Products and Resources Catalog

About the Learning Session: The MHTTC Network is hosting an 8-part training series using the National School Mental Health Best Practices: Implementation Guidance Modules for States, Districts, and Schools. This resource was developed by the MHTTC Network in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) and aims to help states, districts and schools advance comprehensive school mental health and engage in a planning process for implementation.   Module 2: Teaming reviews the definition and value of school mental health teams, as well as quality indicators and best practices to improve their efficiency and effectiveness. The session consists of a discussion with a small panel of education and mental health leaders from across the country (including a member from the National Center for School Mental Health team) who will provide an “always and now” application of the Implementation Guidance Modules and innovative ideas for implementation, considering the current COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on school mental health. Access the recording of this session by clicking the blue "View Resource" button above. Access presentation slides here. Access our FAQ and Resources document (that includes responses to questions asked by participants during the live event) here. Access the closed captioning transcript for this session here. Learn more about the remaining sessions in this learning series here. To learn more about the National School Mental Health Best Practices: Implementation Guidance Modules and gain access to the COMPLETE resource, click HERE. PLEASE NOTE: As of April 2021, the MHTTC Network and National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) changed the title of the National School Mental Health Curriculum: Guidance and Best Practices for States, Districts, and Schools to the new title 'National School Mental Health Best Practices: Implementation Guidance Modules for States, Districts, and Schools.' Session Panelists: Saun-Toy Latifa Trotter is a healer. She is the Manager of School Based Behavioral Health programs at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland and a Trauma Informed Systems trainer and Coach. She brings over twenty years of experience providing behavioral health services to adolescents and families, including 14 year of practice at school based health centers. She serves on the board of the National School Based Health Alliance. Saun-Toy is committed to culturally responsive, trauma and resilience informed practices that foster individual, organizational and community wellness. Dr. Lisa Thomas is the Assistant Director of the Devereux Center for Effective Schools. She is a nationally certified school psychologist and a Pennsylvania licensed psychologist, school psychologist, and elementary teacher. In her professional experience, Dr. Thomas has provided assessment, training, and consultation services to a variety of individuals and organizations to develop universal, targeted, and intensive behavioral and academic support systems within alternative education, behavioral health, and public school settings. She serves on Pennsylvania’s Community of Practice on School-Based Behavioral Health and is a State Coordinator for Pennsylvania’s Positive Behavior Support Network. Dr. Sam Reaves is a Postdoctoral Fellow with the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. Reaves’ research interests lie at the intersection of mental health and education and she often investigates how school or family factors influence student outcomes in underserved communities. As a clinical-community psychologist, she believes great prevention work can be done and realizes the importance of strengthening the systems children are nested in to promote wellbeing.

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE Listen to the podcast on "Stress Test," the first session of Rebekah Demirel's series "We Make the Path by Walking" series. Join us as we challenge the “business as usual” mode of operating during a time of crisis, taking a deep dive into how we are coping with stress in our day-to-day lives. Find out more about her series here. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES View the webinar recording and access accompanying resources     FACILITATOR Rebekah Demirel L.Ac., MPCC   Rebekah Demirel L.Ac., MPCC is the founder and director of Trauma Integration Programs, with more than a decade as an ambulance paramedic, twenty-two years as a paramedic trainer, eighteen years of mental health counseling experience, specializing in traumatic stress and she is a licensed East Asian medicine practitioner and acupuncturist. Rebekah’s unique skill set and experience are informed by her own traumatic childhood and teen years spent on the street and in the foster care system, giving her a special familiarity and empathy for trauma and loss.    . . .  

  The Great Lakes MHTTC School-based Supplement offers this training for mental health and school-based mental health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. Youth are increasingly battling COVID-19 while experiencing social isolation, loss of connections, loneliness and mental illness in record numbers. In a recent nationwide survey half of all college and high school-age students report being worried about their own mental health due to the pandemic. This webinar series will provide learners with tools to assess mental health in young people, recognize common mental health disorders, and identify differences between typical adolescent behavior and the onset of mental illness. We will focus on identifying how students express common mental health challenges through remote learning. In addition, we will discuss the opportunities remote learning provides for identifying students’ mental health and responding with effective coping strategies. Learning Objectives Review data on how COVID-19 has increased feelings of isolation and anxiety in youth Discuss strategies for managing fear and anxiety in a time of social isolation   Target Audience:  School personnel, mental health providers for youth, parents Speaker:  Angela Begres is a licensed clinical social worker who trained and earned her MSW at the University of Chicago. She is an expert trainer and presenter with experience integrating mental health education programs into the curriculum for students and staff within the Chicago and West Cook County public schools. In Partnership with the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) Metro Suburban, Angela also developed a program to help decrease student stress and implement mindfulness in the classrooms. She has also worked with Chicago Family Services (DCFS) providing parenting education, with efforts to get parents reunited with their children.  

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Everyone can support the foundational principles of recovery: choice, self-determination and the importance of relationships. However, translating these principles into real world practice can be difficult. How we negotiate professional boundaries will either help or hinder recovery. In this webinar, Patricia Deegan will detail a 5-part method for building relationships that are both consistent and flexible, while also being “human” and responsive to the needs of the individual and the provider. Learn more about the series here. Resources Presentation Slides Boundary Decisions Reflecting on Your Self-Disclosure Boundaries EBSCO Clinical Decisions - COVID-19 Vaccine: Is It the Right Choice for Me? Presenter Patricia E. Deegan, PhD's mission is to help activate and empower mental health services users in their own recovery and to provide peer supporters and clinicians with the know-how to support people in their recovery journey. She is uniquely positioned to fulfill her vocation because she was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager, went on to get her doctorate in clinical psychology and today leads a company run by and for people in recovery. She is a thought-leader in the field of mental health recovery, has numerous peer-reviewed publications, has held a number of academic appointments, and has carried a message of hope for recovery to audiences around the world. In addition to her work on the CommonGround Program, she consults with OnTrackNY and has helped the team at the Center for Practice Innovations develop an innovative model for engaging young people under the NIMH RAISE Study. The model is now being adopted nationally. 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.  

In this session, we discussed key cultural issues for understanding the causes and manifestations of psychiatric disorders in persons of Indian origin from India/South Asia in the United States. We will also discuss approaches to the management of such clinical presentations.

  Effective Accommodations for Struggling Students During this free, 90-minute training, participants learned about various learning styles and effective ways to accommodate and support them. The ability to distinguish between visual learners, auditory learners, and other types of learning is important when identifying various learning needs, such as memory, executive functioning, and expression. Accommodations shared can be used across all tiered levels of support and in a variety of learning environments. This training was geared toward, but not limited to, teachers and support providers.   Slides, Handouts, and Recording Access slides deck and handouts using the download button above Click here to view the recording      

About this Resource:  Serving as an accompaniment to the on-demand recording of Dr. Teri Brister's presentation, this infographic highlights the importance and essential elements of person and family centered care. 

In this presentation, Mid-America MHTTC specialists and partners with Omaha-based Community Alliance will demonstrate ways in which family peer support empowers families to support their loved one’s path towards recovery. In particular, participants will learn how recipients of family peer support: Learn the definition of recovery; Learn to motivate their loved one to engage in recovery and rehabilitation oriented activities; Learn develop and implement a recovery plan for their loved one.   Speakers:   Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram has been in the mental health field for over 40 years. At the Nebraska State Hospital, he provided psychological services to persons with serious mental illness and to their family members, and he directed clinical services including psychology, nursing, social work, therapeutic recreation, education and return-to-work programs. He is the former director of mental health services in Kansas and clinical director of a juvenile correctional facility. Currently he is manager of family and peer services at Community Alliance. Bill Baerentzen, Ph.D., CRC, LMHP, is serious mental illness program director for the Mid-America MHTTC. Much of his outreach involves promoting evidence-based practices to help people with serious mental illness (SMI) live meaningful inclusive lives. Dr. Baerentzen has worked as director of a 250-bed emergency overnight shelter; supervisor of therapists in a treatment program for persons with co-occurring disorders; and as faculty in a rehabilitation counseling program. James and Barbara Kirkpatrick were blessed with four children, two daughters and two sons. The Kirkpatricks' youngest son had problems with drugs for several years, and while rehabilitation centers like Valley of Hope and drug court work for some, they weren't the answer for Robert. Barbara Kirkpatrick signed her family up for Dr. Jai Sookram's class at Community Alliance, and all of the pieces to the puzzle started to fall into place. James Kirkpatrick believes that a lot of prayers and meetings with Dr. Jai saved Robert's life. Cecilia Losee is a financial planner who specializes in working with special needs families. Her own disability and that of her adult daughter give her a unique perspective into what it takes to plan for the future. With over 10 years in the industry she uses many different tools, such as special needs trusts, to ensure the protection of government benefits while maximizing the amount left to take care of your loved ones.   Learn more about Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce at https://bit.ly/FPS_2020  

In this presentation, Mid-America MHTTC specialists and partners with Omaha-based Community Alliance will demonstrate ways in which family peer support empowers families to support their loved one’s path towards recovery. In particular, participants will learn how recipients of family peer support: Learn the definition of recovery; Learn to motivate their loved one to engage in recovery and rehabilitation oriented activities; Learn develop and implement a recovery plan for their loved one.   Speakers:   Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram has been in the mental health field for over 40 years. At the Nebraska State Hospital, he provided psychological services to persons with serious mental illness and to their family members, and he directed clinical services including psychology, nursing, social work, therapeutic recreation, education and return-to-work programs. He is the former director of mental health services in Kansas and clinical director of a juvenile correctional facility. Currently he is manager of family and peer services at Community Alliance. Bill Baerentzen, Ph.D., CRC, LMHP, is serious mental illness program director for the Mid-America MHTTC. Much of his outreach involves promoting evidence-based practices to help people with serious mental illness (SMI) live meaningful inclusive lives. Dr. Baerentzen has worked as director of a 250-bed emergency overnight shelter; supervisor of therapists in a treatment program for persons with co-occurring disorders; and as faculty in a rehabilitation counseling program. James and Barbara Kirkpatrick were blessed with four children, two daughters and two sons. The Kirkpatricks' youngest son had problems with drugs for several years, and while rehabilitation centers like Valley of Hope and drug court work for some, they weren't the answer for Robert. Barbara Kirkpatrick signed her family up for Dr. Jai Sookram's class at Community Alliance, and all of the pieces to the puzzle started to fall into place. James Kirkpatrick believes that a lot of prayers and meetings with Dr. Jai saved Robert's life. Cecilia Losee is a financial planner who specializes in working with special needs families. Her own disability and that of her adult daughter give her a unique perspective into what it takes to plan for the future. With over 10 years in the industry she uses many different tools, such as special needs trusts, to ensure the protection of government benefits while maximizing the amount left to take care of your loved ones.   Learn more about Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce at https://bit.ly/FPS_2020  

The materials attached to this product were originally aired on February 19, 2021 as a part of the South Southwest MHTTC's Wellness Workshop series. Your boundaries have one purpose: to take care of you. Understand the four steps of boundary development, how culture shapes boundaries, and how to become a boundaries expert in your life. Learn the seven patterns and how to bring balance to your own patterns. Learn skills for extreme boundary challenges – especially important during the pandemic. Access the webinar above & download the slides HERE Presenter Bio: Sarri Gilman, LMFT is a psychotherapist and author. She teaches Overwhelm Recovery for Healthcare and Human Service Providers. She is the author of The Mystery of Knowing Journal, a journal for self-care and boundaries, Transform Your Boundaries, and Naming and Taming the Overwhelm for Healthcare and Human Service Providers. Sarri ran non-profit organizations for 20 years. Two of the organizations served children and teens who were homeless. She is the founder of Cocoon House in Everett, WA. She taught leadership development for seven years. She has been in practice for 35 years and continues in private practice in her community on Whidbey Island, WA.

    Community mental health administrators, school district student support managers, and clinical supervisors, among others, often struggled with ways to ensure the adoption of best practices and evidence-based behavioral health interventions among school- and community-based providers in a way that facilitates their application as part of normal practice in these settings. As part of Washington, DC’s Expansion of Comprehensive School Behavioral Health initiative, cross-sector partners invested in a systemic approach to reducing the unmet behavioral health needs plaguing DC youth and families, particularly those most vulnerable and confronting social, economic, or environmental challenges. A Community of Practice (CoP) was established as a part of this citywide initiative to ensure learning was co-created and happened across specialized roles, to strengthen professional relationships, and to foster alignment of initiatives across child and family agencies in order to maximize the use of effective school behavioral health practices in all 244 DC public and public charter schools. Presenters will discuss how a CoP was developed in DC, the impact of this approach on community engagement and clinical practices, and lessons learned about factors that can facilitate or hinder the adoption of this approach, especially when considering the unique circumstances faced by Latino urban families.   You can click the download button for the slides.

Recording of Overcoming the Storm: Special Bi-Monthly Training for AI/AN School Communities in the COVID-19 Pandemic.  "With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." -Eleanor Roosevelt The MHTTC K-12 program is offering free training sessions throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic to support education programs in Tribal Communities. Not only has the pandemic stressed our healthcare and educational systems, but it has exacerbated the effects of historical trauma. Our MHTTC K - 12 program hopes to offer support, resiliency tools, and connections that are relevant and supportive as Native American communities remain resilient.

  The pandemic has brought challenges and disruption to substance use disorder services along with opportunities. The presentation will examine these new opportunities and “how to get there.” Learning Objectives Participants will: Recognize some of the opportunities that have resulted from the pandemic. Explore the role of resilience in responding to service needs during the pandemic, and as a path to opportunities.   Speaker   Sheila Weix, MSN, RN, CARN During her tenure as a leader in SUD treatment, Sheila Weix has been involved with emergencies related to the HIV epidemic, 9/11, and the 2008 economic collapse. She is currently applying this experience in an outpatient treatment service that includes medication-assisted treatment in rural Wisconsin during the COVID19 pandemic.     IN CASE YOU MISSED IT... Video: Substance Use Disorder Services in the Days of a Pandemic (Part 1) Video: Substance Use Disorder Services in the Days of a Pandemic (Part 2)  

School Mental Health: Concerns, Needs, and Resources in Challenging Times To learn more about challenges and needs for K-12 education in our region, the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC), held a listening session with 13 school mental health professionals, administrators, and teachers from U.S. Department of Health & Human Services’ Region 8 (CO,MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY). This document highlights the common needs, concerns, and strategies identified during the listening session and provides resources in response to those needs.   Access the product using the "Download" button above   Topics include Teacher well-being and burnout Turnover Staff anxiety COVID-19 Social and emotional learning Screening needs and more   Authors Stefanie Winfield, MSW Liza Tupa, PhD

The Northwest MHTTC continues to honor Black History Month and presents a curated list of resources for workforce members and clients. We share our upcoming events on disaster response, reducing disparities in health care, integrated care, provider well-being, management of psychosis in primary care settings, and more, as well as our recent products

This session was originally scheduled for February 10, 2021, and had to be rescheduled. Please join us for this first session of our new MHTTC webinar series: Trauma Informed Therapy on February 17th. We will be featuring our special guest speaker: Avis Garcia, PhD, LAT, LPC, NCC, Northern Arapaho. Wednesday, February 17th 12:00-1:00 EST . 11:00-12:00 CST . 10:00-11:00 MST . 9:00-10:00 PST . 8:00-9:00 AKST

Monthly e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.  February 2021 issue features resources for Black History Month, The Counselor's Corner, state spotlight on Ohio, the new Peer Recovery Center of Excellence website, and more!    

These are the handouts for the event, Trauma Informed Therapy: Part 1 Description This session was originally scheduled for February 10, 2021, and had to be rescheduled. Please join us for this first session of our new MHTTC webinar series: Trauma Informed Therapy on February 17th. We will be featuring our special guest speaker: Avis Garcia, PhD, LAT, LPC, NCC, Northern Arapaho. Wednesday, February 17th 12:00-1:00 EST . 11:00-12:00 CST . 10:00-11:00 MST . 9:00-10:00 PST . 8:00-9:00 AKST

The COVID-19 global pandemic has impacted all of us. Join us to learn how community-based, peer-run organization Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon successfully modified our services to continue to serve our communities during this critical time. We’ll discuss changes made to our peer certification training in addition to program pivots within our diverse peer support offerings, including at hospitals, shelters, jails, and more.  Finally, we will consider ways in which MHAAO created new supports for our staff members and peer workforce at large.  Resources Presentation Slides Facilitators Adrienne Scavera is the Training and Outreach Department Director for Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon (MHAAO), one of Oregon's oldest and largest peer-run organizations. In her role as a department director, Adrienne works to support the peer workforce from initial entry and training to systems-level advocacy. Currently, Adrienne serves on several committees and boards, including the Oregon Health Authority’s Training Evaluation and Metrics Program Scoring Committee and the state Traditional Health Worker Commission. In her work, Adrienne prioritizes the experience of individuals as the experts on their own lives. Over the years, she has worked in research, direct service, program development, management, training, and with non-profits, educational institutions, and peer-run organizations. She enjoys writing about herself in third person, well-organized spaces, and friendly animals.   Terry Leckron Myers has been a longtime criminal justice reform champion and Partnership for Safety & Justice board member since 2006. She has led key initiatives navigating all systems to improve the social health of all members in the community we serve, including criminal justice reform. Terry’s ability to develop trusting relationships as a liaison for internal and external teams to develop and improve systems with community partners has been demonstrated throughout her work. Recognized as a leader in bringing nonprofit and community partners together to streamline services and understanding of all partnering healthcare systems, Terry’s work includes Mentor Program Director at Bridges to Change, empowering people by strengthening individuals and families affected by addiction, mental health, poverty, and homelessness. Terry also worked as lead organizer for the Recovery Association Project where she supported people in recovery to make social changes. As Director of Central City Concern Portland Metro Worksource, she created pathways to employment and community integration for formerly incarcerated people. Currently, Terry serves as EVOLVE Program Director with Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon. In both her professional and volunteer careers, she’s driven by the belief that all people deserve to live their lives with dignity and grace.     Reina Bower is a person in long term recovery and what that means for her is that she has not used any mind altering substances for over 10 years (4-1-2010).  Her lived experience includes being incarcerated in state prison and county jails and losing her children to DHS due to being unable to care for them. While at Coffee Creek Women's Correctional Institution, Reina began to feel hope for a different way of life and started attending church, self-help recovery groups, and successfully completed a 6-month parenting class - one of the first of her many accomplishments in recovery. After taking a peer support training, Reina began working with others that had walked that same path she had and used her lived experience to positively benefit others. With her strong experience in peer support and recovery, Reina joined MHAAO as a manager and currently serves as EVOLVE Program Director. Reina is an example that people can and DO recover! Reina is pictured here with the judge who last sent her to prison, whom she credits with saving her life. 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.

This webinar addressed recovery-oriented and culturally-sensitive services in mental illness and overcoming stigma and other challenges faced by Latinx/Hispanic people. Our presenters Dr. Esperanza Diaz and Dr. Andrea Mendiola also shared the story of an immigrant woman receiving services at the Hispanic Clinic, New Haven, CT  

Recording of the January 14th, 2021 session of Overcoming the Storm: Special Bi-Monthly Training for AI/AN School Communities in the COVID-19 Pandemic.  "With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts." -Eleanor Roosevelt The MHTTC K-12 program is offering free training sessions throughout the Covid-19 Pandemic to support education programs in Tribal Communities. Not only has the pandemic stressed our healthcare and educational systems, but it has exacerbated the effects of historical trauma. Our MHTTC K - 12 program hopes to offer support, resiliency tools, and connections that are relevant and supportive as Native American communities remain resilient.

Job Development is one of the eight principles of Supported Employment (SE) services. Job development is defined as a set of skills used to develop and build relationships with the business community. It is an important element to providing effective employment supports. Services that incorporate job development have more successful employment outcomes. One key component of job development is introducing yourself and your employment services to potential employers. Many employment specialists prepare for this meeting by creating an elevator speech to use when introducing themselves and practicing how to respond to tough questions from employers. This product focuses on the creation of an elevator speech, a brief description of your services that is intended to create interest, and, hopefully, further discussion.

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.