Products and Resources Catalog

The UW SMART Center partnered with the Northwest MHTTC to create a document that includes resources to Addressing the Impact of Racism and Associated Trauma in order to Support Youth in Schools and at Home. Intended for caregivers and educators to use as a resource to help students process feelings and stress associated with racial trauma. Research shows that acts of racism and discrimination negatively impacts students’ mental health and well-being (Malone et al., 2022). 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.

Objectives:   Participants will learn about the Autism Spectrum Disorder characteristics and learning styles of students. Participants will identify disparities in the identification and receipt of evidence based services faced by Latino students and their families and the reasons for those disparities. Participants will learn about cultural values to take into account when working with Latino students and their families, including spirituality and personality.  Speaker: Sandy Magaña Ph.D. Sandy Magaña, PhD, MSW, holds the Professorship in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities in the Steve Hicks School of Social Work. She received a Master of Social Work from California State University, San Bernardino and her Ph.D. from the Heller Graduate School of Social Policy at Brandeis University. Magaña completed post-doctoral training from the NICHD funded Post-Doctoral Program in Developmental Disabilities Research at the Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison. She was a faculty member in the UW-Madison School of Social Work for 12 years and later served as a Professor at the Department of Disability and Human Development at the University of Illinois at Chicago. At SHSSW, Magaña is the Executive Director of the Texas Center for Disability Studies (TCDS) and Director of the Autism Consortium of Texas Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and other Related Disabilities (ACT LEND). Magaña’s research focus is on the cultural context of families who care for persons with disabilities across the life course. Her current research includes investigating racial and ethnic disparities among children with autism and developmental disabilities and developing culturally relevant interventions to address these disparities. She has received funding for her research from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), National Institute on Aging (NIA), National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR).

  Fostering culturally-responsive and safe school environments is critical to the success of students. Please review the following free resources to learn more about this topic.  Event Description To access the slide deck from this presentation, click DOWNLOAD above CLICK HERE to view the recording Join Casey Dupart as she leads a discussion on how to create inclusive, culturally responsive environments that foster diversity and promote collaboration.  Trainer Casey Dupart Casey Dupart is an accomplished K12 Administrator, School Psychologist, Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, and Behavior Analyst (BCBA)  who has built a versatile career across K12 environments.  She has supported students across various settings living in Italy, Maryland, Texas, North Carolina, Utah, and Hawai’i. 

View Recording Slides (click Download from above) Advanced Skills in Supported Employment Webinar Series- Session 1: Inclusive Work Culture- Assessing for Fit March 22, 2023 This webinar is for practitioners in Supported Employment, Supported Education, Assertive Community Treatment, or others providing vocational rehabilitation services. Examining work culture provides an opportunity to gather important material about the company to assist job seekers. Work culture includes how employees interact with one another, the values of an organization, as well as characteristics such physical space and the hierarchical structure. We will discuss various ways to assess work culture in order to provide job seekers with valuable information about this critical component of a workplace.     

View Recording Slides (click Download above) Introduction to Classroom Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators (WISE) and Cultural Inclusiveness an Equity (CIE) WISE March 23, 2023 This free, 1 hour training will introduce participants to the on the mental health literacy package, Classroom WISE, and the new companion training course, Cultural Inclusiveness and Equity WISE.    

View Recording Slides (Click Download above) Supporting Recovery for People Aging with Serious Mental Health Conditions  Session 2: Best Practices in Psychiatric Rehabilitation for People Aging with Serious Mental Health Conditions March 23, 2023 This session will explore specialized psychiatric rehabilitation programs for people aging with serious mental health conditions (SMHC) and discuss practices to empower and promote mental health in people aging with SMHC such as shared-decision making. Learning Objectives: • Identify the strengths and challenges of people aging with serious mental health conditions (SMHC) • List examples of psychiatric rehabilitation programs for people aging with SMHC • Clarify the benefits of peer-delivered services for people aging with SMHC    Session 1: Psychiatric Rehabilitation Philosophy and Goals to Promote Recovery for Older Adults

Differentiating between autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorder can be quite difficult, particularly in adolescents and young adults. This educational webinar reviews the two diagnoses and how to differentiate between them. For individuals who have both disorders, figuring out which one is actually contributing to the patient’s impairment can be challenging, and this webinar will address this concern. Finally, how to treat those with autism, those with psychosis, and those with both disorders is reviewed.   Presenter: Dr. Jean A. Frazier is the Executive Director of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center at UMass Chan Medical School. This event was in collaboration with MAPNET (Massachusetts Psychosis Network for Early Treatment). View a recording of this 3/24/23 session here. 

The third March issue of our newsletter features announcements of upcoming events & webinars and spotlights new resources, funding opportunities, and our newly published journal article. 

Young gang membership is prevalent in the US. Youth gang membership is associated with serious violent offending and victimization. Youth gang membership elevates the risk of various negative, potentially long-term social and health consequences. Law enforcement agencies report a greater percentage of Hispanic/Latino and African-American/black gang members compared with other races/ethnicities. The most recent figures provided by law enforcement are 46 percent Hispanic/Latino gang members, 35 percent African-American/black gang members, more than 11 percent white gang members, and 7 percent other race/ethnicity of gang members. This curriculum aims to help educators and school mental health clinicians working with Latino youth understand the risk factors and intervention strategies specific to Latino youth. Training Objectives Participants will discuss the unique historical context that puts Latino youth at risk for joining and staying in gangs and the social determinants of health associated with gang involvement. Participants will examine evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies as well as best practices in the cultural adaptation of existing protocols will be reviewed. Participants will idenifty cultural considerations for the clinician-youth and educator-youth relationship will be discussed. 

A toolkit for behavioral health prevention and treatment providers, recovery community organizations, and individuals in recovery with practical information and tools to enhance their capacity to engage in effective stigma reduction efforts.

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 training will discuss the circular impact that mental health and substance abuse have on each other.  Event Description To access the slide deck used in this presentation, please click DOWNLOAD above CLICK HERE to view the recording This 90-minute presentation provides in-depth information surrounding adolescent co-occurring disorders, including the presence and interaction of mental illness and substance use disorders. Attendees were taught how to recognize signs of these conditions and behavioral presentation, as well as the circular impact that mental health and substance abuse have on each other and various intervention strategies. Time was spent reviewing a case study to apply learning from this presentation to a real case. Learning Objectives Learn the signs and symptoms of common adolescent substance use disorders, including vaping, and mental health conditions  Identify risk and protective factors for mental illness, substance use, and co-occurring conditions  Discuss the circular impact that mental health and substance abuse have on each other  Learn behavioral identifiers for these conditions and discuss ways to increase protective factors  Trainer Emily Althoff, LPCC, LMAC Emily Althoff is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and Licensed Master Addiction Counselor in North Dakota and the owner of Althoff Therapy Services PLLC. She holds a Master of Science degree in Counseling and a Master of Public Administration from University of Mary. She has worked with youth and families for over ten years. Emily has found her passion in working through caregivers to improve the lives of the youth she serves.  As a mother herself and having experienced substance abuse and mental illness within her family, Emily believes in providing the quality of service to her clients that she would want for her own family. Her personal self-care activities include playing at the park with her kids, lounging on the patio with her husband, cooking a super high-calorie breakfast, or binge-watching reality TV. 

  This webinar will help the learner identify symptoms of autism in the pediatric population and identify validated and reliable screening tool that may be feasible to use in the primary care setting. The challenges of screening for autism in the primary care setting and solutions to improve screening rates will be discussed.   Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of this activity, the participants should be better able to: Recall the red flags of autism spectrum disorder in the infant and toddler age group. Review DSM-5-TR diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder in the pediatric population. Identify valid and reliable autism spectrum screening tools for infants, toddlers, school age and adolescent age group. Discuss challenges, barriers, and potential strategies to incorporate autism spectrum disorder screening in the primary care setting.   Presented by: Terri Mathews, PhD, APRN-NP, BCBA-D Dr. Mathews is an associate professor in the College of Nursing. Dr. Mathews received her bachelor's degree in nursing from University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, NE; her master’s degree in nursing from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and her doctoral degree in Developmental and Child Psychology from the University of Kansas. Dr. Mathews clinical specialty is child and adolescent psychiatric mental health nursing. She is a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner and a Licensed Psychologist. Dr. Mathews joined the faculty at the University of Nebraska Medical Center College of Nursing in 2008.     Learn more about this series: Tele-Behavioral Health Consultation (TBHC) Primary Care Webinar Series    

About this Resource:  Individuals with mental health or substance use concerns often avoid seeking treatment for a variety of reasons and barriers. Faith-based initiatives and peer support services are important partners in increasing outreach, education, and access to behavioral health services for these individuals. In this on-demand recording, Dr. Monty Burks discusses ways peers can engage and connect faith-based organizations and other community resources to reduce stigma and expand behavioral health support services.  Click here to access the presenter slides. 

Download the presentation slides here Session Overview:  The Biden Administration and Congress are showing renewed commitment to improving school-based mental health and substance use disorders services for young people. Through passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (2022), we expect to see new federal guidance (revising policies that have not been updated in almost 20 years), the launch of a school Medicaid technical assistance center, and $50 million in state grants. In this webinar event, Lena O’Rourke (on behalf of Healthy Schools Campaign), Orla Kennedy and Dusan Stojicic (Community Catalyst) will explain how school mental health leaders can leverage these opportunities to improve school-based health services, including meaningfully engaging young people in that process.   Learning Objectives: By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to: 1. Identify key federal opportunities from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act for financing school-based mental health and substance use programs for young people.  2. Identify strategies for engaging leaders at the school, district, and state levels to effectively leverage these financing opportunities 3. Identify ways to meaningfully engage youth when leveraging these federal financing channels to improve school-based health services   Speakers:      Lena O’Rourke (she, her), on behalf of Healthy Schools Campaign Lena O’Rourke is founder and Principal at O’Rourke Health Policy Strategies. She is an experienced health care policy analyst and strategist focused on expanding access to high quality, affordable health insurance and Medicaid. Her work focuses on national and state policy campaigns to influence legislative and regulatory policy. Lena has worked as a health care and social justice advocate for over 20 years. Most recently, she worked intensively on federal and state policy to expand and strengthen the ability of states and school districts to leverage school Medicaid to support student health and wellness. She leads the Healthy Students, Promising Futures Learning Collaborative (HSPF), a project of Healthy Schools Campaign. In this role, Lena provides support directly to state Medicaid agencies, state departments of education, and school districts on policy opportunities and choices to expand and enhance school-based Medicaid programs. In this role she also works with federal legislators and policymakers to offer support, technical assistance, and to share the experiences of states on school Medicaid.     Orla Kennedy (she, her), Senior Policy Analyst, Community Catalyst Orla Kennedy is a Senior Policy Analyst for the Substance Use Disorders team at Community Catalyst, where she advocates for policy changes to improve substance use disorders treatment and recovery support services and promote alternatives to incarceration. Orla has experience in policy research and analysis, community engagement, and technical assistance. She has worked at John Snow, Inc., Harvard School of Public Health and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence. Orla brings her public health perspective to Community Catalyst, and is passionate about health equity and improving health outcomes for underserved populations. Orla has a Master of Science in Public Health from Johns Hopkins University, and a Bachelor’s from Providence College.     Dusan Stojicic (he, him), Associate Program Director, Community Catalyst Dusan Stojicic is Associate Director for the Substance Use Disorders and Justice-Involved Populations Program at Community Catalyst as well as an individual with lived experience of substance use disorders. As part of the program, he assists in managing initiatives to ensure that affordable and appropriate prevention, early intervention, and treatment services are available to all. This includes organizing communities, developing policy alternatives, and advocating for change in public policy and regulatory policy. Originally trained as a health economist, Dusan has gained most of his experience in working with communities directly. Dusan holds a Master's degree in Health Economics and Analysis from the Heller School at Brandeis University.    

Recording Slides (click the download button above) Supporting Recovery for People Aging with Serious Mental Health Conditions Session 1: Psychiatric Rehabilitation Philosophy and Goals to Promote Recovery for Older Adults                                                                                                                                                                                                  March 16, 2023 Summary: Many people are aging with serious mental health conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and we are still learning about the services that can support their mental health recovery. This session will offer an overview of the population, discuss psychiatric rehabilitation goals for people aging with serious mental health conditions, and explore mental health recovery as we age. Objectives: • Summarize important considerations when supporting people aging with serious mental health conditions (SMHC)  • Evaluate and apply psychiatric rehabilitation goals for people aging with SMHC • Define mental health recovery and offer examples of mental health recovery goals for people aging with SMHC   Session 2: Best Practices in Psychiatric Rehabilitation for People Aging with Serious Mental Health Conditions

About the Event: There are multiple federal health privacy laws that may apply to student mental health information. To assist mental health professionals working in schools in understanding how the federal health privacy laws apply to student mental health information, the MHTTC Network and the Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (CoE-PHI) hosted a two-part virtual learning series that: Describes how federal health privacy laws (e.g., HIPAA and FERPA) apply to student mental health information Explains how student mental health information can be protected and shared in compliance with federal health privacy laws Discusses common scenarios involving student mental health information that arise in school settings through case study discussions led by clinical and legal experts Demonstrates how relevant resources and technical assistance can be accessed through the MHTTC Network and the CoE-PHI Session 1 focused on the importance of protecting and sharing student mental health information. Subject matter experts also provided an overview of the federal health privacy laws that apply to student mental health information. Intended Audience: While all school administrators and personnel are welcome to view the recording, this program is specifically aimed toward school-based health and mental health professionals, including: Health and mental health providers employed by a school district Community providers contracted by a school district to work on site at a school School-Based Health Center providers Session Materials: Click the "VIEW RESOURCE" button above to access the session recording Click here to view the session slides Click here to access the Learning Series Highlights handout Click here to access the session transcript. Please note: This is session was part of a two-part virtual learning series. Although not required, viewing the recordings of both sessions is strongly recommended. For more information about this 2-part series, click here.

About the Event: There are multiple federal health privacy laws that may apply to student mental health information. To assist mental health professionals working in schools in understanding how the federal health privacy laws apply to student mental health information, the MHTTC Network and the Center of Excellence for Protected Health Information (CoE-PHI) hosted a two-part virtual learning series that: Describes how federal health privacy laws (e.g., HIPAA and FERPA) apply to student mental health information Explains how student mental health information can be protected and shared in compliance with federal health privacy laws Discusses common scenarios involving student mental health information that arise in school settings through case study discussions led by clinical and legal experts Demonstrates how relevant resources and technical assistance can be accessed through the MHTTC Network and the CoE-PHI Session 2 built upon the learnings from Session 1 by reviewing common scenarios in school settings that involve student mental health information. Subject matter experts led a discussion about clinical and legal considerations for each scenario. Intended Audience: While all school administrators and personnel are welcome to view the recording, this program is specifically aimed toward school-based health and mental health professionals, including: Health and mental health providers employed by a school district Community providers contracted by a school district to work on site at a school School-Based Health Center providers Session Materials: Click the "VIEW RESOURCE" button above to access the session recording Click here to access the Case Scenarios handout that was used in this session. Click here to view the session slides Click here to access the Learning Series Highlights handout Click here to access the session transcript. Please note: This is session was part of a two-part virtual learning series. Although not required, viewing the recordings of both sessions is strongly recommended. For more information about this 2-part series, click here.

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE Abstract Behavioral health professionals are charged with providing effective outpatient services while addressing patient and public safety, yet training in empirically-informed violence risk assessment strategies remains inaccessible. The authors developed and evaluated an online distance learning (ODL) course on clinical risk assessment targeting frontline providers and trainees in the United States. The ODL consisted of three modules: confidentiality, duty to third parties, and clinical assessment of violence risk. We evaluated the response characteristics and reach among different disciplines, as well as training satisfaction, change in knowledge, self-perceived competence, and self-reported impact on practice at six-week follow-up among 221 learners. Self-perceptions of competence and knowledge in the focal areas increased immediately after completing the training; self-perceived competence increased again by a significant margin at six-week follow-up. Participants reported a moderate-high positive impact of the training on practice. Kopelovich, S., Olson, J., Michaelsen, K., & Wasser, T. (2023). Effects of online distance learning on clinicians' violence risk knowledge and competencies. Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. doi: https://doi.org/10.29158/JAAPL.230008-23 Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement

Peer support workers are increasingly serving in roles within the crisis care continuum. With 988 roll-out, states working in integrate peer support services within crisis care call centers, mobile crisis response teams, and crisis stabilization units. Peer support workers strengthen engagement and improve outcomes for people experiencing a crisis. Peer support workers provide crisis prevention services and post-crisis services like peer navigation and community support, essential for people who recently experienced crisis.   In this 60-minute webinar, participants: Learned about how the New England MHTTC worked with partners to learn more about the competencies used by peer support workers in crisis services Discussed workforce preparation needs in crisis services Described organizational structures that support crisis teams that include peer support workers View a recording of this 3/16/23 session here. 

***RECORDING***  (click the link below) Part 2: Invisible Injuries: The Complex Intersection of Domestic Violence, Behavioral Health, Traumatic Brain Injury and Strangulation   DESCRIPTION: The significant impact of domestic violence on a person’s behavioral health—including substance use and mental health conditions—has long been recognized by researchers and practitioners alike. In addition, the domestic violence movement has known for decades that abusers frequently assault their partners by targeting the head, neck, and face—through blows to the head that can cause traumatic brain injuries (concussions) and strangulation.  We are just discovering how that violence impacts the brain, and therefore a person’s health. Brain injury caused by domestic violence is rarely identified and almost never immediately treated, and results in short- and long-term physical, emotional, and cognitive consequences that can impact every area of a person’s life--including their ability to successfully access and participate in your agency's services. This session will share with you The Ohio Domestic Violence Network and The Ohio State University’s project and research that resulted in the creation of an evidence-based framework CARE (Connect, Acknowledge, Respond, Evaluate) and its accompanying CARE tools for you to use to address brain injury.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Describe the relationship between domestic violence and brain injury. Explain the evidence-based framework: Connect, Acknowledge, Respond and Evaluate (CARE). Promote CARE tools to address brain injury.     PRESENTER: Rachel Ramirez, LISW-S, RASS, is the Director of Health and Disability Programs and the Founder of The Center on Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury at The Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN). In this role, she oversees several initiatives on the intersection of domestic violence, disability, and health access, with a focus on trauma-informed services and partner-inflicted brain injury. She also provides extensive statewide, national, and international training, consultation, technical assistance, and program support. Rachel has been with ODVN for 15 years and has co-authored several peer reviewed journal articles, as well as been featured on National Public Radio, The New York Times Magazine, and The Washington Post discussing brain injury and domestic violence.     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.

  With the demands on educators and school staff reaching all-time-highs, burnout and demoralization are very real concerns. Learn more about it with the information from this webinar. Event Description To access resources from this training, please click DOWNLOAD above CLICK HERE to view the recording This webinar enabled educators and school leaders to distinguish between burnout and demoralization. These distinctions are important in order to recognize the specific causes of teacher distress and to identify effective remedies. Drawing on her original research and the literature on educator wellbeing, Professor Santoro offered strategies individuals, communities, school leaders, and policy makers can utilize in supporting educators in their work. This training addressed the importance of mental health of educators.  Trainer Doris Santoro, EdD, BA Professor Santoro is a philosopher of education who conducts empirical research to study and theorize about the moral and ethical sources of teacher dissatisfaction and resistance. She is a teacher educator for pre-service and experienced practitioners, and examines how norms and values are communicated in professional communities. Professor Santoro is a Senior Associate Editor for the American Journal of Education.

The second March issue of our newsletter features announcements of upcoming TTC network and SAMHSA webinars and spotlights new resources and funding opportunities.