Products and Resources Catalog

At the end of this presentation, participants were able to: Recognize the importance of understanding the historical context of the lives of older African Americans Recognize the importance of eliciting the older African American’s perspective of his/her mental and physical health challenges Elicit socio-cultural and spiritual beliefs that could influence an older African American’s health care choices and access to care Enhance knowledge of assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of major mental health disorders when working with older African Americans   Presenter: Martha Crowler, PhD   This webinar was presented in collaboration with the Massachusetts Mental Health Center GrandRounds series.

The one-hour Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance virtual series provides an opportunity for participants to: Gain skills on strength-based approaches in partnership with Native People to enhance Native behavioral health, and Discuss ways that Native brilliance is demonstrated and supports behavioral health, and Learn about Native brilliance examples to share with behavioral health and other health care staff, as well as with local Tribal Nation citizens The concept of Native psychological brilliance will be celebrated through Native music videos and Native spoken word performances as part of each session of the Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance series.   February's topic was "Native Crisis Response (Part Two) – Escalation and De-escalation and Native Implications."

Participants will be able to define a school-wide crisis and an individual student emergency, understand incident management guidelines at each phase, and identify possible barriers to school emergency responses in order to positively engage leadership/staff during an emergency.

Recording of the event Early-Stage Psychosis: The Basics and Best Practice Updates, originally held on February 29, 2024.    

Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) is an evidence-based, recovery-oriented, multidisciplinary treatment program tailored for individuals experiencing Early Psychosis. CSC involves joint treatment planning (or shared decision-making) between the people in treatment and recovery and their care team, which can include mental health providers such as peer specialists, psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and case managers. CSC can provide individual and family counseling, medication management, case coordination and assistance with educational and career objectives, as well as other services. Learn more in this brief and check out our free online course for more information.

  This presentation provided a brief overview of how harm risk (suicidality and self-injury) can present in young people experiencing early psychosis. We reviewed a selection of psychotherapy strategies that can be helpful in targeting these concerns, highlighting functional analysis, distress tolerance skills, and the CAMS (Collaborative Assessment and Management of Suicidality). We discussed these strategies in the context of disguised client examples, and encouraged suggestions and case consultation from the audience.   Presenter: Michelle L. West, PhD, Director, Program for Early Assessment, Care, & Study (PEACS), Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Colorado – School of Medicine (CUSOM). Dr. West is a clinical psychologist who specializes in assessment, treatment, and research for young people showing possible early risk for psychotic spectrum illnesses. This webinar was presented in collaboration with the Massachusetts Mental Health Center GrandRounds series.   View a recording of this 2/23/24 session here. 

Job Development is an important component of providing best-practice employment services and includes initiating and developing relationships with employers. However, many vocational services staff express discomfort and limited skills in interacting with the business community. This training will provide attendees with the tools to approach employers and market their employment services confidently.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is the agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) that leads public health efforts to advance the behavioral health of the nation. To achieve its mission, SAMHSA identifies priority areas to better meet the behavioral health needs of individuals, communities, and service providers.   Through its regional network— designed to improve the delivery of behavioral health services in each of the 10 HHS regions—SAMSHA develops collaborations that emphasize equity, trauma-informed approaches, and recovery. The collaboration between the SAMHSA Region One and Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Region One offices, is an example of an intentional outreach effort developed to empower housing professionals with resources, tools, and practices that help them support and enhance the lives of public housing residents.

  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!

  Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. (2023). Mid-America MHTTC Year 5 School Mental Health Report.    

Recording of the event The Connection Between Quality of Life and Mental Health in the Black Community, originally held on January 18, 2024.   Slide presentation

Dr. Gagen reviewed a metacognitive framework for understanding psychosis and discussed a specific psychotherapeutic intervention--Metacognition Reflection and Insight Therapy. We discussed the definition of metacognition and the four main domains that are measured, the relationship between metacognitive capacity and psychological distress, and the research evidence that supports this approach.   Presenter: Emily Gagen, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Brookline Community Mental Health Center. She is the director of the Massachusetts Psychosis Access and Triage Hub (M-PATH) and a member of the team at the Center for Early Detection, Assessment, and Response to Risk (CEDAR). Dr. Gagen has worked with individuals with psychosis and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders for 15 years and specializes in the treatment of young adults with early psychosis.   View a recording of this 1/26/24 session here.

The one-hour Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance virtual series provides an opportunity for participants to: Gain skills on strength-based approaches in partnership with Native People to enhance Native behavioral health, and Discuss ways that Native brilliance is demonstrated and supports behavioral health, and Learn about Native brilliance examples to share with behavioral health and other health care staff, as well as with local Tribal Nation citizens The concept of Native psychological brilliance will be celebrated through Native music videos and Native spoken word performances as part of each session of the Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance series.   January's topic was “Evolution of Native Crisis Response (Part One) - 2024 Update."

    Session 1 - January 11 To view resources from this training, please click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Session 2 - January 25 To view resources from this training, please click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Series Description This 2-part webinar series addresses the current trends of mental health on college campuses and technology-based options that can effectively address them. As colleges and universities move to address the ever-growing student mental health needs on and off campus, coupled with complex hybrid learning environments as a result of the pandemic, many institutions are now offering a plethora of student support resources across multiple modalities. Despite the increases in offered services, many counseling centers continue to be stretched thin. The causes are many including, but not limited to continuously increasing student behavioral health needs (with onsets both prior to and post-enrollment), disconnected messaging of offered services; and unintentional systemic barriers that can disproportionately impact underrepresented student populations. Given these dynamics, it is essential that campus communities focus on behavioral health models that meet students on their terms, connecting them with the right level of care at the right time. In Session 1, using current data, this presentation will review and analyze macro behavioral health trends on campus over the past decade. In Session 2, we will follow up with an explanation of the benefits of implementing an integrated multi-modal stepped-care model to support and sustain student mental health and well-being. These models ensure effective use of available student support resources, decrease institutional/systemic barriers with a “no wrong door approach,” and thus increase engagement, health outcomes, and student success. This will be presented through case studies of several campuses highlighting successes, challenges, and replicable insights. Several interactive components will be utilized including live polls and interactive whiteboarding allowing participants to identify strengths, growth, edges, and ways to impart change on their campuses in real time. Learning Objectives:   Analyze macro behavioral health trends on campus over the past decade, leading to correlated changes in student help-seeking behaviors and expectations of available support services on campus. Reflect upon participants’ campus strengths and growth edges with respect to mental health and wellness offerings. Evaluate the benefits of implementing a stepped-care model to decrease stigma, increase student engagement, and maximize available mental health and well-being resources to support student health and subsequent success. Analyze the benefits, as well as challenges, of offering evidence-based, inclusive, multiple-modality student support services on campus aimed at supporting mental health and well-being. Trainer Nathaan Demers, Psy.D., Director of Strategic Partnerships, Mantra Health Nathaan is a clinical psychologist with experience in a variety of clinical settings including community mental health, therapeutic boarding schools, integrated primary care, and most notably college counseling. In addition to his clinical work, he has implemented a variety of programs at the state/regional/national level, and completed his dissertation on the construct of “maturity” with adolescent and young adult populations. For the past decade, Nathaan has been a thought leader, national speaker, and innovator in the digital behavioral health space, specifically researching and developing holistic behavioral health interventions for institutions of higher education. Currently, Nathaan is the Director of Strategic Partnerships with Mantra Health, the preeminent digital mental health provider bringing accessible, high-quality mental health and wellness solutions to colleges and universities.

Changing the Conversation is the official C4 Innovations podcast, where hosts and guests discuss critical and timely topics focused on equity, substance use, mental health, homelessness, and trauma. The New England MHTTC has sponsored episodes of the podcast that explore a variety of specific topics, including reaching and engaging Native youth, the importance, and benefits of fostering an authentic and inclusive environment in the workplace, and honoring lived experience. Podcast host Ashley Stewart shared behind-the-scenes discoveries and lessons learned from fascinating conversations. Ashley was joined by Ronitia Hodges, C4 Innovations Program Manager.

Our third session was a didactic and tangible one, and we encouraged participants to bring in examples from their organizations as presenter Ashley Stewart shared a resource handout that helps guide organizations through the stages of transformation. Attendees spent time in groups discussing essential questions like: What does it look like to acknowledge to engage in accountability and take action? What do we need to acknowledge? Where do we need to take accountability? And what does action look like?

This webinar will explore the concept of healthy aging for people living with serious mental health conditions. While people aging in this group may experience health challenges, supporters can encourage and empower people to take actions toward healthy aging despite challenges. Objectives: Explore healthy aging for people aging with serious mental health conditions List methods to promote healthy aging Identify strategies to empower older adults to make informed decisions about resources for care and supports  

This session informed participants about a variety of innovative strategies providers can share with families to assist them in supporting people who hear voices or experience other unusual beliefs or extreme states that are often labeled as psychosis. Internationally recognized educator, consultant, and presenter Cindy Hadge draws from her own experiences overcoming childhood trauma as well as her experiences supporting family members to fuel her passion and inform her work resulting in invaluable information and tools shared with participants.   Presenter: Cindy Hadge has become an internationally recognized educator providing training and consultations to mental health providers worldwide who are looking for innovative ways to approach voice-hearing and extreme states. She is also passionate about developing and facilitating healing spaces and workshops for families whose loved ones are not responding well to the current mental health system’s offerings. As Lead Trainer of the Wildflower Alliance, Cindy has keynoted a variety of conferences.   View a recording of this 1/9/24 session here. 

This presentation reviewed the history of evidence-based treatments for borderline personality disorder and the components common to all effective treatments, with a specific focus on Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Good Psychiatric Management. In addition to explaining both treatments’ components, theory, and evidence base, this presentation discussed the costs and benefits of each one and the situations in which they can be most effectively used.   Presenter: Dr. Choi-Kain is currently the Director of the Gunderson Personality Disorders Institute (GPDI), an internationally recognized center of training for empirically supported treatments for borderline personality disorder (BPD) and research on outcomes as well as the social cognitive mechanisms targeted in these interventions.   View a recording of this 1/10/24 session here. 

  The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The January 2024 issue features the third installment of the Counselor's Corner blog series: Integrating Spirituality and Counseling with African American Clients, information on the Opioid Response Network's 2022-2023 regional summits, and a call for applications for the upcoming HEART (Healing Ethno And Racial Trauma) Training for Behavioral Health Providers Serving Hispanic & Latinx Communities intensive training series. 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!

Recording of the event Managing Emotions During the Holidays in the Black Community, originally held on December 12, 2023.   Slide presentation

  This talk discussed when, how, and why to prescribe clozapine. Dr. Laitman gave specific approaches to minimize predictable side effects and maximize benefits. He also presented his own data supporting this approach.   Presenter: Dr. Robert Laitman is an internist who specializes in the use of clozapine in an optimal fashion for individuals with schizophrenia or other psychotic spectrum disorders.   This webinar was co-hosted by the Massachusetts Psychosis Network for Early Treatment (MAPNET, www.mapnet.online)   View a recording of this session here. 

This 3-part series provided a detailed understanding of trauma and the various types trauma individuals experience. Sessions explored the impact of secondary/vicarous trauma on corrections staff by examining the various ways exposure to traumatic events impacts the individual, the work they do, and the individuals they engage with on a daily basis. This series also explored what is needed to establish a trauma-informed organization, the impact of stigma and bias, and finished with the interplay of two groups of trauma survivors - corrections staff, inmates, and/or parole/probation supervisees - and strategies to mitigate or reduce trauma activation potential among staff and those they supervise for more successful overall outcomes.   Session 2 discussed the impact of dual trauma survivors (officers and inmates), understanding the power differential and toxic stress, and how trauma interplays between inmates and officers to increase the tension and challenges of life within jail or prison, as well as probation and parole. Explored strategies to shift the interactions between corrections deputies and parole/probation officers and the supervisees under their purview from adversarial to collaborative. Presenters: Emil Caron, and Steven Samra, MPA, C4 Innovations.   View a recording of this session here. 

This event discussed the New England MHTTC's work assisting organizations with racial equity and efforts to make web-based content reflective of the mission & values of the organization. With intersectionality in mind, Ashley Stewart, Director of the Center for Health Equity informed attendees about the methods used to ensure inclusivity, cultural awareness, and attunement via a web auditing process.   The second part of the webinar series on December 12, 2023 covered: Assessment of the general tone and essence of a website related to engagement around equity, inclusion, and diversity. In addition to the use of intentional terminology, there is the need to assess how the terms are used, the stories they tell, the messages they imply, the depth or superficiality of the use of narrative or terms, and the broader impact on community engagement.