Products and Resources Catalog

On Day 2 of our MHTTC Grief Sensitive Virtual Learning Institute, we open our full day of learning with a brief whole Institute gathering that will: Welcome back participants from Day 1 and welcome in new participants joining us Offer a brief meditation and a few tools to help us get through the upcoming holidays in the face of grief and loss (with GSVLI faculty Doug Smith) Provide an overview and forecast to Day 2, previewing our learning line up Download the slides HERE. Speaker: Douglas Smith has been the lead instructor for the University of Wisconsin’s Grief Support Services Certificate program, which has trained over 600 healthcare professions in 39 states and 14 countries. He has conducted extensive grief training workshops in all 50 states, and internationally. He also has extensive personal experiences related to grief. This webinar was the opening session of Day 2 of November's Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute (GSVLI). For more information on how to access resources from September's and November's GSVLI, please click here.

Grief Sensitivity Virtual Learning Institute - Building Virtual Communities to Support Grieving Youth and Families during Uncertain Times Recording Lauren Schneider, LCSW, and Talya Schlesinger, MSW, of Our House Grief Support Center provide information on ways to build virtual communities and support youth and families grieving. Adapting grief supports to an online environment requires accommodations to effectively support families experiencing loss during challenging times. Session trainers explored how to appropriately adapt and develop interventions that address treatment goals using online treatment platforms. Speakers: Lauren Schneider, LCSW, Clinical Director of Child and Adolescent Programs, Our-House Lauren, a nationally recognized authority on Children’s Grief, has provided trainings for mental health clinicians, educators, clergy, health care providers and graduate students throughout the community since 2000. Lauren is the author of “Children Grieve Too: A Handbook for Parents of Grieving Children”. She also created “My Memory Book…for grieving children” and contributing author for “You Can’t Do It Alone. A Widow’s Journey through Loss, Grief and Life After (2020) by Maria Quiban Whitesell as well as grief-related curricula for use at Camp Erin Los Angeles and in OUR HOUSE grief support groups. Lauren is the Associate Producer of “One Last Hug…and a few smooches” an Emmy award winning HBO documentary about Children’s Grief. She trains and supervises OUR HOUSE group leaders as well as MSW and MFT clinicians and students. Lauren maintains a private practice in Los Angeles specializing in grief and loss.       Talya Schlesinger, MSW, Associate Clinical Coordinator of Camp and Children’s Programs, Our-House Talya is a clinical social worker dedicated to supporting children, adolescents and families. Talya completed her undergraduate studies in Biopsychology, Cognition and Neuroscience as well as Community Action and Social Change at the University of Michigan. She then received her MSW from the University of Michigan with a concentration in Children and Youth in Families and Society, and a minor in Human Services Management. Prior to joining the team at Our House Grief Support Center, Talya worked as a medical social worker at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on the Bone Marrow Transplant team.         For more information on how to access resources from September's and November's GSVLI, please click here.

Slides from the session, "The Strength of Our People Resilience of Native Americans Part 2". This webinar features resilience and the way Native communities have persevered in times of crisis.

Monthly electronic newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. November 2020 issues features Native American Heritage Month, Veterans Day, and new resources including Stigma Basics, Counselor's Corner, and Telehealth Services for Mental Health infographic.  

Recording of the session, "The Strength of Our People Resilience of Native Americans Part 2". This webinar features resilience and the way Native communities have persevered in times of crisis.

About The Webinar Psychological first aid (PFA) began as a tool to help first responders cope with victims experiencing trauma on the scene. There are several models of PFA, but Psychological First Aid - Listen, Protect, Connect (PFA - LPC) was developed in response to a series of school shootings in the 1990s. The five-step crisis response strategy was intended to guide teachers and staff members in helping traumatized students deal with the aftermath of senseless violence. PFA-LPC helps educational staff support students through the process of recovery, especially when students encounter traumatic reminders of being in danger or of experiencing loss or trauma. Virtual adaptations to this work will be addressed.    Objectives Identify the five steps of PFA-LPC Describe ways to support students who have been traumatically impacted by violence Describe how to adapt PFA-LPC in virtual settings   Resources Virtual Adaptations of Psychological First Aid with Pamela Vona (PDF)   About The Speaker: Pamela Vona, MA, MPH, is currently the Program Manager for the Treatment and Services Adaptation Center for Resilience, Hope and Wellness in Schools. Her interests include understanding how to support the implementation of trauma practices in the school setting. Specifically, her work has focused on how web-based platforms can support training in and implementation of evidence-based practices in schools. Ms. Vona served as a lead developer of the Trauma Responsive School Implementation Assessment—an online assessment designed to help schools improve their trauma-responsiveness. She is also leading the development of the Trauma Informed Skills for Developers (TISE) curriculum designed to enhance educators’ trauma knowledge and skills. Ms. Vona serves on the School Committee Workgroup for the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and previously was a member of the NCTSN Policy Task Force. About The Series:  The Northwest MHTTC and the Pacific Southwest MHTTC are continuing our partnership to provide and extend deeper technical assistance on the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF). Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF) is a structure and process that maximizes effectiveness and efficiency by blending the strengths of school and community mental health with strengths of the multi-tiered framework of PBIS (Barrett, Eber, Weist, 2013) This past year, we offered three webinars on the Interconnected Systems Framework (see below for recordings) and followed the learning series up with monthly discussion hours led by Susan Barrett and field leaders from our region. This year, we are offering more programming to deepen your ISF work and contextualize ISF to this moment of COVID-19 and beyond. Our fall offering is made up of four modules and ends with a town hall for you to be able to ask faculty your questions and resource one another. Each module includes teaching from Susan Barrett and field leaders on ISF systems, and USC faculty on ISF practices. Learn more about the full series schedule and access all recordings & presentation materials here.  Want more information and school mental health resources? Visit the Northwest MHTTC's School Mental Health page and sign up for our monthly newsletter for regular updates about events, trainings, and resources available to the Northwest region.

The Northwest MHTTC celebrates Native American Heritage month and honors veterans in this edition of our newsletter. The Northwest MHTTC sits on the traditional lands of the Duwamish and Suquamish people. We acknowledge the original inhabitants of this place past and present and honor with gratitude the lands and tribes. We announce our November events, recent products, and the launch of our newest free online course hosted on the HealtheKnowledge platform: Empowering Wellness in Mental Health: Helping People with Their Lifestyle Changes.

This session featured a conversation about peer support and its role in supporting people in living a full life in their community outside of the mental health system. The facilitator lead a conversation with other leaders in the peer support movement, peer support practitioners, and other people in recovery focused on the unique role of peer support in community-based citizenship work, including examples from the experiences of panelists.

“Non-Latinos can provide culturally competent mental health services to Latino clients with appropriate training and background”.    The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported only 11.5% Latinx representation in education and health services, and around 5% of United States psychologists are Hispanic or Latinx. The National Hispanic Heritage Month Part II: The Experience of Being a Non-Latino Mental Health Professional Who Works with Latinx Clients: Providing Appropriate Transcultural Care, is designed to increase health equity among Latinx populations. This booklet describes approaches to enlist non-Latinx providers to address Latinx health and behavioral health inequities and provide strategies to increase the competency and proficiency of all providers who work with Latinx communities. Several strategies described to increase cultural responsiveness among non-Latinx providers include exploring cultural themes like diversity, language, personalismo, and compromiso and using the ADDRESSING Cultural Differences Sketch to approach cultural diversity during therapy sessions. 

DSM-5 Diagnosis: Best Practices in a Community Health Center Environment Slide Deck Recording View Session Two Resources The Mountain Plains MHTTC, in collaboration with the Association for Utah Community Health (AUCH), hosted a two-part intensive training series on providing DSM-5 Diagnoses in a Community Health Center Environment. Mental health practitioners and primary care providers working in integrated care environments often experience increased pressure to render accurate DSM-5 diagnoses in a short amount of time. This training series provided attendees an opportunity to identify the primary elements in DSM-5 diagnoses and the challenges presented by rendering these diagnoses in a community health center environment.   Learning Objectives Identify primary elements in DSM-5 diagnoses. Develop an understanding of necessary documentation. Be able to identify some differences in payer practices.   Trainer Andrew J. McLean, MD, MPH Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences          

Empowering Wellness in Mental Health: Helping People with their Lifestyle Changes is a one-hour self-paced online course. Making lifestyle changes is hard for most people, but for those living with serious mental health conditions and taking antipsychotic medications, the risks of not living a healthy lifestyle are far greater.  This group is at greater risk of developing obesity and related health conditions like diabetes which contribute to substantial cardiovascular health disparities. This can result in an average life expectancy that is 20+ years shorter than the general population. But there are proven things you can do to help people start and sustain healthy changes that can combat these risks. This 1-hour course will review the specific risks to this group and explain proven approaches to lifestyle changes. You will learn evidence-based skills and key components to help people identify and work towards their goals.  The course will describe effective strategies, motivational techniques and point to additional resources so you can learn more.  Registration and Technical Support How to register for a course at HealtheKnowledge and how to get technical support   This online course was created by the Northwest Region 10 Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). 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.

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. What is recovery-oriented practice when people make choices that may steer their lives ​away from​ ​recovery? Resources Slides Decisional Balance Worksheet Hoja de trabajo de equilibrio en las decisiones (Decisional Balance Worksheet en español) Managing Risk Worksheet    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.  

For our October 2020 newsletter we're excited to share a wealth of new events and resources in this month's newsletter. In particular, we want to highlight resources we've shared in honor of Indigenous Peoples' Day. We welcome you to take a look and learn more about how to support the mental health and wellness of Native students, staff, and families. Sign up for our School Mental Health Newsletter!  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.

Slides from the session: "The Effectiveness & Utilization of Telebehavioral Services: The Future is Now". This webinar includes a brief review of: telebehavioral health research and its efficacy; strategies that promote skill development; and resources related to guidelines, privacy/security, and confidentiality rules/regulations. Finally, the virtualization of behavioral health services post PHE is highlighted.

This session will present ways to introduce an organization, practice, and/or primary care physician to integrated behavioral health. Speakers will advocate utilizing successful strategies and lessons learned when establishing an integrated care practice.   Learning Objectives:  Describe tools/rubrics available to assist with assessing an organization’s ability to integrate behavioral health services Describe strategies for initiating conversations with the team about integrating behavioral health in primary care settings Identify business models for integrated care Describe different approaches to initiating and maintaining behavioral health in primary care   Target Audience: Behavioral Health Providers Primary Care Providers Nurses   Learn more: https://bit.ly/ComingHometoIC  

COVID-19 Mental Health (MH) Telehealth Response and Sustainability Assessment is a research study on the use of virtual behavioral health services during the pandemic. Its purpose is to gain a better understanding of: How agencies are using telehealth The pros and cons of telehealth services Projected use of telehealth services post-pandemic    Thank you to those who participated in our survey. Your input will be invaluable in our study of telehealth services in the era of COVID-19 and beyond.

The National American Indian and Alaska Native Mental Health Technology Transfer Center would like to share with you Volume 2, Issue 2 of our newsletter, Mental Health in our Native American Communities for Fall 2020: Pandemic Mental Health: What Can We Expect? Please take a few moments to explore this issue.

This is the slide deck for Considerations in Maintaining Equity on Our Path to Pediatric Primary Care, the fourth session in our series Coming Home to Primary Care: Pediatric Integrated Health. This session will cover considerations associated with racial equity in primary care settings. It is important to ensure that efforts are made to increase access to behavioral health services in primary care clinics. Speakers will identify ways to improve, enhance, and maintain an equitable integrated care practice.   Learning Objectives: Describe racial equity considerations in integrated care Identify resources to achieve health equity in primary care Describe evidence-based strategies utilized by the health care team for efforts associated with reducing disparities   Target Audience: Behavioral Health Providers Primary Care Providers Nurses   Learn more: https://bit.ly/ComingHometoIC  

This session will cover considerations associated with racial equity in primary care settings. It is important to ensure that efforts are made to increase access to behavioral health services in primary care clinics. Speakers will identify ways to improve, enhance, and maintain an equitable integrated care practice.   Learning Objectives: Describe racial equity considerations in integrated care Identify resources to achieve health equity in primary care Describe evidence-based strategies utilized by the health care team for efforts associated with reducing disparities   Target Audience: Behavioral Health Providers Primary Care Providers Nurses   Learn more: https://bit.ly/ComingHometoIC  

      Hard copies of the toolkit are also available. If you'd prefer a hard copy, please reach out to us at [email protected]. Strengthening Resilience: Promoting Positive School Mental Health Among Indigenous Youth   The purpose of this document is to provide tools for K-12 educators, administrators, and mental health treatment providers to better address the learning and behavioral health needs of Indigenous youth in a holistic manner. It is also a resource for faculty working in higher education to prepare future professionals, particularly those planning to work in tribal communities with children and youth. The focus of this document is on resilience and well-being of Indigenous youth in a historical context. The historical review provides a greater understanding of the role of boarding schools, forced colonization, and assimilation resulting in cultural genocide and their impact on education.   Strengthening Resilience: Promoting Positive School Mental Health Among Indigenous Youth identifies how unmet needs can be addressed through a fictitious case scenario, focusing on resilience and culturally responsive practices. The document also addresses the role of trauma to assist educators and providers to advance a greater understanding of the cultural context of Indigenous youth. Strategies and resources are provided to include the Seven Teachings and the Circle of Courage that can be incorporated into traditional teachings in the k-12 curriculums and adapted in any school. This results in opportunities to teach all youth about traditional practices of our Indigenous populations. Finally, a host of resources are provided that are easily accessible to the reader who wishes to learn more about school-based responses that can be effective in working with Indigenous youth. The resources are based on best-practices to include increasing cultural awareness of tribal history, language, and culture within the full continuum of educational and behavioral health response. This document serves as a supplement to the technical assistance efforts provided by Mountain Plain Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) entitled Building Capacity of School Personnel to Promote Mental Health in Native American Children and Youth. The focus of the training was to build capacity of school teams to promote positive mental health throughout the school day through embedded strategies in response to mental health needs of children and youth. Authors LaVonne Fox Sarah Nielsen Thomasine Heitkamp Shawnda Schroeder  

Development of Internship Training Opportunities in School Mental Health describes how the Mid-America MHTTC aided in establishing comprehensive school mental health training programs through effective and collaborative partnerships and discusses ideas for graduate-level training. Speakers: Erika Franta, PhD, Mindy Chadwell, PhD, Brandy Clarke, PhD This presentation was developed for the Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health on Oct. 29, 2020.

Focusing on recovery goals during the current pandemic may be difficult for many individuals participating in mental health services. Specifically, individuals' lives may have been disrupted due to personal illness, economic factors, and increased family responsibilities. Progress toward recovery goals, such as employment, education, living, and wellness, may have been put on hold while basic needs are addressed. This webinar will provide practitioners with the tools and strategies to assist individuals with refocusing on recovery goals. SMART goal planning will be discussed and applied to recovery goals.   Session Objectives: Define recovery Describe the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on wellness and recovery goals Identify the services and practices that support recovery principles Apply SMART recovery goal planning   Trainer: Joni Dolce, MS, CRC, CPRP, is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers, School of Health Professions. Joni has several years of experience working in behavioral healthcare settings, namely supported employment. Joni teaches courses in the AS and BS in Psychiatric Rehabilitation programs as well as providing training and technical assistance to behavioral healthcare providers. Her research interests include staff training and employment services. She presents nationally on the topic of employment services and is listed as a Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) recommended speaker on the topic of creating workplaces that support mental health.   View Presentation Slides

Presentation slides

This presentation will focus on a community-based, compassionate approach to addressing issues related to children’s mental health and trauma with 7 features essential to providing valuable, cost-effective services to children and youth with serious behavioral and emotional challenges. We will include suggestions for implementing a mental health support services team in a way that serves youth’s needs without stigmatization or additional funding, with concrete examples of our methods.    Presenter(s):  Christine Mason, PhD Dana Asby, MA MEd Martha Staeheli, PhD