Products and Resources Catalog

About this Resource: Given their shared lived experiences, Certified Peer Specialists (CPS) are crucial in offering mutually beneficial support to peers who are recovering from psychiatric and/or substance use disorders. This infographic accompanies the on-demand recording by Dr. Monty Burks on faith, spirituality, and peer support. It discusses stigma as a barrier to treatment and care, the relevance of faith and spirituality in recovery, and the crucial role of peer support in promoting lifelong recovery.

About this Resource:  This 4-part series looks at mental health respite care from the peer perspective, including discussions on its history and future direction, when and how it is being used (both in the Southeast and nationally), and the ways it can benefit one's recovery journey. In Part 2 of our series presenters discussed how the peer support/respite model is not new but builds on models as recent as the early 20th century self-help groups. Different respite models and their unique benefits and challenges are explored.   Click here to learn more about the 4-part series or view on-demand recordings from our other sessions. 

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE Learn about the free online courses from the Northwest MHTTC and from our wider MHTTC network on topics relevant to people working in the behavioral health field. Course topics include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Assertive Community Treatment, suicide prevention, clinical supervision, pharmacology, substance use disorders and treatment and more.     Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE Learn about the research briefs, practice briefs, articles, and other publications from the Northwest MHTTC.     Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement

About this Resource:  This 4-part series takes a look at mental health respite care from the peer perspective, including discussions on its history and future direction, when and how it is being used (both in the Southeast and nationally), and the ways it can benefit one's recovery journey. In part 1 of the series, presenters from Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (GMHCN) provide an introduction of the Consumer/Survivor/Ex-Patient Movement, with a case study example from Georgia. The historical perspectives on peer-run alternatives and recovery-oriented services are discussed.   To learn more about this series and register for upcoming sessions, please click here. 

About this Resource: Given their shared lived experiences, Certified Peer Specialists (CPS) are crucial in offering mutually beneficial support to peers who are recovering from psychiatric and/or substance use disorders. The emotional and interpersonal understanding between a peer and CPS is crucial in the recovery journey. This fact sheet examines the unique role of CPS of color, identifies challenges they may face, and suggests recommendations an organization can implement to support CPS of color. 

This is a recording of the March 29th, 2023 Session 3 in the series, "Aging Out or Growing Together? Flipping the Youth Services Paradigm to Better Support Young Adulthood". This third session, “Elevating Culturally Affirming and Sustaining Services and Practices in Youth Service Agencies” featured special guests Dana Lucio, Dr. Patrick Camangian, and Ricardo Garcia-Acosta. Our Region 9 Training Specialist Oriana Ides facilitated a discussion to address how organizational values, program design, implementation strategies, and long-term visions for young adults can expand to support their evolving needs. This session and those that follow are designed for agencies and individuals that serve transition-aged youth and young adults and explore themes specific to the needs of this age group.

Listen to this new podcast episode, sponsored by New England MHTTC, as Jonathan Edwards and host Ashley Stewart discuss intersectionality in the context of the peer support workforce. We were lucky to hear from Dr. Edwards during the 2023 Innovations training event about honoring workforce solutions to support care for communities of color, and we appreciate the opportunity to continue to learn from him. Stay tuned: Dr. Stewart will be back with more interesting and informative podcast episodes later this spring!   Listen to this episode here.

About this Resource: This 'Trauma and the Peer Perspective' Infographic reviews information from the 3-part series hosted by the Southeast MHTTC. It examines the myriad of ways trauma is defined, how trauma is often addressed within behavioral health systems, the ways systems can create trauma and/or re-traumatize those seeking help, and how trauma informed peer support services can be a game changer. To view on-demand recordings from the 3-part series, please click here. 

About this Resource:  Individuals with mental health or substance use concerns often avoid seeking treatment for a variety of reasons and barriers. Faith-based initiatives and peer support services are important partners in increasing outreach, education, and access to behavioral health services for these individuals. In this on-demand recording, Dr. Monty Burks discusses ways peers can engage and connect faith-based organizations and other community resources to reduce stigma and expand behavioral health support services.  Click here to access the presenter slides. 

Peer support workers are increasingly serving in roles within the crisis care continuum. With 988 roll-out, states working in integrate peer support services within crisis care call centers, mobile crisis response teams, and crisis stabilization units. Peer support workers strengthen engagement and improve outcomes for people experiencing a crisis. Peer support workers provide crisis prevention services and post-crisis services like peer navigation and community support, essential for people who recently experienced crisis.   In this 60-minute webinar, participants: Learned about how the New England MHTTC worked with partners to learn more about the competencies used by peer support workers in crisis services Discussed workforce preparation needs in crisis services Described organizational structures that support crisis teams that include peer support workers View a recording of this 3/16/23 session here. 

About this Resource: Structural competency is a term used in health education to describe the ability of health care providers to appreciate how symptoms, clinical problems, diseases and their own attitudes toward their patients are influenced by the social determinants of health. This guide is meant to provide a framework for incorporating structural competency into provider interactions with certified peer specialists and into their interactions with the populations that they serve.

This recorded workshop focuses on the importance of actionable strategies for managing self-care while serving as a youth peer provider. Centered in a holistic definition of self-care that meets each of SAMHSA’s eight dimensions of wellness, the session can help each peer understand the value and impact of self-care in their peer role. This topic is of importance to the peer workforce because a strong practice of self-care can counteract experiences of burnout and overwhelm in peer positions. Shayn McDonald and Tymber Hudson of Youth MOVE National co-presented in this online workshop that holds space for reflection and actionable strategies, including journaling and self-care resources.

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 January 2023 issue promotes January Awareness events, 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. 

This is a recording of the kickoff session for Creating Safe Spaces for Peer Support Providers and Incorporating Anti-racist Practices in Peer Support Delivery that took place on December 7, 2022. Session 1 featured a special guest, Javan Jones, of Jones Community Solutions and was facilitated by Evelyn Clark, CPC. They facilitated a group discussion on a variety of topics, including how to create safe spaces, the foundation of racism in our medical system, why mental advocacy should uplift BIPOC voices of lived experience, and more.  This series is recommended for peer support agencies and peer specialists who identify as Black, Indigenous, and people of color who work in mental health and cross-systems and allies to help support the BIPOC peer workforce.

This is a recording of the November 30th, 2022 kickoff for the series Aging Out or Growing Together? Flipping the Youth Services Paradigm to Better Support Young Adulthood. The kickoff discussion, “Framing the Need for Responsive Young Adult Services,” was delivered by panelists Dr. Tiffani Marie, Sikander Iqbal, Lucero Herrera, and Kazani Finao. Our Region 9 Training Specialist Oriana Ides facilitated a discussion to address how organizational values, program design, implementation strategies, and long-term visions for young adults can expand to support their evolving needs. This session and those that follow are designed for agencies and individuals that serve transition-aged youth and young adults and explore themes specific to the needs of this age group.

About this Resource:  The prevalence and impact of trauma is undeniable. Statistics show that as many as 90% of the people who enter the public behavioral health system have experienced trauma. The adverse childhood experiences study (ACE) demonstrates the correlation between early childhood adversity and negative health outcomes in adulthood, including heart disease, cancer, substance misuse and mental health challenges. Our series Trauma and the Peer Perspective will examine the myriad of ways trauma is defined, how trauma is often addressed within behavioral health systems, and how trauma informed peer support and services can be a game changer. Mental Health and the Holidays (Part 3) Description: “It’s the most wonderful time of the year” a popular holiday carol proclaims, but for many, the holidays bring stress, family discord, anxiety, and depression. This webinar featured Certified Peer Specialists exploring the challenges that come with the holiday season and discussed connections and resources they have used to support themselves and others through what might be a difficult time. Learning objectives: 1. Gain insight into how our Mental Health is challenged during the Holiday Season 2. Understand the importance of connection particularly during the Holiday Season 3. Learn about holiday resources, supports and events

About this Resource:  In recognition of National Recovery Month, the Southeast Mental Health Technology Transfer Center hosted a panel discussion featuring Certified Peer Specialists providing Peer Support Services to individuals in dual recovery (from substance use and mental health concerns).  This infographic reviews highlights from the panel discussion, including the challenges and opportunities that CPS face in providing dual recovery peer support, the resources needed to build and maintain a successful community-based dual recovery program, and how communities and behavioral health providers can benefit from such programs. To access the on-demand recording of our "Certified Peer Specialists Providing Peer Support to Individuals in Dual Recovery" event, please click here. 

Youth peer providers can use this tip sheet to learn more about bringing trauma-informed principles into their work. The tip sheet defines trauma-informed care and offers concrete examples of what it might look like in common scenarios. It also poses reflection questions to help youth peer providers identify and apply trauma-informed practices. Read this tip sheet to deepen your understanding of themes such as safety, trustworthiness, transparency, empowerment, voice and choice, collaboration and mutuality, and more.

This visually engaging, interactive tip sheet is a comprehensive tool for helping youth and young adults understand and assess their own wellness. It outlines the Eight Dimensions of Wellness model and guides readers through a reflection activity that seeks to ground them in a larger sense of purpose.

Building a strong sense of ethics and boundaries is essential to peer youth providers’ professional development, and to developing the emerging workforce as a whole. This resource provides an overview of ethics and boundaries for those in youth peer provider roles. Employing clear definitions and multi-media exercises, this resource can be used by individuals, groups, or supervisors to support peer providers’ understanding and application of ethics and boundaries.

About this Resource:  The prevalence and impact of trauma is undeniable. Statistics show that as many as 90% of the people who enter the public behavioral health system have experienced trauma. The adverse childhood experiences study (ACE) demonstrates the correlation between early childhood adversity and negative health outcomes in adulthood. In Part 1 of this series 'Trauma and the Peer Perspective' CPS panelists examined the myriad of ways trauma is defined and how trauma is often addressed within behavioral health systems. Panelists also discussed how systems can create trauma and/or retraumatize those seeking help and shared how trauma informed peer support and services helped them in their recovery journey.   Join us for the remaining sessions in this series:  Thursday, November 10, 2022 (12:00 PM ET) | Trauma and 988/Crisis Services (Register Here)   Thursday, December 8, 2022 (12:00 PM ET) | Trauma and the Holidays (Register Here)

About this Resource:  In recognition of National Recovery Month, the Southeast Mental Health Technology Transfer Center hosted a panel discussion featuring Certified Peer Specialists providing Peer Support to individuals in dual recovery (from substance use and mental health concerns) at Recovery Community Organizations and Respite Centers. Panelists discussed the challenges and opportunities that present themselves when the focus is on the whole person, and not a primary diagnosis; the resources that are needed to build and maintain a successful community-based dual recovery program; and how communities and behavioral health providers benefit from the programs.

Our September newsletter offers upcoming events on Assertive Community Treatment, addressing provider burnout, and the 988 launch. We also include new resources on peer support, mental health in the criminal justice system, and older adult mental health.