Products and Resources Catalog

Session learning objectives: Provide an overview of the prevalence of mental health challenges among youth before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Examine specific groups of youth that may be more vulnerable to mental health challenges post-pandemic. Explore pandemic-related changes in behavior patterns and coping mechanisms adopted by youth, including the role of technology. Describe ways in which schools can identify students who experience persistent challenges and implement school-based programs to best support these youth.  

Download the presentation slides here 1 in 36 school-age children are autistic. Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with emotion regulation and anxiety that may be exacerbated by experiences of bullying, victimization, and segregation within schools. There is an urgent need to support the mental and behavioral health of autistic students. The purpose of our two-part webinar office hours series is to provide overviews of how to identify and support anxiety in autistic students and to apply these strategies within case studies. This webinar will center on evidence-based approaches and practices that can be used within schools to help manage anxiety in autistic students. By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to: Describe evidence-based approaches to support anxiety in autistic students. Understand different ways that mental health programming can be delivered to autistic students in schools. Identify strategies that may support an autistic student as illustrated within two case examples.

  The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The February 2024 issue features content from the Great Lakes ATTC celebrating Black History Month, including our upcoming 2024 Black History Month Panel Presentation. It also features a new educational brief on health equity in crisis systems, upcoming prevention trainings on drug trends in the region, and updates to the Classroom WISE curriculum for 2024. As always, you will also find links to all upcoming events and trainings hosted by the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC!   Make sure you're subscribed to our email contact list so you never miss a month of The Great Lakes Current newsletter, and thank you for reading!

Download the presentation slides here 1 in 44 school-age children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with emotion regulation, anxiety, and depression that may be exacerbated by experiences of bullying, victimization, and segregation within schools. There is an urgent need to support the mental and behavioral health of autistic students. In the past year, the SEMHTTC team has disseminated resources related to identifying and supporting mental health challenges in this population, with a specific emphasis on anxiety here. The purpose of this two-part series is to build on the didactic content covered in our earlier learning sessions (learning session 1, learning session 2) and provide more opportunity to cover a case example, engage in discussion, and have ample time for Q&A. In each sessions, we will provide a very brief overview of the prior content we covered (15 minutes), have an in-depth discussion of one case example (15 minutes), and ample time for questions and open conversation related to the mental health of autistic students (25 minutes). The first learning session is devoted to identifying anxiety and other mental health challenges in autistic students. By the end of the session, participants will be able to: Identify anxiety and signs of other mental health challenges in autistic students. Describe risk factors for autistic students to develop anxiety and other mental health challenges. Identify anxiety signs within one case example of an autistic student.

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 aspects of executive function such as inhibition.  This infographic provides information about strategies that can be used by educators to help autistic students build their inhibition skills in a manner that is inclusive and neurodiversity affirming.

In 2022, the MHTTC Network was asked to amplify and disseminate existing programming and resources related to school violence for the school mental health workforce (e.g., crisis intervention teaming, school violence trauma and grief response, cultural considerations for school violence), and develop responsive training and technical assistance to address additional needs identified. Through the MHTTC School Mental Health Initiative, we conducted an environmental scan and gap analysis, through which we aimed to 1) compile existing programming/resources on school violence, especially those developed by the MHTTCs and other SAMHSA-funded organizations; 2) identify the gaps that exist in school violence-related programming/resources available in the field; and 3) consider the development of new training, technical assistance activities, and/or resource(s) with a focus on addressing the gaps identified via the environmental scan and gap analysis. This summary highlights the findings from that work, including the free resources and resources lists, as well as organizations of interest that provide free resources, that were compiled through the environmental scan.

Click here to access the presentation slides (PDF). Medicaid is a leading source of financing for school mental health services and programs. As Medicaid policies change, there may be greater opportunities for mental health providers to bill Medicaid for more services in schools. In this two-part webinar event, Dr. Adam Wilk (SE MHTTC Policy Lead) will describe key policies that govern Medicaid funding for school mental health services, and how they can be changed to increase school mental health funding. He will provide examples of states that have pursued specific reforms, and he will also highlight important resources that can help school mental health leaders to identify what steps may be most appropriate to take in their home state. This series is designed for school mental health leaders who are interested in learning 1) about the fundamentals of Medicaid financing of school mental health services and 2) about options for changing Medicaid policy to better support school mental health systems and services. This session (Part II) will focus on policies concerning which providers can bill Medicaid for services and whether Medicaid can be billed for services provided in school settings. Learning Objectives: Characterize the four requirements that must be met for billing Medicaid for school mental health services. Discuss the Medicaid policies that can affect which providers can bill Medicaid for services and whether services provided at schools can be billed to Medicaid. Describe how state Medicaid policies on eligible providers and covered settings can be reformed in support of school mental health.

A major concern in school communities across the country is school violence. This symposium provides an overview of the MHTTC Network's School Mental Health Initiative, and highlights training and technical assistance (TA) that the MHTTC Network is leading on addressing school violence and school mental health. NOTE: This was originally presented at the 2023 Advancing School Mental Health Conference, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health in New Orleans, LA.

Behavioral threat assessment was developed to prevent targeted attacks, such as school shootings. However, there are concerns about the use of threat assessment in schools, including as it relates to student mental health. This symposium by the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office and National Center for School Mental Health details results of a key informant roundtable, scoping review, and white paper that examine considerations for behavioral threat assessment, research outcomes, and recommendations for the future of behavioral threat assessment in schools. NOTE: This was originally presented at the 2023 Advancing School Mental Health Conference, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health in New Orleans, LA.

In "Fronterismo - Supporting Transborder School Mental Health," the third installment of The Needs and Joys of our (Im)migrant Students, Families, and Community Partners: Exploring and Expanding our School Mental Health Practice, a special three-part series focused on (im)migrant student mental health, we: focused on shared risk and protective factors for vulnerable populations outlined school programs like CBITS and restorative justice Community Building Circles highlighted cultural adaptations of both models.   The audience for the event included mental health professionals, administrators, educators, recovery specialists, students and others.

On September 14th, 2023, over 60 attendees gathered to explore grief leadership, to create space for providers to process the August 8th wildfires in Lahaina, Hawai'i, and to explore how those devastating fires affected people far beyond Maui. This session was a collaboration of the School Crisis Recovery & Renewal Project (a National Child Traumatic Stress Network Category II site) and the youth and young adult specialty program of the Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center    In times of crisis, coming together to make meaning of what we are each holding helps us show up for ourselves and for each other professionally. Our time together was designed to gather school crisis leaders, youth and young adult providers, and peer support professionals to explore how the Lahaina fires were experienced across multiple communities and ways to better support impacted children, youth, and young adults.   After rich discussions and collective learning and resourcing, we offer the following summary to steer our grief leadership, now and in the weeks, months, and years to come.   

This is a recording of the webinar, “Talking with Children About War and Other Humanitarian Crises,” that took place on November 20, 2023. The Pacific Southwest MHTTC offered this session during a season in which many families are gathering and discussing challenging, charged issues with current and ongoing wars coupled with a wide range of humanitarian and other major crises in the U.S. and abroad. In this special session, our center's School Mental Health Field Director, Leora Wolf-Prusan moderated a presentation and workshop with Dr. David Schonfeld, Director of the National Center for School Crisis & Bereavement. After Dr. Schonfeld's presentation, participants debriefed and processed in the question-and-answer segment of the program, and a discussion emerged, centered on how children understand – and misunderstand – crises and how best to explain it to them in order to promote their understanding and adjustment. Viewers of this recording can benefit from the following learning objectives:    Approaches for how to talk with children about wars and other humanitarian crises Some of the causes of ineffective communication, whether due to the source (e.g., media) or recipient (i.e., the child) of the information Strategies to address anger and blame during group discussions with children in the aftermath of a humanitarian crisis This session was designed for mental health and school mental health professionals, including counselors, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health program administrators

This event is part of the UW SMART Center's 2024 Virtual Speaker Series. Learn more and register for upcoming events in the series here. School Mental Health through a Multi-tiered System Framework Description: This session will provide participants with an overview of the Interconnected Systems Framework and how it supports the implementation of School Mental Health. Objective: Participants will develop an understanding of the Interconnected Systems Framework and the importance of a single system of delivery.   Presentation Materials   About the Presenter: Clynita Grafenreed, Ph.D. Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator at the Northwest MHTTC/ UW SMART Center Clynita Grafenreed, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist (LP) and a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology (1993) and Ph.D. in Psychology (1998) from Texas A&M University in College Station. While she is a LP, Clynita considers herself first as an educator, having spent 24 years in education as a School Psychologist. For 12 years, Clynita worked as a LSSP in several Houston area school districts and then 12 years as an Education Specialist at Region 4 Education Service Center (Region 4) in the Department of Special Education Solutions. While at Region 4, the largest Education Service Center in Texas, Clynita led the Texas Behavior Support Network, a Texas Education Agency sponsored statewide network designed to build capacity in Texas schools through the provision of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to all students for ten years. Clynita has expertise in the areas of equity, school discipline, mental health, and behavioral supports and interventions.     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.

School mental health staff play a vital role in promoting mental health and well-being and identifying and responding to emerging mental illness in children and adolescents. Partnering with educators is essential; however, they often have not received the education, training, and/or ongoing support needed to respond in the classroom. Learn how school mental health staff can use the free Classroom WISE suite of tools to move school mental health forward. NOTE: This was originally presented at the School Social Work Association of America's 2022 Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.

Developing and disseminating effective educator and school personnel training packages does not necessarily lead to their use and implementation. This session demonstrates Classroom WISE, a free 3-part package (online course, video series, resource library) focused on educator mental health literacy, and presents evaluation results for the package and a technical assistance project that examines differences in uptake of the Classroom WISE based on the level of implementation support. NOTE: This was originally presented virtually at the 2022 Advancing School Mental Health Conference, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health.

Educators and school personnel play a vital role in promoting well-being and identifying and responding to emerging mental illness in children and adolescents. However, they often have not received the training and ongoing support needed to respond in the classroom. To address this need, the MHTTC Network, in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, developed a FREE 3-part training package focused on educator mental health literacy. Informed by and co-developed with K-12 educators, Classroom WISE (Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators) launched in June 2021. Since then, over 10,000 educators and school staff have completed the training! This summary highlights participant feedback as well as MHTTC's dissemination and implementation efforts for Classroom WISE since its launch.

This poster uses an Implementation Research model to examine how contextual factors (e.g., leadership and climate; steps taken by the school to incorporate the content into professional development activities) affect implementing a mental health literacy training, Classroom WISE, in K-12 schools, and how to leverage facilitators to increase program uptake. NOTE: This poster was originally presented at the School Social Work Association of America's 2023 Annual Conference in Broomfield, CO.

About 4 of 5 children with mental health issues have unmet mental health needs. Key to addressing the youth mental health crisis (as declared by the U.S. Surgeon General) is identifying and addressing student mental health challenges in school settings. This poster examines how much technical assistance/implementation strategies was needed to introduce districts and schools to Classroom WISE and help them explore, plan, implement, and sustain training. NOTE: This poster was originally presented at the 15th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Washington, DC.

About the Session: This 60-minute session is a case-based discussion covering the process of assessing readiness for college, accessing accommodations, and preparing youth with a history of psychosis to transition to college. Many young people are interested in higher education but are unsure of what that may look like after receiving a diagnosis of a primary psychotic disorder. We hope to equip attendees with basic knowledge of psychosis spectrum disorders, considerations for a transition to college, and resources for supporting these young adults in achieving success! Session slides can be accessed by clicking the DOWNLOAD button above The video recording can be accessed below Resources of interest shared during the session can be accessed here Intended Audience: This introductory-level learning series is geared toward the following school personnel from middle and high schools: School mental health providers, such as school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other mental health professionals (those hired by the school and those who work for a community organization and come into the school to provide school mental health services) School nurses/school health aides, and other primary care partners working in schools School educators, administrators, school resource officers, and mental health peer leaders Please note: This is session 3 of a 3-part Introductory Series, Early Psychosis 101: Basics for Supporting Students. Learn more about the speakers for this session and access information about the other sessions in the series here.

This Fall 2023 edition of Region 9 School Mental Health Champions! newsletter was released in October, a time and month that for many school-based leaders and educators is full, often a time and month that yearns for rest and rejuvenation. Our Region 9 team extends our wishes for our readers to feel resourced and supported and we are continually grateful for the opportunity to be a resource and a support to the work that makes your love for school mental health equity visible.    In this quarter’s newsletter, we offer new programming, research, and resources, and so much more. 

This Summer Region 9 School Mental Health Champions! newsletter edition was released in June, 2023 - for some of our readers, this is a time of break, vacation, and restoration. For others, it might be a time of closing the school year and preparing for a new one - of taking stock and exhaling after what may have been a busy year. Wherever this newsletter finds you, we hope you can take an inhale and exhale and honor the work of this past year. This newsletter provides new programming and products from our center, upcoming school mental health conferences and learning opportunities from the network and field, and recent research and scholarship to support our school mental health practices and policies. We’re happy to share that our region’s school mental health website is up to date and ready to support you: https://mhttcnetwork.org/centers/pacific-southwest-mhttc/school-mental-health Please contact us with specific requests, feedback, or your own resources you’d like us to share with your regional colleagues: [email protected]. We would love to hear from you!

Download the presentation slides here 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 emotion regulation, anxiety, and depression that may be exacerbated by experiences of bullying, victimization, and segregation within schools. There is an urgent need to support the mental and behavioral health of autistic students. In the past year, the SEMHTTC team has disseminated resources related to identifying and supporting mental health challenges in this population, including anxiety and, more recently, executive function. The purpose of this two-part series is to build on the didactic content covered in our earlier learning sessions on executive function [Part 1, Part 2] and provide more opportunity to cover a case example, engage in discussion, and have ample time for Q&A.  In each session, we will provide a very brief overview of the prior content we covered (15 minutes), have an in-depth discussion of one case example (15 minutes), and ample time for questions and open conversation related to the mental health of autistic students (25 minutes).

This November, in honor of Children's Grief Awareness Month, the MHTTC Network hosted a two-day, no-cost, training experience for the mental health and school mental health workforce. We worked with leading grief experts across the country to strengthen grief sensitivity skills, techniques, and interventions. This resource page includes all session recordings and materials from Day 2 of the Institute geared toward the school mental health workforce with a special focus on school violence & grief. The theme for our 2023 GSVLI was Working with grief in the context of violence: Strengthening our skills to strengthen ourselves Access the slide deck from Day 2 here or by clicking on the "download" button above. Please note: To access Dr. Roberto Rivera's slides for the Keynote presentation, please click here (you must create a login to access content). The full video recording is embedded below.  Keynote (start at 18:23) Panel 1 - Grief Sensitive School Crisis Response (start at 1:01:18 ) Panel 2 - Unpacking the Uncomfortable: Cultural Humility's Role in our School-Based Grief Work (start at 2:12:59) Workshop Practice Session - Growing Through Grief: Understanding and Supporting Youth Exposed to Loss, and Closing of Day 2 (start at 3:34:21) View the MHTTC GSVLI 2023 Faculty Curriculum Vitae & Resources here.  Please note: This was a 2-day event. More information on both days can be found on the GSVLI 2023 landing page. Who? The Institutes are for Community Mental Health Practitioners, Social Workers, Psychologists, Therapists, School Mental Health Personnel, School Counselors, Educators, School Administrators, and anyone interested in enhancing their grief sensitivity. You can view recordings from either day and any session no matter your role to support your interests and learning. The populations you serve may be discussed across each Institute day, settings, and sessions. How? Both days of the GSVLI were rich with faculty who offer grounding and foundations for grief sensitivity for the mental health or school mental health workforces and its intersection with violence. Faculty shared where we have been as a field, where we are now, and where we are going (new research, findings, and learnings to impact our practice). Each day began with a grounding keynote, offered two panels to deepen our learning, and a workshop session.

Download the presentation slides here Medicaid is a leading source of financing for school mental health services and programs.  As Medicaid policies change, there may be greater opportunities for mental health providers to bill Medicaid for more services in schools.  In this two-part webinar event, Dr. Adam Wilk (SE MHTTC Policy Lead) will describe key policies that govern Medicaid funding for school mental health services, and how they can be changed to increase school mental health funding.  He will provide examples of states that have pursued specific reforms, and he will also highlight important resources that can help school mental health leaders to identify what steps may be most appropriate to take in their home state.  This series is designed for school mental health leaders who are interested in learning 1) about the fundamentals of Medicaid financing of school mental health services and 2) about options for changing Medicaid policy to better support school mental health systems and services. Part 1 will focus on policies related to who is eligible for Medicaid coverage and what services Medicaid covers.   Learning Objectives: Specify when Medicaid can be billed for school mental health services. Discuss how Medicaid policies affect who may be eligible for coverage under Medicaid and what services may be covered by Medicaid. Describe and distinguish the two main pathways for reforming state Medicaid eligibility and service coverage policies in support of school mental health.