Products and Resources Catalog

The Pacific Southwest MHTTC curated a series of topical resource sheets to help you find high-quality tools and information on caring for yourself, your families, and the communities you serve. This resource sheet focuses on phone numbers for crisis hotlines, warmlines, and informational/referral helplines, including lines for specific populations (e.g., first responders, older adults, caregivers). It also includes links to online support groups. Click the "View Resource" link above to download, or view all available resource sheet topics.

This presentation describes the real-world experience of one community in a rural state (Iowa) in enhancing their crisis services.  It is meant to complement the two prior webinars in this series, the first of which described a large and relatively resource-rich crisis system that has been up and running for some time, and the second describing what an “ideal crisis system” might look like.  This webinar is a case study of one community’s process of expanding their crisis services, highlighting some of the successes and how those were navigated, as well as some ongoing challenges. Slides available for download here. About the Presenter Michael Flaum, MD Michael Flaum, MD, Emeritus Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, is the author or co-author of more than 100 publications, mostly reflecting his collaborative clinical research in schizophrenia in the 1990s. In 1999, he assumed the directorship of the Iowa Consortium for Mental Health, which aimed to harness the academic resources of Iowa’s universities to benefit the state’s public mental health system. His work since then has focused on efforts to optimize the quality, effectiveness and access to psychiatric services within publicly funded settings in a recovery-oriented manner. He currently serves as president of the American Association for Community Psychiatry.

Communities are increasingly recognizing that people in behavioral health crisis have diverse and complex needs, and that simply creating a single crisis response program does not meet those needs successfully. Further, it is clear that lack of effective crisis response is likely to lead to inappropriate arrests and incarceration, ER boarding, increased suicide rates, and - most tragically - painful challenges for individuals and families attempting to get help. For that reason, in the past few years, the national conversation has turned to looking at the need for comprehensive and effective BH crisis systems to serve the needs of communities (of all types) across the nation. Such systems should be viewed as Essential Community Services (like EMS and fire) that are responsive to everyone and "owned" and accountable to the community as a whole.  The Group for Advancement of Psychiatry Committee on Psychiatry and the Community (Dr. Minkoff is co-chair, and Dr. Flaum and Balfour are among the members) has worked for the past four years to put together a nearly completed documented outlining in detail the essential elements and measurable criteria for such a system, and steps for any community to make progress in achieving it. This presentation illustrates the major components of such a system, including Accountability and Funding; Comprehensive Array of Components; and Essential Best Practices.  Slides available for download here. References cited in this presentation are available here. About the Presenter Ken Minkoff, MD Dr. Minkoff, a board-certified addiction psychiatrist, has been recognized as one of the most preeminent experts on integrated services and systems for individuals with co-occurring serious mental illnesses and substance use disorders. For over 40 years, he has worked to develop services and systems to best meet the needs of individuals, families, and populations with the greatest challenges. Dr. Minkoff has been involved in service provision, management, and consultation in almost every area of behavioral health. He serves on the Interdepartmental Serious Mental Illness Coordinating Committee, created by the 21st Century CURES Act to bring multiple federal departments together to create a transformed system of care for individuals and families addressing serious mental illness and serious emotional disturbance. Dr. Minkoff is co-chair of the Committee on Psychiatry and the Community for Group for the Advancement of Psychiatry, which is developing the Ideal Crisis System materials discussed in this presentation.  He and his consulting partner Dr. Christie A. Cline, MD, MBA, are currently providing consultation to communities interested in developing BH crisis systems and services. Dr. Minkoff is active in influencing policy and practice on a national and state level.

Arizona has spent the past several decades developing a crisis system that is widely regarded as one of the most advanced in the nation. In this model, a robust continuum of services work together in concert to provide high-quality care in the least-restrictive setting that can safely meet the person’s needs while also ensuring fiscal sustainability and responsible stewardship of community resources. This webinar describes key features of the Arizona model including: overview of the crisis continuum; governance, financing, and accountability; examples of collaboration with law enforcement and other community partners; and strategies for using data to drive continuous system improvement.   Slides available for download here. References cited in this presentation are available here. About the Presenter Margie Balfour, MD, PhD A psychiatrist and national leader in quality improvement and behavioral health crisis services, Dr. Margie Balfour is the Chief of Quality and Clinical Innovation at Connections Health Solutions, which provides access to mental health and substance use care throughout Arizona, and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Arizona. Dr. Balfour was named the Doctor of the Year by the National Council for Behavioral Health for her work at the Crisis Response Center in Tucson. She was awarded the Tucson Police Department’s medal of honor for her efforts to help law enforcement better serve the mentally ill population. She serves on the board of directors of the American Association of Community Psychiatrists, The American Association for Emergency Psychiatry, and NAMI Southern Arizona. She earned her MD and PhD in Neuroscience from the University of Cincinnati, and completed her residency and fellowship in Public Psychiatry at the University of Texas.  

Psychosocial Impacts of Disasters: Assisting Community Leaders (with annotations for pandemics) This recording and accompanying slide set presentation is a resource to assist community leaders, mental health, and health care providers in responding to the psychosocial impacts created by disasters. This presentation includes additional notations for adapting and responding to pandemics and the unique mental health challenges presented by this type of disaster. Dr. Andrew J. McLean, MD, MPH, provides a review of best practices for responding to the psychosocial effects of disasters. In 2011, Dr. McLean received the American Psychiatric Association Bruno Lima Award for Outstanding Contributions to Disaster Psychiatry and brings this notable experience to the session. Recording Slide deck   Key Learning Objectives Understand the phases of disaster and how it pertains to mental health. Review the importance of risk communication and its ability to mitigate mental health problems during disaster. Review protective and risk factors of individuals and communities in the phases of disaster.   Trainer Information Dr. Andrew J. McLean, MD, MPH is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He also serves as a technical trainer for the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center.  

Recording of the webinar titled "Crisis De-escalation 101," originally held on November 13, 2019.   Download the slides

Violence Risk Assessment & Management is a three-hour self-paced course that provides the necessary tools for clinicians to assess, manage, and stabilize threats of violence, hosted on the HealtheKnowledge platform. Concerns about violence risk frequently arise in clinical settings. There is often confusion among providers about the boundaries of confidentiality, when and how to invoke their professional obligation to protect or warn third parties, and how to balance therapeutics and public safety. This course addresses: Boundaries of confidentiality Clinicians’ duty to warn or protect potential victims Proven methods to assess and manage the risk of violence   Each module of the course includes: Real case vignettes A 3-item assessment to guide your learning Interactive practical exercises with feedback In addition, a 3.0 hour certificate of completion is available. Course Flyer Download the course flyer here. Trainers Dr. Sarah Kopelovich, a forensic clinical psychologist and Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine based at Harborview Medical Center  Dr. Katherine Michaelsen, a forensic psychiatrist at the Puget Sound Veterans Administration and Acting Assistant Professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine Dr. Tobias Wasser, a forensic psychiatrist at Whiting Forensic Hospital and Assistant Professor at Yale University School of Medicine   Registration and Technical Support How to register for a course at HealtheKnowledge and how to get technical support   This online course was created by the Northwest Region 10 Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) with support from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Want more information? Visit the Northwest MHTTC's Resource Library and Websites by Topic  and sign up for our monthly newsletter for regular updates about events, trainings, and resources available to the Northwest region.  

Crisis and loss are common in the lives of students, whether due to a death or crisis involving a student's individual family or one that affects the entire school community. Major events have the potential to cause short- and long-term effects on the psychological functioning, academic achievement, emotional adjustment, health, and developmental trajectory of students. Classroom educators and other school professionals can play a vital role in providing important support to students to promote their understanding of the event, minimize the academic impact through academic accommodations, help them learn coping strategies to accelerate their adjustment and minimize their distress, and minimize maladaptive coping mechanisms and behavioral difficulties. Yet most educators and other school professionals have had limited to no professional training in how to support students in the aftermath of crisis and loss. This workshop helps school professionals learn basic skills in how to talk with and support individual students or the entire class/school as they struggle to understand and cope with a crisis or loss in their lives. Dr. Schonfeld draws on over 30 years' experience in school crisis response and pediatric bereavement to illustrate key points.  

These resources support those seeking care on their own behalf and those providing care to others.  There are culturally specific resources for Muslim communities and broader resources for all those who are impacted by these events.  There are resources for educators, parents, youth and young adults, and healthcare providers.  Several resources can be used to support the students in our schools. Those seeking additional support for trauma and bereavement are invited to contact us. We can provide direct assistance and linkages with other regional centers.

The Pacific Southwest MHTTC Suicide Prevention addendum provides resources specific to the states and islands in our region. The resources compiled here focus on crisis intervention services that can meet immediate student needs, including crisis intervention services; linkages to no- and low-cost counseling; support groups; peer services; and trainings for educators.