Products and Resources Catalog

  Many believe that technology can help address the behavioral health workforce crisis. Learn how by viewing these resources.  This is the November session from our ongoing Workshop Wednesday series. To access slide deck, click DOWNLOAD above CLICK HERE to view the recording Event Description During COVID-19, many providers found themselves forced to use technology to be able to meet their client’s needs while addressing the pandemic’s unique restrictions.    Many organizations, including the American Medical Association (AMA), now believe that technology can help address the behavioral health workforce crisis.    Technology has opened a new frontier in mental health support and data collection. Mobile devices like cell phones, smartphones, and tablets are giving the public, providers, doctors, and researchers new ways to access help, monitor progress, and increase understanding of mental well-being.    Join us for November’s Workshop Wednesday as Laurie Dale, a nationally known technology expert, working in the field of intellectual and developmental disabilities, explains how to utilize off-the-shelf technology to affordably support direct care staff and people with disabilities. This presentation will focus on how small to mid-size agencies can take advantage of off-the-shelf technology to assist management in developing efficient strategies that support staff with routine duties and their remote support interactions.  Trainer Laurie Dale, Consultant, Personal Technology Solutions Ms. Dale is a nationally recognized speaker and consultant with over 30 years of experience in how-to-use technology to support and empower persons with disabilities.  Her company, Personal Technology Solutions, provides support for initiatives and projects to improve access to technologies for persons with disabilities including hands-on training. 

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, the New England MHTTC amplified the work of community-based organizations (CBOs) and nonprofits in New England supporting mental health and advancing substance use prevention, treatment, and recovery in Hispanic/Latino communities. In a "Round-Robin-style" of presentation, CBOs and local nonprofits throughout the New England region showcased their goals, growth, outcomes, and visions for the future in their efforts to support the behavioral health needs of underserved populations. Celebrate innovation! Review the video recording of our Diversity and Inclusion Project Showcase and the presentation. Show Hosts: Taylor Bryan Turner, Assistant Regional Administrator, SAMHSA Region 1 and Maria E. Restrepo-Toro, MS, Co-Director, New England MHTTC Featured Organizations: Brazilian Women's Group (MA), Gandara Center (MA), Hispanic Health Council (CT), Maine Mobile Health Program, Inc. (ME), and Progreso Latino (RI) Original Air Date: October 12, 2022

Is your school prepared to care for the mental health and well-being of all of the students, staff, and families in your community? Learn more about our Ambassador Program and how you can gain the strategies you need to cultivate a compassionate school community that buffers against negative effects of trauma, builds resilience for all students, and provides stress-relief and enhanced well-being for teachers, school personnel, and students. View the event recording and the presentation.

Building a strong sense of ethics and boundaries is essential to peer youth providers’ professional development, and to developing the emerging workforce as a whole. This resource provides an overview of ethics and boundaries for those in youth peer provider roles. Employing clear definitions and multi-media exercises, this resource can be used by individuals, groups, or supervisors to support peer providers’ understanding and application of ethics and boundaries.

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.

Youth peer providers can use this tip sheet to learn more about bringing trauma-informed principles into their work. The tip sheet defines trauma-informed care and offers concrete examples of what it might look like in common scenarios. It also poses reflection questions to help youth peer providers identify and apply trauma-informed practices. Read this tip sheet to deepen your understanding of themes such as safety, trustworthiness, transparency, empowerment, voice and choice, collaboration and mutuality, and more.

About this Resource: Public mental health stigma is pervasive and has many negative impacts. One consequence is that it can lead to self-stigma among mental health service users, including people with severe mental illness. In this webinar, Evan Myers, MS, discusses how self-stigma can impact identity development of service users and shares ways that mental health staff can help combat mental health stigma.

About this Resource:  According to SAMHSA's 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), approximately 26% of African American adults experienced a mental health and/or substance misuse concern1. While these rates may be similar to those of the general population, disparities exist in regard to their access to high quality and culturally competent mental health care services. It is estimated that only one-in-three African Americans who need mental health care receives it.2  An important step in reducing disparities and expanding access to care is to train educators and mental health professionals to understand the cultural and racial support that men of color need. Another is by leveraging relationships in the community, in particular barbers, to help de-stigmatize the conversation about mental health in a setting men may feel more comfortable talking. In this on-demand recording, Lorenzo Lewis shares about the important work of The Confess Project and their efforts to teach barbers how to be active listeners, how to validate clients' responses, and how to eliminate mental health stigma by using positive language.   1Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: African Americans. 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: African Americans | CBHSQ Data (samhsa.gov) 2Dalencour M, et al. “The Role of Faith-Based Organizations in the Depression Care of African Americans and Hispanics in Los Angeles.” Psychiatric Services. 2017. 68(4):368-374

As the restrictions necessitated by the pandemic begin to lessen, we see the significant mental health impacts that remain. At the Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) we have established and strengthened collaborations with behavioral health and educational organizations to address the increasing mental health needs of our region. These collaborations led to the delivery of informative trainings, supportive implementation projects, comprehensive guides, engaging online courses, facilitative toolkits, user-friendly products, and helpful podcasts. Review some of our annual highlights below!

Illness Management and Recovery (IMR) is an evidence-based, manualized program designed to improve recovery outcomes for people with serious mental illnesses. It uses psychoeducational, cognitive behavioral, and motivational interventions and techniques to support the establishment and achievement of personally meaningful recovery goals. Participants work toward their mental health recovery by learning skills to manage their illness such as coping with symptoms and reducing stress; psychoeducation to increase knowledge of practical facts about mental health conditions and increase social connections to support community integration; behavioral tailoring to offer reminders to take medication; and cognitive behavioral approaches to challenge defeatist thinking and promote a hopeful view of recovery. Research suggests that participation in IMR improves recovery, reduces psychiatric symptoms and distress, and lowers risk of rehospitalization. To assess quality of implementation there are two fidelity scales available measuring programmatic fidelity and clinician level treatment adherence.   The Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC in the Rutgers Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions believes IMR is a critical intervention that supports recovery from serious mental illnesses. It aligns with the values of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and the belief that recovery is possible. The Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC has expertise in IMR as a result of the Department’s role as a training and TA center for IMR within the New Jersey state psychiatric hospital system for over 15 years and participation in NIH funded research on the practice and related tools.

Employment is a key goal for many individuals with mental health conditions. However, their participation in the workforce remains low. The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Model of Supported Employment (SE) was developed to address this low workforce participation. A key consideration in employment pursuits is education. Supported Education (SEd) is a promising practice that helps individuals who are pursuing post-secondary education or training successfully complete their studies. SEd and SE can be used in combination to enhance career development. Research has found that SE improves competitive employment, hours worked, and monthly earnings, as well as non-vocational outcomes. SEd improves school self-efficacy, educational status, grade point average, and completion of credits. Despite this, very few individuals participating in behavioral health services have access to these career services.   The Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC in the Rutgers Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions believes employment is a critical element of recovery from serious mental illnesses. It aligns with the values of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and the belief that recovery is possible. The Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC has expertise in SE and SEd with faculty publishing extensively, receiving federal research grants, and leading a technical assistance center on these topics.

Since deinstitutionalization in the 1960s and 1970s, finding permanent housing in the community has been a top priority for those living with a serious mental health condition. Living in the community provides opportunities for recovery including employment, education, social relationships, and community inclusion. However, there are barriers for this population to not only obtaining housing but remaining stably housed. Providing support to people with mental health conditions living in the community can aid in skill building that is essential to living independently. Permanent Supportive Housing is an evidence-based practice that has been shown to help people live in the community by building independent living skills.   The Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC in the Rutgers Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions believes Permanent Supportive Housing is a critical intervention that supports recovery from serious mental illnesses. It aligns with the values of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and the belief that recovery is possible. The Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC has expertise in Supportive Housing as a result of the Department’s role as a training and TA center on Supporting Housing within New Jersey, multiple staff with experience providing evidence-based housing services, and researchers conducting studies on the topic.

This two-day hybrid conference explored progress and updates on the Massachusetts Strategic Plan for Early Psychosis (Mass-STEP). With a core theme of Awareness, Access, and Action for Psychosis Interventions in MA, the conference spotlighted community efforts that support individuals and families experiencing psychosis. This includes partners from many different backgrounds, including individuals and families, government stakeholders, researchers, clinicians, teachers, faith leaders, emergency responders, and all others who are invested in improving our statewide system of care for psychosis. New England MHTTC was a proud supporter of this conference.

Learn more about this series: Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas.  

  The Healing Our Protectors: Building Resilience Among Tribal Law Enforcement Officers Through Cultural Interventions toolkit can be accessed by clicking here.  Access resources from this presentation by clicking DOWNLOAD above CLICK HERE to view the recording Event Description Healing Our Protectors: Building Resilience Among Tribal Law Enforcement Officers Through Cultural Interventions is a resource intended to assist behavioral health providers in gaining a greater understanding of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among law enforcement officer, especially those working in and with tribal communities. It provides suggestions for a culturally responsive approach to treatment using the medicine wheel and offers concrete exercises. It is also a tool for law enforcement supervisors and administrators who wish to gain a greater understanding of the unique needs of Indigenous law enforcement officers who are dealing with a host of job-related challenges and stressors.   Trainer LaVonne Fox, PhD, OTR/L LaVonne Fox, PhD, OTR/L- She currently is employed at the Turtle Mountain Community College in Belcourt, ND and recently accepted the position of Vice President of Academic Affairs. LaVonne was born and raised on the Turtle Mountain Chippewa reservation. She has considerable experience researching Indigenous Youth programs for positive mental health and wellness connected to identity. She is currently developing a Master in Education Program that focuses on decolonization/deconstructing the educational system and embedding indigenous values and beliefs. was an associate professor at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, ND, in the Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Medicine and Health Sciences for 26 years until December 31, 2019.  

  Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. (2020). Mid-America MHTTC Year 3 Report.   

Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. (2020). Mid-America MHTTC Year 3 School Mental Health Report.  

Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. (2020). Mid-America MHTTC Year 2 Report.  

Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. (2020). Mid-America MHTTC Year 2 School Mental Health Report.  

This event took place November 9, 2022

Download the presentation slides here About the Session:  Medicaid is a leading source of financing for school mental health services and programs.  In this webinar event, Dr. Adam Wilk (SE MHTTC Policy Lead) will orient attendees to nearly 20 resources – reports, infographics, webinar recordings, and more – that help to explain the role of Medicaid in school mental health financing and how to use it to pay for mental health services in schools. View all of our Medicaid related products in our resource catalogue here. Learning Objectives:  Contextualize Medicaid among leading sources of financing for school mental health services. Access key resources that specify when Medicaid can support school mental health services and programs. Identify additional resources that explore nuances of how Medicaid finances school mental health services and programs.   Speaker:    Adam Wilk is an assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public health.  He is the Financial Policy Lead for the Southeast Region’s Mental Health Technology Transfer Center: Administrative Supplement on School-based Mental Health.  Dr. Wilk is a health economist and health services researcher, conducting research on Medicaid and underserved populations, physician decision-making, and the management of complex, chronically ill patients.  He received his doctorate at The University of Michigan School of Public Health in 2015.  Before his time in Michigan, Dr. Wilk worked at The Brookings Institution and as a consultant at The Lewin Group.

  What is cyberbullying and how is it impacting the mental health of members of your community? To view the resources used in this presentation, click DOWNLOAD above Click here to view the recording Event Description Cyberbullying - intentional harm to a target using digital technologies - is a world-wide problem that has both immediate and long-term psychosocial consequences for perpetrators, targets, and witnesses. This presentation will consider what motivates some persons to engage in cyberbullying, what makes it so harmful, and what schools can do to prevent this behavior and intervene when it occurs. The way this phenomenon impacts rural schools will be emphasized. Trainer Sheri Bauman, Ph.D. Dr. Sheri Bauman is a professor emerita of counseling at the University of Arizona.  She earned her Ph.D. in counseling psychology from New Mexico State University in 1999. Before then, she worked in K-12 schools for 30 years, as a teacher and school counselor. In those roles she was passionate about student well-being and worked to support students who struggled academically, personally or socially. Dr. Bauman conducts research on peer victimization including bullying, cyberbullying, is currently co-PI on a funded project to study the effects of teacher practices on peer victimization and defending behaviors. She is a frequent presenter on these topics at local, state, national, and international conferences. She is the sole author/editor or first author of six books, third author of another book, has over 65 publications in peer-reviewed journals, 32 book chapters, three training dvds, and numerous publications in non-scholarly outlets. She is the former editor of the Journal for Specialists in Group Work and has co-edited three special issues related to bullying and cyberbullying. Dr. Bauman is currently on the editorial board of two scholarly journals. She was honored with the Eminent Career Award from the Association for Specialists in Group Work in 2018.  She has been the recipient of two research grants from the National Science Foundation. She is on the board of trustees of DitchtheLabel.org, an anti-bullying charity based in the UK, and serves as their research consultant.

This factsheet addresses structural barriers to receiving accessible and responsive mental health care services (e.g., lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate services, lack of insurance, transportation, and awareness of the mental health system) among Hispanic and Latinx populations in the U.S. Due to such factors, mental health care providers require the knowledge and skills to identify and help address the societal and community-level barriers that negatively impact behavioral health care outcomes among Hispanic and Latinx communities. A crucial step towards helping increase health equity and accessibility of services among Hispanic and Latinx groups is building upon programs and strategies which promote and strengthen community-driven mental health services and which can deliver culturally oriented practices.

Esta hoja informativa aborda las barreras estructurales para recibir servicios de atención de salud mental accesibles y receptivos (p. ej., falta de servicios cultural y lingüísticamente apropiados, falta de seguro, transporte y conocimiento del sistema de salud mental) entre las poblaciones hispanas y latinas en los EE. UU. Debido a tales factores, los proveedores de atención de salud mental requieren de conocimiento y las habilidades para identificar y ayudar a abordar las barreras sociales y comunitarias que afectan negativamente el comportamiento.  Un paso crucial para ayudar a aumentar la equidad en la salud y la accesibilidad de los servicios entre los grupos hispanos y latinos es basarse en programas y estrategias que promuevan y fortalezcan los servicios de salud mental impulsados por la comunidad y que puedan ofrecer prácticas orientadas culturalmente.