Products and Resources Catalog

This is a recording of the webinar, “Talking with Children About War and Other Humanitarian Crises,” that took place on November 20, 2023. The Pacific Southwest MHTTC offered this session during a season in which many families are gathering and discussing challenging, charged issues with current and ongoing wars coupled with a wide range of humanitarian and other major crises in the U.S. and abroad. In this special session, our center's School Mental Health Field Director, Leora Wolf-Prusan moderated a presentation and workshop with Dr. David Schonfeld, Director of the National Center for School Crisis & Bereavement. After Dr. Schonfeld's presentation, participants debriefed and processed in the question-and-answer segment of the program, and a discussion emerged, centered on how children understand – and misunderstand – crises and how best to explain it to them in order to promote their understanding and adjustment. Viewers of this recording can benefit from the following learning objectives:    Approaches for how to talk with children about wars and other humanitarian crises Some of the causes of ineffective communication, whether due to the source (e.g., media) or recipient (i.e., the child) of the information Strategies to address anger and blame during group discussions with children in the aftermath of a humanitarian crisis This session was designed for mental health and school mental health professionals, including counselors, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health program administrators

This event is part of the UW SMART Center's 2024 Virtual Speaker Series. Learn more and register for upcoming events in the series here. School Mental Health through a Multi-tiered System Framework Description: This session will provide participants with an overview of the Interconnected Systems Framework and how it supports the implementation of School Mental Health. Objective: Participants will develop an understanding of the Interconnected Systems Framework and the importance of a single system of delivery.   Presentation Materials   About the Presenter: Clynita Grafenreed, Ph.D. Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator at the Northwest MHTTC/ UW SMART Center Clynita Grafenreed, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist (LP) and a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP). She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology (1993) and Ph.D. in Psychology (1998) from Texas A&M University in College Station. While she is a LP, Clynita considers herself first as an educator, having spent 24 years in education as a School Psychologist. For 12 years, Clynita worked as a LSSP in several Houston area school districts and then 12 years as an Education Specialist at Region 4 Education Service Center (Region 4) in the Department of Special Education Solutions. While at Region 4, the largest Education Service Center in Texas, Clynita led the Texas Behavior Support Network, a Texas Education Agency sponsored statewide network designed to build capacity in Texas schools through the provision of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) to all students for ten years. Clynita has expertise in the areas of equity, school discipline, mental health, and behavioral supports and interventions.     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.

School mental health staff play a vital role in promoting mental health and well-being and identifying and responding to emerging mental illness in children and adolescents. Partnering with educators is essential; however, they often have not received the education, training, and/or ongoing support needed to respond in the classroom. Learn how school mental health staff can use the free Classroom WISE suite of tools to move school mental health forward. NOTE: This was originally presented at the School Social Work Association of America's 2022 Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.

Developing and disseminating effective educator and school personnel training packages does not necessarily lead to their use and implementation. This session demonstrates Classroom WISE, a free 3-part package (online course, video series, resource library) focused on educator mental health literacy, and presents evaluation results for the package and a technical assistance project that examines differences in uptake of the Classroom WISE based on the level of implementation support. NOTE: This was originally presented virtually at the 2022 Advancing School Mental Health Conference, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health.

Educators and school personnel play a vital role in promoting well-being and identifying and responding to emerging mental illness in children and adolescents. However, they often have not received the training and ongoing support needed to respond in the classroom. To address this need, the MHTTC Network, in partnership with the National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, developed a FREE 3-part training package focused on educator mental health literacy. Informed by and co-developed with K-12 educators, Classroom WISE (Well-Being Information and Strategies for Educators) launched in June 2021. Since then, over 10,000 educators and school staff have completed the training! This summary highlights participant feedback as well as MHTTC's dissemination and implementation efforts for Classroom WISE since its launch.

In this evidence-based presentation, we discussed the powerful healing properties of nature. We also discussed realistic and accessible ways to engage with nature. We explored how humans are hard-wired to see beauty in nature and why teaching our children to love nature is more important than ever.   Presenters: Catherine Haines, OT, OTR (she, her) is a community based occupational therapist and consultant for the Cambridge Health Alliance Center for Mindfulness and Compassion. She is a member of the stakeholder committee for Project SUCCESS, comparing evidence-based interventions for improving functioning of people with schizophrenia-spectrum illnesses. Through UMASS Memorial Medical Center, she leads support groups for siblings of children with severe behavioral and developmental challenges. She has developed nature-based presentations for The Somerville Community Growing Center and the Earthspirit Community. She is a coordinator for a community garden in her neighborhood in Somerville, MA.   Frannie Marin (she/her) is a clinical research coordinator with the Cambridge Health Alliance Center for Mindfulness and Compassion (CMC). With CMC, she researches the impact of stress reduction training and vagus nerve stimulation for patients with chronic pain. During her time on the CBS reality competition show Survivor, Frannie spent nearly one month on the islands of Fiji with few resources and no contact with the outside world. During that time, she experienced first-hand the potent healing power of nature, even within the high-stress environment of competing against 17 other people for one million dollars. Spurred by her personal experiences, she hopes to pursue a PhD program in psychology to explore new methods to reduce stress and improve the lives of others.

This poster uses an Implementation Research model to examine how contextual factors (e.g., leadership and climate; steps taken by the school to incorporate the content into professional development activities) affect implementing a mental health literacy training, Classroom WISE, in K-12 schools, and how to leverage facilitators to increase program uptake. NOTE: This poster was originally presented at the School Social Work Association of America's 2023 Annual Conference in Broomfield, CO.

About 4 of 5 children with mental health issues have unmet mental health needs. Key to addressing the youth mental health crisis (as declared by the U.S. Surgeon General) is identifying and addressing student mental health challenges in school settings. This poster examines how much technical assistance/implementation strategies was needed to introduce districts and schools to Classroom WISE and help them explore, plan, implement, and sustain training. NOTE: This poster was originally presented at the 15th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Washington, DC.

About the Session: This 60-minute session is a case-based discussion covering the process of assessing readiness for college, accessing accommodations, and preparing youth with a history of psychosis to transition to college. Many young people are interested in higher education but are unsure of what that may look like after receiving a diagnosis of a primary psychotic disorder. We hope to equip attendees with basic knowledge of psychosis spectrum disorders, considerations for a transition to college, and resources for supporting these young adults in achieving success! Session slides can be accessed by clicking the DOWNLOAD button above The video recording can be accessed below Resources of interest shared during the session can be accessed here Intended Audience: This introductory-level learning series is geared toward the following school personnel from middle and high schools: School mental health providers, such as school counselors, social workers, psychologists, and other mental health professionals (those hired by the school and those who work for a community organization and come into the school to provide school mental health services) School nurses/school health aides, and other primary care partners working in schools School educators, administrators, school resource officers, and mental health peer leaders Please note: This is session 3 of a 3-part Introductory Series, Early Psychosis 101: Basics for Supporting Students. Learn more about the speakers for this session and access information about the other sessions in the series here.

The Embracing Authenticity: A Guide to Authenticity and Cultural Awareness at Work webinar series provided guidance and support for the use and implementation of the accompanying workbook, which is intended to be used as a guide for deeper levels of processing and to support healthier conversations in the workplace around identity and wellness. This resource can be used as a tool to address the unique experiences of work-related stress compounded with being a person of color and also as a resource for folks seeking to be more accountable for reducing harm and creating a more equitable work environment. This comprehensive guide is designed to support you in cultivating authenticity, promoting inclusion, and prioritizing wellness in the workplace. Whether you're an organizational leader, a colleague, or an individual who has experienced marginalization, this workbook provides practical insights, exercises, and resources to make meaningful progress.   Presenters:  Ashley Stewart, PhD, MSSW, LSW, Director of the Center for Health Equity, C4 Innovations Ronitia Hodges, Senior Project Manager, C4 Innovations   View a recording of this 11/15/23 session here. 

Recent prevalence estimates indicate that 1 in 36 school-age children have autism. Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with aspects of executive function such as planning.  This infographic provides information about strategies that can be used by educators to help autistic students build their planning skills in a manner that is inclusive and neurodiversity affirming.

This two-day hybrid conference explores progress and updates on the Massachusetts Strategic Plan for Early Psychosis (Mass-STEP). Our theme this year was Scaling Up: Access & Equity for Psychosis, and explored strategies to expand the reach of high-quality psychosis services across Massachusetts. This effort 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.   The first day of the conference highlighted our MA psychosis community with an in-person poster and award session at the Bentley University Conference Center. NIMH Senior Advisor Dr. Robert Heinssen led a keynote on translational research in psychosis.    National Trends in Specialty Care for Early Course Psychosis: Recent Advances & Future Directions Robert Heinssen, PhD National Institute of Mental Health View a recording of this 11/6/23 session here.    A Social Model of Support for Psychosis Vesper J. Moore Kiva Centers View a recording of this 11/6/23 session here. 

Download the presentation slides here 1 in 36 school-age children have autism. 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, including anxiety and, more recently, executive function. The purpose of this two-part series is to build on the didactic content covered in our earlier learning sessions on executive function [Part 1, Part 2] and provide more opportunity to cover a case example, engage in discussion, and have ample time for Q&A.  In each session, 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).

This two-day hybrid conference explores progress and updates on the Massachusetts Strategic Plan for Early Psychosis (Mass-STEP). Our theme this year was Scaling Up: Access & Equity for Psychosis, and explored strategies to expand the reach of high-quality psychosis services across Massachusetts. This effort 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. The second day explored different areas of health equity in psychosis, spotlighting ways to bridge service gaps in geography, race, and language.   Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Psychosis Diagnoses & Risk Deidre Anglin, PhD City University of New York View a recording of this 11/7/23 session here.   Working with Medical Interpreters: Shifting from Standards of Practice to Intersubjectivity in the Clinical Space Margaret Lanca, PhD Cambridge Health Alliance View a recording of this 11/7/23 session here.   Psychosis Care for Rural Populations Kristen Woodberry, MSW, PhD & Sarah Lynch, LCSW Maine Medical Center View a recording of this 11/7/23 session here.   Expanding & Strengthening the Mental Health and Early Psychosis Career Pipeline for Black and Latinx Youth S. Kwame Dance, PsyD, MBA Mental Health ACCESS & Boston Arts Academy View a recording of this 11/7/23 session here.      

  To view resources from this session, click DOWNLOAD Click here to watch the recording Event Description This workshop will provide foundational information regarding self-injurious behavior (SIB), including definitions, causes, prevalence, and an overview of evidence-based treatments for SIB (CBT and DBT).  The workshop will also introduce participants to the HIRE model: a tool for the informal assessment of SIB developed by Buser and Buser (2013).  Participants will also receive instruction in developing a school wide protocol for assessing/supporting self-injurers.   Learning Objectives At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able to: Describe 3 reasons why individuals self-harm Apply the HIRE model (Buser and Buser, 2013) to assess self-injurious behavior Describe the most effective therapeutic approaches to working with youth who self-injury Develop a school protocol for SIB   Trainer Wendy Price, Psy. D., NCSP Dr. Price completed her doctorate in School Psychology at William James College, following a year-long clinical internship at Walden Behavioral Care (a residential eating disorders clinic). For the past 20 years, Dr. Price has worked as a school psychologist at Whitman-Hanson Regional High School, in Whitman, MA. In her role, Dr. Price is involved in a number of activities, including: assessment, counseling, consultation, supervision of school psychology interns, and mentoring of staff. She is also a Crisis Team and Student/Teacher Assistance Team member. She is also an Adjunct Lecturer at UMASS Boston. Dr. Price has traveled around the country, presenting to associations and school districts on positive psychology, eating disorders, and self-injurious behaviors. Dr. Price has been involved in leadership at both the state and national level, and was the NASP President in 2020-2021.

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.   August's topic was "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Support for Building on Tribal Practices for Wellness in Indian Country."  

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.   September's topic was "Action Steps: Cultural Healing and Behavioral Health."

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.   October's topic was "Responding and Moving Past Tribal Community Crisis."

This November, in honor of Children's Grief Awareness Month, the MHTTC Network hosted a two-day, no-cost, training experience for the mental health and school mental health workforce. We worked with leading grief experts across the country to strengthen grief sensitivity skills, techniques, and interventions. This resource page includes all session recordings and materials from Day 1 of the Institute geared toward the general mental health workforce with a special focus on gender-based violence, institutional violence, community violence and grief. The theme for our 2023 GSVLI was Working with grief in the context of violence: Strengthening our skills to strengthen ourselves Access the slide deck from Day 1 here or by clicking on the "download" button above. The full video recording is embedded below. Keynote (start at 18:50) Panel 1: Grieving through and due to Institutional and Community Violence (start at 53:30) Panel 2: Grieving through and due to Gender Based Violence (GBV) and Interpersonal Violence (IPV) (start at 2:14:11) Workshop Practice Session: Supporting Youth, Families, and Communities Grieving Homicide Death, and Closing of Day 1 (start at 3:39:45) View the MHTTC GSVLI 2023 Faculty Curriculum Vitae & Resources here.  Please note: This was a 2-day event. More information on both days can be found on the GSVLI 2023 landing page. Who? The Institutes are for Community Mental Health Practitioners, Social Workers, Psychologists, Therapists, School Mental Health Personnel, School Counselors, Educators, School Administrators, and anyone interested in enhancing their grief sensitivity. You can view recordings from either day and any session no matter your role to support your interests and learning. The populations you serve may be discussed across each Institute day, settings, and sessions. How? Both days of the GSVLI were rich with faculty who offer grounding and foundations for grief sensitivity for the mental health or school mental health workforces and its intersection with violence. Faculty shared where we have been as a field, where we are now, and where we are going (new research, findings, and learnings to impact our practice). Each day began with a grounding keynote, offered two panels to deepen our learning, and a workshop session.

This November, in honor of Children's Grief Awareness Month, the MHTTC Network hosted a two-day, no-cost, training experience for the mental health and school mental health workforce. We worked with leading grief experts across the country to strengthen grief sensitivity skills, techniques, and interventions. This resource page includes all session recordings and materials from Day 2 of the Institute geared toward the school mental health workforce with a special focus on school violence & grief. The theme for our 2023 GSVLI was Working with grief in the context of violence: Strengthening our skills to strengthen ourselves Access the slide deck from Day 2 here or by clicking on the "download" button above. Please note: To access Dr. Roberto Rivera's slides for the Keynote presentation, please click here (you must create a login to access content). The full video recording is embedded below.  Keynote (start at 18:23) Panel 1 - Grief Sensitive School Crisis Response (start at 1:01:18 ) Panel 2 - Unpacking the Uncomfortable: Cultural Humility's Role in our School-Based Grief Work (start at 2:12:59) Workshop Practice Session - Growing Through Grief: Understanding and Supporting Youth Exposed to Loss, and Closing of Day 2 (start at 3:34:21) View the MHTTC GSVLI 2023 Faculty Curriculum Vitae & Resources here.  Please note: This was a 2-day event. More information on both days can be found on the GSVLI 2023 landing page. Who? The Institutes are for Community Mental Health Practitioners, Social Workers, Psychologists, Therapists, School Mental Health Personnel, School Counselors, Educators, School Administrators, and anyone interested in enhancing their grief sensitivity. You can view recordings from either day and any session no matter your role to support your interests and learning. The populations you serve may be discussed across each Institute day, settings, and sessions. How? Both days of the GSVLI were rich with faculty who offer grounding and foundations for grief sensitivity for the mental health or school mental health workforces and its intersection with violence. Faculty shared where we have been as a field, where we are now, and where we are going (new research, findings, and learnings to impact our practice). Each day began with a grounding keynote, offered two panels to deepen our learning, and a workshop session.

Many of us at some point in our lives decide what type of information and how much to tell others. We may not formally sit down and consider this decision but we nevertheless weigh the pros and cons of what we want our colleagues or others to know about us. Researchers in this area (Waghorn and McGahey, et al., 2014; Waghorn, et al., 2010) describe this type of disclosure decision-making as developing a plan for managing personal information (PMPI). A PMPI includes agreed upon language of how the student wishes to describe their disability as well as any accommodations that might mitigate support needs. This workshop will provide resources and strategies to assist students in developing a plan for managing personal information in education, including assessing the need for and requesting reasonable accommodations., including assessing the need for and requesting reasonable accommodations. This training will utilize a service conceptualization framework and peer/expert discussions to apply the skills learned. If you wish, please come prepared to discuss an individual participating in services (please no names or other identifying information). This training is in collaboration with the Integrated Employment Institute (IEI) at Rutgers University.   View session recording.   Presenters: Joni Dolce, M.S., CRC  Joni Dolce is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers School of Health Professions. Joni has many years of experience working in behavioral health services, specifically Supported Employment (SE), providing both direct services and supervising SE staff. She has authored and co-authored several articles and workbooks on employment and presents and provides webinars and trainings locally and nationally on a variety of employment related topics. She has provided training in SE on a national level, including at the NY Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, Washington State Healthcare Authority, the Veterans Administration, and SAMHSA’s Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC). She has taught/co-developed the inaugural academic courses for Rutgers in SE and Supported Education. Joni was training coordinator for a Field Initiated National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) grant evaluating the implementation of SE into Supportive Housing environments. Joni has been invited to present to Human Resource professionals on the topic of mental health in the workplace and is listed in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as a recommended speaker on this topic. She is currently a member of the MHTTC’s Dissemination and Implementation working group and is a past president of the National Rehabilitation Association’s NJ affiliate chapter and past secretary of the NJ Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. Joni is a doctoral candidate in Psychiatric Rehabilitation further exploring the impact of disclosure decision making in employment.     Amy Banko, M.S., LAC, NCC, CPRP Amy Banko is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers University. In addition to providing course instruction, Ms.Banko is a trainer and consultant at the Integrated Employment Institute of Rutgers. Within this role, she facilitates trauma-informed, Supported Employment & Supported Education training and technical assistance to enhance practitioner competencies and program outcomes. Previously, Ms. Banko was a clinical contributor on three NIDILRR funded studies focused on education, employment,  and trauma for individuals with mental health conditions. Additionally, Ms. Banko is a co-author of a best practice manual for providing career services to transition-age youth with mental health conditions. She currently serves as Co-Investigator on two NIDILRR funded studies related to postsecondary education, mental health conditions, and trauma. Ms. Banko’s research agenda focuses on rehabilitation counseling and social/transformative justice as well as critical disability theory as she seeks to build interventions and counseling services that bolster the social determinants of health for those with mental health conditions. Her passion is addressing disability stigma, internalized stigma, ableism, and improving the social determinants of health for people with disabilities and those who experience the intersectionality of disability with other marginalized and oppressed identities. Additionally, Ms. Banko leverages her lived experience of a mental health condition to inform her research, course instruction, and counseling. Ms. Banko is currently attending her doctoral studies at Kean University for Counseling and Supervision with a focus on the treatment of trauma.

  The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The November 2023 issue honors National Native American Heritage Month, National Homelessness Awareness Month, and a brand-new Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy intensive technical assistance opportunity. 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!

Due to technical difficulties, we were unable to process and upload the video portion of our webinar. We apologize for this inconvenience. Presentation slides are still available. Attendees will engage in discussion with panelists on navigating context paralysis and addressing the mental well-being of LGBTQIA+ youth. Panelists are presenters from the previous sessions. Speakers: Jordan Mix, Jabari Lyles, Shelley Craig, PhD, Leah Love, MSSA, LISW, LCSW, and Alison DeLizza, PhD   Jordan Mix (they/them) is the Director of Educational Programming at Iowa Safe Schools. They graduated from Drake University in 2016 with degrees in Law, Politics, and Society; Sociology; and Women and Gender Studies. While at Drake they were the president of Drake’s LGBTQ organization, Rainbow Union, helped establish the first all-gender bathroom on campus, and collaborated heavily in writing Drake’s Transgender Inclusion Statement. Jordan also completed their graduate studies in Gender and Sexuality Studies at the University of North Carolina Charlotte. In 2019, Jordan was the head curator of a project called Breathe, Learn, Act — the first ever virtual care package for parents and loved ones of transgender and non-binary kids. Jordan joined the Iowa Safe Schools team in March of 2020, where they work with K-12 educators to develop LGBTQ-Inclusive curriculum, facilitate an online academy for Iowa’s K-12 educators, and lead training sessions for students, educators, and other community members. When they’re not working, you can find Jordan hiking with their wife, cheering on the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team with their cat, and honing their home barista skills. ____   Jabari Lyles (they/them) is an unapologetically Black, fat, queer, gender non-conforming educator, community organizer, servant leader and consultant with over 15 years of experience leading initiatives which emphasize their passion for people, education and justice. A native of Maryland, Jabari has been active in LGBTQ organizing in across the state throughout their entire career. Aside from a long history with several flagship LGBTQ organizations in Baltimore and beyond, Jabari is most proud of their experience as a proud, Black and openly queer classroom teacher at public and independent schools in Baltimore City. Jabari was born in Baltimore City and raised in Baltimore County, Maryland. Their family, who were mostly educators and human service providers, encouraged them from an early age to nurture their love of learning and to be proud of any job well done. It was in high school that Jabari became involved with the local chapter of GLSEN, the country’s leading organization championing LGBTQ issues in K-12 schools. At 15, Jabari began assisting with producing the annual Youth Summit, a free conference-style event for LGBTQ youth and allies from the Greater Baltimore area. At 19, Jabari became the lead facilitator for the Safe Schools for All—Baltimore program, offering assemblies, guest lectures and workshops to elementary, middle and high school students on anti-bullying and LGBTQ inclusion, as well as professional development training to teachers and administrators on creating safer and more affirming schools for LGBTQ youth. For the next decade, Jabari would dedicate their career to helping shape Baltimore’s schools, nonprofits, government and businesses, into safe, inclusive places for all of the many identities found within the LGBTQ community. Prior to launching into a career as a full-time consultant, Jabari was the first-ever Senior Advisor and Director of LGBTQ Affairs for the Office of the Mayor in Baltimore City, a newly created position in local government, where they supported Baltimore’s three previous Mayoral administrations on the needs and interests of the LGBTQ community, while working to grow the community’s capacity and visibility. During their time in the Mayor’s Office, Jabari was instrumental in developing crucial new policies, including the city-wide Gender Neutral Restroom Act, the sex-based discrimination and transgender student rights policy in Baltimore City Public Schools and the legislation to amend the City charter to create Baltimore’s first Mayor’s Office of LGBTQ Affairs. Jabari is the former Chief Operating Officer and Senior Strategist at Baltimore Safe Haven, a nonprofit organization providing health and housing services for transgender people living in survival mode in Baltimore City. Currently, Jabari works with communities across the country providing consultation, technical assistance and guest speaking on gender, identity, leadership and inclusion in education. Jabari is retained by the Gender & Family Project at the Ackerman Institute for the Family as a Training & Capacity Building Associate, where they provide gender inclusion training for educators and service providers in New York City, including the New York City Department of Education. In October 2021, Governor Larry Hogan appointed Jabari to a four-year term on Maryland’s first-ever statewide Commission on LGBTQ Affairs, a 15-member body who will assist the state government with shaping public policy and furthering the capacity of state agencies to fully serve and represent LGBTQ Marylanders. Jabari has worked with and led local and statewide LGBTQ organizations, including becoming the first-ever executive director of GLSEN Maryland, the youngest-ever President and Executive Director of The Pride Center of Maryland, and co-chairperson of the education workgroup for Youth Equality Alliance, a policy coalition working towards positive outcomes for LGBTQ youth in Maryland convened by FreeState Justice. They are the former chairperson and executive producer of Baltimore Pride, a former elementary and middle school teacher in Baltimore City and the first-ever LGBTQ Studies teacher in the Upper School at Friends School of Baltimore. They are a seasoned diversity trainer and group facilitator, and has participated on several workgroups, boards and coalitions working towards gender, racial and sexual justice for Black people, transgender people and LGBTQ youth. Jabari has delivered guest lectures and guest speaking on LGBTQ inclusion and public service for Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, Towson University, McDaniel College and the Maryland Institute College of Art. Their contributions have appeared in local and national publications, including the Baltimore Sun, Washington Blade, Baltimore Magazine, The New York Times, WYPR, Okayplayer and Youth Today. Their 2017 TEDx Talk, entitled Black Self/White World: Lessons on Internalized Racism gained over 200,000 views and has been featured in racial justice education and university syllabi across the globe. Jabari is a 2018 Baltimore Homecoming Hero, the only two-time recipient of the Mark Scurti Award for Outstanding Contributions to the LGBTQ Community by OUTLaw at the University of Baltimore School of Law, a 2020 Business Equality Pride Magazine LGBTQ Leader Under 40, and was recently named Emerging Leader of the Year by the Maryland LGBT Chamber of Commerce. Jabari attended The Community College of Baltimore County, and The University of Maryland—Baltimore County (UMBC) as a Sherman STEM Teacher Scholar. They have completed significant university coursework in mathematics, physical science, teacher education and gender studies, as well as a graduate certificate program in Supporting System-Involved LGBTQ Youth from Georgetown University. They currently reside in Southeast Baltimore City, where they enjoy trying out new recipes, entertaining for family and friends, dancing to loud music, the beach, and Beyoncé. ____   Shelley L. Craig joined the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work in 2009 as an Assistant Professor. She served as an Associate Dean, Academic from 2016-2019. She is currently a full Professor and holds a Canada Research Chair in Sexual and Gender Minority Youth. Dr. Craig’s program of research focuses on cultivating resilience in marginalized populations through innovative, community-based interventions. Her primary specializations are: (1) understanding the needs of sexual and gender minority youth (SGMY), particularly the role of information and communication technologies on their mental health and wellbeing (2) developing of tailored interventions to address the mental health disparities of SGMY (3) exploring the skills and interventions used by health social workers to impact the social determinants of health (3) developing competent social work practitioners through effective social work education. Dr. Craig has developed and tested the first evidence-informed interventions for sexual and gender minority youth mental health including Strengths-First (a resilience-focused case management program for youth at risk); ASSET (an empowering group model delivered in schools), AFFIRM (an affirmative cognitive-behavioural group intervention) and AFFIRMative Caregiver (an affirmative group intervention for parents and caregivers of SGMY). She has created INQYR, The International Partnership for Queer Youth Resilience, which consists of fifty international scholars, four regional research networks and twelve students as part of the International Student Training Network. Dr. Craig has also directed a community research plan in Miami-Dade County and subsequently established a comprehensive system of care for SGMY and their families. In addition to many other research activities, she has conducted extensive research on HIV prevention interventions with juvenile detainees, newcomers and immigrants and sex workers. She is a PI on an international study of LGBTQ students in social work programs. Dr. Craig is grateful to have been funded by SSHRC, CIHR, PHAC, Lesbian Health Foundation as well as other donors. During her extensive practice history, Dr Craig has served as: Founder and Executive Director of the Alliance for LGBTQ Youth, Executive Director of ALSO for Out Youth; Medical social worker in the emergency care center of a community hospital; and Director of a domestic violence shelter as well as many other positions. She has been grateful to be the recipient multiple awards including the Ontario Association of Social Work (OASW) Inspirational Social Work Leader (2015). ____   Leah Love (she/her) has a passion for helping others and creating a safe space for individuals to navigate through life’s barriers. Leah is an independently practicing social worker with an undergraduate degree in Applied Science and a postgraduate degree in Master of Science in Social Administration (MSSA). Leah Love, MSSA, LISW, LCSW has a hybrid role with Vita Health as Clinical Development Lead and Clinician. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the state of Ohio. She has worked in the social service field for over 10 years in both clinical and administrative roles. Leah has a passion for assisting others reach their goals, needs and fundamental happiness by intentionally creating a safe environment to work through life’s barriers. She practices from an array of theoretical perspectives utilizing various applicable interventions. Her expertise is in working with youth identifying in the LGBTQ+ community. ____   Dr. Alison DeLizza is a child psychologist who has a special interest in working with children and teens with anxiety and depression. She has been working in Nebraska since 2018 when she relocated from Western Michigan. In addition to anxiety and depression, Dr. DeLizza also has experience working with children and teens with ADHD and other behavior disorders. Dr. DeLizza's therapy interests also include OCD and working with LGBTQIA+ youth. Dr. DeLizza completed her PhD in Clinical Psychology at Western Michigan University and her Clinical Internship at the Munroe-Meyer Institute at UNMC. Learn more about this series: Supporting the Mental Well-being of LGBTQIA+ Youth in Schools  

The Power Threat Meaning Framework (PTMF) is an alternative, non-diagnostic conceptualization of distress created by providers and service users, published by the British Psychological Society and attracting international attention. Participants learned the basics of the framework and had an opportunity to discuss how it might be useful to the family workforce, especially in the areas of meaning-making, empowerment and choice. Attendees also gained knowledge of where to access further information about the use of PTMF to enhance family workforce knowledge and tools.   Presenter: Dr. Lucy Johnstone is a consultant clinical psychologist, author of ‘Users and abusers of psychiatry’ (2nd edition Routledge 2000) and co-editor of ‘Formulation in psychology and psychotherapy: making sense of people’s problems’ (Routedge, 2nd edition 2013) and ‘A straight-talking guide to psychiatric diagnosis’ (PCCS Books 2014), along with a number of other chapters and articles taking a critical perspective on mental health theory and practice.