Products and Resources Catalog

Join youth leaders from the RYSE Youth Center, a community based organization founded by young people and their adult allies who were experiencing- and still are- violence, loss, homicides, and trauma. Together, RYSE youth and staff created a home agency to address the emotional, mental and political health of youth that centers healing, agency, leadership, and dignity. The MHTTC GSVLI was honored to have RYSE youth sit with one another in a conversation-for them and by them- on what it looks, sounds, and feels like to not only survive grief, but to thrive in its wake. In sharing their experiences and stories, our conference ends with those we serve.  Download the slides HERE. Speakers: Latrinity Gulley has been a RYSE member since 2018 and is currently a student at Contra Costa College studying Psychology. She has been a part of the Community Leadership Institute (CLI), which is a program that teaches young leaders grassroots organizing. With CLI, she volunteered at various community organizations, including Safe Return. While working to clean up community parks and trails, she simultaneously started the first-ever Black Student Union at her high school. Mental health is essential to Latrinity because of her own struggles and having someone to talk to about l what she is going through has been crucial to her healing process. When she gets her degree, she hopes that she will be able to be there for people who too struggle with mental health.   Monica Tello has been a RYSE member since 2018 and is currently a student at Contra Costa College, exploring her career options, with plans to transfer to a university. While in high school, she spent a year volunteering at an animal shelter. Mental health is important to Monica because when she first started coming to RYSE she was going through the “worst year of her life” and having someone to talk to was essential for her to keep pushing and moving forward. “I believe everyone deserves that opportunity.”   Carizma Hughes has been a RYSE member since 2016 and is currently a student at Los Medanos College with plans to transfer to a university to study Elementary Education. She has been a mentor for Project WHAT!, a youth-led program that helps children of incarcerated parents build community by sharing their experiences through storytelling and creative work. She has also facilitated several groups to develop best practices in serving children of incarcerated parents. This webinar was the closing session of September'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.

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 dedication to 9/11; and, Provide an overview and forecast to Day 2, previewing our learning line up Download the slides HERE. Speaker: PJ Wenger, LPC, NBCC, MFT, Ed.S., MA, M.Ed has 29 years of experience working in the field of mental health. She has spent considerable time in a variety of settings developing her counseling experience. These settings include psychiatric emergency, inpatient treatment with both adults and children, in home counseling for mental health issues, residential treatment, schools and private practice. In the school setting, PJ Wenger has worked at the Elementary level, the Middle School level and the high school level. In addition to this experience PJ has been a Trauma Responder at the Local, State and National Level. She has responded to large events like 9/11 and Hurricane Sandy as well as traumatic events that effect schools such as suicides, traumatic deaths of staff/students, and homicides. PJ is licensed by the NJ State Board of Family and Health Practitioners and is a certified member of the National Board of Certified Counselors. She has a Masters in Counseling and an Ed.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy. This webinar was the opening session of Day 2 of September'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.

In this keynote address, Dr. M. Katherine Shear describes a model of grief and adaptation to loss that is derived from clinical and experimental research. She discusses the new diagnosis of Prolonged Grief Disorder, identifies some unique challenges posed by loss during COVID-19, and explains why bereavement during the pandemic is associated with increased risk for the development of Prolonged Grief Disorder (i.e. complicated grief). Download the slides HERE. Speakers: Dr. M. Katherine Shear, Founder and Director of the Center for Complicated Grief, is an internist and a psychiatrist with the heart of a social worker. She is a talented clinician who is widely recognized for her work in bereavement studies and complicated grief disorder. Dr. Shear developed a short-term psychotherapy for people unable to move forward after a loss that was influenced by her inherent optimism and faith in human creativity and resilience. Complicated Grief Therapy (CGT) has proved to be efficacious in three NIMH-funded randomized controlled trials. Her work has produced several assessment instruments and an instruction manual for CGT—a focused, adaptation-focused approach with the strongest evidence base of any grief treatment to date. Dr. Shear is the Marion E. Kenworthy Professor of Psychiatry at Columbia School of Social Work and Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons. She served on review committees of the National Institute of Mental Health and on the advisory council for its National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. She served as an advisor to the DSM-5 workgroup on complicated grief and adult separation anxiety, a member of the World Health Organization’s ICD11 Working Group on Mood and Anxiety Disorders, a member of the scientific advisory board of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and an elected member of the board of the Association for Death Education and Counseling. This webinar was the opening session of September'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.

Student Mental Health During COVID-19: How to Prepare as Schools Reopen is a webinar geared toward emergency managers, public health professionals (state and local health departments), and school administrators who are working together to create school reopening and response plans. Session content is focused on the mental health needs of children, adolescents, and educators related to crises and how community and school organizations can partner to develop responsive plans that address these needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Download the slides HERE. Download the FAQ document HERE. Speakers: Brandy Clarke, Ph.D., LP, is the Project Director for the Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC). Dr. Clarke, is also a licensed psychologist and an associate professor in the Department of Psychology at the Munroe-Meyer Institute (MMI) for Genetics and Rehabilitation at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. She has years of experience in clinical training and research related to increasing access to mental and behavioral health supports for children and adolescents in various settings, such as schools and integrated primary care.    ​   Nancy Lever, Ph.D., is a clinical psychologist with extensive clinical, research, policy, and training experience related to advancing comprehensive school mental health systems. Dr. Lever has over 20 years of experience providing and leading school mental health services and programming efforts at the local, state, and national levels. She serves as the executive director of the University of Maryland School Mental Health Program, and co-director of the National Center for School Mental Health, wherein she is working at local, state, and national levels to advance research, training, policy, and practice in school behavioral health.​ This webinar is brought to you by the Mid-America MHTTC and MHTTC Network Coordinating Office in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health. It is being sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR) and Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). For more information on the webinar, please click here.  

This webinar provides an overview of some the risks, consequences, and intervention strategies related to a child’s exposure to conflict and coercion in the home to support clinical efforts to address these situations, especially with the added challenges posed by COVID-19. A current case example in which telehealth is being used illustrates some key assessment, monitoring, and treatment tools that might help practitioners minimize or prevent the impact of these exposures. Additional practical suggestions are outlined to provide a context for encouraging family safety and well-being. Download the webinar slides HERE. Download the FAQ document HERE. Speakers: David J. Kolko, Ph.D., ABPP, is a Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, Pediatrics, and Clinical and Translational Science, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He directs the Special Services Unit at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, a program devoted to promoting the implementation of evidence-based practices for children/adolescents who are victims and/or perpetrators of physical/sexual aggression being served in diverse community settings, such as juvenile justice, child welfare, pediatric primary care, and mental health. He is co-developer of Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT), an intervention to improve family relationships for those experiencing high conflict/coercion, harsh/punitive discipline, child physical abuse, and/or child behavior problems.   Ashley Fiore, MSW, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker with 25 years of experience treating childhood trauma in Children’s Advocacy Centers and Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault agencies. She provides evidence-based mental health trauma treatment to children and their families and disseminates evidence-based treatment practices. Ms. Fiore is endorsed as a master trainer by the developers of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) and serves as clinical faculty for the NC Child Treatment Program at Duke University’s Center for Child and Family Health, a Category III center of the NCTSN. Ms. Fiore is also certified in Alternatives for Families Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT). Note: This is the third session of the Preventing and Responding to Family Violence During COVID-19 Series, an online series brought to you by the MHTTC Network and the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. For more information on the series, please click here.

In many cultures, spirituality is a key driver of well-being and hope. Faith leaders are coming together across communities to organize, support, provide, engage and instill hope. This NNED webinar discusses how faith-based NNED partner organizations are supporting the mental health concerns of racial/ethnic minorities and providing opportunities to receive support and connection through faith-based practices and partnerships. View the slides here.

This 1-hour session provided an overview of the impact of IPV on survivors’ mental health and how survivors’ safety is impacted by COVID-19 and other public crises, as well as information on how to safely inquire about IPV and link to local domestic and sexual violence advocacy resources. Download the webinar slides HERE. Download the FAQ document HERE. Click here to stay connected and find out about future offerings from the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, & Mental Health! Get social with NCDVTMH: Twitter Instagram Facebook Speakers: Carole Warshaw, MD, is the Director of the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health. Dr. Warshaw has been at the forefront of developing collaborative models and building system capacity to address the mental health, substance use and advocacy concerns of survivors of DV and other trauma, and to create accessible, culturally responsive, domestic violence- and trauma-informed services and organizations. She has written and spoken extensively on these topics both nationally and internationally and has served as an advisor to numerous health, mental health and advocacy organizations and federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). She also served on the National Research Council Committee on the Assessment of Family Violence Interventions. Dr. Warshaw has maintained a private practice in psychiatry since 1989 and is a faculty member in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Illinois. Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC, is the Director of Policy and Practice on Domestic Violence and Substance Use at the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma & Mental Health, as well as faculty at The University of Chicago, where they coordinate the Advanced Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor certification program at the School of Social Service Administration. Gabriela brings over 15 years of experience supporting people impacted by violence, mental health conditions, substance use disorders, trauma, housing instability, and HIV/AIDS; providing counseling, training, advocacy, and policy consultation; and leading programs using trauma-informed approaches, Motivational Interviewing, harm reduction, gender-responsive care, Housing First, and third-wave behavioral interventions. Gabriela has been recognized with numerous awards, including Health & Medicine Policy Research Group’s 2018 Health Award, and the 2017 Rising Star Award from the Illinois chapter of the National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC). Note: This is the first session of the Working at the Intersection of Intimate Partner Violence and Mental Health Series, an online series brought to you by the MHTTC Network and the National Center for Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health. For more information on the series and other upcoming sessions, please click here.

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.

In the first presentation of the Clinical Innovations in Telehealth series, Dr. Barbara Stanley and Dr. Julie Goldstein Grumet provide pragmatic guidance for evaluating and managing suicide risk via telehealth and answer audience questions. Download the slides here. Download the FAQ sheet here.

A number of national, regional, and state groups are all working toward system change and better financing mechanisms to provide better care.  The MHTTC Network compiled this list of some of the national stakeholders and key resources on first episode psychosis and clinical high risk found by downloading above.

Educators and school personnel play a vital role in promoting mental health and well-being and identifying and responding to emerging mental illness in children and adolescents. However, they often have not received the education, training, and/or ongoing support needed to respond in the classroom. The MHTTC Network and the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine collaborated on an environmental scan and needs assessment of available educator mental health literacy training and resources. This document: Describes the role of educators in supporting student mental health Explains the core components of mental health literacy Provides an annotated list of existing resources and trainings that instruct educators on mental health literacy. To access this document, please click on the download button above.

This webinar, sponsored by the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office and Pacific Southwest MHTTC, introduced the K-12 Toolkit for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention. This Toolkit was created by the Health Care Alliance for Response to Adolescent Depression (HEARD) in 2013 (updated in 2017), in response to a need for schools to promote student mental health and wellbeing, to prevent suicide and, in particular, how to respond after a suicide loss. The Toolkit convenes national best practices from SAMHSA, the NCSMH, and other organizations. It serves as a resource to fulfill California law AB 2246, The Pupil Suicide Prevention Act (2016), which requires that all public schools serving students in grades 7-12 have a Pupil Suicide Prevention Policy. This document has been updated to reflect both this need and this policy requirement. The tools and resources provided in this updated Toolkit are meant to complement what schools may already have in place and to help initiate the implementation of a Pupil Suicide Prevention Policy. You can download the slide deck for this webinar above. The recording of this webinar is available here. The Toolkit is available for download on the HEARD Alliance website here.  Please contact Jessica Gonzalez at [email protected] if you have any questions pertaining to this webinar.

Co-developed by the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office and the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) to help states, districts, and schools across the United States understand the core components of comprehensive school mental health and engage in a planning process around implementation of services, the National School Mental Health Best Practices: Implementation Guidance Modules focuses on the following core features of effective school mental health initiatives: Roles for Educators and Student Instructional Support Personnel Collaboration and Teaming Multi-Tiered System of Supports Evidence-Informed Services and Supports Cultural Responsiveness and Equity Data-Driven Decision Making The Implementation Guidance Modules are intended to be used with district teams that can influence, develop, and oversee school mental health systems at the school district and building levels. See a complete overview of the Implementation Guidance Modules here. 

There are longstanding concerns about whether the mental health workforce has been adequately trained and is large enough to the meet the diverse needs of this country’s population. The concerns have become more acute as a strong U.S. economy drives greater recruitment and retention problems in this field. This webinar, sponsored by the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office and facilitated by Michael Hoge, Ph.D., briefly reviewed the major challenges and then presented an array of strategies for finding, keeping and building a more competent workforce. Innovative practices from across the country were also highlighted. The webinar recording can be accessed here.The slide deck for this webinar, as well as the webinar recording transcription, are available for download above. Please contact Jessica Gonzalez at [email protected] if you have any questions.

This resource, developed by a workgroup across the MHTTC Network, is designed to help schools better support students and families in the aftermath of violence and trauma. It provides strategies to assist schools with readiness, response, and recovery to help a school community support resilience in the event of a tragedy. It offers places to turn for more resources and discusses terminology and concepts related to suicide and grief. Finally, it highlights the importance of providing culturally responsive services, with example cultural considerations for schools to help Hispanic/Latino students struggling with grief and trauma.