Products and Resources Catalog

The Pacific Southwest MHTTC School Mental Health Monthly shares resources, events, and insights to support school leadership, educators, and staff throughout HHS Region 9.

This infographic describes how school mental health improves treatment access and engagement for youth.

While racism and classism are not exclusive to the United States, the American paradigm is unique due to its history of slavery, conquest, and immigration.  Each new wave of immigrants to America has experienced systematic inequality in a system based on ethnic and racial oppression. The pressure of conforming and confronting this system produces stress and mental anguish, which primarily afflicts minority communities.  In the recorded presentation Liberty, Humiliation, and Identity: Race and the Suffering of America, Albert Thompson will cover how to engage in a dialogue about physical and mental health that encompasses societal morbidity. We will examine how particular events in our history demonstrate the consequences of racial views and our need to listen and engage. Behavioral health providers must consider race and the impact it has on leadership. Change leaders need to be politically and socially knowledgeable, listen, and understand a broader perspective of historical foreign and domestic policy related to race, ethnicity, and culture. To gain the agility necessary to navigate within an ever-growing diverse population in need of mental health and addiction services in our country, we must consider elevating skills that transcend culture and human-made racial boundaries.

In collaboration with the Opioid Response Network and the New England Region 1 Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, CCSME offered this two-part series to address the relationships between infant and adolescent trauma, and the risk and potential for a substance use disorder outcome. Participants in this webinar learned about the various ways addiction impacts the maternal and infant brain, how to identify prevention strategies, how to describe the significance of attachment parenting to promote infant resilience, and discussed the risk of inherited genetics. To access a copy of this presentation, click here Presenter (s):  Katie Volk and Dr. Jeffrey Goldsmith

The webinar is designed to assist those serving in law enforcement to help identify common mental health issues that pertain to the unique nature of the work that they do. Participants will be able to identify and distinguish between secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, and trauma which can occur as a result of the work that they do and to develop resilience in light of the impact of these components on their total health. In addition, they will be able to identify strategies that will enhance their overall health and functioning.   Webinar Objectives: Define vicarious trauma and traumatization, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, resilience, and vicarious resilience Discuss how working with a traumatized population affects law enforcement staff Provide suggestions for assessing your own levels of vicarious trauma and traumatization, secondary traumatic stress, compassion fatigue, burnout, resilience, and vicarious resilience Identify particular strategies that enhance both personal and professional resilience and self-care   Download and view presentation slides, transcript, and resources

The Mental Health Toll on Law Enforcement: Burnout, Compassion Fatigue and Secondary Traumatic Stress Presentation Slides, Transcript, and Resources

Farm Stress: Facts, Impact of COVID-19, and Resource and Training Needs of Mental Health Care Providers Following the release of a new product (Depression, Alcohol and Farm Stress: Addressing Co-Occurring Disorders in Rural America) by authors at the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) and the Mountain Plains Addiction Technology Transfer Center, MHTTC team members from two regions contacted key stakeholders in May 2020 to assess the impact of the farm crisis and perceptions regarding next steps. Feedback from these providers and key stakeholders is included in this brief along with updated data related to farm stress and mental health implications. These interviews and data will guide future activity for both the Mountain Plains and Mid-America ATTCs and MHTTCs.  The brief also provides a long list of resources for assisting providers in addressing the mental health of farmers and their families.    Authors Shawnda Schroeder, Mountain Plains MHTTC Thomasine Heitkamp, Mountain Plains MHTTC and ATTC Brandy Clarke, Mid-America MHTTC Erika Holiday, Mid-America ATTC Amy Breigenzer, Mountain Plains MHTTC Shelbie Johnson, Mid-America MHTTC                                More Resources on Farm Stress and Rural Mental Health The Mountain Plains MHTTC has developed two separate resource pages focused on Farm Stress and Mental Health, and Rural Mental Health. On these pages you will find previous webinar archives, products developed, and additional information and resources from reputable organizations. Farm Stress and Mental Health Resources Rural Mental Health Resources

  With the sudden rapid transmission of COVID-19, new federal guidelines on social distancing, and local stay-at-home orders by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker in early March, 2020, The Brookline Center, like community mental health centers across the region, was forced to very quickly push out a plan to efficiently, effectively, and safely move the vast majority of their client visits to remote sessions. As a midsize organization, The Brookline Center staffs 80 clinicians and conducts approximately 38,000 client visits per year. Even prior to March, 2020, The Brookline Center (Brookline, Massachusetts) had been planning to offer remote client services. They had launched an electronic health record system and purchased a HIPAA-compliant Zoom account. They developed a draft telehealth policy. Implementation had yet to begin, though.     As news of a stay-at-home order came in, Ian Lang, Chief Executive Officer, and Hannah Scott, Chief Operating Officer, immediately met with the Program Director and Clinical Directors to generate expectations, workplans, and timelines for clinician training and swift roll-out of telehealth processes. Next, the senior staff developed and piloted a staff training to be delivered remotely using the same technology that the clinicians would be using for client visits.   The single-day training requirements included two prerequisites: Review of the organizational policy, procedures, guidelines, and required documentation for remote client visits. Review of four short videos about telehealth.   Staff then participated in a two-hour live online staff training session on skill and strategies for conducting client visits using video conferencing technology.   Within one week of Governor Baker’s stay-at-home order, The Brookline Center had finalized their telehealth policies and procedures, trained all their staff, and launched their telehealth services with all 80 staff clinicians. At the end of that first week with a stay-at-home order, The Brookline Center had already conducted 450 remote client visits. Now, six weeks later, they conduct 1,000 remote client visits weekly and have begun to conduct online group sessions as well. The Brookline Center continues to have a small subset of clinicians on site for clinical emergencies.     Tips for Organizations Transitioning to Telehealth   Drawing from their experiences, New England MHTTC staff writer Bethany Marcogliese spoke with Ian Lang, Chief Executive Officer, and Hannah Scott, Chief Operating Officer, about the process and what they would suggest for other organizations making the switch to telehealth.   Pilot protocols, procedures, and training materials ahead of launching them with staff. The Brookline Center conducted a one-day pilot implementation before training and launching the transition with the entire staff. During the pilot day, a small group of staff clinicians received the training as planned, then used the online meeting platform to role play a client visit with a colleague, and finally conducted a client visit using the technology, protocols, and procedures they had learned. At the end of the day, the pilot group of clinicians provided feedback to the trainers and senior staff on their experiences, specifically addressing areas of the training and documentation that needed to be added, clarified, or revised. By taking a day to pilot the use of these materials, the trainers and senior staff were able to improve the quality, clarity, and completeness of the materials prior to wider distribution.   Ease staff into the transition with a soft start. Prior to the training, The Brookline Center sent clinicians credentials for the meeting platform they would be using for the training, staff meetings, and client visits. They practiced signing in and navigating the online meeting technology in a low-pressure environment, ahead of the training and full transition. This soft start helped ease the team’s anxiety about the technology itself and allowed for more efficient and effective use of training time.   Communicate with staff often and in a variety of ways. Senior staff established regular and varied communication channels as soon as their staff began working remotely so that clinicians would continue to feel connected and supported throughout the transition. In the early days of the pandemic when the situation was constantly evolving, Hannah Scott would email the staff daily with updates and any new or changed guidance on protocols or procedures. She has now moved to three emails weekly. In addition, clinicians meet with the full staff and with their clinical teams weekly, where they have the opportunity to share their experiences, ask questions, and provide feedback.   Build in some fun to break up the intensity. When possible, dedicate time during staff meetings for connection and laughter. The Brookline Center staff has spent time during their meetings sharing pictures of their pets and conducting Kahoot! quizzes to break up the intensity in their day.     Challenges of Moving Staff and Services to Remote   While The Brookline Center was able to rapidly launch remote client visits in response to COVID-19, the transition from an on-site to mostly remote organization has not been without challenges. Ian Lang describes the move to remote client visits as “the tip of the iceberg” of making the organization function remotely. With such a sudden transition, the staff are continually discovering issues that require a whole new way of doing their job. Decisions that were once made by a discussion in the hallway or a transfer of documents that once happened with a fax machine or walk down the hall to a colleague’s office now need to be documented and tracked electronically. The organization has had to completely rethink how they use paper in their day-to-day processes and move these systems online. They are now using Microsoft Teams, Sharepoint, and DocuSign in a much more intentional and nuanced way to help make up for the lack of paper and in-person transactions.   A particular pain point for the organization during this switch was the intake process. Previously, new clients would be evaluated on-site and required to fill out an extensive intake packet on paper. After two weeks conducting remote visits with existing clients, The Brookline Center began seeing new clients remotely. While the switch to remote client evaluations was relatively smooth, the conversion of the intake packet to a HIPAA-compliant user-friendly electronic form and registration process to an electronic transaction required significant effort to test and implement. The transition to an electronic intake process has been fully implemented, which will help support the increasing numbers of new clients The Brookline Center is seeing, as the pandemic becomes a long-duration event.   In a rapidly evolving health care and insurance payment landscape with regulations and requirements for services constantly changing in response to COVID-19, senior staff are continuing to course correct and update the policies, procedures, and guidelines for staff as needed. Hannah Scott has found that frequent email communications and staff and team meetings have helped keep the staff informed and connected.     How are Clinicians and Clients Coping with the Switch?   Overall, the feedback from The Brookline Center clinicians and clients about the switch to remote visits has been positive. Though the sudden transition has been a strain, clinicians report feeling supported, well-trained, and pleasantly surprised at how easy it has been to switch to providing services online. The staff training included guidance for clinicians to orient their clients to the technology and resources for troubleshooting issues with the online platform, which has helped client visits run smoothly. Clinicians have also been able to devise new and innovative ways to engage their clients online. For example, playing online games with their young clients.   The Brookline Center reports a generally positive response to the transition from their clients as well. They have found that most of their clients feel comfortable engaging with clinicians remotely, though they will provide phone-only sessions for clients that do not have the technology or comfort level to use the video conferencing component.   Lessons learned:   The switch to remote services and internal processes has improved the organization. The Brookline Center has found that the strides made in this condensed amount of time will benefit them post-pandemic. Ian Lang recognizes that, “the pandemic forced us to change for the better.”   Lack of place does not negate support. The Brookline Center has been heartened by the fact that they continue to provide quality mental health services to the community, even without a physical space for clients to go to.   Community mental health centers exist for times like this. As a community mental health center committed to providing outstanding, affordable mental health care and community-based social services, The Brookline Center has been able to swiftly respond to the changing needs of their community. Beyond mental health services, they have worked with The Brookline Foundation and the Town of Brookline, to increase their support of rent and basic expenses by nearly 500%, shift from one-time support of basic expenses to ongoing, expand housing services, and support an increasing number of clients who are accessing public benefits for the first time.     Helpful Tools and Resources for Organizations Transitioning to Telehealth   Select a HIPAA-compliant video conferencing platform, such as Zoom for Healthcare Set up a cloud-based secure internal document sharing and communication system for staff, such as Microsoft Teams or G Suite from Google Transfer all paper forms (including intake packets) to a secure electronic solution, such as DocuSign. Convert your phone lines to a cloud-based platform that can be used remotely, such as RingCentral. For more information and best practice strategies for transitioning to telehealth, visit MHTTC’s Responding to COVID-19: Building Telehealth Capacity resource page.      

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed prevention strategy aimed at reducing distress and increasing resilience during and following mass disasters, including natural disasters and pandemics. PFA provides a flexible framework for specialty and non-specialty providers to support affected individuals and help them mobilize their natural, adaptive coping strategies. The Trauma Recovery Innovations program at the University of Washington has been adapting PFA to support members of the health care work force amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Download the Presentation here View Video Here Presenters Michele Bedard-Gilligan, PhD, Associate Professor, UW Dept of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Emily R. Dworkin, PhD, Acting Assistant Professor, UW Dept of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences   Resources UW Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences COVID-19: Resources to Promote Mental Well-Being For Providers: Psychological First Aid (PFA) Cheat Sheet PFA Coping Infographic PFA Core Skills Infographic  PFA Grounding Infographic   For Leadership: PFA Core Skills for Managers PFA Coping Infographic  PFA Grounding Infographic

Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an evidence-informed prevention strategy aimed at reducing distress and increasing resilience during and following mass disasters, including natural disasters and pandemics. PFA provides a flexible framework for specialty and non-specialty providers to support affected individuals and help them mobilize their natural, adaptive coping strategies. The Trauma Recovery Innovations program at the University of Washington has been adapting PFA to support members of the health care work force amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. Download the Presentation here View Video Here Presenters Michele Bedard-Gilligan, PhD, Associate Professor, UW Dept of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences Emily R. Dworkin, PhD, Acting Assistant Professor, UW Dept of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences   Resources UW Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences COVID-19: Resources to Promote Mental Well-Being For Providers: Psychological First Aid (PFA) Cheat Sheet PFA Coping Infographic PFA Core Skills Infographic  PFA Grounding Infographic   For Leadership: PFA Core Skills for Managers PFA Coping Infographic  PFA Grounding Infographic

On June 16th, Dana Asby, M.A., M.Ed., the Center for Educational Improvement's (CEI) Director of Innovation and Research Support, shared more about trauma-informed yoga and related mindfulness practices like breath work, mantras, visualization, and mindful awareness exercises. The Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative (C-TLC )is being conducted as part of the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (New England MHTTC). The collaborative is designed to foster alliances to address the needs of children and youth who have experienced/are at risk of experiencing significant trauma.   To access the powerpoint slides to the presentation, click here. 

The Pacific Southwest MHTTC Monthly Bulletin provides resources, events, and news that are relevant to the diverse mental health workforce in HHS Region 9. Each Monthly Bulletin includes a spotlight section on youth and young adult mental health, our national area of focus.

  The Region 7 Mid-America Technology Transfer Centers (TTCs) recognize that Black communities in our country are hurting as the result of violence, bigotry and racism. Racism and discrimination are associated with dire behavioral and physical health issues, including depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and substance use disorders. We know that disparities in equitable access to services and resources perpetuate these issues. Across the Mid-America region, we commit to collectively increasing our efforts to develop a collaborative plan with our community partners to be part of a solution to promote equity, safety and health for our communities. As a start to our efforts to promote behavioral health equity for all, we have compiled some resources that may support you in your work. Download the document here.   Author(s): Robinson, L./Mid-America MHTTC; Stilen, P./Mid-America ATTC; Closson, D./Mid-America PTTC  

Covid-19 has impacted many lives globally. With this drastic and sudden change in our world, caregivers in all areas are more likely to experience compassion fatigue. Many workers have been pushed to the limit as they seek to adjust to a “new normal.” This presentation defines and identifies the signs and symptoms of compassion fatigue while also offering suggestions in avoiding and/or overcoming compassion fatigue. Our presenter further discusses healthy self-care activities while also developing boundaries and balance between work and home life. Click here to view our accompanying Compassion Fatigue Fact Sheet. 

The Northwest MHTTC invites you to read our June newsletter. In this newsletter we celebrate Pride Month and share resources on behavioral health for the LGBTQIA+ community and allies. In addition, we share upcoming events on equity topics, including culturally affirming and responsive approaches to engagement, treatment, and recovery and Black leadership in US health care and health policy, as well as related resources, such as the BIPOC Project, the National Center for Transgender Equality, the National Queer and Trans Therapists of Color Network (NQTTCNN) and the Human Rights Campaign. We also are pleased to announce the topics and guests speakers for our upcoming June and July national ACT virtual meetings, held in collaboration with the Institute for Best Practices at the University of North Carolina.

This is a PDF version of the slides shared in this presentation!

During this webinar, the authors of Visioning Onward provided inspiration, insights, exercises, and Q&A to prepare you to vision with your schools and districts. In this time of COVID-19, visioning is a critical part of planning for our future. We learned about visioning by examining the work of Starbucks, Amazon, and other corporate giants. Participants received a study guide to take our virtual approach back to your schools and districts to conduct your own visioning sessions. They guided you through our 8-step iterative visioning approach, explaining the importance of visioning for success in business and in education, and helping you plan for visioning with your staff and local communities. We did this with an eye towards the neurobiology of trauma and ways to foster self-care and the well-being of staff and students that are signature components of CEI’s Heart Centered Learning® approach to social emotional learning and mindfulness. To download a copy of this presentation, click here. Presenter (s): Chris Mason, Ph.D., Paul Liabenow, & Melissa Patschke, Ed.D.

This guide will help school leaders implement recommendations from our guided discussion series in their own schools and districts.    Module I: Visioning Amid COVID-19 Why Visioning Matters and How to Introduce it in Schools Module II: Our 8-Step Visioning Process (Starting with Steps 1-4) Module III: Implementing Steps 3 & 4 Module IV: Creative Considerations for Visioning Module V: Implementing Step 5 Module VI: Steps 6-8 of the Visioning Process Mission and Goal Setting Barriers and Sustainability and the Future of Visioning

Week 3 Training #6: Telehealth and Substance Use Disorders View the video here Access slides here Presenter:  Mark Duncan, MD, Assitant Professor, UW Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences; Co-Medical Director UW PACC, Telepsychiatry Rotation, and Advanced Collaborative Care - Addictions Medical Education Learning Objectives Briefly review what the evidence says about telehealth SUD treatment Outline a telehealth SUD visit Develop understanding around special considerations for SUD treatment Highlight changes in SUD treatment due to the Pandemic Describe supplemental digital programs

Week 4 Training #7: 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA Access slides here View video here Resources: Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (CoE-PHI) Resource Library Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (CoE-PHI) Request Technical Assistance Video: Tips to Keep Your Telehealth Visit Private Telehealth and Privacy Tips for for Providers Telehealth and Privacy Tips for Clients   Presenters: Christine Khaikin, JD - CoE-PHI Health Policy Sally Friedman, JD - CoE-PHI Senior Health Privacy Training and TA Director Caroline Waterman, MA,LRC,CRC - CoE-PHI SUD Lead Michael Graziano, MPA - CoE-PHI Project Director   Learning Objectives Identify basic requirements of 42 CFR Part 2 and HIPAA Explore recent changes to federal privacy laws outlined within the CARES act Explore privacy law application to telehealth in accordance with recently released SAMHSA and OCR guidance Describe how to access resources and TA provided by the Center of Excellence for Protected health Information (CoE-PHI)

Our webinar from JUNE 10th, 2020 Understanding Suicide Introduction and General Information on Suicide Prevention is available for viewing at the link above.

For a subset of individuals affected by COVID-19, events related to the global pandemic may lead to PTSD symptoms. For others, the pandemic and related stressors may exacerbate existing PTSD symptoms. This 1 hour webinar guides attendees through what the state of the science is to date on PTSD and COVID-19, and how it may affect implementation of treatment of existing or new PTSD symptoms.   Download the slides here.   Read the FAQs here.

This video provides an overview of the Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center's school mental health program.   Author(s): Clarke, B.L., Franta, E., Robinson, L./Mid-America MHTTC

The School Leader Series is brought to you by Sound Supports, LLC, Northwest PBIS Network, and the Association of Washington School Principals in partnership with the school mental health supplement to the Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. This webinar is the last event in the 3-part School Leader Series. Learn more about the series and access other webinar recordings here.  ABOUT THE SERIES: This webinar series is focused on the role of the school leader in creating and maintaining a positive climate and culture virtually during the global pandemic and in the building upon the return to school. We know these are challenging times and want to provide information you can use immediately and to use for the plans to return to school as part of your MTSS framework. The series is broken into three 90-minute sessions on three separate dates. *Please note that the last session is a chance to get your questions addressed LIVE!   SERIES OBJECTIVES:  Describe how trauma/extreme stress impacts our ability to learn, and executive functioning skills Identify guiding ideas, and concrete steps, school leaders can take to support teachers, families, and themselves emotionally Identify how the core features of MTSS, including systems, practices, and data, can be shaped to address build protective factors for the school community now. Identify how the core features of MTSS, including systems, practices, and data, can be shaped to address build protective factors for the school community once your students are back in the building.   >> Presentation PDF >>> Helpful Links & Resources The School Leader Series is part of The Well-Being Series - Connections During COVID-19: Mental Wellness Webinars for Families and Educators. Click here to learn more about our series of webinars for kids, parents, and educators, focusing on mental wellness and suicide prevention.  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.