Products and Resources Catalog

The Massachusetts Psychosis Network for Early Treatment (MAPNET) and the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) host a virtual monthly “Early Psychosis Prescriber Consultation Series” led by Dr. Matcheri Keshavan on prescribing practices for early psychosis, including a review of a selected monthly topic. Our May topic was “Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics (LAIs)." ​​Dr. Keshavan is Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, as well as Academic Head of the department. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Schizophrenia Research (Elsevier) and serves on the editorial board for journals such as Early Intervention in Psychiatry and Asian Journal of Psychiatry. His main areas of research include the neurodevelopmental basis of schizophrenia, neuroimaging, and early intervention. He has an active clinical practice.

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.

Session Recording: Description: Anyone who has tried to help a loved one obtain treatment for a substance use disorder knows how challenging it can be to find quality, affordable care that’s accessible when someone is ready for help. Even for professionals working in healthcare and related fields, evaluating the options available and navigating payment and other hurdles can be overwhelming. This workshop will help educate participants about treatment options for opioid, stimulant and other substance use disorders and how to overcome barriers to care. We’ll discuss factors to consider for treatment referrals, resources to connect people with peer support, and how services are evolving to support families and offer person-centered, trauma-informed care. We’ll also discuss the neurobiology of addiction, how brain changes can impact decision-making, and strategies to improve treatment engagement. Goals: Increase understanding of different treatments for substance use disorders (including medications for opioid use disorder), address concerns about treatment effectiveness and practices, and provide tools to help improve connections to care. Workshop Outline: Review criteria for a substance use disorder and how it is defined. Present statistics about treatment for substance use and mental health disorders, using sources such as the 2022 NSDUH and other surveys. Describe the treatment gap and how it can be addressed by removing barriers to care. Discuss goals of care for people with substance use and mental health challenges. Explain how different medications for opioid use disorder work (methadone, buprenorphine and naltrexone). Discuss options for treating stimulant use disorders, including contingency management. Discuss the neurobiology of addiction (e.g. how brain changes impact decision-making). Discuss factors to consider for treatment referrals and resources to connect people with treatment and peer support as well as services for families. Address misperceptions about treatment and how services are evolving to embrace person-centered, trauma-informed care. Trainer Bio: Susan Stellin, MPH is a writer, educator, and public health consultant focusing on health-centered responses to substance use and addiction. Since earning a master's in public health at Columbia University, she has worked on projects about ways to reduce overdose deaths, reform punitive drug policies, and expand access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support. Recent clients include NYU Langone’s Health x Housing Lab, the Northeast & Caribbean Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the Opioid Response Network, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Overdose Prevention Program at Vital Strategies, and the Vera Institute of Justice. She regularly leads training workshops for service providers working with people experiencing substance use, mental health, and housing challenges, and has also taught undergraduate courses about media ethics, collaborative storytelling, and the history of journalism.

The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. The May 2024 issue features content celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month, Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Hepatitis C Awareness Month, and National Prevention Week. You will also find links to upcoming trainings focused on the therapeutic benefits of humor in treatment and recovery, prevention efforts in rural communities, and trauma-informed care for transition-age youth. 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!

              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. 

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

This is a recording of Workshop 6 of 6 in the "Trauma-Informed, In School Sessions" Workshop Series.  The Heart Work: Equity-Centered Coaching Practices for Trauma-Informed Collegiality and Collective Healing Trauma Informed Principle to Practice: Cultural Humility   As systemic inequities and trauma are often intertwined, addressing their connection becomes crucial in trauma-informed school communities. Centering equity in every student interaction and adult partnership supporting the school system is essential. The capacity for the adults responsible for implementing trauma-informed practices grounded in equity is nurtured through equity-centered coaching.   In this workshop video, Pacific Southwest MHTTC's School Mental Health Specialist Melissa Smith leads an exploration of the principles of equity-centered coaching to cultivate trauma-informed school environments. Coaching conversations, grounded in active listening, cultural humility, and psychological safety, model the equitable interactions that administrators might have with educators and providers so that educators and providers can offer the same experience with their students.   Melissa brings forth opportunities to examine our own identities, assumptions, patterns, and beliefs - thereby creating space for new perspectives. This self-reflection enables us to recognize how inequities and trauma manifest in our schools. As we build self-awareness about our experiences and worldviews, we become better able to perceive concerning dynamics and interrupt cycles of harm.   This workshop recording is an invitation to envision the trauma-informed and healing-centered schools we desire – places where adults possess the tools to nurture their well-being and fully empower students. We will review evidence-based tools, rationale, and resources to foster cultural humility, mitigate systemic barriers, and build trusting partnerships across the school community.

  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 with their students and learn strategies to help students navigate a culturally complex world. We will discuss how implicit bias may influence and impact expectations and interactions with youth. Participants will walk away with strategies to discuss these important issues with youth and learn how to support students as they encounter racism and racial trauma.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Identify the impact of racial stress and trauma. Explore the impact of prejudice, bias, and privilege. Discuss strategies to support students who are impacted by racial stress and trauma   PRESENTERS: Jessica S. Henry, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Georgia. She is the cofounder and vice president of program development and evaluation for the Black Mental Wellness Corp., and founder and CEO of Community Impact: Consultation & Psychological Services—a trauma-informed organization whose mission is to provide trauma-informed services to individuals and organizations affected by traumatic events. Henry is the previous senior director of behavioral health for one of Washington, DC’s largest Federally Qualified Health Centers, clinical director of a level-5 close security male prison and Georgia’s largest youth homeless shelter. Overall, Henry is passionate about the mental health of individuals in Black and under resourced communities and has specialized in increasing access to treatment and providing the highest quality of evidence-based mental health treatment services to underserved youth, families, and adults exposed to traumatic events (e.g., community violence, abuse, neglect). She received her BS from Howard University, MA from Columbia University, and PhD in clinical psychology from The George Washington University. She is from the greater Washington, DC metropolitan area. For more information about Henry, please visit BlackMentalWellness.com or ImpactTheCommunity.com. She can also be found on Instagram @BlackMentalWellness or @CommunityImpact_CP. Dana L. Cunningham, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and cofounder and vice president of community outreach and engagement at Black Mental Wellness, Corp. She is also program director at the National Center for School Mental Health in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Cunningham is passionate about increasing access to culturally responsive and antiracist mental health care for underserved youth and uplifting the voices of marginalized populations. Cunningham also authored a children’s book, A Day I’ll Never Forget, to support children who have been impacted by the incarceration of a loved one. Additionally, Cunningham owns a private practice in the greater Washington, DC area, where she resides. Cunningham received a BA in psychology from Spelman College and obtained her MA and PhD in clinical psychology from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. To learn more about Cunningham, please visit BlackMentalWellness.com. This training is 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.

The one-hour Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance virtual series provides an opportunity for participants to: Gain skills on strength-based approaches in partnership with Native People to enhance Native behavioral health, and Discuss ways that Native brilliance is demonstrated and supports behavioral health, and Learn about Native brilliance examples to share with behavioral health and other health care staff, as well as with local Tribal Nation citizens The concept of Native psychological brilliance will be celebrated through Native music videos and Native spoken word performances as part of each session of the Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance series. April's topic was "Home Base- Supporting Native Veterans."

The one-hour Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance virtual series provides an opportunity for participants to: Gain skills on strength-based approaches in partnership with Native People to enhance Native behavioral health, and Discuss ways that Native brilliance is demonstrated and supports behavioral health, and Learn about Native brilliance examples to share with behavioral health and other health care staff, as well as with local Tribal Nation citizens The concept of Native psychological brilliance will be celebrated through Native music videos and Native spoken word performances as part of each session of the Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance series.   March's topic was "The Red Sox Foundation’s Home Base Treatment Program for Native Veterans."

Session Recording: Description: With increasing overdose rates, a more lethal drug supply, and more prescription medications in many homes, it’s important to educate a wider audience about harm reduction and what it means: essentially, reducing the negative consequences of potentially risky behaviors. This workshop will present different definitions of harm reduction, highlight how we all practice harm reduction in our lives, and explain how harm reduction strategies are implemented in different settings, including syringe service programs and psychotherapy. It will also address community concerns and hesitations about harm reduction, ways to reduce the harms of stigma surrounding drug use, and opportunities to build bridges between harm reduction and treatment for people with substance use disorders Goals: Increase participants’ understanding of harm reduction principles and strategies, address myths and misperceptions about harm reduction, and explore how harm reduction can be part of the continuum of care. Workshop Outline: Different ways of defining harm reduction (National Harm Reduction Coalition, SAMHSA, NIDA). Harm reduction principles. How we all practice harm reduction (including bike helmets, sunscreen, designated drivers). Harm reduction services provided by syringe service programs (SSPs), overdose prevention centers (OPCs) and mobile units in some communities. Who harm reduction services may not be reaching (different population groups). Harm reduction psychotherapy (key practitioners and principles, including embracing goals like reduced substance use). Hesitations about harm reduction (traditional objections, like it “enables” drug use, vs. newer concerns, e.g. it’s “not enough” for people with complex needs). Building bridges between harm reduction and treatment for people with substance use disorders. Reducing harm by addressing stigma (types of stigma, avoiding stigmatizing terms). Trainer Bio: Susan Stellin, MPH is a writer, educator, and public health consultant focusing on health-centered responses to substance use and addiction. Since earning a master's in public health at Columbia University, she has worked on projects about ways to reduce overdose deaths, reform punitive drug policies, and expand access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support. Recent clients include NYU Langone’s Health x Housing Lab, the Northeast & Caribbean Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the Opioid Response Network, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Overdose Prevention Program at Vital Strategies, and the Vera Institute of Justice. She regularly leads training workshops for service providers working with people experiencing substance use, mental health, and housing challenges, and has also taught undergraduate courses about media ethics, collaborative storytelling, and the history of journalism.

This webinar provided tips for increasing engagement and understanding insight when working with individuals who experience psychosis. Some of the learning goals of this webinar include: Understanding some of the common barriers to engagement in treatment for individuals who experience psychosis Learning strategies for building rapport and trust with clients whose symptoms may interfere with having insight about their condition Developing a deeper understanding of the role of empathy for the individual’s experience and validation of their values when fostering engagement and therapeutic progress Discussing important cultural and ethical considerations to keep in mind when working with individuals who struggle with developing insight into their psychotic symptoms About the Presenters: Emily Kline is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine and the Director of Psychological Services in the Wellness and Recovery After Psychosis (WRAP) Program at Boston Medical Center. She is an expert in adolescent and young adult development, emerging psychotic disorders, and serious mental illness. She has published over 40 peer reviewed papers and several book chapters on psychosis prediction, detection, diagnosis, and treatment. Her current research focuses on improving communication between parents and youth and increasing access to high quality mental health treatment for young people in distress. Dr. Kline authored The School of Hard Talks: How to Have Real Conversations with Your (Almost Grown) Kids (2023) as well as a The School of Hard Talks Online which is an online course for parents who are hoping to learn to improve their communication with their teens. Jenny Lancet MS, MBA is a Peer Support Specialist with the WRAP Program at Boston Medical Center. She provides one-on-one support by assisting others in their own journeys of recovery through sharing her own experiences and promoting hope that recovery is possible. In her spare time she enjoys photographing the city.

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.

This is a recording of Workshop 5 of 6 in the "Trauma-Informed, In School Sessions" Workshop Series.  "You Can Talk to Me": A Family Guide to Support Students' Mental Health and Well-Being Trauma Informed Principle to Practice: Trustworthiness & Transparency, Collaboration & Mutuality    How might we partner with parents, caregivers and families through trauma informed approaches to support the mental health and well-being of the children and teens in their lives? In 2023, Project Cal-Well (a cross-agency mental health initiative led by the California Department of Education to promote mental health awareness and wellness among California's K-12 students) designed the Family Guide to Supporting Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being for parents and other caregivers (available in English and Spanish), with input from families, educators, mental health professionals, and youth. By sharing tips for families on how to have conversations about social media use, mental health, anti-LGBTQ experiences, bullying and more, this guide provides parents and other caregivers with information and easy-to-use strategies to support their children’s overall well-being and mental health.   How did the guide’s authors partner with students and their families to create this guide? How might we support students and families to dig into its information and leverage this resource to partner with parents and other caretakers? View this workshop recording to explore these questions, and the guide itself, while learning from several of its authors about how the guide’s development process was trauma informed.   Viewers of this workshop video will: (1) learn about the development and content of the guide; (2) have the opportunity to consider how to get the guide and related local resources into the hands of families; and (3) generate ideas for how to use individual sections of the guide to align with a school’s continuum of trauma-informed approaches and social, emotional, and behavioral supports.

    Session 1 - March 11 To view resources from this training, please click ATTACHMENT links Click here to view the recording Session 2 - March 25 To view resources from this training, please click ATTACHMENT links Recording coming soon! Session 3 - April 15 To view resources from this training, please click ATTACHMENT links Recording coming soon! Session 4 - April 22 To view resources from this training, please click ATTACHMENT links Recording coming soon! Session 5 - May 6 Resources coming soon! Recording coming soon! Session 6 - May 20 Resources coming soon! Recording coming soon! Series Description We are excited to announce that Christina Ruggiero, RP, is returning to lead our first Mindful Monday series, Mindful Monday – Experiential Mental Health Practice, for Spring 2024. Join us as we continue to explore and experience different mindfulness practices related to the topics of creativity, rest, and self-care. This series is for anyone who desires to improve their overall well-being, resilience, and mental health.  The practices that are presented in the training are designed for quick and effective implementation both personally and professionally.  For mental and behavioral health practitioners these techniques can be easily incorporate into their practice.  Mindfulness practices are varied and can last anywhere from a couple of minutes to an hour or more. Vishen Lakhiani, Meditation Expert and CEO of Mindvalley, states “You can take a one- to three-minute dip into peacefulness, and you can see remarkable results. The biggest benefits are going to happen in the first few minutes.” Attendees who have participated in past Mindful Monday series have the following to say about the training: “Incredibly validating experience”, “Love doing this- can we do it indefinitely”, “Thank you for this training. It is hard to recognize we also deserve to be heard, have needs/wants and slow down and breathe for a while.” This is a 30-minute interactive training that begins on March 11th and will run every other week through May 20th, 2024.  Each training will feature exercises from different mindfulness disciplines. At the beginning of each session, participants will spend a few minutes grounding and learning about the practice for that day and then spend approximately 15-20 minutes in experiential practice, leaving a few minutes at the end for reflection and discussion. Trainer Christina Ruggiero Master’s Counselling Psychology  Registered Psychotherapist 

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.

By the end of this webinar, participants were able to describe: The nature of insight and treatment engagement in psychotic disorders An overview of the causes of impaired insight and treatment engagement in psychotic disorders. Approaches to management of impaired insight and treatment engagement/alliance in psychotic disorders.   Presenter: ​​Dr. Keshavan is Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, as well as Academic Head of the department. He is the Editor-in-Chief of Schizophrenia Research (Elsevier) and serves on the editorial board for journals such as Early Intervention in Psychiatry and Asian Journal of Psychiatry. His main areas of research include the neurodevelopmental basis of schizophrenia, neuroimaging, and early intervention. He has an active clinical practice.   This webinar was co-hosted by the Massachusetts Psychosis Network for Early Treatment (MAPNET, www.mapnet.online).

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.

To view resources from this training, click ATTACHMENT links Click here to view the recording   Event Description Reducing access to lethal means, such as firearms, can determine whether a person at risk for suicide lives or dies. This session will provide rationale for lethal means safety, recommendations on who and when should receive lethal means safety information, and an introduction to lethal means counseling for Veterans at risk for suicide. In addition, the session will provide information on basic firearm safety and safe storage practices.  Trainers Chad Pitts & Sarah Kemp-Tabbut   Chad Pitts is a Veteran of the U.S. Army with over 10 years of organization and program management experience. He is currently the Program Manager for ND HOPES, a suicide prevention project in Western ND focused on Veterans, LGBTQIA2S+ youth, and rural residents. Chad has previously held positions within the NDUS focused on equity and diversity initiatives for disproportionately affected populations including LGBTQIA2S+ and Veterans. While in the Army Chad served as the Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge for multiple domestic and global missions with the 82nd Airborne Division.   Sarah Kemp Tabbut is the Community Engagement and Partnerships Coordinator at the Fargo VA.  She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 8 years of hands-on and public health experience in mental health and suicide prevention.  Sarah is well-versed in suicide prevention best practices, including safety planning, lethal means safety, and community-based interventions and is a Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) Trainer.  She also partners throughout North Dakota with communities to create and strengthen community coalition efforts for mental health, suicide prevention, and Veteran/Military issues. 

Session Recording: Description: For those who grew up associating drugs with natural sources like marijuana plants, poppy fields, and cocoa leaves, it can be tough to keep up with the shift to synthetic drugs made of chemicals some people may not know they’re ingesting. This workshop will help participants understand the current drug landscape, including stimulants (e.g. methamphetamine and cocaine), powerful opioids like fentanyl and nitazines, and xylazine, an animal tranquilizer increasingly showing up in the drug supply in some regions. It will also cover drug use trends, such as increasing polysubstance use, higher potency drugs, and the risks of mixing illicit drugs, alcohol, and medications. Participants will learn about factors that have contributed to rising overdose rates—including nonfatal overdoses—strategies to minimize risks, and how to recognize and respond to an overdose, as well as where to obtain naloxone. Goals: Increase participants’ awareness of current drug use patterns, the increasing potency of both plant-based and synthetic drugs, and how to prevent, recognize, and respond to an overdose. Workshop Outline: Discuss drug use trends (increasing polysubstance use, shift to synthetics vs. plant-based drugs, mixing prescription medications & illicit drugs, increasing stimulant use). Present graphics depicting increasing strength and potency of illicit drugs (cannabis, methamphetamine, etc.) and effects of different drugs. Overview of fentanyl and xylazine as well as other drugs like nitazines + kratom. Overdose statistics and definitions (opioid vs stimulant ODs). Risk factors for an overdose (including nonfatal overdoses). Strategies to reduce overdose risks. Signs of an overdose. Naloxone – brief overview and where to get it, plus sources for additional training. Good Samaritan laws protecting people who respond to an overdose. Trainer Bio Susan Stellin, MPH is a writer, educator, and public health consultant focusing on health-centered responses to substance use and addiction. Since earning a master's in public health at Columbia University, she has worked on projects about ways to reduce overdose deaths, reform punitive drug policies, and expand access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support. Recent clients include NYU Langone’s Health x Housing Lab, the Northeast & Caribbean Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the Opioid Response Network, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Overdose Prevention Program at Vital Strategies, and the Vera Institute of Justice. She regularly leads training workshops for service providers working with people experiencing substance use, mental health, and housing challenges, and has also taught undergraduate courses about media ethics, collaborative storytelling, and the history of journalism.