Products and Resources Catalog

About this Resource: In the final session of our 'Ready for Re-entry' series, panelists discuss the practical application of the Forensic Peer Mentor service delivery model.

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

Download the presentation slides here 1 in 44 school-age children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with emotion regulation, anxiety, and depression that may be exacerbated by experiences of bullying, victimization, and segregation within schools. There is an urgent need to support the mental and behavioral health of autistic students. In the past year, the SEMHTTC team has disseminated resources related to identifying and supporting mental health challenges in this population, with a specific emphasis on anxiety here. The purpose of this two-part series is to build on the didactic content covered in our earlier learning sessions (learning session 1, learning session 2) and provide more opportunity to cover a case example, engage in discussion, and have ample time for Q&A. In each sessions, we will provide a very brief overview of the prior content we covered (15 minutes), have an in-depth discussion of one case example (15 minutes), and ample time for questions and open conversation related to the mental health of autistic students (25 minutes). The first learning session is devoted to identifying anxiety and other mental health challenges in autistic students. By the end of the session, participants will be able to: Identify anxiety and signs of other mental health challenges in autistic students. Describe risk factors for autistic students to develop anxiety and other mental health challenges. Identify anxiety signs within one case example of an autistic student.

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.

  To view resources from this session, click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Event Description It is estimated that one in five youth will suffer from some type of mental health disorder by age 18. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders, affecting 31.9% of youth, and is often associated with other mental health concerns like depression and suicide (Merikangas, 2010). There are modular youth treatments that build youth skills to address these concerns. This training will provide resources to mental health and school professionals on identifying anxiety in youth and understanding different symptoms as they relate to typical developmental trajectory. The training will also provide strategies to address worry in youth, especially youth of color, with free resources to help in the identification and treatment of anxiety disorders. An important emphasis will focus on culturally adaptive anxiety and how to best meet youth needs.   Learning Objectives: Identify signs of anxiety in students Understand developmentally appropriate anxiety, stress, and worry symptoms Provide practical tips to assessing and addressing anxiety Distinguish clinical anxiety from worry in youth Address developmental and cultural adaptations to anxiety treatment Trainers Kelsie Okamura Kelsie Okamura (she/her) is an Implementation Researcher at the Baker Center for Children and Families, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, and a licensed psychologist. Dr. Okamura serves on the training, consultation, and distance learning development teams at PracticeWise, LLC. She received her BA in Psychology with Honors and PhD from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Dr. Okamura completed her predoctoral internship at I Ola Lāhui Rural Hawai‘i Behavioral Health and postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Mental Health. Dr. Okamura was both a NIMH Child Intervention, Prevention and Services (CHIPS) and Training in Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (TIDIRH) fellow; and has more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She currently serves as Leader for the ABCT Dissemination and Implementation Science Special Interest Group and is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Group Member to Implementation Research and Practice. Dr. Okamura is passionate about community-based public-sector service system implementation, particularly (a) knowledge formation, (b) quality improvement initiatives that bridge team-based technology, and (c) financial strategies to improve implementation. She is currently funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Co-PI, System of Care Expansion Award), and has received funding through the National Institute for General Medical Services, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and American Psychological Foundation. As a fourth-generation daughter of Japanese and Okinawan immigrants to Hawaiʻi, Dr. Okamura has a deep appreciation of understanding diversity, culture, and contexts as they apply to youth mental health implementation. Growing up in a rural town in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi has afforded her insight into the complexities of socioeconomic and cultural barriers that may impede successful implementation of youth psychosocial interventions.   Tessa Palafu Tessa Palafu (she/her) is an Implementation Research Assistant at The Baker Center for Children and Families, Implementation Research Division. Tessa grew up in Hawaiʻi and recently graduated from Hawaiʻi Pacific University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Political Science. Throughout her undergraduate career, Tessa was introduced to the world of research by wonderful mentors, like Dr. Kelsie Okamura. Her research interests include understanding Historical Trauma in Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations and developing culturally grounded approaches to mental health services for NHPI. Tessa has worked on a variety of research projects related to examining the relationship between houselessness, historical trauma, and perceived stress in NHPI youth, understanding predictors of measurement-based care use for clinicians, and looking at barriers and facilitators to implementing a substance use prevention program within a school district. She is excited to continue her work at the Baker Center and support ongoing quality improvement initiatives.

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."

About this Resource: In the year 2000, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act was passed at the federal level redefining human trafficking in the United States and initiating new efforts to address human trafficking.  Since then, many new federal and state laws, policies, funding streams, and projects have been adopted in an effort to create and support a comprehensive system of care to identify and provide short and long term services for children and adults who have experienced human trafficking.  Mental health providers are a vital part of that comprehensive system of care.  In this on-demand recording the presenter provides foundational information on human trafficking pertinent to clinicians, discusses identification and reporting considerations, and suggests resources to support this work.

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.

  To view resources from this training, please click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Event Description Many school-age students receive their mental health care in schools.  As a vital part of the mental health system, school districts must prepare their staff to provide high quality mental health services to students.  School districts must also partner with community organizations to provide a continuum of mental health care to our students.  This training will assist both school staff and community partners in understanding how to establish these partnerships, address barriers and collaborate in mental health workforce development. Learning Objectives 1.Participants will learn strategies for mental health workforce development 2.Participants will learn about important procedures for formalizing school-community mental health partnerships. 3.Participants will learn about strategies for joint advocacy for mental health services for children 4. Participants will learn strategies to address the barriers to school-community mental health partnerships. Trainer Andria Amador, Ed.D NCSP Andria Amador is the Senior Director of Behavioral Health Services for the Boston Public Schools (BPS).  Andria has dedicated her career to urban school psychology and began her career as a school psychologist before becoming an administrator.  Andria, along with her staff and partners, have developed the Comprehensive Behavioral Health Model (CBHM).  CBHM is a multi-tiered system of supports designed to support the behavioral health needs of students across a continuum of prevention, early-intervention and intensive services.  Implementation of CBHM requires BPS school psychologists to expand their scope of service delivery to include all NASP Domains of Practice.  Andria had the pleasure of serving as the Past President of the Massachusetts School Psychology Association.  She is the Delegate Representative for the Northeast for the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) and is also the coordinator of the NASP Supervision Interest Group.

Presented by: Angie Schindler-Berg, MS, LMHP Angela Schindler-Berg is a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and has worked with primary care clinics and integrated community-based mental health services for over 25 years.   As the Nebraska Project Lead for HealthTeamWorks, Angie promotes healthcare delivery that utilizes evidence based mental health practices, effective team-based care, care management resources, quality improvement processes, and strategic population health to improve the quality of health/life for individuals.  As a practice facilitator Ms. Schindler-Berg has worked on CMS/CMMI initiatives such as the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC+) and with SAMHSA on the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Initiative (PBHCI).   Currently, Ms. Schindler-Berg supports the University of Nebraska Medical Center-Munroe Meyer Institute as a contracted Regional Trainer with the Region 7 Mid-America Mental Health Technical Transfer Center (MHTTC) She facilitates a collaborative network of supports, focusing on resource development and dissemination, training and technical assistance, and workforce development for the mental health field.  Angie received her Master of Science with Drake University in Rehabilitation Administration and Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling. She brings expertise in integrated care, mental health, care management, crisis intervention and trauma informed care.     Learn more about this Learning Community: First Episode Psychosis Learning Community

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.   

  To view resources from this session, click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Event Description Social determinants of health are the contexts and conditions in which people live. The scholarly literature has documented that social determinants and inequities among them contribute to disparities in health and wellness. This webinar will discuss social determinants of health as defined by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, as well as the effects of disparities on mental health and an individual's quality of life. Trainer Dr. Cynthia Guzmán Dr. Cynthia E. Guzmán is a licensed psychologist who has devoted her career to addressing health disparities in underserved communities, primarily in Indian Country for the past 12 years. She has experience with program design, development, and implementation of programs that address co-occurring disorders as well as primary care/mental health integration. Aside from clinical work and the supervision of other trainees, Dr. Guzmán considers herself a servant leader and enjoys developing community assessments, policy and procedure writing, as well as implementing culturally safe interventions at the community level. Dr. Guzmán is a proud member of the American Psychological Association, Society for Indian Psychologists and currently serves as the 2022 National Latinx Psychological Association Past President.

  To view resources from this training, click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Event Description This presentation will describe how to recognize and facilitate grief and mourning in individual psychotherapy on the basis of Worden’s (2018) model. Normal grief will be described, including the necessary tasks of mourning. Normal grief will be distinguished from complicated grief, including how to assess for more complicated grief. Principles for facilitating grief counseling in both normal and complicated grief and mourning, and common therapist barriers to addressing grief in counseling, will be discussed. Trainer Dr. Melanie Wilcox, PhD, ABPP Dr. Melanie Wilcox is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Public and Preventive Health, and Department of Psychiatry at Augusta University. She is also a licensed psychologist and board certified in counseling psychology and works part-time in private practice providing both therapy and assessment via telehealth. Her clinical areas of expertise include culturally responsive and trauma-informed care as well as substance abuse and addiction. Her research focuses on culturally response and antiracist psychotherapy and training, racial and socioeconomic inequity in higher education, and racial and social justice more broadly. She is in her final year as a member of the American Psychological Association’s Board of Educational Affairs, which she chaired in 2020, and is currently President Elect-Elect of APA Division 17, the Society of Counseling Psychology.

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?

To view resources from this session, click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Event Description The training will cover the following learning objectives: - Identify stigma around mental health. - Understand stigma as a barrier to early intervention among youth seeking mental health services. - Discuss causes and solutions to mental health stigma among adolescents. Trainer Bobbi Perkins Bobbi Perkins joined the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) in September 2021 as a Technical Expert Lead with the Rural Communities Opioid Response Program and as the Project Director for the Mountain Plain Rural Opioid Technical Assistance Center. Prior to joining WICHE, she worked at the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services (DPHHS), Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities Division (BHDDD) since 2014. In this role, she represented MT as the Single State Authority (SSA) for substance use disorder continuum of care and was responsible for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Block Grants and SAMHSA discretionary grants (Partnership for Success, State Opioid Response, FEMA Crisis Counseling, Pregnant and Post-Partum Women Pilot). Through this work she worked with partners and experts in the field to identify prevention, treatment and recovery support needs for individuals and families at risk for or struggling with substance, opioid, and stimulant use disorders. Collaboratively, she designed training and technical assistance to enhance access to evidence-based treatment across the behavioral health continuum. Bobbi has worked in the EMS, healthcare, and public health systems since 1995 and earned an undergraduate degree in Organizational Communication from Montana State University, a certificate in Public Health Management from the University of Washington, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in public health and public administration through the University of Montana.

  Event Description January 8 An Integrated Approach to Primary Care Behavioral Health: Part 1 This session will discuss the Primary Care Behavioral Health (PCBH) model for addressing behavioral health concerns in a primary care setting. PCBH is an integrated care model that is team-based and focused on population health. Participants will learn about gaining agency buy-in, creating space for workflow, developing a collaborative, team-based approach to behavioral health, and the type of skills and training a behavioral health provider may need to be successful in a primary care consultation model.   To view resources from this training, please click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording   January 15 An Integrated Approach to Primary Care Behavioral Health: Part Two In this continuation from session one, participants will become familiar with the clinical aspects of PCBH work. This will include screening for behavioral health concerns, learning how to conduct brief visits with targeted interventions, documentation, collaborative care work with consulting psychiatrists, the use of SBIRT, and other strategies.   To view resources from this training, please click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Trainer Robin Landwehr Robin is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC) who holds a Master of Science degree in mental health counseling from Capella University, and a Doctor of Behavioral Health (DBH) degree from Arizona State University. She currently serves as the Integrated Care Director at a Federally Qualified Health Center, and has a small private practice.  During her career, Robin has been fortunate enough to be involved in numerous writing projects and trainings, practiced as part of a collaborative care team, and provided clinical supervision. Her experience as a clinical counselor includes assisting individuals struggling with trauma, depression, anxiety, health behaviors, substance abuse, and other issues. She is a certified instructor in the Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) and Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) suicide prevention programs.  

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).

About this Resource: In the on-demand recording of Part 3 of our Ready for Re-entry series, panelists discuss the Forensic Peer Mentor Training itself, focusing on the Ready for Reentry training created by the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (GMHCN). Panelists describe the opportunities and challenges faced while developing and growing this new model of peer support.

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