Products and Resources Catalog

Recording of the event Psychosis & Resilience originally held on March 2, 2022.   Presentation slides.

About This Resource: Youth participation in advising and decision-making in systems change initiatives bring unique and vital insight into our work. This session will explore what is needed to promote youth and young adult engagement in program development and implementation and key factors that can contribute to disengagement. There will be a focus on learning effective strategies for engaging and maximizing youth voice and choice in designing programs and systems that work for them, how to increase young people's active participation in collaborative team settings, and how to assess whether this is happening successfully. In partnership with young adults, we'll explore what authentic youth-adult partnerships look like and learn about tangible experiences of youth about what it means to be meaningfully engaged.    Event Objectives: Review strategies for maximizing family leadership Identify challenges and discuss solutions to engaging family and youth leadership Describe real world examples of operationalizing youth-guided  Understand how to assess youth engagement efforts Presentation Materials: Download Youth Voice Session 2 PDF Youth Voice Session 2 Participant Guide >>> Access Full Series Here! <<< DISCLAIMER: Do not reproduce or distribute this presentation for a fee without specific, written authorization from the Northwest MHTTC. 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 2022 Leadership Institute presented by the Mid-America Addition Technology Transfer Center (ATTC), Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC), and Mid-America Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC) is open to persons who work in behavioral health, mental health, or recovery agencies in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska. Candidates must complete the Candidate Application Form and be nominated by leadership within their agency using the Agency Nomination Form. Both forms must be submitted no later than February 4, 2022. For more information on the Leadership Institute, please download the forms by clicking the "DOWNLOAD" button above.

The annual Red Ribbon Week is a week-long campaign to support and promote a drug-free life. This week is a great opportunity to raise awareness and promote strength and resilience in your students and community. The National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC has designed the following resources for you to use: Red Ribbon Week Flyer: Celebrate Native style with the individual and school-wide activities provided in this Red Ribbon Week Flyer! Red Ribbon Week Pledge Poster: Have students take a pledge to stay drug free! Personalize the poster below with your school's name by opening the PDF and typing directly into the shaded box.

Psychopharmacology is largely a social intervention, meaning that HOW a treatment takes place is important. (Psychotherapy, on the other hand, is actually a biological intervention.) A placebo is a treatment with a chemically inactive substance that has an effect on an individual. Differences in age, sex, biology, history, and more can all impact the efficacy of medications. For these reasons, it often takes several trials for an individual to find what works for them. There is research on alternative treatments, medications, and even supplements that may provide support for individuals with mental health conditions. This guide was created with funding from the Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center and is based on material presented by Dr. David Mays on July 13 and 15, 2021. WAFCA serves as the Wisconsin partner for the Great Lakes Mental Health Technology Transfer Center.

Description: This resource offers guidance on finding committed psychiatrists to work in Community Mental Health Center and Federally Qualified Health Center settings.

Experiential Ways to Build Up Your Mental Health and Resilience - Workshop Wednesday Session Access slide deck with the green download button above Click here to watch the recording   Session Description This training focused on improving mental health wellness by teaching participants to recognize when they are thriving or languishing and provided skills and strategies for building and increasing resilience. Christina Ruggiero gave an overview of the foundations of mental health wellness and guided participants through exercises that support self-reflection, relaxation, and the development of a personalized self-care plan. Christina closed the session by reviewing additional resources that participants can use to establish self-care strategies to cope with uncontrollable events.     After attending this session, participants will:    Understand the difference between Thriving Mental Health and Languishing Mental Health. Recognize the significant role mental health plays in overall health and well-being. Have practiced and become familiar with exercises to improve mental health using relaxation and self-care.   Develop self-care strategies to help manage COVID-19 uncertainty.   Trainer Christina Ruggiero, CCC, RP Christina Ruggiero (she/her) is a Registered Psychotherapist in Ontario, Canada, currently working full-time as a mental health counsellor for students attending Queens, University. She obtained her Honours Bachelor of Science in Psychology at the University of Toronto, before pursuing her Master’s degree in Counselling Psychology at Adler University in Vancouver, BC. She finds great meaning in educating individuals about mental health, and reducing the stigma associated with mental illness. During her graduate degree, she created an anti-stigma training module for students and staff to use at Simon Fraser University, believing that change involves education and experiential components, including self-awareness and reflection. She continues this method training students and staff at Queens in mental health awareness, compassion fatigue, and distress support.

  The Take 10 podcast features 10 minutes of ideas and inspiration focused on provider self-care and well-being during the COVID-19 era. The podcast is written and hosted by Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC.  All episodes are posted on the Great Lakes Wave podcast channel:https://anchor.fm/greatlakescurrent Available for listening on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and other platforms. 

  The Great Lakes MHTTC and PTTC present this training for behavioral health and prevention practitioners in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This session presents the Adverse Community Experiences and Resilience framework as a lens to understand community-level trauma, with a focus on its application in preventing and addressing substance misuse and mental health crisis. The session will outline skills needed for a prevention workforce prepared to accelerate equity, justice, and community-trauma-informed approaches within vulnerable communities. Learning Objectives:  Share the Adverse Community Experiences and Resilience (ACE|R) framework to identify how community-level trauma contributes to high rates of substance misuse and mental health crisis. Identify why an equity and justice orientation is essential to upstream prevention approaches. Highlight the skills and role for preventionists in applying health equity principles in their work across multiple systems, and discuss aspects of community change for mental health and wellbeing.   Speakers Sheila Savannah, MA, Managing Director at Prevention Institute, has over 30 years of experience in supporting multisector collaborations and community change initiatives. Her focus has always emphasized the necessity of mobilizing youth, families and courageous leadership to address the norms and conditions that lead to disproportionate outcomes in health, safety and wellbeing. Much of this work is currently done through multiple national and regional communities of practice – all of which use a primary prevention approach to reduce multiple forms of violence and improve mental wellbeing. Based in Houston, Sheila provides leadership on projects that work to improve community environments and address problems of mental health, trauma, substance misuse, and violence. Previously, Sheila was a division manager with the Houston Public Health Department and the Office of Adolescent Health and Injury Prevention. Sheila holds a BJ in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin and a master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Houston at Clear Lake.    Ruben Cantu, BA, Program Manager, has over 20 years’ experience in public health, health equity, racial justice, program and organizational management, and technical assistance and capacity building. At Prevention Institute, he leads projects on community trauma and mental health and wellbeing. Ruben provides training, coaching, and strategic support on policy development, sustainability, partner development, and communications. Prior to joining Prevention Institute in 2016, Ruben was Associate Director at the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, where, among other accomplishments, he authored the state’s strategic plan for reducing mental health disparities. Ruben has consulted with community organizations across the U.S.

  The Great Lakes MHTTC offers this training for parents, caregivers, school-based mental health and other behavioral health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This training is offered in response to a need identified by stakeholders in our region. More Than Sad: Suicide Prevention for Parents teaches parents how to be smart about mental health. Parents will learn how to recognize signs of depression and other mental health problems, initiate a conversation with their child, and get him or her help.   Learning Objectives: Identify signs of depression and other mental health problems Learn strategies to talk with youth about mental health Learn how to access mental health services and supports   Speaker:  Tandra Rutledge is the Director of Business Development at Riveredge Hospital, a free-standing psychiatric facility in Illinois. Tandra is a mental health advocate and suicide prevention educator. She promotes wellness and resilience through a social justice and racial equity lens. Tandra serves on the Board of Directors of the Illinois Chapter of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP) and is a member of the Illinois Suicide Prevention Alliance. She is an AMSR trainer (Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk), a certified suicide prevention educator for the QPR Institute, an adult Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) instructor, and a Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) instructor with the Chicago Police Department.    

  The Great Lakes MHTTC and ATTC offer this training for behavioral health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. Many people who work in human services consider their work to be a "calling." Two occupational hazards, burnout and compassion fatigue/secondary trauma can threaten to undermine that calling and diminish your effectiveness. Burnout is caused by feeling ineffective in your work and organizational/team stress. Compassion fatigue (also called secondary trauma/secondary PTSD) results from absorbing the traumatic stories and experiences of clients. Both occupational hazards can lead to a loss of energy, loss of hope, loss of enthusiasm, loss of idealism, spiritual distress and decreased effectiveness. This virtual presentation focuses on how to prevent and recover from burnout and compassion fatigue, with an emphasis on self-care and the four things high performers do to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue. We will also discuss how to maintain energy, reduce frustration in your clinical work, and feel more successful.   Learning Objectives: Be aware of the four stages of burnout Understand the differences between burnout and compassion fatigue. Evaluate your vulnerability for developing compassion fatigue Learn and utilize 10 strategies to prevent burnout and compassion fatigue. Learn skills to reduce frustration in your clinical work. Feel a greater sense of success in your work.   Speaker:  Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, is Illinois state project manager for the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. He is an international speaker in the behavioral health field whose presentations have reached thousands throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, Caribbean and British Islands. A partial list of clients include: General Motors Corporation; Xerox Corporation, Northwestern University and the United States Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. The author of five books, Mark has had two stories published in the New Times bestselling book series, Chicken Soup for The Soul. He has taught at the University of Chicago, Loyola University of Chicago, and Illinois State University's schools of social work. Mark’s three decades of experience as a direct service, Licensed Clinical Social worker provide the foundation for his presentations.   

Behavioral health practitioners and organizations are often required to determine whether a particular intervention meets the needs of their clients, staff, and/or funders. The Best and Promising Practice (BPP) Fact Sheet Library, developed by the MHTTC Network, is designed to provide the mental health workforce with information about a wide array of evidence-based and promising approaches. Each fact sheet in the library summarizes a specific behavioral health practice, its evidence base, and steps for successful implementation.  In this sheet, we provide an overview of the principles and practice of Family Psychoeducation.

  Understanding Anticipatory Anxiety This 3-page product illustrates the differences between a typical anxiety pattern and an unhealthy anticipatory anxiety pattern, and includes practical tips to help resolve anxiety in healthy ways. Anticipatory anxiety develops when the mind attempts to predict, process, and adapt to future events. It helps individuals prepare for future events, but an overabundance of anxiety can be unhealthy. It often manifests as fear and worry as the body expends energy anticipating potential periods of stress or crisis.   Access the product using the "Download" button above   Product Preview                                                                   Author Sara Durbin, PsyD    

To help states, districts, and schools advance comprehensive school mental health, as well as engage in a planning process around implementation of services, the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office and National Center for School Mental Health developed the National School Mental Health Best Practices: Implementation Guidance Modules for States, Districts, and Schools. The series includes 8 Modules. This document is an index to help users search and locate specific resources referenced within each module of the series. You can access the full series at this webpage. About the developers of the Best Practice Guidance: The Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office (NCO) supports resource development and dissemination, training and technical assistance, and workforce development for the mental health field. Learn more about the MHTTC NCO here: https://mhttcnetwork.org/centers/mhttc-network-coordinating-office/network-coordinating-office. The National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) mission is to strengthen policies and programs in school mental health to improve learning and promote success for America's youth. Learn more about the NCSMH here: http://www.schoolmentalhealth.org/.  

  The Great Lakes MHTTC School-based Supplement offers this training for mental health and school-based mental health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. Adolescence is a crucial period for developing and maintain social and emotional habits important for mental well-being. An estimated 10-20% of adolescents globally experience mental health conditions, yet these remain underdiagnosed and untreated This webinar series will provide learners with tools to assess mental health in young people, recognize common mental health disorders, and identify differences between typical adolescent behavior and the onset of mental illness. We will focus on identifying how students express common mental health challenges through remote learning. In addition, we will discuss the opportunities remote learning provides for identifying students’ mental health and responding with effective coping strategies. The presentation will also examine on the impact of COVID-19 social distancing on youth anxiety. Lastly, the webinar will include shared resources for developing meaningful conversations with youth about mental health and seeking professional help. Learning Objectives: Participants will learn: Key factors in assessing a young person with mental illness What the early stages of mental illness look like Guidance and tips for effective treatment   Target Audience:  School personnel, mental health providers for youth, parents Speaker:  Angela Begres is a licensed clinical social worker who trained and earned her MSW at the University of Chicago. She is an expert trainer and presenter with experience integrating mental health education programs into the curriculum for students and staff within the Chicago and West Cook County public schools. In Partnership with the National Alliance for Mental Health (NAMI) Metro Suburban, Angela also developed a program to help decrease student stress and implement mindfulness in the classrooms. She has also worked with Chicago Family Services (DCFS) providing parenting education, with efforts to get parents reunited with their children.

Click "download" above to access: Slide Deck, Q/A, & Transcript   The Great Lakes MHTTC and PTTC present this webinar for prevention practitioners and mental health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI For many of us, the accumulated stress, grief, fatigue, and despair of the Covid-19 crisis pose a significant challenge to our coping resources. While this perfect storm of stressors may be unprecedented, there is much we know about how to cope with and manage stress, even at these levels.  In this talk, Dr. Kanter will describe new research on predictors of coping with the crisis and effective interventions for reducing depression and loneliness during the crisis. Dr. Kanter integrates these new findings with established science and offers strategies for managing the psychological consequences of the crisis in our everyday lives. Learning Objectives Review results of national research on effective coping tips during the pandemic (helpful in non-pandemic times as well) Understand and practice evidence-based mindfulness strategies for effective coping Understand and practice evidence-based strategies for improving well being and closeness with others   Presenter: Dr. Jonathan Kanter, University of Washington's Center for the Science of Social Connection   Dr. Jonathan Kanter is Director of the University of Washington’s Center for the Science of Social Connection. Over the course of his career, Dr. Kanter has investigated psychosocial interventions for depression, including how to disseminate culturally appropriate, easy-to-train, evidence-based approaches, with emphasis on evidence-based treatments such as behavioral activation for groups who lack resources and access to care. Dr. Kanter has published over 100 scientific papers and 9 books on these topics and his work has been funded by NIH, SAMHSA, state governmental organizations, foundations, and private donors. He is regularly invited to give talks and workshops nationally and internationally. When the COVID-19 crisis hit Seattle, the Center pivoted its resources to understand and mitigate the relational and mental health consequences of the crisis, to assist with public health efforts, and to inform the public dialogue with scientifically informed advice. Dr. Kanter has been asked to comment on the relational and mental health consequences of the crisis by, and the Center’s response to the crisis has been featured on, NPR, the BBC, the New York Times, the Huffington Post, National Geographic, and other local and national news outlets.

The New England MHTTC has as its overarching aim to use evidence-based means to disseminate evidence-based practices, and promote resilience and recovery to our region. To read more about our guiding principles, click here.

  Social Media and Mental Health Services Webinar Series  June, 2019   Session one: Recording Session two: Recording Session three: Recording The goal of this three-part webinar series was to present the state of the science on the role of social media as a potentially viable intervention platform for engaging persons with mental disorders, enhancing existing mental health services, and supporting community-based mental health providers.

Click here to view the handouts for the session on September 3rd, 2020 for the K-12 Session for Tribal Schools as they Reopen Amidst COVID 19 #3. 

Co-hosted by: Southeast Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC)    The world climate of uncertainty, fear and worry enveloping the COVID pandemic has created new challenges for many people.  Prevention professionals are concerned about the rise in negative mental health outcomes and projected increases in suicide risk, domestic violence, and substance use.  While that risk appears to be escalating, COVID19 has made prevention both more relatable and more relevant.  This webinar took a look at some of the challenges caused by the uncertainty of COVID19, including chronic stress, emotional distress, and loss through the lens of prevention.  It provided strategies and solutions for health promotion, with practical tips that translate theory into workable practice.  It also provided guidelines for implementing prevention strategies and educating clients on prevention.  A workbook via a downloadable PDF accompanied the training to reinforce the concepts provided in the webinar and for use as an ongoing resource.   Downloads: Webinar Presentation Slides Webinar Workbook  

Suicide Risk Assessment is a training for mental health clinicians who provide counseling and assessment in a variety of settings. The training will demonstrate ways clinicians can recognize, assess, and intervene when working with at-risk clients. By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to: 1. Identify and evaluate personal attitudes toward suicide. 2. Identify risk and protective factors 3. Increase awareness of warning signs 4. Identify key elements in Crisis Response Planning

Audio recording of the webinar "Promoting Educator Well-Being: Understanding and Combating Compassion Fatigue, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress," originally held on June 11, 2020.   Download the slides

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 COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an opportunity for major experimentation in behavioral healthcare delivery. Dr. Lori Raney will present a view of the innovations, responses and opportunities being seen nationally as the behavioral health community responds to COVID-19. She will also review some emerging lessons learned nationally over the two month time frame of significant changes in behavioral health care delivery. Dr. Raney will specifically cover behavioral health workforce issues, widespread use of telehealth to keep staff and patients safe, and considerations for administrators in a post-COVID-19 behavioral health environment.