Comprehensive School Mental Health Training & Technical Assistance

Foundations of Comprehensive School Mental Health

Developing a comprehensive school-based mental health framework can feel overwhelming. The Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC is here to guide you through the process to ensure successful implementation. Training and coaching support includes, but is not limited to:

• Helping schools establish mental health teams that use data-based decision making and rely on action-planning to support student mental health
• Conducting school needs assessment and resource mapping to help schools identify strengths and gaps in existing programming
• Best practices for mental screening, planning, and implementation

Mental Health Promotion (Tier 1)

Mental health promotion activities are the foundation of a comprehensive school mental health framework. They are designed to create safe and supporting learning environments that reduce the stigma of mental illness. The Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC has staff available to assist with the development and implementation of:

• Social Emotional Learning (SEL) - SEL is the process through which young people and adults acquire and apply the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to develop health identities, manage emotions and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible decisions (Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning - CASEL)
• Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) - PBIS is the application of behavioral principles that help to positively impact student behavior. The emphasis is on setting school-wide expectations, defining teaching rules, and developing positive discipline practices to create a positive school environment. 

Early Intervention & Treatment (Tier 2)

Tier II services are designed to address menial health concerns for students who have been identified through a systematic process as experiencing mild distress or functional impairment or being at risk for a given problem or concern.

Tier III services include strategies designed to address mental health concerns for students who are already experiencing significant distress and functional impairment.

Staff Professional Development

Suicide Trainings

Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA):

Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand, and respond to several signs of mental illness and substance use disorders in youth. This 6-hour training gives adults who work with youth the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to children and adolescents (ages 6-18) who may be developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care. (National Council for Behavioral Health)

Student Behavior/Culture and Climate

Maintaining Students' Motivation to Learn:

Distance learning has presented various challenges for educators. Student motivation is a common concern among school staff due to the virtual classroom environment. This workshop will offer innovative strategies to encourage student motivation. 

Clinical Skills

Risk Assessment Refresher for Guidance & Clinical Staff:

This interactive workshop will review best practices when administering student risk assessments. Participants will have the opportunity to examine scenarios and identify key problems, examine alternative solutions, and propose the most effective solution. 

Educator Self-Care

Compassion Fatigue: Moving Towards Resilience:

Participants will gain understanding of secondary traumatic stress, burnout, and compassion fatigue. This workshop will help participants identify psychological effects and practice techniques for self-care.

Educator Self-Care Workshop:

The Educator Self-Care Workshop is designed to provide a safe environment where teachers come together to engage is facilitated team-building and self-care practices. Each session will incorporate elements of social-emotional learning and coping strategies to strengthen educator resilience.

Trama/Loss & Grief

Trauma and Its Impact on Teachers and Students:

A 4-part training series, each part 1 hour conducted as a virtual meeting.

1. Complete ACES, feedback on ACES, what trauma can look like at work, building resilience
2. Student trauma, what trauma can look like at school, building student resilience
3. Identifying trauma triggers and strategies for working with students: Part 1
4. Identifying trauma triggers and strategies for working with students: Part 2

Parent Workshops

Top 4 Strategies to Increase Student Motivation: What Every Parent Should Know

Emotions Matter: Social Emotional Learning at Home

Creating Resilience in Children that will Foster their Potential and Increase their Success in the World