Products and Resources Catalog

  All public schools in California are required to offer Identity Support Plans (IDSP) for LGBTQ+ students in elementary, middle, and high school.  An Identity Support Plan for Elementary (IDSPE) supports public school staff in California to work with gender-diverse students, and potentially their caregivers, to identify strategies for ensuring that their identity is respected and supported. The IDSPE process fosters an educational environment that is safe and supportive for ALL students, and it serves as an effective tool to help guide school staff conversations with families, other caregivers, and children. This document explains the IDSPE process, provides guidance about how to use the IDSPE tool, and offers strategies and discussion tips that school staff can use when working with caregivers and students.   All available IDSP tools and supporting documents can be accessed on the main product page. 

Join us for Wellness: Mind, Body, Spirit. This event took place on August 22, 2023.

  The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The September 2023 issue honors National Recovery Month, National Hispanic Heritage Month, Addiction Professionals Appreciation Day (September 20), and the 10th anniversary of the ATTC/NIATx Service Improvement Blog! As always, you will also find links to all upcoming events and trainings hosted by the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC!  

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE Despite substantial tribal, state, and federal effort, American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) suicide rates have changed little in the last 30 years, prompting attention to new and innovative approaches to this persistent health disparity. Suicide prevention interventions with demonstrated success in other populations may be useful in AI/AN communities. Caring Contacts is a suicide prevention intervention that has been adapted and shown to reduce suicide ideation, attempts, and deaths in other populations. Goals: Learn about the methods of this community-based participatory research approach in Indian Country. Hear the results and implications from those communities. Discover how these lessons may have implications for your work. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Presentation slides Learn more about Caring Contacts (CARE): A Strength-based, Suicide Prevention Trial in Four Native Communities FACILITATOR Lonnie Nelson, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Associate Professor, Partnerships for Native Health, Eastern band Cherokee (AniKituwah)  Dr. Lonnie Nelson (descendant of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians) earned his PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in Rehabilitation Psychology at University of Washington's Harborview Medical Center. In 2012, he returned to the field of Native health disparities through the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Career Development Award (K12) at the University of Washington School of Public Health. Dr. Nelson joined the Washington State University College of Nursing in 2015. His work aims to address health disparities experienced by American Indian and Alaska Native communities through multiple avenues. His current research interests focus on the elimination of health disparities in urban dwelling and other Native populations through the application of culturally adapted evidence-based interventions and other patient centered approaches to changing health behaviors, such as indigenized motivational interviewing and harm reduction treatments. Outside of work, he enjoys making and using traditional Native archery gear and spending time with his 7-year-old daughter, Amelia.   Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement

Available in both English and Español! Trauma-informed care and culturally responsive care are two important mental health service delivery approaches that are increasingly recognized as necessary for providing effective and equitable mental health care. Latino communities in Ohio face several challenges, including limited accessibility to healthcare services, particularly mental health care, and a lack of multicultural and multilingual clinicians. Implementing culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches can effectively support mental health professionals to address the needs of Hispanic and Latino populations in Ohio. By providing accessible, sensitive, and tailored care, professionals can promote help-seeking behaviors, healing, resilience, and well-being within these communities.      

Available in both English and Español! Los cuidados de salud mental culturalmente sensibles e informados en trauma, son dos enfoques que se reconocen cada vez más como necesarios para brindar servicios de forma eficaz y equitativa. Las comunidades latinas en Ohio enfrentan varios desafíos, incluyendo la accesibilidad limitada a los servicios de salud primarios, en particular los servicios de salud mental, y la falta de clínicos multiculturales y multilingües. La implementación de enfoques culturalmente sensibles y basados en el trauma puede ayudar de manera efectiva a los profesionales de la salud mental a abordar las necesidades de las poblaciones hispanas y latinas en Ohio. Al brindar atención accesible, sensible y personalizada, los profesionales pueden promover la búsqueda de ayuda, sanación, resiliencia y de bienestar dentro de estas comunidades.      

About this Resource: The Southeast MHTTC Newsletter highlights upcoming events and recently released products as well as shares information on available resources from SAMHSA and the MHTTC network.  The September 2023 issue promotes National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, National Recovery Month, and National Hispanic Heritage Month. This issue also highlights our upcoming events and recently developed products, celebrates efforts being done by Region IV states, and provides resources available through the MHTTC Network and SAMHSA to connect individuals to needed treatment and support. 

The September issue of our newsletter spotlights Suicide Prevention Awareness Month and National Recovery Month, features an upcoming Northwest MHTTC webinar, MHTTC & ATTC network events, other events of interest and resources. 

Social media literacy is necessary for equitable mental health and the mental health workforce can help their clients build these skills. As a first step, mental health providers should pursue their own social media literacy, the “the practical, cognitive, and affective competences required to access, analyze, evaluate, and create content on social media in a variety of contexts.”   When providers are themselves digitally literate, they are prepared to support youth, young adults, and caregivers to develop and maintain healthy relationships with social media.  These skills can assist the mental health workforce in helping clients set appropriate boundaries, recognize mis- or disinformation, and protect themselves from the negative consequences of exposure to damaging content.    As the research summaries provided in this resource list indicate, social media can be both a powerful tool for connection and support and a space that can cause or extenuate mental health inequities.   This resource is a part of our Pacific Southwest MHTTC’s suite of programming, aimed to enhance the mental and school mental health workforce’s skills, knowledge, and awareness of how the positive and negative psychological impact of social media on youth and young adults.   We offer this list of resources, guidelines, and tips to support healthy use of social media.  These free, publicly accessible links give mental health providers information about the risks and benefits of social media for adolescents and youth. The links are offered as resources to be distributed to providers’ clients, including youth and their family/caregivers. 

This is a recording of Region 9's webinar, "California CARE Court: What Providers Need to Know" that took place on August 8, 2023.    In this session, the Pacific Southwest MHTTC brought together key stakeholders in the California’s CARE Act, including Orange County’s Chief of Mental Health and Recovery Services Dr Veronica Kelley, Urban Los Angeles NAMI Executive Director Harold Turner, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Honorable James Bianco and the former Director of the Saks Institute for Mental Health Law, Policy, and Ethics, Christopher Schneiders.  These subject area experts each presented an overview of the CARE Act and discussed the opportunities and challenges to self-determination for individuals with serious mental illness (SDM, PADs, Care Plans). Pacific Southwest MHTTC’s Research Associate, Amanda Lipp moderated this panel and a discussion on the CARE Act's new framework for family members and other stakeholders to petition the courts and provide support during the CARE process.   This panel presentation video is suitable for a viewership of leaders within the peer, family-advocacy, judicial, and mental health field.

This is a recording of the Pacific Southwest MHTTC's Back to School Workshop 1 entitled, “Study Session: A Practical Guide for Implementing a Trauma-Informed Approach,” on August 9, 2023. In this kickoff session, PS MHTTC School Mental Health Field Director Leora Wolf-Prusan and Trauma Informed Educator Network founder Mathew Portell facilitated an interactive study session to familiarize participants with SAMHSA’s June 2023 release of the updated and expanded practical guide from the 2014 Concept of Trauma and Guidance for a Trauma-Informed Approach Resource.  This session's audience includes educators, school site leaders, school mental health professionals, youth advocates, trauma-informed professionals, and anyone interested in gaining a deeper fluency in trauma-informed language. Viewers of this video can benefit from the following learning objectives:  Define trauma, trauma-informed care, and connected terminology Identify resources to support a trauma informed approach to school mental health work Explore the guide’s case study of Fall-Hamilton Elementary School in Nashville, TN 

This is a recording of Session 4 in the Rising Practices & Policies Revisited series. This panel, "Mental Health & Student Mental Health Workforce: The Woes & Wonders of Recruitment & Retention" took place on August 14, 2023. In this final session of the series, Change Matrix’s Senior Technical Assistance & Training Specialist, Dr. Tonicia Freeman-Foster, moderated a panel and discussion with pre-service and in-service mental health and school mental health leaders on how to address the supply and demand gap, and models of resilience for providers in the field. In this session, we explored the following questions and more: What are the disparities between what the field needs in providers and service systems and what trained professionals are able to provide? What are innovative ways pre-service and in-service graduate school programs are creating, incentivizing, credentialing, and certifying the mental and school mental health workforce? How might we onboard and retain a new wave of providers?

This brief report examines the reported prevalence of sadness and hopelessness, suicidal ideation, bullying, fighting, and current substance use among high school age youth in the Southeast region’s eight states. These data are derived from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System.

This brief report examines the reported prevalence of sadness and hopelessness, suicidal ideation, bullying, fighting, and current drug and alcohol use among high school age youth in the Southeast region’s eight states. These data are derived from the 2021 Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System.

This comprehensive guide is designed to support BIPOC employees, allies, and leadership in fostering a more inclusive and supportive workplace environment. By recognizing and addressing the unique challenges faced by People of Color, promoting allyship, and empowering leadership, we can create a workplace where everyone feels valued, supported, and able to thrive.   This guide provides practical strategies, exercises, and resources to enhance well-being and promote equity within your organization. View a series of webinars for guidance and support for the use and implementation of the guide: Day 1 recording Day 2 recording Day 3 recording

Recent prevalence estimates indicate that 1 in 36 school-age children have autism. Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with flexibility.  This infographic provides information about strategies that can be used by educators to help autistic students navigate situations that differ from their expectations. This infographic includes how to teach these flexibility strategies in a manner that is inclusive and neurodiversity affirming.

Participants learned how to:  Describe how both positive and negative attentional biases may contribute to suicide risk  Describe the Broaden and Build theory of positive emotions  Describe specific strategies to increase one's attention to positive emotions and experiences   Presenter: Shirley Yen, PhD, Associate Professor, Psychology, Harvard Medical School This hybrid event was co-hosted by Sadhguru Center for a Conscious Planet.

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE The focus of this webinar is to help current and future leaders develop a more holistic and compassionate approach to leadership in the mental health field. They will learn how to increase their capacity for leadership to better develop others, through effective communication and self-reflection. Participants will also acquire information to better recognize how personal issues may impact their leadership. The goal is to help them create improved workplace cultures that promote holistic wellness while achieving identified performance outcomes. Offered in collaboration with Lewis Family Consulting. Learning Objectives:  Communicate information effectively to generate value and empower others to achieve programmatic goals. Describe how personal issues and traumas, past experiences, as well as systemic and cultural barriers impact their ability to model consistent self-care for themselves and others. Develop ways to increase functional support and promote a workplace culture of collective wellness through innovative engagement methods and practical tools. Identify opportunities to promote equity to address access to care and service provision inequalities.   ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Presentation slides Lewis Family Consulting The Four Stages of Competence Self Compassion with Dr. Kristin Neff Trauma Informed Leadership by Dr. David Tweedy   Further reading recommended by Lamarr Lewis: Mindset by Carol S. Dweck, PhD The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma QBQ! The Question Behind the Question by John G. Miller Leadership on the Line by Ronald Heifitz and Martin Linksy Find Your Why by Simon Sinek The 15 Laws of Invaluable Growth by John Maxwell Principle-Centered Leadership by Stephen Covey Yes, And by Kelly Leonard & Tom Yorton Siddhartha by Herman Hesse Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Letters from a Stoic by Seneca The Greatest Salesman in The World by Og Mandino The Gifts of Imperfection by Brené Brown, PhD Help is On the Way by Kountry Wayne Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl   FACILITATOR   Lamarr Lewis, MA LAPC CPRP Lamarr Lewis is a dedicated advocate, author, and agent of change. With a focus on community-based mental health, he works with diverse groups including individuals living with psychiatric disabilities, people in recovery from substance abuse, and at-hope youth (He does not use the term at-risk). He is an alumnus of Wittenberg University graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with minors in Africana Studies and Religion. He later received his master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling from Argosy University. His career spans over twenty years with experience as a therapist, consultant, and human service professional. He has been a featured expert and trainer for such organizations as; Boeing, Fulton County Probate Court, Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, Mississippi Department of Health, the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians, Region IV Public Health Training Center, the Ruby Neeson Diabetes Awareness Foundation, and more. His lifelong mission is to leave the world better than how he found it.   Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement

Welcome to Dreams, Dilemmas and Dialogues, a podcast produced by the Pacific Southwest MHTTC, that explores thought-provoking discussions between educators and school mental health providers on issues that impact our schools, classrooms, and communities.    In this four-part podcast co-hosted by Oriana Ides and Candice Valenzuela, and with guests throughout, we cover a rich tapestry of themes, ranging from fostering a positive school culture that empowers both students and educators, to the importance of centering compassion and empathy in the classroom, and creating spaces where learning and personal growth intertwine.   Join us as we dive into the realm of staff development, uncovering strategies to help educators continuously enhance their skills and ignite their passion for teaching. We also look at cultural shifts in education, examining how societal changes shape our classrooms and influence the way we educate the next generation.   Whether you're a school mental health provider, educator, parent/caregiver, student, or anyone curious about the future of education, these episodes are here to inform, inspire, and ignite conversations to inform our practices and policies. Tune in for fresh insights, and thought-provoking conversations that allow us to question and contemplate. Welcome to Dreams, Dilemmas and Dialogues—where every episode is a journey into our own and collective hope and healing.   Listen to each episode below, or click the "View Resource" button above to subscribe on Spotify!     Episode 1 - What Informs Us and Our Work? Reflection and Action: An Introduction to Liberation Psychology In this opening episode, hosts Candice Valenzuela and Oriana Ides explore their foundational values and formative experiences as healing centered practitioners in education.  Their conversations elevate some of the tenets and practices that have been most transformative in their individual and collective efforts to build school communities rooted in hope, healing and liberation.        Episode 2 - Interrupting Grind Culture; Shifting Professional Development, Pedagogy and Practice to Center Staff and Student Wellness Episode 2 features longtime classroom teacher Giulio Sorro, and co-hosts, Candice Valenzuela and Oriana Ides who steer the dialogue to how educators can uplift frameworks and orientations that support professional development where learning and personal growth intertwine. This episode illuminates the possibilities and practices for fostering a school culture that centers humanity, justice and empathy in the classroom.        Episode 3 - No Missed Steps; Laying the Groundwork for Healing and Restoration in Schools Episode 3 welcomes Stephanie Cariaga, professor of Teacher Education and Tatiana Chaterji, Restorative Justice (RJ) visionary, into an honest conversation that quickly moves beyond the implementation of programs and initiatives towards the possibilities of embodying the principles of RJ and building entire infrastructures rooted in its indigenous, culturally sustaining values. Together we witness, uplift and celebrate one another’s experiences of joy, righteous rage and safety as a pathway towards healing and visioning.        Episode 4 - Honoring Praxis; The Intentional Practice of Reflection and Action In this final episode, Candice Valenzuela and Oriana Ides reflect upon their decades in education and the ways in which they’ve consciously and unconsciously created culture in school sites and beyond. In the spirit of trailblazers and change-makers, this episode celebrates the abolitionists of traditional educational norms. Our podcast invites you to join the conversation on revolutionary approaches to teaching and learning, and to explore the transformative potential of anti-racist pedagogy.         Meet the Podcast Co-Hosts   Oriana Ides, MA, PPS, LPCCI (she/hers) is the School Mental Health Training Specialist at CARS, who approaches healing the wounds of trauma and oppression as core elements of social justice.  She has worked with young people across the life course from elementary school to college, and has served as teacher-leader, school counselor, classroom educator and program director.  She is committed to generating equity within school structures and policies by focusing on evidence-based mental health techniques and institutional design.     Candice Valenzuela MA, MFTI, YT-200 (they/them) is a proud Afro-Latinx native of Watts, California. They have worked at the crossroads of education and healing for 17 years. Candice earned a Bachelor of Arts in Humanities and a minor in Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University, earned a secondary teaching credential from Alliant University, and a Master of Arts in East-West Psychology at the California Institute for Integral Studies. Candice is certified as a trauma-informed yoga and mindfulness instructor through the Niroga Institute and has training in mesoamerican indigenous healing practices through Ancestral Apothecary in Oakland, California. Candice is currently training as a Marriage and Family Therapist in Denver, Colorado.  Candice believes that ancestral, community and ecological healing are the most urgent issues of our time. They coach administrators, train teachers and lead professional development at schools throughout the nation in addition to providing gender affirming therapy as an Intern Therapist at Queer Asterisk in Denver, Colorado . When they are not working or studying, Candice enjoys sharing their enthusiasm for nature with their 6 year old child.       Meet the Guests   Giulio Sorro is a father of three as well as a son, brother, uncle, teacher and learner. He is forever in search of balance between the stars above and the concrete streets he walks. The Bronx, Enssogologo, Africa, San Francisco and June Jordan School for Equity serve as his official classes and continue to provide rich opportunities for learning and growth.  Even as a classroom teacher, he believes we must find our way out of these four walls and turn liberation theology into practice.  His bougie tendencies are loose leaf tea.     Stephanie Cariaga has served the wider Los Angeles community for sixteen years as a high school and middle school literacy teacher, founding member of the People’s Education Movement and co-organizer of the People’s Education Conference, and now an assistant professor in teacher education at California State University, Dominguez Hills. Rooted in radical feminist ways of knowing that center the body, wholeness, and justice, her teaching and research examines the intersections between trauma/healing-informed pedagogies, critical literacy, and critical teacher sustainability.       Tatiana Chaterjee is an educator, trainer, and restorative justice practitioner working at the borders of criminalization, intergenerational trauma, structural violence and youth empowerment. With over a decade of experience in schools, prisons, re-entry, juvenile justice, and community settings, I bring deep commitment to peacebuilding, violence prevention, and healing. ​Using personal narrative and embodied practice, I deepen conversations across difference and cultivate humanizing relationships. I integrate tools from multiple traditions to recover human connection between people at multiple ends of historical injustice. I seek opportunities for dialogue and accountability regarding systemic oppression and the way it manifests in interpersonal relationships. I mobilize my survivorship from violence for radical love, with an eye toward (dis)ability, disrupting power & hierarchy, and stopping harm.    

Welcome to the 2023-24 school year! We hope you had a fantastic summer.  To kick off this year, we present the following haiku: School bells are ringing Doors open widely for all  Eager students near Teachers greet students Classrooms are freshly prepared   Lesson plans begin  Anxious, distracted  Not all students adapt well Coping skills needed Who can they turn to? You! Mental health champions Assess, plan, support Action drives outcomes Building teams create promise Kids begin to thrive We invite you to read and access the many resources shared in this newsletter edition to help your students thrive. Wishing you a wonderful start to the new school year.  Best Wishes, The NWMHTTC School Mental Health Team   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.

The language of the written word is too limiting for efforts to communicate mental health awareness. Image and sound, which have been used to communicate and teach since ancient times, are much more powerful. Film and other audiovisual media are important ways to promote mental health and reduce stigma and can help enhance emotional and intellectual harmony. Presenter: Mohan Agashe, MD   View a recording of this 8/25/23 session here. 

The final August 2023 issue of our newsletter features resources for Overdose Awareness Week, upcoming Northwest MHTTC webinars, TTC Network events, other events of interest and resources. 

Attendees will learn foundational terminology and history related to gender and sexuality. Attendees will identify strategies in supporting LGBTQIA+ youth in schools. Presented by: Jordan Mix Jordan Mix (they/them) is the Director of Educational Programming at Iowa Safe Schools. They graduated from Drake University in 2016 with degrees in Law, Politics, and Society; Sociology; and Women and Gender Studies. While at Drake they were the president of Drake’s LGBTQ organization, Rainbow Union, helped establish the first all-gender bathroom on campus, and collaborated heavily in writing Drake’s Transgender Inclusion Statement. Jordan also completed their graduate studies in Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. In 2019, Jordan was the head curator of a project called Breathe, Learn, Act — the first ever virtual care package for parents and loved ones of transgender and non-binary kids. Jordan joined the Iowa Safe Schools team in March of 2020, where they work with K-12 educators to develop LGBTQ-Inclusive curriculum, facilitate an online academy for Iowa’s K-12 educators, and lead training sessions for students, educators, and other community members. When they’re not working, you can find Jordan hiking with their wife, cheering on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team with their cat, and honing their home barista skills. Learn more about this series: Supporting the Mental Well-being of LGBTQIA+ Youth in Schools   Co-sponsored by:

A joint project of the National Federation of Families, National Family Support Technical Assistance Center, and the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, this tip sheet provides vetted resources and links for school, family, and community leaders to address school culture and climate. Access this publication for tips on what families, parents, caregivers, individual educators, family peer specialists, and mental health providers can do to address the young person engaging in bullying behavior while school and family leaders address school culture and climate and support the child being bullied.