Products and Resources Catalog

This fact sheet provides an overview of the mental health services and landscape in Florida.

This is the second issue of the Southeast MHTTC's informational newsletter.

The Interim Needs Assessment report, prepared by the Southeast MHTTC, provides an overview of the mental health priorities, strengths, and needs of the State Mental Health Agencies in the Southeast.  

There is a growing movement to identify and promote community-defined evidence (CDE) practices and strategies. CDE practices are bottom-up/ground-up practices that come from the community and the organizations that serve them. CDE practices can range from mental health treatments to community outreach to other services and supports. This compendium is designed to help organizations, providers, and communities establish evidence of effectiveness for CDE practices. It includes: an introduction to CDE; examples from the Pacific Southwest region; evaluation approaches; best practices for ethical evaluation; and an annotated resource list.

On July 10th, we held our fourth Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) Series webinar on "How to Implement Trauma-Informed Care". Katie Volk discussed the very practical ways individuals and programs can implement trauma-informed care. She also described a framework for understanding the implementation process, discussed key factors that support and inhibit organizational change, and described the process step-by-step.

Northwest MHTTC's Training Director, Sarah Kopelovich, PhD, presented a didactic to the UW Psychiatry and Addictions Case Conference (PACC) on June 20, 2019. This was one of two sessions which focused on the diagnosis and medical management of psychosis in primary care settings. The goal of these two sessions is to build understanding among primary care providers about the treatment and management of psychosis and how the medical management of psychosis can impact the physical health of those receiving treatment. In this session, Dr. Sarah Kopelovich reviews updated facts and figures concerning psychosis outcomes to enable primary care providers to provide more accurate psychoeducation, key considerations relevant to differential diagnosis in a primary care setting, and core practical skills for a clinical encounter of any nature. Dr. Kopelovich also provides information about high-yield behavioral interventions and skill building techniques that can be incorporated into primary care sessions. The UW Psychiatry and Addictions Case Conference (UW PACC) series is a CME-accredited program designed to expand the mental health and addictions care capacity of health care professionals in remote, underserved areas of Washington. The goal of UW PACC is to develop a regional peer learning and support network for treating mental health and addictions that will ultimately result in better patient care. Modeled after the University of New Mexico's Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), UW PACC offers telehealth resource support to build the confidence and skills of providers who care for patients with mental and behavioral health conditions. The series is appropriate for primary care providers, mental health or addictions providers, and psychiatrists willing to engage in a proven model of distance learning. Using interactive video, each session includes a 20-minute educational presentation from a year-long curriculum, followed by in-depth case consultations between community providers and a panel of UW Medicine psychiatrists. New attendees are welcome at any time and weekly attendance is not required.

Northwest MHTTC's Co-Director, Lydia Chwastiak, MD, MPH presented a didactic to the UW Psychiatry and Addictions Case Conference (PACC) on June 13, 2019. This was one of two sessions which focused on the diagnosis and medical management of psychosis in primary care settings. The goal of these two sessions is to build understanding among primary care providers about the treatment and management of psychosis and how the medical management of psychosis can impact the physical health of those receiving treatment. In this session Dr. Lydia Chwastiak reviews the five principles that guide evidence-based safe anti-psychotic prescribing, provides an overview of the recommended first-line medications for treatment of psychosis and their side effects, and identifies changes that can be made to current primary care practice to mitigate metabolic risk among patients treated with anti-psychotic medications. The UW Psychiatry and Addictions Case Conference (UW PACC) series is a CME-accredited program designed to expand the mental health and addictions care capacity of health care professionals in remote, under-served areas of Washington. The goal of UW PACC is to develop a regional peer learning and support network for treating mental health and addictions that will ultimately result in better patient care. Modeled after the University of New Mexico's Project ECHO (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes), UW PACC offers telehealth resource support to build the confidence and skills of providers who care for patients with mental and behavioral health conditions. The series is appropriate for primary care providers, mental health or addictions providers, and psychiatrists willing to engage in a proven model of distance learning. Using interactive video, each session includes a 20-minute educational presentation from a year-long curriculum, followed by in-depth case consultations between community providers and a panel of UW Medicine psychiatrists. New attendees are welcome at any time and weekly attendance is not required.

Co-developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office and the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) to help states, districts, and schools across the United States understand the core components of comprehensive school mental health and engage in a planning process around implementation of services, the National School Mental Health Best Practices: Implementation Guidance Modules focuses on the following core features of effective school mental health initiatives: Roles for Educators and Student Instructional Support Personnel Collaboration and Teaming Multi-Tiered System of Supports Evidence-Informed Services and Supports Cultural Responsiveness and Equity Data-Driven Decision Making The Implementation Guidance Modules are intended to be used with district teams that can influence, develop, and oversee school mental health systems at the school district and building levels. See a complete overview of the Implementation Guidance Modules here. 

Together with Veterans: A Rural Veteran Suicide Prevention Program June 20, 2019 Gina Brimner spoke to the Together With Veterans Program. Together With Veterans targets rural populations and empowers Veterans to lead community-based and evidence-informed planning efforts to address Veteran suicide locally and discuss implementation strategies. Slide deck

We are excited to introduce ourselves and the Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (Northwest MHTTC). When we received news that our proposal was funded late last year, it felt like a dream come true. Now we have the opportunity to move the needle on improving behavioral health outcomes for persons with or at risk of developing serious mental illness across Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington).

On June 19th, we held our third Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) Series webinar on "Trauma-Informed Care in the Context of Recovery-Oriented Approaches". Rebecca Miller discussed the principles of trauma-informed care and those of a recovery orientation complement one another well. She also described both models, discussed the overlap between the two, and highlighted examples of how recovery-oriented, trauma-informed approaches look in programs/practice. 

On June 19th,we held the second part of the webinar series "Person-centered Recovery Planning (PCRP) Implementation Series". Janis Tondora, PsyD. from Yale University's Program and Recovery and Community Health, and Dan Wartenberg, Psy.D, M.P.H., Chief Clinical Officer, Newport Mental Health reviewed the key indicators of PCRP from both a process and a documentation perspective.

On June 5th, we held the first part of the webinar series "Person-centered Recovery Planning (PCRP) Implementation Series". Janis Tondora, PsyD. from Yale University's Program and Recovery and Community Health, and Dan Wartenberg, Psy.D, M.P.H., Chief Clinical Officer, Newport Mental Health reviewed the key indicators of PCRP from both a process and a documentation perspective. 

On June 5th, we held our second Evidence-Based Practices (EBP) Series webinar on "What Is Trauma-Informed Care and Why Does It Matter?" Katie Volk discussed principles of trauma-informed care, ways to implement it in your organization, and how it aligns with and promotes recovery-oriented practice. To watch Nadine Burke Harris's TED Talk mentioned during the webinar, click here. 

Prepared by Lydia Chwastiak, MD, MPH Older adults with serious mental illnesses (SMI), such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder, have more hospitalizations and 4 times greater risk of death at any given age than those without SMI. They are also 3.5 times more likely to live in a nursing home. Despite higher acute and long-term healthcare costs, adults with SMI experience greater barriers to preventive and routine health care, and often receive care that is fragmented and inadequate. These disparities highlight a need for effective and sustainable integrated care models designed specifically to support the special health care needs among older adults with SMI. This research brief provides a summary of evidence-based integrated models of care that address the mental and physical health needs of adults with SMI.  

Employment and Substance Use Disorders: The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Model Employment and Substance Use Disorders: The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Model Webinar Webinar Summary This webinar will provide an overview of the evidence-based practice known as Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment and its use in developing Recovery Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) for individuals with substance use disorders (SUD).  While the majority of the research on this EBP has been conducted with individuals with serious mental illness, the practice is being adapted to provide high quality employment supports to individuals with SUD as well as co-occurring SUD and mental illness.  Presenters will describe the principles and evidence based for IPS, as well as infrastructure needs and implementation strategies and some case examples. Watch webinar  Presenter Information Lou Kurtz, M.Ed. Co-Director, Great Lakes MHTTC Louis Kurtz is currently the Co-Director for the Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC).  He has previously worked for the Kentucky Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities in a variety of roles as well as at Eastern Kentucky University.  From 2010 through 2015 Lou served as the mental health lead for the Kentucky IPS Supported Employment program – more recently he has conducted fidelity monitoring for local IPS programs in Kentucky and provided consultation services for a national Supported Employment Demonstration project. Bob Meyer, MS. ISyE Technology Transfer Specialist – STR/ORN Bob Meyer is currently the Technology Transfer Specialist with the STR-TA region covering MN, WI and IL.  Bob was the state trainer for the Wisconsin Individual Placement and Support (IPS) project, a team effort with the Department of Health Services, Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and the UW-Madison Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education.  Bob worked with the IPS program in Wisconsin from 2010 to 2018, from the first three pilot sites, through expansion to community mental health programs that number has grown to over 65 sites in 26 counties – the average employment rate for individuals in the program also increased from 18% to 47% over that time.  

      Hard copies of the toolkit are also available. If you'd prefer a hard copy, please reach out to us at [email protected]. This toolkit is a blueprint for school mental health services and will guide community members, schools, local leaders, and districts through 10 best practices, including strategies for implementing, funding, and sustaining mental health services in both rural and urban schools.

Michelle Zechner, PhD, LSW, CPRP is an Assistant Professor at Rutgers-School of Health Professions, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions. She has focused her 25 year career on supporting the recovery of people with mental illnesses and their families. She has worked in a variety of community and inpatient settings, including nursing homes, outpatient mental health services, state psychiatric hospitals, and community services for older adults. In her current role she has focused on implementation of evidence-based psychosocial practices in psychiatric hospitals, developing and testing health and wellness promotion interventions in community settings, teaching students, training diverse mental health staff on best practice interventions for older persons with mental health conditions, and conducting research. Dr. Zechner’s research includes the development of multi-domain wellness programs for people with mental illnesses, promotion of and adherence to physical activity in people with mental illness, use of peer health coaching strategies and identifying best practices for use with older adults with mental illnesses. She has co-authored peer-reviewed and technical publications on health promotion for persons with mental illness, and has presented her work at local, national and international conferences. She is passionate about supporting older adults with mental illnesses to improve their mental and physical health.   Part 2 of the webinar addresses the following learning objectives: Discuss evidence based practices (EBPs) for age onset depression Identify EBPs and best practices for programming for older adults with serious mental illnesses Discuss wellness as a framework for developing new programming Explore knowledge, skills and attitudes needed for working with older adults    Click here to view a recording of the webinar delivered on March 27, 2019.  Click on the download link above to access the webinar slides. 

This is a listing of opportunities currently available from the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (SSW-MHTTTC) to enhance school-based mental health services and effective collaboration between schools and community-based mental health agencies.

This pre-recorded webinar session celebrates culture and communities, and explores community programs and practices that work and are helping people. The session explores how we collectively approach the concept of evidence, effectiveness of practices, and the role of communities in achieving positive outcomes for individuals experiencing mental health conditions. This discussion is intended for clinicians, mental health program providers, evaluators, and others.  

The Trauma-Informed and Resiliency-Oriented Schools Professional Development Opportunities addendum lists organizations and agencies that provide trauma-informed, resilience-oriented training and professional development for schools and school communities. We provide these referrals to help school leadership select the right partner to support what evidence-based program to implement, as well as how and why to do so.