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To view resources from this training, click ATTACHMENT links Recording coming soon!   Event Description The primary objective of the training is to educate school staff and stakeholders about Rural Behavioral Health Institutes’ Screening Linked to Care (SLTC) Program. Presenters will provide education about STLC, data on effectiveness of the program, challenges, and successes of SLTC and talk about prevention and early intervention of mental health challenges for students. Presenters will talk about work states can do to support prevention and early intervention for mental health and suicide and how schools can sustainably implement screening and follow up care for students. Presenters will share challenges and successes schools have had with implementation and share about connecting students to supports and ongoing care.    Learning Objectives:   1) Learning about implementing universal digital mental health screening.   2) Identifying students struggling and connecting them to support.   3) Learning about the utilization of data to make decisions.    Trainers Janet Lindow, PhD & Kayleigh Brown  Janet Lindow, PhD champions the application of novel research approaches to identify, evaluate and implement preventive and acute treatments for diseases with great public health impact. For the past 12 years, her career goal has been to improve the health of populations with limited access to effective treatment with a primary focus now on those experiencing mental disorders.  Janet’s career path has given her a broad and deep understanding of public health issues and potential solutions. At MIT, she trained as a basic research scientist. After finishing her doctoral work, she taught a science course in Botswana which widened her understanding of health disparities and left her with a fervent desire to help improve the health of people globally. Janet then completed two post-doctoral fellowships, one focused on finding new antibiotics for Gram negative bacterial infections and the other building research programs to help prevent infections in people living in poverty. Next, the Yale School of Public Health recruited her to work full time in Brazil on leptospirosis, the world’s leading cause of hemorrhagic disease and to build research infrastructure. In 2016, Janet’s passion for finding solutions to difficult challenges in public health brought her to Montana where she was recruited as faculty at the Center for Mental Health Research and Recovery at Montana State University. At the Center, she and her mentor, Matt Byerly, MD, focused on suicide prevention across all age groups and digital treatments for depression and anxiety in rural areas where therapy was sparse or not available. She is currently a Research Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Kansas Medical School. Janet lives in Livingston, Montana and is actively pursuing her work on suicide prevention, depression, and anxiety in Montana and Kansas.  Kayleigh Brown is dedicated to delivering and improving mental health care for kids. She has broad experience providing care and education to children, adolescents, young adults, and their families within and external to hospital settings.  Prior to joining the RBHI team, she spent the last decade working at Shodair Children’s Hospital, a nonprofit hospital offering inpatient and outpatient care to children and adolescents with serious mental illness in Montana. As the Shodair Director of Outpatient Services, Kayleigh helped to develop and lead one of the largest outpatient clinic systems serving Montana children and families. She has trained staff in trauma-informed care that focuses on organizational culture and the vicarious trauma that people can experience when working in complex care settings. Kayleigh has also been involved in co-facilitating Dare to Lead training with a Certified Dare to Lead instructor throughout Montana. She is passionate about improving mental health care, educating others about caring for people with a mental health diagnosis, helping families navigate the mental health care system, and increasing access to care, particularly among children and adolescents. 

This training module will assist participants in understanding the foundations of trauma-informed care, including its principles and philosophy, demonstrate why this approach to care is important, and present strategies for incorporating trauma-informed practices throughout youth peer support services. It is critical for peer providers to understand how trauma may impact the youth and young adults they serve. This training will provide concrete examples of what trauma-informed practice looks like in action and how to apply this philosophy within peer relationships. The online course was collaboratively developed and produced by the Pacific Southwest MHTTC and Youth MOVE National.   Click here to access the course   Notes All users will be directed to Moodle, our e-learning platform. If this is your first time visiting this Moodle site, you'll need to sign up for an account. To access the course, click the “MHTTC Course Enrollment” tab in the menu at the top of the page. Then, click the dropdown option of “Trauma Informed Youth Peer Support”. This will open an account setup page. All users are required to create a new account, with a username and password. Once your account is created and you start the course, you may proceed through each section and progress at your own pace. Your “work” on the course will be saved as you complete each section. Once you’ve completed the full course, you may take a final quiz and receive a certificate of completion. We ask that all users share feedback in a brief survey.

How might we grow (in our practice and policies)? This learning session is the second of two in the series Healing School Communities in the Context of Faith-Based Bullying, intended for students, families, educators, and school mental health professionals who are navigating the ongoing impact of faith-based bullying on student and staff mental health. Each 1.5 hour learning session featured a moderator who will engage advocates, leaders and the school mental health workforce in a conversation that focuses on: Navigating discussions which are grounded in advancing belonging and preventing/intervening in faith-based bullying both in and out of school; Elevating strategies for communicating and engaging in the ongoing work to support the mental health of students and school mental health professionals which are grounded in community wisdom and build upon protective factors, both in and out of school; Developing spaces which engender opportunities for the field to improve its commitment to fostering a workforce ready, able and willing to hold faith-based bullying as a mental health issue in a way that is founded in community strengths and wisdom while supporting and building protective factors. Introducing a set of tools to navigate this moment while minimizing more harm. Priming resources: We have curated a list of MHTTC and external resources that detail strategies to address Islamophobia and antisemitism, the effects of Islamophobia and antisemitism on students and schools, and ways to support affected students and staff. Access our priming resources here! Learn more about our panelists: View the curriculum vitae and resources for all panelists here. Questions? Please email Ricardo Canelo at [email protected]     

By: Elijah Jones, MSW, MEd and Isa Velez-Echevarria, PsyD Intersectionality provides a framework for understanding how different social identities connect and overlap to create different experiences and impacts of trauma. Download this 1-page guide to learn more.         This product was created by our valued partners at the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA). You can find more resources and training opportunities on their website: oacbha.org.  

What do we know (exploring data-informed discussions and decisions)? This learning session is the first of two in the series Healing School Communities in the Context of Faith-Based Bullying, intended for students, families, educators, and school mental health professionals who are navigating the ongoing impact of faith-based bullying on student and staff mental health. Each 1.5 hour learning session featured a moderator who will engage advocates, leaders and the school mental health workforce in a conversation that focuses on: Navigating discussions which are grounded in advancing belonging and preventing/intervening in faith-based bullying both in and out of school; Elevating strategies for communicating and engaging in the ongoing work to support the mental health of students and school mental health professionals which are grounded in community wisdom and build upon protective factors, both in and out of school; Developing spaces which engender opportunities for the field to improve its commitment to fostering a workforce ready, able and willing to hold faith-based bullying as a mental health issue in a way that is founded in community strengths and wisdom while supporting and building protective factors. Introducing a set of tools to navigate this moment while minimizing more harm. Priming resources: We have curated a list of MHTTC and external resources that detail strategies to address Islamophobia and antisemitism, the effects of Islamophobia and antisemitism on students and schools, and ways to support affected students and staff. Access our priming resources here! Learn more about our panelists: View the curriculum vitae and resources for all panelists here. Questions? Please email Ricardo Canelo at [email protected]   

By: Danielle Castro, MSW, LISW This guide was developed to assist school counselors in identifying and supporting students with eating concerns. Eating concerns exist on a spectrum and the term can refer to an eating disorder or disordered eating. It's important that disordered eating is identified and treated in the early stages, otherwise, it can progress into an eating disorder if left unaddressed. Download this guide to learn more.     This product was created by our valued partners at the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities (OACBHA). You can find more resources and training opportunities on their website: oacbha.org.

Recording of the event Implementing Policies and Practices to Support LGBTQ+ Youth in Schools, Part 1 originally held on June 11, 2024.

Recent prevalence estimates indicate 1 in 36 school-age children are autistic. Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including executive function differences and co-occurring anxiety. This brief report provides an overview of key SEMHTTC resources to support the mental health of autistic students, particularly regarding anxiety, executive function, and disruptive behaviors.

This is a recording of Session 1, entitled, Trauma-Informed Care Meets Healing-Centered Care in the series, "Rooting Young Adult Mental Health Services in Culturally Sustaining Values & Practices". The program centered services and supports for youth and young adults of transition age. Co-facilitated by the Pacific Southwest MHTTC’s Youth & Young Adult Program Team Lead, Oriana Ides, and Falilah Bilal, this four-part series offered a forum for dialogue to deepen practitioner’s ability to provide healing care to transitional-aged young people who access mental health and community-based services in Region 9 and beyond. Through generative conversation, expert panel discussions, active learning experiences, and the exploration of tangible action steps, the co-facilitators expanded the existing orientation to the work providers do with transitional aged youth to encompass a more culturally sustaining and affirming approach. This second session in the series asked: How might we create safe and brave spaces to uplift the wisdom and leadership of historically targeted identities in healing work? Viewers of this video may benefit from the following learning objectives: How to create brave and safe spaces for young people who are historically oppressed Teaching advocacy to young people to ensure they know their rights and how to heal through oppression Incorporate ways to implement healing-centered care within the workplace to work against oppression

1 in 36 school-age children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with emotion regulation, anxiety, and depression that may be exacerbated by experiences of bullying, victimization, and segregation within schools. There is an urgent need to support the mental and behavioral health of autistic students. In this webinar event, Dr. Katherine Pickard will orient attendees to the resources – reports, infographics, webinar recordings, and more  –  the Southeast MHTTC has developed and disseminated on supporting the mental health of autistic students.   Learning Objectives: 1. Contextualize mental health support for autistic students as an urgent need. 2. Access key resources that support the mental health of autistic students, particularly regarding anxiety, executive functioning, and challenging behaviors. 3. Identify additional resources that explore nuances of how to support the mental health of autistic students including those with and without co-occurring ADHD.

Why aren’t our providers on the same page about school mental health supports and services? Do we have clear, consistent strategies to communicate with school mental health providers and staff about a spectrum of supports in each school? This topical learning forum is dedicated to building capacity for teams to develop a shared understanding and shared language about resources and strategies that school mental health providers and staff can use to support student wellness. In addition to reviewing key principals about how to clearly communicate about school mental health to different audiences, this session will provide an overview of a new graphic tool for school mental health providers and staff. This session will also include an example from a school district that has leveraged this tool to facilitate communication among their school mental health teams. Participants will have access to the graphic tool post-event to facilitate a shared understanding for your team and school mental health providers/staff about where they show up in the landscape of student wellness.     Learning Objectives  Participants who join this session will be able to:  Understand key principles for communicating about school mental health.  Access a new graphic tool designed to illustrate school mental health resources available to school mental health providers and staff across contexts.   Strategically integrate graphic tools to support communication about school mental health. 

The Community Resiliency Model (CRM) is a skill-based wellness and prevention program that provides a biological, non-stigmatizing perspective on normal human reactions to stress and trauma. In this webinar we will apply CRM to schools by teaching skills for educators, administrators, and the school mental health workforce to reduce burnout and promote staff retention. Attendees will gain knowledge of concepts to understand stress responses in themselves and others as well as learn skills to help regain emotional balance after experiencing strong negative emotions. The knowledge and skills gained will help attendees avoid burn-out and promote cultures of resiliency in schools to better support student mental health.   Learning objectives: 1. Describe how stress and trauma affect mental and physical health. 2. Describe how CRM can protect and heal via sensory-motor awareness. 3. Explain the 6 CRM skills. 4. Understand how CRM can help reduce burnout and promote resiliency.

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. 

Due to the various barriers that children and adolescents often experience when accessing in-person mental healthcare (e.g., stigma, transportation, cost, insurance), digital interventions have been identified as an alternate and promising modality to facilitate evidence-based intervention service delivery for young people. Youth digital mental health interventions (DMHIs) are defined in this presentation as publicly available, online self-administered intervention programs that do not require a clinician or caregiver to implement. This area of literature is rapidly growing and specifically supports the effectiveness of the modification of cognitive-behavioral therapy into a digital/blended self-administered format. This presentation will outline the general evidence-base of youth DMHIs across settings, with a focus on CBT-based DMHIs and general best practices based on the current state of the literature. Specific guidance will be provided regarding which subpopulations of children and adolescents may be good candidates for DMHIs, along with subpopulations with less evidentiary support. Additionally, this presentation will provide introductory guidance for providers regarding how to use DMHIs within stepped models of care across various care settings (i.e., integrated pediatric primary care settings, schools, etc.). Further, this presentation will discuss practical considerations and limitations of using these tools in real world clinical and school settings, with step-by-step recommendations for ways to put these tools into practice. Finally, the DMHI literature will be discussed within the larger context of culturally sensitive behavioral and mental healthcare. Presented by: Maddy Esterer Maddy has a Master's degree in School Psychology and is a Provisionally Licensed Mental Health Practitioner in Nebraska. Maddy will be earning her PhD in School Psychology in 2024. Maddy currently works for the Munroe-Meyer Institute providing behavioral health services to youth, adolescents, and families in an integrated primary care setting. Maddy has experience providing behavioral and mental health supports to youth in schools and primary care settings in both Michigan and Nebraska. Maddy is also a team member of the Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network, which assists mental health programs and providers in establishing evidence-based programs that are locally supported and sustainable in the Mid-America region. Maddy has been building her expertise in digital interventions for mental health for several years, which complements her other interests in trauma-informed care and equitable service provision across school and clinical settings.

Download Session Slides Here Medicaid is a leading source of financing for school mental health services and programs, and in most states Medicaid-enrolled youth receive their benefits through Medicaid Managed Care plans.  This webinar will provide an enhanced understanding of how school mental health services can be paid for through Medicaid, with a special focus on Medicaid Managed Care.  Through this webinar, our presenter Dr. Adam Wilk (Emory University) will clarify how it can be determined whether a given service will be reimbursable through Medicaid, and highlight how school mental health care providers can have different experiences when working with Medicaid Managed Care plans to pay for their services. Learning Objectives: Specify the requirements that must be met in order to bill Medicaid or Medicaid Managed Care plans for school mental health services. Discuss ways in which these requirements may vary across states as well as, within a given state, across Medicaid Managed Care plans. Describe opportunities to learn about the Medicaid Managed Care plans in your state and how to meet their requirements to pay for school mental health services.    

This event is part of the UW SMART Center's 2024 Virtual Speaker Series. Learn more about other sessions from 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 Now Available!   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.

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

Many state leaders have it as a goal to empower students and support their mental wellbeing, and in many states they are advancing this goal by passing or introducing legislation on school absences for mental health reasons. This infographic illustrates recent policy developments on this topic across the Southeast.

Dear Friends, We want to inform you that the MHTTC School Mental Health supplement will not continue after September 2024. SAMHSA funding has ended without a future opportunity.  For six years, the Northwest MHTTC School Mental Health team has served the school mental health workforce in Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington) by curating timely and regionally-responsive events, developing tools for those in the field, and distributing critical resources. Rest assured that you can continue to access MHTTC school mental health materials, along with a broad array of additional ones, through the NWMHTTC SMH team’s home organization, the University of Washington School Mental Health Assessment, Research and Training (SMART) Center. While the supplement continues through the end of September, we invite you to start connecting with the SMART Center now. Join the UW SMART Center mailing list to continue receiving resource-rich newsletters Follow us on Facebook Engage with us on X/Twitter  Connect with us on LinkedIn Subscribe to our YouTube channel  Bookmark the UW SMART Center website From our team to yours, thank you for your partnership over the past six years. We couldn't have done it without you and credit your engagement, feedback, and support for our collective success.      “Don’t be dismayed at good-bye. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.”    – Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah  Make sure to sign up for the SMART Center newsletter to stay up to date on all things school mental health. If you have additional questions about the transition, please reach out to [email protected]. In gratitude, The NWMHTTC SMH Team Kelcey Schmitz, Eric Bruns, Clynita Grafenreed, Casey Chandler, Jennifer Cohen, Elsa Ferguson, Nathaly Florez, Mari Meador, and Rayann Silva

Research has indicated that youth may experience racism, prejudice, and bias as early as preschool. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their experiences of working within schools and school districts and learn strategies to help students navigate a culturally complex world while decreasing negative physical, emotional, and psychological outcomes. This webinar will also focus on existing policies within school systems and assess how those policies impact access to equitable and high quality mental and behavioral health care for communities of color. Attendees will walk away with strategies for how to discuss these topic areas with their students and how to support students who are coping with complex cultural issues in developmentally appropriate ways.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Define racial stress and trauma and Provide examples of how racial stress and trauma can occur in schools Identify the systems & policies within schools that impact student health and wellness Understanding the role of implicit bias in school systems & policies   CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.   PRESENTERS: Nicole L. Cammack, PhD Dr. Nicole L. Cammack is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Speaker, Media Contributor, and the Founder, President and CEO of Black Mental Wellness, Corp. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Howard University and her Master’s and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The George Washington University. Lastly, she completed a specialized Postdoctoral Fellowship, with the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine. Dr. Cammack is passionate about mental health awareness, treatment, and reducing the mental health stigma, particularly as it relates to Black communities. This passion is what led to the development of Black Mental Wellness, Corp an organization of clinical psychologists passionate about shifting the narrative of mental health in the Black community. In addition, she is a co-author of, Healing Racial Stress Workbook for Black Teens: Skills to Help You Manage Emotions, Resist Racism, and Feel Empowered. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Essence, People, Thrive Global, Good Housekeeping, Salesforce, and Rally Up Magazine (Cover feature). In addition, she was recognized as a 40 under 40 Honoree with the Leadership Center for Excellence and recognized through her work at Fort Meade and the Department of the Army with an Achievement Medal for Civilian Service. Danielle R. Busby, PhD Dr. Danielle Busby is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Speaker, Author, Educator, and Co-Founder and Vice President of Professional Relations of Black Mental Wellness Corp. She received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and her Master’s and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the George Washington University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship, with a child trauma specialization, at Duke University’s Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Busby is passionate about decreasing barriers to mental health service use for underserved patient populations and is committed to continuously bridging the gap between research and clinical practice. Her research and clinical work are centered on examining barriers to mental health service use, specifically among Black youth who are at an elevated risk for suicide. She has led and contributed to scholarly articles and research on child trauma, youth suicide prevention, racial discrimination among Black youth, and the psychological effects of neighborhood stressors, such as, community violence exposure among Black adolescents. Dr. Busby and her work has been featured in NBC News, People, Women’s Health, Parents, Rally Up Magazine (Cover feature), PsychAlive, and WJLA news. Additionally, she is an awarded recipient of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. She is a proud member of the American Psychological Association’s Leadership Development Institute, SelfSea Digital Wellbeing Advisory Board, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she has served for over 15 years. Dr. Busby was born in Detroit, MI and raised in Southfield, MI. She loves early morning yoga, college football Saturdays, and traveling with her close family and friends.   This event is being held in partnership with Black Mental Wellness.   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 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: Foundations and Student Ownership Description: Session attendants will learn about school readiness for bullying prevention, what staff and students can do to create a safe school climate, and how school members and students can teach and reinforce prosocial behaviors.   Objectives Core features of bullying prevention  Increasing student buy-in and ownership  Examples of student ownership from exemplar districts    Presentation Materials Recording Available Here! About the Presenter: Rhonda Nese, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences Scientist, Prevention Science Institute Affiliate Faculty, Prevention Science Program   Rhonda Nese, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences at the University of Oregon and the Director of the Nese Lab. She is also a Scientist within the Prevention Science Institute, a multidisciplinary research institute at the University of Oregon. Dr. Nese’s research involves equitable intervention delivery within a multi-tiered behavior support framework focused on preventative strategies for improving student outcomes.​ Dr. Nese currently serves as the director of an IES grant to refine and test an intervention to reduce exclusionary discipline practices, improve student-teacher relationships, and increase instructional time for students in secondary settings, and co-principal investigator on additional federally-funded projects to identify factors that predict implementation and sustainability of evidence-based practices, to develop technology to improve online learning for educators, and to develop and validate an automated scoring system for oral reading fluency. Dr. Nese also provides technical assistance to state, district, and school level teams across the nation on preventative practices, including addressing implicit bias in school discipline, effective classroom behavior management strategies, bullying prevention, and alternatives to exclusionary discipline practices through the OSEP-funded National TA-Center on PBIS. Dr. Nese is the recipient of the 2022 Presidential Equity Award from the NorthWest PBIS Network and the 2022 Outstanding Early Career Award from the University of Oregon, the UO’s highest award for early career faculty to recognize and celebrate an emerging and significant record of scholarship and research.      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.

The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. The April 2024 issue spotlights content celebrating National Minority Health Month and Alcohol Awareness Month. It also features links to upcoming trainings focused on supporting Black students experiencing racial trauma, harnessing AI for substance misuse prevention, and process improvement. Make sure you're subscribed to our email contact list so you never miss a month of The Great Lakes Current newsletter, and thank you for reading!

The Comprehensive School Mental Health Case Examples Training Packet was developed to be utilized with multi-disciplinary school teams, including building, district, and/or community professionals, who are tasked with assessing the academic, mental, and behavioral health needs of students.

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.