Products and Resources Catalog

On February 11th, we held a virtual convening on Supporting the Mental Health of BIPOC Community College Students where stakeholders from all 6 states discussed challenges, shared promising practices, and identified opportunities to improve services and supports for BIPOC students.   During the convening, Dr. Justin Heinze presented data from recent Healthy Minds Study survey respondents, including rates of depression, anxiety, and service access in college students. In addition to increases in poorer mental health across a variety of indicators, the responses also illuminate differences by race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation, as well as those attending community colleges versus four-year institutions. To watch the recording, click here.    Dr. Heinze is an educational psychologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan School of Public Health. His research investigates how schools influence disparities in violence and other risk outcomes from an ecological perspective that includes individual, interpersonal, and contextual influences on development. He is particularly interested in structural features of school context and policy that perpetuate inequity in violence and firearm outcomes, but also how these institutions can serve as a setting for intervention.

  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.

In this presentation, Mid-America MHTTC specialists and partners with Omaha-based Community Alliance will demonstrate ways in which family peer support empowers families in their roles on the mental health team. In particular, participants will learn how recipients of family peer support: Learn self-regulation; Learn to partner with the mental health team to develop a crisis plan; and Learn to partner with the mental health team to develop a recovery plan.   Speakers:   Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram has been in the mental health field for over 40 years. At the Nebraska State Hospital, he provided psychological services to persons with serious mental illness and to their family members, and he directed clinical services including psychology, nursing, social work, therapeutic recreation, education and return-to-work programs. He is the former director of mental health services in Kansas and clinical director of a juvenile correctional facility. Currently he is manager of family and peer services at Community Alliance. Bill Baerentzen, Ph.D., CRC, LMHP, is serious mental illness program director for the Mid-America MHTTC. Much of his outreach involves promoting evidence-based practices to help people with serious mental illness (SMI) live meaningful inclusive lives. Dr. Baerentzen has worked as director of a 250-bed emergency overnight shelter; supervisor of therapists in a treatment program for persons with co-occurring disorders; and as faculty in a rehabilitation counseling program.   Rita and Stuart have been married for 30 years and were blessed with twins. Stuart has worked in the advertising field for over 30 years. Rita was a stay-at-home parent for most of her life. Rita and Stuart noticed behavioral changes in their daughter in her early 20s. Although she was seen by professionals in the mental health community, she severed ties from the professionals and her family. Stuart and Rita attended Dr. Jai’s family-to-family class to develop an understanding of their family’s challenges, and have since gained insights into their lives.   Learn more about Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce at https://bit.ly/FPS_2020

In this presentation, Jessica Gonzalez, MHTTC School Mental Health Coordinator, gives a brief overview of the MHTTC Network, the School Mental Health Initiative, and our partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health. She also provides a sneak peek for Classroom WISE, a school mental health literacy course for teachers and school staff coming in 2021. Click here to view the slides!

Dr. Yvette Jackson, Dr. Rachel Santa, Ann Smith, JD, and Dr. Christine Mason shared their insights as we explore solutions and vision for equity and inclusion in schools in 2021. Learning Objectives: learn about innovative programs and recommendations to achieve greater equity and inclusion. learn about advocacy and promising practices for children who are more vulnerable and more at-risk. Gain practical ideas and resources to help alleviate stress and create a brighter future, even in the midst of all we are handling today.

Development of Internship Training Opportunities in School Mental Health describes how the Mid-America MHTTC aided in establishing comprehensive school mental health training programs through effective and collaborative partnerships and discusses ideas for graduate-level training. Speakers: Erika Franta, PhD, Mindy Chadwell, PhD, Brandy Clarke, PhD This presentation was developed for the Annual Conference on Advancing School Mental Health, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health on Oct. 29, 2020.

The Managing Anxiety & Return to School webinar series is part of The Back-to-School Series - Supports for Staff, Students & Families During COVID-19. Click here to learn more about our series of webinars on concrete strategies to strengthen connections, promote mental wellness and resilience, and support everyone in the return to schools during a global pandemic. About this Resource: The COVID-19 pandemic is eliciting significant psychosocial concerns for youth and adults alike, especially anxiety. Educators have unique opportunities to engage with youth during this time, despite the fact that most schools are operating remotely. Identifying and implementing strategies for all (educators and youth) to cope with anxiety during this time is important. In this webinar, we will discuss how to identify anxiety, distinguish typical and problematic anxiety, and describe/utilize coping strategies for anxiety, and promote resilience in educational settings during the COVID-19 pandemic. Webinar Objectives: Distinguish typical vs. problematic anxiety within educational settings (both in-person and remote formats) during a global pandemic Apply evidence-based strategies for anxiety to these situations as an educator Learn to promote use of evidence-based strategies for anxiety for youth within an educational setting Understand how implementation of effective anxiety coping strategies can promote resilience   >> Presentation PDF >> Click "View Resource" above to access the recording This recording is about the 4-part Managing Anxiety & the Return to School webinar series. Learn more and register for upcoming Anxiety & Return to School Webinars here.  About the Presenters: Jennifer Blossom, PhD is a Clinical Child Psychologist with expertise in assessment and intervention for youth with anxiety, depression, and suicidality. Dr. Blossom has worked in some capacity in the field of clinical child psychology for over 10 years. Currently, Dr. Blossom is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Psychology and Human Development at the University of Maine at Farmington (UMF), teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. Before joining UMF, Dr. Blossom completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at Seattle Children’s/University of Washington where she conducted research and provided clinical services within the Mood and Anxiety Program and Crisis Care Clinic. Dr. Blossom maintains an active research program related to service delivery, efficiency, and access for youth with internalizing problems, with particular emphasis on expanding behavioral interventions within integrated healthcare settings.   Kendra Read, PhD is a clinical psychologist, the Director of the Mood & Anxiety Program and Director of Anxiety Programs at Seattle Children’s. She is also the Director of Psychotherapy Training through the University of Washington School of Medicine Child Psychiatry Fellowship. She received her PhD in clinical psychology from Temple University in Philadelphia, PA under the mentorship of Philip Kendall, Ph.D., completed her internship in pediatric psychology at Nemours/A. I. duPont Hospital for Children, and her postdoctoral fellowship at the Stanford University School of Medicine in the Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Department. Dr. Read specializes in the treatment of youth with anxiety disorders and OCD from a cognitive behavioral therapy perspective. Her research interests include understanding factors that contribute to treatment outcome, and the dissemination and implementation of CBT for anxiety disorders.     Want more information and school mental health resources? Visit the Northwest MHTTC's School Mental Health page and sign up for our monthly newsletter for regular updates about events, trainings, and resources available to the Northwest region.

Click here to view the recording for the session that took place on September 3rd, 2020 on Tribal Schools as they Reopen Amidst COVID 19 Part 3.

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.  

We are all scrambling to help the kids and families we serve stay healthy and engaged during this unprecedented time. As a response to the COVID-19 emergency, CATCH Global Foundation created CATCH at Home to provide free and easy access to several of CATCH's evidence-based health, nutrition, physical education, and vaping prevention materials. During the webinar, you will get an overview and tour of the Heath@Home free Google Classroom designed for parents and students as well as the free Distance Learning Resources on CATCH.org for educators including new topical content such as immune health and risk of lung disease and vaping. Virtual CATCH Champ in Action: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFbDBDR13BE Abby Rose is a Program Manager for CATCH Global Foundation where she is responsible for the development and dissemination of nutrition education, physical activity, youth vaping prevention and health promotion programs. Abby is active in SHAPE America including serving on their Physical Activity Council and Early Childhood Advisory Group. Previously, Abby was a School Wellness Specialist in the Office of Student Health and Wellness of Chicago Public Schools. Her main areas of focus were Comprehensive School Physical Activity Programming (CSPAP) and early childhood wellness. Abby was the founding PE teacher and Director of Health and Wellness at Namaste Charter School, a national model of school wellness as a vehicle for student success on the southwest side of Chicago. She holds a MSED from Northwestern University.     PPT_CATCH Health@Home_AbbyRose_6.4.20 Transcript_CATCH Health@Home_AbbyRose_6.4.20

Recording of the webinar titled Engaging Families in School Mental Health, originally held on October 16, 2019.   Slide Presentation

Helping Teachers Support Student Mental Health: Recommendations for Strengthening K-12 Teacher Preparation Curricula This whitepaper describes the work and recommendations of a work group developed to discuss mental health and wellness training needs in teacher preparation. The Higher Education Teacher Preparation work group discussed the need to increase mental health awareness and skills in training programs for emerging teachers. This paper provides recommendations that higher education institutions and decision makers should consider in an effort to help teachers feel more prepared to address mental health in the classroom. Authors Liza Tupa Stefanie Winfield

This brief provides an overview and the lessons learned from a program implemented through the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education’s Behavioral Health Program (WICHE BHP). This initiative focused on developing rural psychology internship opportunities in an effort to grow the rural workforce. These internships have proven effective for behavioral health workforce development and may apply to other health disciplines as well. Authors Dennis Mohatt Liza Tupa Shawnda Schroeder

      Hard copies of the toolkit are also available. If you'd prefer a hard copy, please reach out to us at [email protected]. This guide provides resources specific to addressing the unique mental health training and technical assistance needs of schools serving rural and remote communities. School administrators, faculty, and support staff are facing increasing pressure to respond to a host of unmet mental health needs of students in K-12 and higher education. In response, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently released a resource to assist states and schools in addressing mental health and substance use disorders. Underscoring the purpose of the document was a recognition that schools, communities, and families often lack “comprehensive treatment and services for children and youth.” That is particularly true in rural communities. Authors Thomasine Heitkamp Sarah Nielsen Shawnda Schroeder

This is a listing of opportunities currently available from the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (SSW-MHTTTC) to enhance school-based mental health services and effective collaboration between schools and community-based mental health agencies.