers or those with up to three years of experience. The webinar is focused on early childhood mental and behavioral health providers in HHS Region VI states: Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas. Nat Vikitsreth, a nationally recognized decolonized therapist, trans rights activist, and podcast host, was the honored speaker and trainer. The webinar is meant to help early childhood providers understand Reflective Supervision's importance for growth, connection, and effective care. About the Facilitator Nat Vikitsreth, LCSW Nat Vikitsreth, LCSW (she/her) works as a nationally award-winning decolonized therapist and facilitator, a trans rights activist, and host of the Come Back to Care Podcast. She founded Come Back to Care to help anyone who loves and raises children to heal as they get free. 

This course is the second session of the Human Trafficking and Trauma-Responive, Healing-Centered Care series. The session seeks to operationalize the concepts explored in the prior course and develop a deeper knowledge of what trauma-responsive care looks like. Co-learners will discuss case studies from responders to HT survivors and begin conceptualizing how to develop and implement their own trauma-responsive strategies. This is a two-fold approach to trauma-responsive care, which considers how secondary trauma manifests for HT responders. They explore methods of self-care and work with their colleagues to put this into action through engaged learning activities. View Products and Resources from Session 1 View Products and Resources from Session 3     About the Facilitators Dr. Heather Curry, PhD  Dr. Heather Curry has over a decade of experience through her scholarship, practice, and professional commitments with many of the most impactful systems of care for victims of human trafficking. She has served as Director for the Hillsborough County Commission on Human Trafficking, during which time she and the Commission, at the behest of the NFL, developed and executed the County’s plan to address Human Trafficking before, during, and over the Super Bowl. However, her approach to the phenomenon of human trafficking is always focused on what happens before, during, and after big events. She was also the Chief Liaison for Hillsborough County’s Juvenile Justice and Equity work. She holds her Doctorate. in Communication Theory from the University of South Florida. She has had teaching and research positions at the University of South Florida, Arizona State University, and Full Sail University during which she focused on social policy and homelessness, and community responses to matters of equity and vulnerability.  Dr. Curry also works with corporations, public sector clients, and non-profit organizations to address diversity, equity and inclusion. Her commitments, personally and professionally, have always been driven toward creating healthier, more responsive communities, in which issues such as human trafficking, can be prevented. Dr. Curry lives in Tampa, Florida with her two sons and two cats in an old, sometimes-lovely moneypit of a bungalow. She has made Tampa home since 2002.   Dr. Marianne Thomas, PhD  Marianne Thomas has an MA in Mental Health Counseling and a PhD in Behavioral Psychology.  As a survivor of human trafficking, Dr. Thomas used education as a way out of the life and has devoted her career to bringing awareness about the true problem of human trafficking in the United States, educating communities on the human trafficking problem in their area, and helping organizations to create or grow their own anti-trafficking program.     Early in her career, Dr. Thomas worked with women and children who experienced homelessness and with men and women within the incarceration system who also struggled with addictions.   She noticed a common thread of women who would trade their bodies for their, and their children’s, basic needs.   This recognition propelled her into the anti-trafficking movement.  Dr. Thomas began her work in the movement with the women she met within the world of homelessness.  Since then, she has worked with trafficking survivors across numerous populations. 

              This course is the third session of the Human Trafficking and Trauma-Responive, Healing-Centered Care series. This course builds on the prior two courses, following the path from trauma-informed to trauma-responsive and arriving at healing-centered approaches for those working with survivors of human trafficking. We explore the foundations of healing-centered responses with the understanding that healing-centered is the objective. If trauma informed aims for awareness, and trauma responsive aims toward the care it takes to respond, healing centered will focus on the deep relational elements of collective healing. We develop strategies and methods for responders that engage the responders as part of a care partnership with survivors. We focus on healing as a process that is always unfolding and possible between people. View Products and Resources from Session 1 View Products and Resources from Session 2   About the Facilitators Dr. Heather Curry, PhD  Dr. Heather Curry has over a decade of experience through her scholarship, practice, and professional commitments with many of the most impactful systems of care for victims of human trafficking. She has served as Director for the Hillsborough County Commission on Human Trafficking, during which time she and the Commission, at the behest of the NFL, developed and executed the County’s plan to address Human Trafficking before, during, and over the Super Bowl. However, her approach to the phenomenon of human trafficking is always focused on what happens before, during, and after big events. She was also the Chief Liaison for Hillsborough County’s Juvenile Justice and Equity work. She holds her Doctorate. in Communication Theory from the University of South Florida. She has had teaching and research positions at the University of South Florida, Arizona State University, and Full Sail University during which she focused on social policy and homelessness, and community responses to matters of equity and vulnerability.  Dr. Curry also works with corporations, public sector clients, and non-profit organizations to address diversity, equity and inclusion. Her commitments, personally and professionally, have always been driven toward creating healthier, more responsive communities, in which issues such as human trafficking, can be prevented. Dr. Curry lives in Tampa, Florida with her two sons and two cats in an old, sometimes-lovely moneypit of a bungalow. She has made Tampa home since 2002.   Dr. Marianne Thomas, PhD  Marianne Thomas has an MA in Mental Health Counseling and a PhD in Behavioral Psychology.  As a survivor of human trafficking, Dr. Thomas used education as a way out of the life and has devoted her career to bringing awareness about the true problem of human trafficking in the United States, educating communities on the human trafficking problem in their area, and helping organizations to create or grow their own anti-trafficking program.     Early in her career, Dr. Thomas worked with women and children who experienced homelessness and with men and women within the incarceration system who also struggled with addictions.   She noticed a common thread of women who would trade their bodies for their, and their children’s, basic needs.   This recognition propelled her into the anti-trafficking movement.  Dr. Thomas began her work in the movement with the women she met within the world of homelessness.  Since then, she has worked with trafficking survivors across numerous populations. 

It is imperative to create and maintain a safe, comfortable, open, and welcoming work environment with opportunities for learning and growth for organizations.  When considering a safe and supportive work environment, we must stress the importance of leaders who embrace and prioritize person-centered approaches. Creating a positive workplace challenges our individual and collective beliefs on what may be needed to create and sustain healthy work environments. Although there is no one answer, this resource can be helpful when building this environment within your organization.

This course is the first session of the Human Trafficking and Trauma-Responive, Healing-Centered Care series. The South Southwest MHTTC hosted this presentation on April 8, 2024. The program, facilitated by Dr. Heather Curry and Dr. Marianne Thomas, provided the foundations of identifying human trafficking, exploring trauma-informed and trauma-responsive interventions with victims and survivors, as well as techniques used when providing healing-centered care. View Products and Resources from Session 2 View Products and Resources from Session 3 About the Facilitators Dr. Heather Curry, PhD  Dr. Heather Curry has over a decade of experience through her scholarship, practice, and professional commitments with many of the most impactful systems of care for victims of human trafficking. She has served as Director for the Hillsborough County Commission on Human Trafficking, during which time she and the Commission, at the behest of the NFL, developed and executed the County’s plan to address Human Trafficking before, during, and over the Super Bowl. However, her approach to the phenomenon of human trafficking is always focused on what happens before, during, and after big events. She was also the Chief Liaison for Hillsborough County’s Juvenile Justice and Equity work. She holds her Doctorate. in Communication Theory from the University of South Florida. She has had teaching and research positions at the University of South Florida, Arizona State University, and Full Sail University during which she focused on social policy and homelessness, and community responses to matters of equity and vulnerability.  Dr. Curry also works with corporations, public sector clients, and non-profit organizations to address diversity, equity and inclusion. Her commitments, personally and professionally, have always been driven toward creating healthier, more responsive communities, in which issues such as human trafficking, can be prevented. Dr. Curry lives in Tampa, Florida with her two sons and two cats in an old, sometimes-lovely moneypit of a bungalow. She has made Tampa home since 2002.   Dr. Marianne Thomas, PhD  Marianne Thomas has an MA in Mental Health Counseling and a PhD in Behavioral Psychology.  As a survivor of human trafficking, Dr. Thomas used education as a way out of the life and has devoted her career to bringing awareness about the true problem of human trafficking in the United States, educating communities on the human trafficking problem in their area, and helping organizations to create or grow their own anti-trafficking program.     Early in her career, Dr. Thomas worked with women and children who experienced homelessness and with men and women within the incarceration system who also struggled with addictions.   She noticed a common thread of women who would trade their bodies for their, and their children’s, basic needs.   This recognition propelled her into the anti-trafficking movement.  Dr. Thomas began her work in the movement with the women she met within the world of homelessness.  Since then, she has worked with trafficking survivors across numerous populations. 

These documents provide information about Peer Specialists in crisis settings, including general competencies for Peer Specialists in crisis work, Peer Run Warmlines, Peer Navigation, Crisis Respite programs, Mobile Crisis Units, and Crisis Stabilization Units. Subject Matter Experts were consulted on this project and are referenced within each document in quotes as well as recognized as contributors. The content provided in these documents is not exhaustive. Contributors provided expertise; their contribution does not imply endorsement nor does it imply opposition to the document.

The Healing & Power in Peer Support training provides an overview of Healing-Centered Engagement and its principles as ways to deepen and advance the practice of peer support. Participants will explore concepts like holding space, radical acceptance, meaning-making, and power dynamics through deep reflection, experiential activities, and facilitated discussion. This curriculum is helpful for new peer supporters or any peer supporters who are looking to refresh and deepen their skills. This curriculum should be facilitated by experienced peer specialists who are looking to support the peer support workforce in their community. Healing & Power in Peer Support is the prerequisite training for the Virtual Facilitation through a Healing-Centered Lens training, another curriculum created by the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. Learning Objectives At the end of this training, participants will be able to: Integrate the principles of Healing-Centered Engagement in peer support practice; Practice radical acceptance in relation to self and others; Employ Healing-Centered techniques when facilitating difficult conversations in peer support groups; and Analyze power dynamics within interpersonal and group relationships to promote autonomy and self-determination. This curriculum package includes: a Facilitator Manual, participant handouts, and a training slide deck. For questions about the Healing & Power in Peer Support curriculum or how to implement this training in your community, please contact the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center at [email protected].

Discover the transformative power of trauma-informed care in our Trauma-Informed Care Basics promotional video.

Access the Recording of this Training Here The purpose of this presentation is to help Mental Health and Substance Use providers as well as the Recovery Community at large better understand the potential support needs of people with IDD with or without co-occurring Mental Health and/or Substance Use Challenges that they interact with either socially, academically, and/or professionally by providing examples of potential support needs and methods that can be used to help address support needs.  Learning Objectives:  By the end of the presentation attendees will be able to:  Define Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities  Identify different potential support needs of people with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities including vital support needs around Sensory Processing Disorders like Tactile Dysfunction and Proprioceptive Dysfunction  Execute a more trauma informed and person-centered approach to interacting with persons with Proprioceptive Dysfunction and/or Tactile Dysfunction About the Presenter:  Jordan Smelley is a Mental Health Peer Support Specialist in Texas and a person in long-term recovery from Intellectual and Developmental Differences with Co-occurring Mental Health challenges. Jordan partly defines his own recovery in relation to the opportunities available to present and educate the community on topics around supporting persons with IDD.  Jordan was awarded the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Texas Chapter’s Empowerment Award for Excellence in Promotion of Self-Advocacy at its 47th Annual Convention on November 16, 2023, in recognition of Jordan’s Self-Advocacy efforts around expanding supports available to persons with Intellectual and/or Developmental Differences.

The South Southwest MHTTC collaborated with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) to host the Trauma Informed Care Open Office Hours session 4. This session offered hands-on application and clarity on concepts through case-study examples and interactive discussion with TACHC Trauma Informed Care Coordinators. This session was held on October 24, 2023, and focused on TIC and Care of Individuals with Chronic Diseases.

The South Southwest MHTTC collaborated with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) to host the Trauma Informed Care Open Office Hours session 5. This session offered hands-on application and clarity on concepts through case-study examples and interactive discussion with TACHC Trauma Informed Care Coordinators. This session was held on November 28, 2023, and focused on TIC and Care for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders.

The South Southwest MHTTC collaborated with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) to host the Trauma Informed Care Open Office Hours session 3. This session offered hands-on application and clarity on concepts through case-study examples and interactive discussion with TACHC Trauma Informed Care Coordinators. This session was held on September 26, 2023, and focused on Care Coordination & Cross-Sector Collaboration.

The South Southwest MHTTC collaborated with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers to host the Trauma Informed Care (TIC) Series: Knowledge & Strategies for Health and Hope Session 5 on November 14, 2023. This session focused on TIC and Care for Individuals with SUD.     Trauma Informed Care is an evidence-based framework particularly suited to collaboratively identify risk factors to care, such as medication access and use, therapeutic engagement, and non-medical resource needs and navigation.

Creating Affirming Environments for LGBTQ People Receiving Services provides an overview of terms, concepts, and identities that people working in the behavioral health field should know to provide affirming services and cultivate affirming environment for LGBTQ people. Based on a 2018 report from the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health, titled Peers in Research: Interventions for Developing LGBTQ-Affirmative Behavioral Health Services in Texas, most providers in Texas do not hold overtly prejudicial attitudes towards LGBTQ clients, but that most providers either lack the knowledge and skills to provide appropriate care to LGBTQ clients or are not aware of the importance of LGBTQ-affirming care. This training aims to bridge the gap many providers feel by offering basic information, resources, and guidance for people working in behavioral health agencies on how to support LGBTQ people receiving services.     Co-created by: Darcy Kues, JD., and Shane Whalley, MSSW     Learning Objectives: At the end of this training, participants will be able to:    • Define many current terms used in the LGBTQ communities;    • Understand the foundation of sexual orientation and gender;    • Recognize the unique impacts of trauma on the LGBTQ communities;    • Communicate using an affirming framework with LGBTQ people receiving services; and    • Implement at least one LGBTQ-affirming organizational/environmental change.     For more information on this training, including training opportunities through the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center or how to bring this training to your community, please email [email protected].

The Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training is a three-day training (19.5 hours of classroom time) for peer supporters on the topics of youth voice and issues specific to youth navigating mental health or substance use challenges. The Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training is available for anyone who works, or is interested in working, as a peer specialist. This 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.     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.).     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     A special thanks to Via Hope, the organization where initial development of the Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training took place.     For more information on this training, including training opportunities through the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center or how to bring this training to your community, please email [email protected].