Products and Resources Catalog

  ABOUT THIS RESOURCE This two-page document presents a summary of the Northwest MHTTC's accomplishments during our fifth year of operations, 2022 - 2023. Highlights include: Quantifying our reach through tallies of events offered, people trained, products created, and more The Mental Health Institute for Washington State Providers  Spotlight on Idaho ACT Start Up Crisis workforce support efforts in Year 5   ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Here is information on other reports from the Northwest MHTTC: Northwest MHTTC summaries of annual activities   Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement

Behavioral health practitioners and organizations are often required to determine whether a particular intervention meets the needs of their clients, staff, and/or funders. The Best and Promising Practice (BPP) Fact Sheet Library, developed by the MHTTC Network, is designed to provide the mental health workforce with information about a wide array of evidence-based and promising approaches. Each fact sheet in the library summarizes a specific behavioral health practice, its evidence base, and steps for successful implementation.  In this sheet, we provide an overview of the principles and practices of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT).

  ABOUT THIS RESOURCE This summary presents an overview of the Northwest MHTTC's area of focus: evidence-based practices for psychosis. Highlights include: An introduction to the Northwest MHTTC team Information on what evidence-based practices for psychosis are and why they are important Statistics on our outcomes to date in our area of focus An overview of projects from our area of focus including Assertive Community Treatment, Integrated Care, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis Quotes from training participants   ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Here is information on other reports from the Northwest MHTTC and the national Network: Northwest MHTTC Year 4 Summary Northwest MHTTC summaries of annual activities Summary reports from other centers in the MHTTC network   Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement

  ABOUT THIS RESOURCE This two-page document presents a summary of the Northwest MHTTC's accomplishments during our fourth year of operations, 2021 - 2022. Highlights include: Quantifying our reach through tallies of events offered, people trained, products created, and more Virtual Learning Communities Spotlight on Implementation of an Evidence-based Lifestyle Program in a Certified Community Behavioral Health Center Steps taken to center equity and inclusion in our work   ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Here is information on other reports from the Northwest MHTTC and the national Network: Northwest MHTTC summaries of annual activities Summary reports from other centers in the MHTTC network   Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement

View the slides:      Learn more about this series: Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas.  

Assessments are an integral part of the ACT program to consistently be able to meet your clients where they are at. Learn about the different types of assessments you will be conducting such as Brief Psychiatric Readiness Scale (BPRS), Comprehensive Assessment among others. This training has a direct focus on how assessments and their application fit into the ACT model. This specific understanding is crucial to the implementation and operation of a successful ACT Team.   View the slides below:      Learn more about Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas.    

  Shared Decision Making is a collaborative process that allows the clients and the providers to make healthcare treatment decisions together, considering the client’s strengths, values and preferences, while sharing the best information available in order to make an informed decision. In this training you will learn: What shared decision making entails (implementation, appropriate use, and barriers) Identify ways to include the client in the decision-making process   View the webinar slides below:      Learn more about Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas.    

  View the slides:     Recovery-oriented care is guided on the understanding that each person is different and an expert on their own lives. Each client should be supported to make their own choices towards achieving their goals, and they should be listened to with dignity and respect. In this training, you will learn: How to promote the active involvement of the services Implement the person-centered approach to enhance the chances of success in the road to recovery Understand what makes the person-centered approach different than traditional treatment planning   Learn more about Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas.    

  View the slides:        Motivational Interviewing is a directive, client centered counseling style to assist clients with facilitating behavior change by empowering the clients and collaborate with them to create an actionable plan. It enhances the client’s motivation to change by helping to explore and resolve ambivalence. In this training you will learn to: Assess readiness to change using the stages of change Assess client’s barriers to implementing health recommendations by using MI skills Change your language to empower your clients and build collaboration into an actionable plan   Learn more about Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas.         

    The ACT Fidelity Scale is a tool that is used to assess how well an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team is implementing critical elements.  In this webinar, each segment of the ACT fidelity scale is reviewed and discussed how to implement an assessment.  You will learn:   A brief history of ACT and how ACT services impacts the social determinants of health How to accurately conduct a fidelity assessment of an ACT program Understand what your role is as a fidelity assessor and how to make recommendations   This training, led by Bill Baerentzen, PhD, CRC, LMHP, and Marla Smith, MS, LMHP, LMHC, is a part of the Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center's series "Implementing Assertive Community (ACT) Treatment in Kansas."    

  The ACT Fidelity Scale is a tool that is used to assess how well an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) Team is implementing critical elements.  In this webinar, each segment of the ACT fidelity scale is reviewed and discussed how to implement an assessment.  You will learn:   A brief history of ACT and how ACT services impacts the social determinants of health How to accurately conduct a fidelity assessment of an ACT program Understand what your role is as a fidelity assessor and how to make recommendations   This training, led by Bill Baerentzen, PhD, CRC, LMHP, and Marla Smith, MS, LMHP, LMHC, is a part of the Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center's series "Implementing Assertive Community (ACT) Treatment in Kansas."      

View the slides.   Overview  This training series is for all employees working on an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team. Participants will learn foundational skills for their specific role, how to work on a multi-disciplinary team, and how to advance the lives of persons with serious mental illness.    Target Audience  Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers (CCBHCs) that are implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas.    About the Presentation:  The Orientation to Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) provides an overview of the evidence-based practice. We will discuss the principles and practices of an effective ACT team, review the ACT Fidelity Assessment and highlight the feasibility of implementing the model. Learn more about this series by visiting the Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas webpage. 

Overview  This training series is for all employees working on an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team. Participants will learn foundational skills for their specific role, how to work on a multi-disciplinary team, and how to advance the lives of persons with serious mental illness.    Target Audience  Certified Community Behavioral Health Centers (CCBHCs) that are implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas.    About the Presentation:  The Orientation to Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) provides an overview of the evidence-based practice. We will discuss the principles and practices of an effective ACT team, review the ACT Fidelity Assessment and highlight the feasibility of implementing the model. Learn more about this series by visiting the Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas webpage. 

About this Resource:  Evidence-based practices have become the goal for supporting recovery for people with severe mental illness. But, we are not all working in environments that have the capacity to achieve full fidelity to these models.  In Part 3 of our this 6-part series Ms. Lia Hicks reviews core aspects of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and Supportive Housing, focusing on practical strategies and skills behavioral health providers can use now to make a difference in assisting clients meet basic needs. To learn more or register for other sessions in this series, please visit our Keeping It Practical: Core Skills for Evidence-Based Practices page or click here. 

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE This tipsheet provides a top ten list of tips for supporting the successful implementation of ACT services. This tipsheet is based on input gathered from ACT team leaders currently working in the field. The Northwest MHTTC partnered with the Great Lakes MHTTC to deliver ACT-related resources and training to Region 10 Assertive Community Treatment Team Leaders and other supervisors of multi-disciplinary mental health treatment teams serving a high-needs population group in our third grant year. Find out more about our collaboration here. AUTHORS   Lynette M. Studer, PhD, MSW, LCSW is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. She teaches MSW students in a mental health field unit as well as classes on Mental Health Policies & Services and Advanced Practice Skills in Mental Health. Prior to joining the UW-Madison faculty, she held a position as both an Agency Policy Specialist and State Administrator with the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services, Chemical and Mental Health Administration overseeing and improving policy and the provision of technical assistance for the state’s 32 Assertive Community Treatment teams who serve individuals with serious mental illness. Dr. Studer holds clinical social work licenses in both Wisconsin and Minnesota and has been a practicing clinical social worker for over 20 years.   Mimi Choy-Brown, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Informed by over a decade of practice and leadership in community mental health services, her research focuses on improving access to high quality mental health services for individuals who experience significant psychiatric disabilities and supervision-focused strategies to improve the implementation of recovery-oriented, evidence-based practices in routine care. She received her PhD from NYU and her MSW from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.   Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE This fourth and final webinar in our series "Team Leaders Making a Difference! Conversations on Leadership and Supervision in ACT" presents lessons learned from the listening sessions conducted over the last year with Assertive Community Team Leads as well as results from the needs assessment survey. We engage in a dialogue with team leaders around the findings and next steps for the project. Target Audience Primarily Assertive Community Treatment Team Leaders and other supervisors of multi-disciplinary mental health treatment teams serving a high-needs population group. Hosted jointly by the Northwest MHTTC and the Great Lakes MHTTC. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Presentation slides   FACILITATORS Mimi Choy-Brown, PhD, MSW Mimi Choy-Brown is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Informed by over a decade of practice and leadership in community mental health services, her research focuses on improving access to high quality mental health services for individuals who experience significant psychiatric disabilities and supervision-focused strategies to improve the implementation of recovery-oriented, evidence-based practices in routine care. She received her PhD from NYU and her MSW from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.       Maria Monroe-DeVita, PhD Maria Monroe-DeVita is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington, School of Medicine, and the Director of the Washington State Center of Excellence in First Episode Psychosis. Her expertise is in implementation and services research related to evidence-based practices for adults with serious mental illness, particularly the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model. She has served as the Principal Investigator on several projects with the Washington State Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, including the development, implementation, and fidelity assessment of 10 new ACT teams, and several Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) and Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT) pilots across the state. She is also in the process of developing and testing novel approaches to better serving people with serious mental illness. She received a collaborative R34 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to develop and pilot-test the integration of IMR within ACT teams and is working to better define and implement integrated primary care services within ACT. She is also the lead author of the new ACT fidelity tool – the Tool for Measurement of Assertive Community Treatment (TMACT) – which has been disseminated and pilot-tested in several U.S. states and countries.   Lynette M. Studer, PhD, MSW, LCSW Lynette M. Studer is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. She teaches MSW students in a mental health field unit as well as classes on Mental Health Policies & Services and Advanced Practice Skills in Mental Health. Prior to joining the UW-Madison faculty, she held a position as both an Agency Policy Specialist and State Administrator with the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services, Chemical and Mental Health Administration overseeing and improving policy and the provision of technical assistance for the state’s 32 Assertive Community Treatment teams who serve individuals with serious mental illness. Dr. Studer holds clinical social work licenses in both Wisconsin and Minnesota and has been a practicing clinical social worker for over 20 years.            

  This one-hour webinar is the third in a series of four webinars focused on the pivotal role of team leaders in Assertive Community Treatment (ACT). This webinar seeks to engage in a dialogue with team leaders around external challenges (e.g., varying levels of agency support, state policy shifts) and strategies (e.g., collective action) to sustain high fidelity ACT. Presenters will share lessons learned from the team leader listening sessions conducted over this year on this topic as well as relevant research findings in this area. ACT team leaders from across the United States will have the opportunity to engage with the presenters and other participants to share their insights.    Learning Objectives Describe challenges in the external environment to sustaining ACT  Understand existing knowledge of team leader strategies for sustainability from research and practice  Identify at least one action step for team leaders to build the sustainability of ACT   Target Audience  Primarily Assertive Community Treatment Team Leaders, and other supervisors of multi-disciplinary mental health treatment teams serving a high-needs population group.   Presenters: Lynette M. Studer, PhD, MSW, LCSW, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. She teaches MSW students in a mental health field unit as well as classes on Mental Health Policies & Services and Advanced Practice Skills in Mental Health. Prior to joining the UW-Madison faculty, she held a position as both an Agency Policy Specialist and State Administrator with the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services, Chemical and Mental Health Administration overseeing and improving policy and the provision of technical assistance for the state’s 32 Assertive Community Treatment teams who serve individuals with serious mental illness. Dr. Studer holds clinical social work licenses in both Wisconsin and Minnesota and has been a practicing clinical social worker for over 20 years. Mimi Choy-Brown , PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Informed by over a decade of practice and leadership in community mental health services, her research focuses on improving access to high quality mental health services for individuals who experience significant psychiatric disabilities and supervision-focused strategies to improve the implementation of recovery-oriented, evidence-based practices in routine care. She received her PhD from NYU and her MSW from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.

This webinar focuses on the pivotal role of Team Leaders in Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) and seeks to engage in a dialogue with team leaders around past and current strategies for focusing on team member well-being within the pandemic and beyond. Presenters will share lessons learned from the team leader listening sessions conducted over this year on this topic as well as relevant research findings in this area. This is the second webinar in our four-part series "Team Leaders Making a Difference! Conversations on Leadership and Supervision in ACT," offered in collaboration with the Great Lakes MHTTC. Resources Presentation Slides Attendee Strategies Document Presenters Mimi Choy-Brown, PhD, MSW, is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Informed by over a decade of practice and leadership in community mental health services, her research focuses on improving access to high quality mental health services for individuals who experience significant psychiatric disabilities and supervision-focused strategies to improve the implementation of recovery-oriented, evidence-based practices in routine care. She received her PhD from NYU and her MSW from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.         Maria Monroe-DeVita, PhD, is an Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington, School of Medicine, and the Director of the Washington State Center of Excellence in First Episode Psychosis. Her expertise is in implementation and services research related to evidence-based practices for adults with serious mental illness, particularly the Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) model. She has served as the Principal Investigator on several projects with the Washington State Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, including the development, implementation, and fidelity assessment of 10 new ACT teams, and several Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) and Integrated Dual Disorder Treatment (IDDT) pilots across the state. She is also in the process of developing and testing novel approaches to better serving people with serious mental illness. She received a collaborative R34 grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to develop and pilot-test the integration of IMR within ACT teams and is working to better define and implement integrated primary care services within ACT. She is also the lead author of the new ACT fidelity tool – the Tool for Measurement of Assertive Community Treatment (TMACT) – which has been disseminated and pilot-tested in several U.S. states and countries.   Lynette M. Studer, PhD, MSW, LCSW, is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. She teaches MSW students in a mental health field unit as well as classes on Mental Health Policies & Services and Advanced Practice Skills in Mental Health. Prior to joining the UW-Madison faculty, she held a position as both an Agency Policy Specialist and State Administrator with the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services, Chemical and Mental Health Administration overseeing and improving policy and the provision of technical assistance for the state’s 32 Assertive Community Treatment teams who serve individuals with serious mental illness. Dr. Studer holds clinical social work licenses in both Wisconsin and Minnesota and has been a practicing clinical social worker for over 20 years.     Want more information? Visit the Northwest MHTTC's Resource Library and Websites by Topic  and sign up for our monthly newsletter for regular updates about events, trainings, and resources available to the Northwest region.

Click "download" above to access: Slide Deck, Transcript & Q/A     The Great Lakes MHTTC and Northwest MHTTC offer this training for Assertive Community Team Leads. This one-hour webinar is intended for Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team leads and will examine what we currently know about the pivotal role of the team leader to the implementation of the ACT model.  We will share concepts around what some effective ACT team leaders do to contribute to high-fidelity ACT in the day-to-day running of the program.   Learning Objectives  Participants will: Be introduced to the role of the ACT Team Lead according to fidelity standards Be able to identify at least two key elements that contribute to high-fidelity ACT (through the work of the team lead) Identify one action step they can take to improve fidelity to the ACT model   Target Audience Primarily Assertive Community Treatment Team Leaders and other supervisors of multi-disciplinary mental health treatment teams serving a high-needs population group.   Presenters Mimi Choy-Brown , PhD, MSW is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota School of Social Work. Informed by over a decade of practice and leadership in community mental health services, her research focuses on improving access to high quality mental health services for individuals who experience significant psychiatric disabilities and supervision-focused strategies to improve the implementation of recovery-oriented, evidence-based practices in routine care. She received her PhD from NYU and her MSW from Silberman School of Social Work at Hunter College.           Lynette M. Studer, PhD, MSW, LCSW is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. She teaches MSW students in a mental health field unit as well as classes on Mental Health Policies & Services and Advanced Practice Skills in Mental Health. Prior to joining the UW-Madison faculty, she held a position as both an Agency Policy Specialist and State Administrator with the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services, Chemical and Mental Health Administration overseeing and improving policy and the provision of technical assistance for the state’s 32 Assertive Community Treatment teams who serve individuals with serious mental illness. Dr. Studer holds clinical social work licenses in both Wisconsin and Minnesota and has been a practicing clinical social worker for over 20 years.