Products and Resources Catalog

This panel includes presentations from the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network highlighting key workforce challenges of rural mental health providers. Presenters highlighted regional expertise in tele-behavioral health and pediatric integrated primary care as key strategies to manage behavioral health workforce challenges. Presenters also described technical assistance and training opportunities available through the MHTTC Network to address rural mental health workforce challenges.

Dr. Irwin discusses health disparities for individuals with serious mental illness across the cancer continuum. She reviews the development of a model of person-centered collaborative care, including findings from a recent randomized trial, and introduces a coalition dedicated to ensuring mental illness is never a barrier to cancer care.   Presenter: Dr. Kelly Irwin is an Assistant Professor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a faculty psychiatrist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center and MGH Schizophrenia Program. She is the founding director of the Collaborative Care and Community Engagement Program, a clinical and research initiative dedicated to improving cancer outcomes for individuals with serious mental illness in the Center for Psychiatric Oncology and Behavioral Sciences at the Mass General Cancer Center.   View a recoding of this 9/22/23 session here. 

These guides accompany the Trauma-Informed Basics e-Learning Modules and can be used by facilitators when supporting others in deeper engagement and learning of the content presented in the three training modules. The Appendix contains additional materials to support module learning, including breathing and relaxation guides and notes for case consultations in the modules.

The South Southwest MHTTC collaborated with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers to host the Trauma Informed Care (TIC) Series: Knowledge & Strategies for Health and Hope Session 3 on September 12, 2023. This session focused on TIC and Care Coordination through Cross-Sector Collaborations Trauma Informed Care is an evidence-based framework particularly suited to collaboratively identify risk factors to care, such as medication access and use, therapeutic engagement, and non-medical resource needs and navigation. Watch the presentation here: https://vimeo.com/864559372/d534e9b150?share=copy  

The fourth September issue of our newsletter spotlights the MHTTC Network Newsletter, features two upcoming Northwest MHTTC webinars, MHTTC & ATTC network events, other events of interest and resources. 

School violence, including school-based gun violence, is a major public health issue that has negative consequences for students, families, schools, and communities (Basile et al., 2020; Peterson et al., 2021). One approach that schools have adopted to address school violence is behavioral threat assessment (BTA). Based on a request from our funder, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), we developed a report on behavioral threat assessment and its intersection with youth mental health. This report aims to: Describe the problem of school violence and how BTA became a widely implemented school violence prevention strategy; Report on the current state of BTA implementation and its effectiveness; Discuss considerations for the fit and appropriateness of using BTA in schools; and Offer recommendations for schools, policymakers, funders, researchers, and SAMHSA on addressing BTA use in schools.

This 5-hour asynchronous course is a free, self-paced, basic orientation to the components of coordinated specialty care for early psychosis. It is appropriate for new staff working on an early psychosis team or anyone interested in learning more about this topic. Each course module is co-presented by individuals with professional and lived experience. Topics include: introduction to psychosis, culturally responsive coordinated specialty care, peer support services, individual therapy, medication management, family psychoeducation and support, and supported education and employment. Access the course.

  This toolkit offers resources and a roadmap from the National Family Support Technical Assistance Center, the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, and the National Center for School Mental Health to move schools from the tokenism that often comes with family involvement to authentic family engagement. Learn how incorporating Family Peer Specialists on school-based mental health teams can move schools towards family-driven partnership and support for youth experiencing mental health and/or substance use challenges.

In this series, participants will learn about implementing and evaluating new or existing programs at their agency. In this second session, the implementation stage will be covered. View session recording.

To view resources from this session, click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Event Description The medicine wheel is a well known Indigenous Intervention.  The areas in this sacred circle include emotional, mental, physical and spiritual.  Often the spiritual connection is minimized or avoided because many may not feel comfortable or knowledgeable to address this area and or confuse it with religion. This is an essential component to address when looking at suicide prevention. To help the individual to identify and align their actions, beliefs and values is an essential component to achieve balance and healing.   For this presentation we will focus on Exploring what is the spirit of healing How to honor the spirit of the youth and Identity strategies to help them honor their spirit as well   Trainer LaVonne Fox Peltier, PhD LaVonne is the Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Turtle Mountain Tribal Community College in Belcourt, ND. She was born and raised on the Turtle Mountain Chippewa reservation. She has considerable experience working with children, youth, and young adults with mental health issues in mental health facilities. Her focus and passion areas are developing Indigenous culturally based interventions to address mental health issues. She also stresses the need to focus on strength-based approaches versus commonly used deficit-based practices.

  To view resources from this training, please click DOWNLOAD Recording coming soon! Event Description Being an ally is a continuous action, not a badge of honor. Allyship in action not only promotes inclusion, belonging, and equitable practices, it also contributes to the social, emotional, physical, and mental wellness of each individual within our various communities. Ijeoma Oluo writes, “when we identify where our privilege intersects with somebody else’s oppression, we’ll find our opportunity to make real change.” In this workshop, we will explore the core foundations of authentic allyship, such as understanding marginality and privilege across various dimensions of diversity, the emotional intelligence needed to better understand when to listen and when to speak up, and creating authentic partnerships to enact meaningful change. While the primary focus of this workshop is on K-12 educational institutions, the content is applicable to higher education and corporate spaces as well. This will be an interactive workshop with time for self-reflection and group conversations, so please bring something to write with and try to log on using your computer rather than a mobile device. Trainers Rana Razzaque   Dr. Rana Razzaque’s commitment to improving opportunity, access, and inclusion for all children has driven her educational and professional journey. This commitment has deepened over time due to her own lived experiences and the continuous learning she seeks out on a variety of topics related to equity and inclusion, the persistent disparities for marginalized communities, and the deep need to build understanding and empathy through courageous conversations with people from multiple perspectives. Rana was born in Bangladesh, raised in Maryland, spent her adolescence in Texas, and spent a couple of years in Arizona before moving to Denver in 2011. In the warmer months, you might find Rana hiking with her husband, Rob, and her dog Eeyore. She also loves reading (especially fiction and poetry), trying out new recipes to cook, going to concerts, boxing, and indoor rock climbing (even though she is afraid of heights). Rana received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin and Arizona State University, respectively, and focused her thesis research on the impact of literary influence on colonizing South Asia in the 17th century. In 2017, she earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Denver and focused her dissertation research on how mindfulness influences the culturally responsive practices of educators. Rana has served as Social Emotional Learning Partner in Denver Public Schools, Program Development Coordinator with Sources of Strength, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Specialist at Jeffco Public Schools, and is now the Director of Opportunity, Access, and Inclusion at Englewood Schools in Colorado. Her work intersects culturally responsive and sustaining practices with social-emotional learning and transformative educational leadership. Rana’s mission is to ensure that youth and educators have an intentional focus on honoring diverse cultures and identities, utilizing challenges as opportunities to build resilience, and holistically supporting themselves and others to equitably reach their highest potential.   Jessica Havens   As a veteran educator, Jessica has years of experience in a myriad of roles: HS Teacher, Youth Facilitator and Adjunct Professor. In 2012, she received her M.A. in Women and Gender Studies from DePaul University in Chicago with a focus on both anti-racist white identity development and the intersections of race and gender. She has spent the most recent decade doing diversity, equity and inclusion work as an Institutional DEI Consultant, Strategist and Facilitator. She brings a strong intersectional lens to all of her work, helping people and institutions think holistically about how identity (race, class, gender, sexuality, religion, ability) impacts how we see and move through the world. To learn more about her work, approach & testimonials, visit her website: www.jessicahavens.com

To view resources from this training, please click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Event Description This presentation will help attendees (1) understand the nuances in refugee/immigrant/newcomer experiences and backgrounds, (2) critically examine the intersections of race and immigration in the U.S. historical context, and (3) explore strategies to support refugee and newcomer immigrant students in K-12 settings. Trainer Marie L. Tanaka   Dr. Marie L. Tanaka (she/her/ella) is a multilingual Japanese-Korean American, cisgender daughter of immigrants. Dr. Tanaka earned her doctorate from the University of Arizona’s school psychology program where she minored in Social, Cultural, Critical Theory. She has several years of experience instructing newcomer immigrant middle school students and has taught adolescents abroad as part of a Fulbright scholarship. In Arizona, she mentored as part of the Refugee Youth Mentorship Program and volunteered at Casa Alitas, a program that assists migrant families and asylum seekers arriving in the U.S. At the UofA, Dr. Tanaka initiated a partnership between her doctoral program and the Immigrant Student Resource Center on campus so under/graduate students with DACA, undocumented status, and/or from mixed-family status backgrounds could receive high-quality, culturally relevat mental health services. Dr. Tanaka’s research has covered various topics including the examination of (1) how middle school teachers both support and unknowingly undermine racially/ethnically minoritized newcomer immigrant student growth and (2) experiences of Black Indigenous Women of Color graduate students in school psychology doctoral programs. In her free time, she enjoys caring for plants and dogs, learning languages, and playing through acroyoga. She values rest, community, accountability, and genuineness.

Download the presentation slides here Feeling the Back to School blues? Stressed being on campus again? Interested in hacks that help make it better? This session is designed for all of you showing up to navigate the new year with students and colleagues. You have a lot to do. This is an opportunity to make sure YOU are on your own to-do list. Take care of you right now and this year using efficient tools and strategies. Building on self-care and collective care modules from earlier in this series, our session distills practices that anyone can use to boost resilience, buffer stress, and sustain wellness. This session identifies free resources that help ease the transition into the school year right now and support your well-being all year long.  This session is for all school and district staff, including but not limited to principals, vice principals, health/wellness coordinators, teachers, aides, school mental health providers, and other adults on campus.

As systems move toward providing trauma-informed care, it is important for everyone at all levels of an organization to understand the basics of trauma-informed care. The following resources and courses introduce participants to understanding stress, understanding trauma, and understanding trauma-informed care. All organizational staff can complete the course to develop a shared language, understand stress and trauma, connect the role of resilience in response to adversity and trauma, and identify ways everyone in the organization can support trauma-informed care and implement trauma-informed approaches. This online course was created collaboratively between the South Southwest MHTTC and the Texas Cross-Systems Trauma-Informed Care Initiative with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).  The learning modules are housed on a website hosted by the TTC network that provides free training. You will be asked to set up a free account to access the training, which also allows you access to any training on the website. Please set up your account here.  The three modules are approximately one hour each. Each module offers its own certificate of completion with continuing education credits Module 1: Understanding Stress Module 2: Understanding Trauma Module 3: Understanding Trauma-Informed Care

Northwest MHTTC staff met with Alaska stakeholders and advisory board members March 29, 2023, on Zoom to discuss regional training needs, hear feedback, and connect with an eye toward future collaboration. This executive summary highlights overarching themes from this meeting as well as key points. Read more about this State planning series.

Northwest MHTTC staff met with Idaho stakeholders and advisory board members March 8, 2023, on Zoom to discuss regional training needs, hear feedback, and connect with an eye toward future collaboration. This executive summary highlights overarching themes from this meeting as well as key points. Read more about this State planning series.

Northwest MHTTC staff met with Oregon stakeholders and advisory board members March 6, 2023, on Zoom to discuss regional training needs, hear feedback, and connect with an eye toward future collaboration. This executive summary highlights overarching themes from this meeting as well as key points. Read more about this State planning series.

Northwest MHTTC staff met with Washington stakeholders and advisory board members March 10, 2023, on Zoom to discuss regional training needs, hear feedback, and connect with an eye toward future collaboration. This executive summary highlights overarching themes from this meeting as well as key points. Read more about this State planning series.

Objectives: Identify common experiences (i.e., microaggressions, burnout, and secondary trauma) of BIPOC trainees. Examine the power differentials that exist between supervisors and supervisees. Create collaborative supervision contracts highlighting cultural integration. Identify ways to adapt clinic aesthetic, policies and procedures, language, and staff representation to support trainee’s experience over the year. Presented by: Patty Cerda-Lizarraga, Ph.D., Belinda Hinojos, PhD, LP, and Anitra Warrior, PhD, LP Patricia Cerda-Lizarraga, Ph.D., graduated from the University of California, Irvine with a double major in Cognitive Psychology and Spanish Language and Culture. She moved to the Midwest where she completed her Masters degree and doctoral degree in Counseling Psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Patricia previously worked as a staff psychologist at UNL where she provided individual and group therapy to college students. Patricia was the diversity coordinator at Counseling and Psychological Services at UNL and has a passion to work with issues of diversity and with people of color. She recently came on board at Morningstar to work with the American Indian population in Nebraska and expand her training in working with children and families. Dr. Patty was born and raised in Southern California. Together with her two young boys and her husband they have made Lincoln, Nebraska their home. Dr. Patty enjoys family time and taking trips to California and Mexico.   Belinda Hinojos, Ph.D., received her bachelor's degree in psychology and master's degree in counseling psychology from the University of Kansas. She completed her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She is a staff psychologist and training director with Morningstar. In this role, she provides mental health services to American Indian communities in Nebraska. This includes outreach and services to the Little Priest Tribal College and the Nebraska Indian Community College. Dr. Hinojos previously held the position of training director at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s (UNL) Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). Throughout her career, Dr. Hinojos has focused on increasing access to quality mental health services for people of color. She began her work at UNL-CAPS as the Diversity Coordinator and Latinx Outreach Specialist. Prior to starting her doctoral program, Dr. Hinojos worked at a community mental health agency in Kansas City providing mental health services to the Latinx community. She is an active member of the National Latinx Psychological Association. She currently serves on the Standing Committee on Diversity through the Association of Counseling Center Training Agencies, in addition to the Training Advisory Committee for the Minority Fellowship Program through the American Psychological Association.   Dr. Anitra Warrior is the owner of Morningstar Counseling and Consultation in Lincoln, Nebraska, and is from the Ponca Tribe of Oklahoma. She earned her Ph.D. in counseling psychology in 2015 and has operated her clinic since 2012. Since receiving her Ph.D., Dr. Warrior has established four additional clinics that are now located throughout eastern Nebraska. Morningstar offers counseling on two college campuses, as well as in schools, communities, and other integrated care locations with the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska. Clinic sites are based on reservations and in rural and urban settings. Dr. Warrior specializes in treating trauma in children through the utilization of evidenced based practices that have been adapted to the American Indian population. Most recently, Morningstar has become a training site for doctoral candidates with the Munroe-Meyer Institute. This track will focus on integrated care on the reservation as well as provide additional clinical training opportunities in schools, colleges, and in the tribal communities.   Learn more about the series — Decolonizing Training and Supervision: Implementing a Culturally Responsive Model of Training  

NAMI has many free support and educational programs. This talk reviews these programs and discuss NAMI's first book You Are Not Alone, where people who have lived with mental health conditions use their names and share what they have learned. They do so to reduce the isolation and shame so common with mental health conditions and to make meaning of their experience. Their lessons include ways they have found to live with symptoms, give to others, and build a life. Families who have learned to communicate and cope with loss will also share what they learned.   Presenter: Ken Duckworth, MD, is the chief medical officer of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). Ken is board certified in adult psychiatry and child and adolescent psychiatry, and is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.   View a recording of this 9/13/23 session here. 

In this series, participants will learn about implementing and evaluating new or existing programs at their agency. In this first session, the planning stage will be covered.   View session recording here.

View session recording here.   Are you supporting individuals in returning to post-secondary education? If so, you may be interested in attending this training on assessing the need for and identifying the different types of assistive technology and accommodations available for students with mental health conditions in post-secondary settings. Assistive technology and accommodations can significantly improve academic success; however, accessing these supports can be cumbersome. Additionally, there are many types of assistive technology devices/tools that students can use for academic success that range on a continuum from low to high tech. We will define assistive technology and accommodations in the post-secondary setting as well as explore the types of accommodations and assistive technology used to improve performance in post-secondary school settings. Various types of assistive technology and apps will be demonstrated. A representative from Disability Rights’ Assistive Technology Advocacy Center will also be available to provide an overview of relevant legislation and how to access assistive technology. We will utilize a service conceptualization framework and peer/expert discussions to apply the skills learned. If you wish, please come prepared to discuss an individual participating in services (Please no names or other identifying information). This training is in collaboration with the Integrated Employment Institute (IEI) at Rutgers University.   Presenters: Joni Dolce, M.S., CRC  Joni Dolce is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers School of Health Professions. Joni has many years of experience working in behavioral health services, specifically Supported Employment (SE), providing both direct services and supervising SE staff. She has authored and co-authored several articles and workbooks on employment and presents and provides webinars and trainings locally and nationally on a variety of employment related topics. She has provided training in SE on a national level, including at the NY Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, Washington State Healthcare Authority, the Veterans Administration, and SAMHSA’s Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC). She has taught/co-developed the inaugural academic courses for Rutgers in SE and Supported Education. Joni was training coordinator for a Field Initiated National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) grant evaluating the implementation of SE into Supportive Housing environments. Joni has been invited to present to Human Resource professionals on the topic of mental health in the workplace and is listed in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as a recommended speaker on this topic. She is currently a member of the MHTTC’s Dissemination and Implementation working group and is a past president of the National Rehabilitation Association’s NJ affiliate chapter and past secretary of the NJ Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. Joni is a doctoral candidate in Psychiatric Rehabilitation further exploring the impact of disclosure decision making in employment.     Amy Banko, M.S., LAC, NCC, CPRP Amy Banko is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers University. In addition to providing course instruction, Ms.Banko is a trainer and consultant at the Integrated Employment Institute of Rutgers. Within this role, she facilitates trauma-informed, Supported Employment & Supported Education training and technical assistance to enhance practitioner competencies and program outcomes. Previously, Ms. Banko was a clinical contributor on three NIDILRR funded studies focused on education, employment,  and trauma for individuals with mental health conditions. Additionally, Ms. Banko is a co-author of a best practice manual for providing career services to transition-age youth with mental health conditions. She currently serves as Co-Investigator on two NIDILRR funded studies related to postsecondary education, mental health conditions, and trauma. Ms. Banko’s research agenda focuses on rehabilitation counseling and social/transformative justice as well as critical disability theory as she seeks to build interventions and counseling services that bolster the social determinants of health for those with mental health conditions. Her passion is addressing disability stigma, internalized stigma, ableism, and improving the social determinants of health for people with disabilities and those who experience the intersectionality of disability with other marginalized and oppressed identities. Additionally, Ms. Banko leverages her lived experience of a mental health condition to inform her research, course instruction, and counseling. Ms. Banko is currently attending her doctoral studies at Kean University for Counseling and Supervision with a focus on the treatment of trauma.

Because individuals with vision loss can experience a higher prevalence of depression, anxiety, and other mental health issues as compared to their sighted peers, Prevent Blindness, the nation’s leading nonprofit eye health and safety organization, has engaged experts from around the country to raise awareness, provide education and offer newly developed resources for patients, care partners, and healthcare service professionals. According to a recent study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) one in four adults with vision loss reported anxiety or depression. Younger adults with vision loss had almost five times the risk of serious anxiety or depression compared to adults 65 and older.  “As a patient advocacy organization, we’ve heard for many years from our constituents that one of the biggest challenges of vision loss is how deeply it impacts mental health,” said Julie Grutzmacher, director of patient advocacy and population health initiatives at Prevent Blindness. “Working together with patients, their families and healthcare professionals, we are targeting specific areas for improvement and creating strategies to bring support for those whose mental health is significantly affected from vision impairments.”       Prevent Blindness recently convened an all-volunteer Mental Health Task Force, consisting of professionals from a variety of fields, including ophthalmology, optometry, social work and clinical psychology, as well as patients experiencing vision loss.  The group created the Vision Loss and Mental Health: Key Takeaways from an Interprofessional Task Force issue brief, and collectively identified opportunities to promote process improvement and advocacy in: vision rehabilitation, resource development and dissemination, training for providers (eye care, primary care and mental health),  developing an integrated eye care model. The issue brief is intended for policy makers, providers, professionals and program personnel. Funding support for the promotion and dissemination of the mental health issue brief has been provided by Horizon Therapeutics. As a next step, Prevent Blindness is working with the Task Force to develop training modules geared towards mental health providers. Through the free Living Well with Low Vision resource, Prevent Blindness offers the “Vision Loss and Mental Wellness” webpage. The site provides detailed steps to support mental health, and a listing of mental health services from a variety of organizations. For free information on general eye health, please visit PreventBlindness.org. For a patient guide, low vision resource directories and the latest news on low vision rehabilitation, research and developments in the treatment of eye disease, and a wide range of other topics, visit LowVision.PreventBlindness.org/.   About Prevent Blindness Founded in 1908, Prevent Blindness is the nation's leading volunteer eye health and safety organization dedicated to fighting blindness and saving sight. Focused on promoting a continuum of vision care, Prevent Blindness touches the lives of millions of people each year through public and professional education, advocacy, certified vision screening and training, community and patient service programs and research. These services are made possible through the generous support of the American public. Together with a network of affiliates, Prevent Blindness is committed to eliminating preventable blindness in America. For more information, visit us at PreventBlindness.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube.

The third September issue of our newsletter spotlights Hispanic Heritage Month, features an upcoming Northwest MHTTC webinar, MHTTC & ATTC network events, other events of interest and resources.