Products and Resources Catalog

  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. 

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.    

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

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."

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.

    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.

At the end of this event, participants will be able to: · Summarize the clinical significance of new information regarding the neurobiology and treatment of mental illness and comorbid chronic medical conditions, and integrate such data into their patient care. · Assess practice patterns relative to current best practices and modify their practice as appropriate and feasible. · Apply new developments in treatment methods to patients. Presenter: M. Mookie C. Manalili is a psychotherapist, professor, and researcher with particular interest in suffering, embodiment, meaning-making, narratives, memory, and ethics. He is a psychotherapist in a private group practice, utilizing narrative therapy, psychoanalytic approaches, mindfulness traditions, and neuroscience psychoeducation.   View a recording of this event here.   

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?

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.

  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!

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. 

Amanda Weber and host Joey Rodriguez discuss culturally responsive care for youth experiencing early psychosis. This podcast episode is sponsored by the New England Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network (MHTTC).

  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 3 discussed the disparate, significant impact of incarceration and reentry on women returning to the community; challenges, barriers, and strategies for improving outcomes for women reentering society.   Presenters: Daisy Hernandez, MSW, LCSW, MBA, C4 Innovations and Steven Samra, MPA, C4 Innovations   View a recording of this session here. 

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.

Grounded in national and regional EPINET data on discharge in early psychosis services, this presentation focused on social and cultural vectors underlying the 'hard' problem of disengagement and presented alternative approaches for addressing distrust, and strengthening clinical relationships by centering lived experiences of psychosis, socioeconomic disadvantage, racism, and cultural difference.   Presenter: Nev Jones PhD is a patient-alumna of specialized early psychosis services and currently assistant professor in the School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. As a program developer, evaluator and researcher, her work has sought to amplify the perspectives of those most impacted by the public mental health system, foreground the role of social and structural determinants, and support transformative change.   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.

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 1 discussed mass incarceration and a “lay of the land” overview for justice-involved people of color. The subcultures of incarceration, urban and historical trauma and its relation to Trauma-Informed Corrections Care, and the impact on recidivism and recovery for reentering citizens were also discussed. Presenters: Steven Samra, MPA, C4 Innovations, and Daryl McGraw, MA, C4 Innovations.   View a recording of this session here.