Products and Resources Catalog

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic decreased both economic well-being and mental health.  Using a survey of a diverse representative sample of Boston residents in the first months of the pandemic, we identified sources of vulnerability and resilience on mental health during the pandemic’s early months. Persons of color, who reported greater economic impact than white residents, reported less decline in mental health, a pattern consistent with prior research on what has been termed the “black-white mental health paradox” and the “Latino health paradox.” Women, younger and more educated persons reported more adverse mental health impact, in part due to changes in social connection. Loneliness and more online activity predicted greater decline in mental health, except when online engagement was with friends and family or was part of a religious community. Our findings help explain mental health effects of the pandemic and can guide planning to lessen adverse mental health effects of future pandemics.   Presenters: Matcheri Keshavan, MD, Russell K. Schutt, PhD, and Dr. B.S. Keshava   View a recording of this 7/21/23 session here. 

Prolonged educational workforce shortages perpetuate professional burnout and stress among educators and school staff. This resource guide provides tools to support the self-care and wellness of educators and staff working in school communities.    In this guide, you will find: National Education Association (NEA) 2022 member survey data Peer-reviewed research on the status of workforce shortages in education after COVID-19 Self-care assessments and strategies for wellness specific to educators, school staff, and school settings Podcasts, videos, and recorded webinars addressing self-care and wellness for educators              

We are alone if we choose to be, but we are also seamlessly part of everything, since that is the way of nature! This is the True knowledge, to see ourselves as integral part of the eternal and ever-present universe. The goal is to feel good through self-compassion but also work towards peace and harmony of all, limitlessly. We are subjective when we see ourselves as isolated individuals. We become increasingly objective when we are under self-control (in our physical/material world), with non-attachment (in our emotions), and liberated in our thoughts from all that bind and isolate us as “I” or individuals. We gain this true knowledge when we realize that all that is cognitive and all their enablers (laws of nature) are like two sides of a coin, like the waves on the surface and the deep ocean below - coexisting, inseparable, and enabling the other.   This talk was based on the recent book (2023): by Dr. Krishnamoorthy (Subbu) Subramanian Spirituality In Practice: Exploration for peace and harmony within as well as collaboration and cohesiveness with all that surrounds us. Presenters: Dr. Krishnamoorthy (Subbu) Subramanian, born and raised in Southern India, received his Ph. D from MIT, Cambridge, MA. USA in 1977. He has over 45 years of experience working in the global manufacturing sector. His work has focused on research, new business development, innovation, and mentoring. Dr. Matcheri Keshavan is Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC); Harvard Medical School (HMS), a position he assumed in April 2008. He is also the academic head of psychiatry at BIDMC, and a senior psychiatric advisor for the Massachusetts Mental Health Center. This webinar was presented in collaboration with the Massachusetts Mental Health Center GrandRounds series.   View a recording of this 5/17/23 session here.

  RECORDING: Applying the Research: Practical Supports for Suicide Prevention in Schools   DESCRIPTION: Efforts to prevent suicide at the individual and community level are important for reducing suicide among youth. Suicide is complex with no single cause. This webinar addresses three factors for consideration when focusing on suicide prevention. The speakers will share findings and practical takeaways from their AFSP funded research. One important factor related to mental health and wellness among school aged youth is sleep. Dr. Tina Goldstein will share insights and data regarding the relationship between sleep and suicide. Next, Dr. Anna Mueller will review what she has learned from her research about important ingredients for suicide prevention in schools. Finally, Dr. Marisa Marraccini will describe how to facilitate a student’s return to school after hospitalization for suicidal behavior. There are many considerations to help students and schools adapt to support students in this process of transition. The goal of the webinar is to share insights to build an informed and active community working together for suicide prevention.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Describe How sleep patterns may impact mental health and wellness Provide 3 actions that can be taken to facilitate a student’s return to school after hospitalization for suicidal behavior Enumerate strategies for suicide prevention that can be used in schools     PRESENTERS: Tina Goldstein, PhD, clinical and research interests focus on understanding the etiology and psychosocial treatment for youth with, and at-risk for, mood disorders and suicide. Her research program is supported by grant funding from federal and private foundations, and she is the author of over 150 manuscripts and book chapters. Her contributions to the field have been recognized with numerous awards, including the Klerman Young Investigator Award from the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA) and the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE).       Anna S. Mueller, PhD, is the Luther Dana Waterman Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at Indiana University Bloomington. She received her BA from Wellesley College in 2002 and her PhD in sociology in 2011 from the University of Texas at Austin. Using both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, Mueller’s research examines (1) the social roots of adolescent suicide; (2) the experience of suicide bereavement in adolescence, and (3) how organizational science can help improve suicide prevention in schools. Her research on youth suicide has won numerous awards for its contribution to knowledge, including the Edwin Shneidman Early Career Award from the American Association of Suicidology. In 2020, she was named one of Science News’s Top 10 Early Career Scientists to Watch. Her research is funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the Western Colorado Community Foundation, among others. She is passionate about helping schools, families, and communities find better ways to prevent youth suicide and to heal after suicide losses.     Marisa Marraccini, PhD, specializes in promoting the mental health and well-being of students and preventing health risk behaviors. Trained as a school psychologist, she became interested in supporting high-risk adolescents to prevent suicide and other health risk behaviors during her internship at a rural high school. Recognizing a critical need to better support these students, she sought out advanced training in suicide assessment research through a postdoctoral fellowship at the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior in the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Currently, Marraccini is an Implementation Research Fellow through the Implementation Science Research Institute at Washington University of St. Louis.     The Great Lakes MHTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

This infographic provides restorative self-care practices that specifically focus on attuning, refueling, structuring, and “boundarying.”

About this Resource:  The Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® is a skills-based wellness and prevention program that provides a biological, non-stigmatizing perspective on human reactions to stress and trauma. The primary focus of this stabilization program is to learn to reset the natural balance of the nervous system, using the body itself. CRM skills help people understand their nervous system and learn to track sensations connected to their own wellbeing. During this on-demand recording, the presenters teach easy-to-learn skills to manage difficult emotions which can be brought on by stressful personal or professional situations. CRM skills may be shared with others immediately after taking the 1 ½ hour training. Please click here to access the presenter slides.  CRM skills are useful for self-care in any setting: work, home, school, healthcare, faith communities, public safety, and even in crisis situations. CRM is a valuable resource for individuals coping with chronic stressors such as physical pain, addiction, and grief or loss. A range of persons that suffer the effects of cumulative trauma (e.g., violence, poverty, racism, homophobia, incarceration) may benefit from these tools.   Resources mentioned during the presentation: Dan Siegel’s Hand Brain Model  Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-m2YcdMdFw https://www.ichillapp.com/ CRM was developed at the Trauma Resource Institute by Elaine Miller-Karas [Miller-Karas, E. (2015). Building resilience to trauma: The trauma and community resiliency models. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group]. For more information: http://crmgeorgia.org/

Recording of the event Mental Health & Obesity in the Black Community, originally held on March 16, 2023.   Presentation slides

Recording of the Rock Recovery-led event More Than Just a Number: How Debunking Diet Culture Can Lead to a Positive Self-Image, originally held on March 21, 2023.   Presentation slides

This presentation by Dr. Frank D’Attilio addressed mental health professionals’ propensity to give less of a priority to their own self-care when working with others. Emphasis was placed on how they can become more mindful of this shortcoming and employ strategies and interventions for change. Upon completion of this activity, participants were able to: Become familiar with the signs and symptoms of distress or burnout in themselves Become familiar with some of the strategies and intervention for self-help Learn how to identify when it is time for them to consult professional mental health treatment for themselves   Watch a recording of this 2/22/23 session here. 

Participating in a demanding professional life while maintaining healthy engagement in non-work roles can be overwhelming, frustrating, and riddled with guilt. It can also be a source of joy, inspiration, and creativity. This session explored how multiple demanding roles can be mutually beneficial, helping us improve our creativity, rest, and happiness. Using tools from the therapy room as well as behavioral science, attendees learned how they can actively enhance their well-being while maintaining a foothold in multiple demanding roles. Presenter: Yael Schonbrun, Ph.D., assistant professor at Brown University, co-host of the Psychologists Off the Clock podcast, and author. This event was presented in collaboration with the Massachusetts Mental Health Center GrandRounds series. Watch a recording of this 2/15/2023 session here. 

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.

Our region, the Pacific Southwest MHTTC, is committed to supporting Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) identifying school mental health leaders and their allies with leadership development sessions to facilitate well-being and career support. We also know that the school and mental health professional pipeline struggles with recruiting and retaining representative professionals with diverse identities. As such, we are thrilled to have partnered with Untapped Leaders in this recorded workshop that offers frameworks and tools to school mental health leaders and professionals in Region 9 (and beyond). In this introductory recorded session, presenter Jenny Vasquez-Newsom led participants through the exclusionary history of traditional leadership frameworks. Further, viewers may examine how those outdated definitions persist in organizations today, and how to incorporate contextual understanding and agility to lead organizations (education agencies, departments, school boards, school districts, school sites, school mental health associations) inclusively and effectively from any seat to ensure optimal wellness for ourselves, colleagues, and our staff.

This toolkit can be used by psychologists, social workers, counselors, clinic staff, interpreters, outreach workers (promotoras), peer navigators, and other advocates in the community. The content of this toolkit will focus on particular considerations for Hispanic/Latinx mental health professionals working in settings that service Hispanic/Latinx populations, as these providers face additional challenges when taking on the role of cultural and linguistic broker. This self-care toolkit will increase your awareness of the negative consequences of mental health work and will help you plan self-care activities that align with your values and lifestyle. The toolkit also contains resources to help you measure your levels of stress, identify your values, and select self-care activities to prevent burnout.

Part 1 of 2 in the Pacific Southwest and Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC training series: Peer Wellness Supports for Healthcare Providers   Professionals across the health care continuum are trained to support, educate, and care for others. Sometimes this care comes at their own expense, and they may have difficulty tending to their own well-being. Burnout and compassion fatigue can lead to poor job performance which can negatively impact colleagues, patients/clients, and students, as well as family and friends. Attention to self-care and simple daily practices can build resilience and increase a person’s overall wellness.   This recorded training will help professionals in a range of disciplines and settings facilitate brief self-care sessions with their peers and colleagues. Part 1 of the training includes an overview of the program and self-care practices for participants.   The training is led by Drs. Margaret (Peggy) Swarbrick and Michelle Zechner and is based on their co-authored manual, "Self-Care in the Workplace." Please access the Facilitator Manual here.

Part 2 of 2 in the Pacific Southwest and Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC training series: Peer Wellness Supports for Healthcare Providers This recorded training will help professionals in a range of disciplines and settings facilitate brief self-care sessions with their peers and colleagues. Each two-hour recorded webinar includes didactic, experiential, and implementation planning components (e.g. brief overview of practice, doing a self-care practice, resources and challenges to using materials at their location, and discussion).  This Part 2 recording features peer strategies and how to implement a colleague-to-colleague program as well as developing a customized plan (identifying strengths, possible challenges, and strategies to overcome possible challenges). At the end of this two-part training, viewers will be able to lead wellness groups for their small teams within their workplace.   The training is led by Drs. Margaret (Peggy) Swarbrick and Michelle Zechner and is based on their co-authored manual “Self-Care in the Workplace.” Please access the Facilitator Manual here.

About this Resource:  During this presentation, Kelsey Bonfils, PhD, reviewed what we know about social difficulties and sleep disturbances in people with severe mental illnesses and discussed a current study investigating how these two areas may be linked. Future directions for research and clinical practice were also discussed.  

Once considered the product of genius or divine inspiration, creativity--the ability to spot problems and devise smart solutions--is now recognized as a prized and teachable skill. Study of creativity is unfortunately not part of the formal curricular instruction in most academic healthcare settings. Creativity positively impacts clinical care, teaching effectiveness, and breakthroughs in research. However, time constraints, limited opportunities for fresh observations, and emotional exhaustion seem to have restricted our ability to cultivate creativity in our chore filled and task-oriented lives. Creativity thus becomes a valuable tool to mitigate the destructive impact of burnout in healthcare workers. Watch a recording of this event with Vineeth John, MD, MBA from November 18, 2022.

About the Community of Practice:  In a crisis, school mental health leaders help a school community build a collective coping system; navigate overwhelming situations; and stay attuned to how various members are activated by different events, experience shared events differently, and have varying recovery and renewal needs. And, this work can be incredibly overwhelming, lonely, and isolating. It doesn’t have to be though: our greatest source of support comes from creating space to resource ourselves, resource each other, and to then resource the school communities we lead.   Join the Southeast MHTTC for the first session in a three-part coaching series for school leaders. Facilitated by the School Crisis Recovery & Renewal project, we are offering three sessions to engage in self & collective reflection. The series is an extended learning opportunity following Parts 1-6 of the collective trauma webinar series; you do not need to have attended all the webinars to attend the CoP, though it is highly recommended. You can view parts 1-6 here.   What can you expect from these CoP sessions? Application of theory, interactive breakouts, peer coaching, and bringing the frameworks to life (including workshopping how to translate framework language like “healing” into the contexts and communities in which you lead).   Session Overview:  Session 3 focuses on our school mental health crisis renewal leadership skills and approaches. We will provide a dialogue space to explore how to lead from a trauma-organized stance to a “healing-organized” stance. We will also discuss how to partner with faith based organizations, students, and diverse voices in the aftermath of a crisis.   Session Objectives:  Enhance knowledge, skills and capacities related to school crisis recovery & renewal leadership Identify 1-3 practices to begin or continue implementing that strengthen a trauma-informed crisis leadership approach

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.

This previously recorded webinar will highlight findings from SAMHSA’s guide titled, Addressing Burnout in the Behavioral Health Workforce through Organizational Strategies, which explores evidence-based, organization-level strategies and promising practices to address burnout within the behavioral health workforce. Following an overview of the goals of SAMHSA’s Evidence-Based Resource Guide Series by SAMHSA’s Humberto Carvalho, MPH; Candice Chen, MD, MPH, George Washington University, from the guide’s technical expert panel will discuss this guide’s development. Ellen Childs, PhD, Abt Associates, will provide an overview of the framing of the guide, describing factors leading to burnout, and relevant evidence-based strategies to address it. Representatives from organizations featured in the guide’s case studies will discuss development of their policies or programs to address burnout. Download the slides for this presentation here. Access the guide here.

  Anxiety impacts us and is rooted in many layers of our being:  it is physical, psychological, relational and existential. In Part One of this series of informational and experiential workshops for school and the general mental health workforce, Hala Khouri, author, facilitator, and practitioner, offers a physiological and socio-political framework for anxiety and trauma to support behavioral health providers. Throughout the series, Hala shares tools and practices to transform our stress and anxiety and build capacity and resilience.   “New Year, New Approaches to Anxiety” Learning Series addresses and explores:   Building a culture at work (and home) that values wellbeing Having tools to manage and release stress and anxiety Feeling less overwhelmed and more grounded and inspired Cultivating relationships that are healthy and connected Engaging with the world in a way that reflects your values Building capacity for self and collective care and resilience Finding joy amidst the chaos   In this video recording of Session 1- Trauma Informed Framework for Healing, Managing Anxiety and Building Resilience, the goals are:      Understand anxiety and the stress response; review the physiological framework for how stress and trauma affect the body, mind, and emotions Invite self-reflection on how we are impacted by stress and anxiety Learn somatic tools to get present in the body and release stress and anxiety

Anxiety impacts us and is rooted in many layers of our being:  it is physical, psychological, relational and existential. In Part Two of this series of informational and experiential workshops for school and the general mental health workforce, Hala Khouri, author, facilitator, and practitioner, offers a physiological and socio-political framework for anxiety and trauma to support behavioral health providers. Throughout the series, Hala shares tools and practices to transform our stress and anxiety and build capacity and resilience.   “New Year, New Approaches to Anxiety” Learning Series addresses and explores:   Building a culture at work (and home) that values wellbeing Having tools to manage and release stress and anxiety Feeling less overwhelmed and more grounded and inspired Cultivating relationships that are healthy and connected Engaging with the world in a way that reflects your values Building capacity for self and collective care and resilience Finding joy amidst the chaos   In this video recording of Session 2 - Understanding Your Own Psychology: Self- Awareness for Empowerment and Radical Empathy, the goals are:    Reflect on how you manage stress and what being well means to you  Explore the roots of your stress and anxiety through a personal, interpersonal, and socio-political lens.  Learn how to work with your personal triggers so you can show up with more empathy and accountability  Uncover your internalized beliefs about self-care and caring for others 

Anxiety impacts us and is rooted in many layers of our being:  it is physical, psychological, relational and existential. In Part Four of this series of informational and experiential workshops for school and the general mental health workforce, Hala Khouri, author, facilitator, and practitioner, offers a physiological and socio-political framework for anxiety and trauma to support behavioral health providers. Throughout the series, Hala shares tools and practices to transform our stress and anxiety and build capacity and resilience.   “New Year, New Approaches to Anxiety” Learning Series addresses and explores:   Building a culture at work (and home) that values wellbeing Having tools to manage and release stress and anxiety Feeling less overwhelmed and more grounded and inspired Cultivating relationships that are healthy and connected Engaging with the world in a way that reflects your values Building capacity for self and collective care and resilience Finding joy amidst the chaos   In this video recording of Session 4- Practice, Reflection and Intention Setting the goals are:    Practice communication tools in small groups  Reflect on your personal goals for releasing stress and anxiety  Create an action plan to implement changes and healthy habits in your life 

  This series is designed to educate employers and employees about mental health and substance use issues that may arise in the workplace and how to manage them. It is not designed for the mental health professional, and this series does not train the viewer to diagnose, only to recognize and respond.   Behavioral health and substance use are common occurrences. Everyone in the workplace can make an impact by learning more about these conditions, working to reduce stigma, and learning how to talk to a coworker who might be struggling and help them to access supportive resources.   Modules include:  Mental Health Awareness Overcoming Stigma The Recovery Model Mental Health Crisis and De-Escalation Substance Use Awareness Behavioral Health and Substance Use Prevention   All modules are available on HealtheKnowledge. Learn more about HealtheKnowledge & sign up for modules here: HealtheKnowledge Courses