Past Events

We look forward to you joining the ‘Demystifying the Data Workshop’ Wednesday, July 21st. This time together will be interactive and engaging to prepare each of you for the upcoming 2021/2022 school year. During the webinar, we will have the opportunity for participants to join ‘office hours’ in order to ask specific questions about data use.

Join us for this 2-hour training on efficacious holistic crisis planning for families with Oregon Family Support Network. ABOUT THIS EVENT "Person and Family-Centered Planning" is not just a catchy new phrase in the mental health world for families. During this webinar we will highlight the importance of family members having active participation, and an active role, in the design of their mental health crisis plan. Together we will focus on how the family and youth perspective, lived experience, and culture can guide efficacious holistic crisis planning within all 12 life domains.   Learning Objectives Understand mental health crisis planning from the Family Perspective. Distinguish crisis stabilization versus crisis planning. Navigate the paradigm shift from system led crisis planning to consumer led crisis planning. Discuss crisis planning from a holistic view and how all life domains are incorporated. Navigate strategies that assist in creating effective family crisis plans.   FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS SERIES.   FACILITATOR Shawna Canaga Shawna Canaga is a Family Support Specialist and the statewide Peer Delivered Services Trainer for Oregon Family Support Network (OFSN). OFSN is a family run organization that promotes mental, behavioral, and emotional wellness for families and youth through education, support, and advocacy. Shawna comes to this position with over a decade of experience supporting youth and families, and with lived experience as a mother of an adult child with complex mental health needs. Throughout both of these journeys Shawna has cultivated a passion for supporting family-driven and person-centered care within the youth and family serving systems.  

Classroom WISE is a free, 6-hour mental health literacy online course for teachers and school staff with brief, high-impact training videos and accompanying website (www.classroomwise.org ). This course was developed with input from educators, students, and school mental health leaders, co-developed by the National Center for School Mental Health and the SAMHSA-funded Mental Health Technology Center Network. This learning session will provide an overview of Classroom Wise Module 3: Fostering Social Emotional Competencies and Well-Being. Join us to discuss how this modules aligns with your existing initiatives and supports and explore effective approaches to roll out the Classroom Wise in your local schools. Following this event, there are three additional live sessions this summer to support Classroom WISE implementation in the Southeast, register for our upcoming sessions and view past sessions here! Learning Objectives: 1. Increase understanding of Classroom WISE Module 3 structure and content. 2. Increase understanding of best practices to effectively support Classroom WISE adoption and implementation in local school systems. 3. Promote cross-state networking and shared learning about best practices in school mental health system implementation of school staff training materials.

El estrés es un factor común en nuestra sociedad que nos impacta diariamente. Este factor de estrés es mayor en comunidades marginalizadas. Por décadas, el Estado ha marginalizado y estigmatizado a la comunidad LGBT+. Para comunidades latinx, el ser parte de este grupo minoritario también aumenta los niveles de estrés. Este webinar discutirá el Modelo de Estrés Minoritario el cual aborda el estrés excesivo al cual individuos de categorías sociales estigmatizadas se exponen al ser parte de su posición social y el impacto de estas variables e la salud mental. Además el presentador discutirá cómo los valores sociales pueden formar los mecanismos de manejo que se utilizan para manejar dichos estresores. Se presentará el Modelo Afirmativo LGBT+ como acercamiento recomendado para trabajar con comunidades latinx LGBT+ que experimentan dificultades de saludmnetal. Este modelo trabaja primeramente con la acceptación de la orientación sexual e identidad de género / expression de la persona y requiere conocimiento y sensitividad de parte de los proveedores de servicios de salud mental que trabajan con las comunidades.   Objetivos:  1. Identificar estresores en comunidades LGBTQ+ Latinx 2. Describir el Modelo de Estrés Minoritario y los retos de salud mental en personas LGBT+ Latinx 3. Discutir el Modelo Afirmativo LGBTQ+ como acercamiento recomendado para el trabajo con personas y comunidades Latinx LGBT+   Quién debe participar? Psicólogos, trabajadores sociales clínicos, estudiantes al nivel graduado y otros que trabajen con comunidades Latinx LGBT   Sobre el presentador: Miguel Vázquez, PhD-El Dr. Miguel Vázquez-Rivera posee una Maestría en Investigación en Psicología Clínica (Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona) y una Maestría y un Doctorado en Psicología Clínica (Universidad Carlos Albizu). Ha investigado temas como la diversidad sexual y de género, el suicidio, los trastornos psicóticos, las conductas de alto riesgo en los/as adolescentes y el uso problemático de sustancias. Ha presentado sus investigaciones en Puerto Rico, Estados Unidos, México, España, Las Bahamas, Colombia, Sur Africa y Perú. Ha publicado escritos de responsabilidad social sobre diversos temas en psicología y es el editor principal del libro LGBT 101: Una mirada introductoria al colectivo, primer libro de texto de las comunidades LGBT en Puerto Rico y autor del libro Salud LGBT+: Un manual terapéutico para el trabajo con las comunidades. Trabaja para el Centro Ararat como psicólogo e investigador y tiene su oficina privada. Además, es Presidente de la compañía de consultoría de salud mental Psicoalternativas y de la fundación True Self Foundation. A través de su carrera ha recibido galardones tales como: Egresado del Año 2015 y Psicólogo del Año 2015. Actualmente es el desarrollador y coordinador de la 1era Certificación de Intervención LGBT, certificación creada con el propósito de sensibilizar y educar a los profesionales de la salud de Puerto Rico.

The Great Lakes MHTTC offers this training for behavioral health providers in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI, in partnership with the MN Peacbuilding Leadership Institute.  This training is offered in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders. When terrible things happen and our peace is stolen from us, most people want to build peace into their lives. Join faith-based leaders to learn, explore, and apply strategies to build peace with self-care practices for resilience. Enrollment: Register early! This training is for a maximum of 60 participants.    LEARNING OBJECTIVES Learn the definitions and purpose of resilience and self-care and take a personal self-care assessment with other faith-based leaders.       Learn resilience and self-care research and how it applies to everyday life. Learn practical strategies for self-care to build personal and community resilience as faith-based leaders. Consider how to apply strategies self-care for resilience in everyday life.   PRESENTERS Crixell Shell, MS, Assistant Executive Director, Minnesota Peacebuilding Leadership Institute and Local Coming to the Table (CTTT) Racial Healing Talking Circle Group Leader, is a cisgender, African American woman with a professional legal and technology background. She was in the first Minnesota Strategies for Trauma Awareness and Resilience (STAR) training cohort in 2010 and, since then she has been an integral part of the development of the STAR Training and CTTT in Minnesota. Crixell facilitates multiple CTTT gatherings each month and serves on the national CTTT leadership team.           Donna Minter, PhD, Founder and Executive Director of Peacebuilding, is a European American cisgender woman. She is a licensed psychologist who has practiced pediatric neuropsychology for over 25 years in outpatient and inpatient clinics and educational settings. For over 19 years she has conducted court-ordered mental health evaluations and provided expert court testimony. She is a Certified STAR Trainer and she administers, implements, and conducts trainings and talking circles in Minnesota, throughout the USA, and internationally.           CE INFORMATION Optional: Intro to Resilience Training is available for 2 clock hours of continuing education for Minnesota mental health professionals, nurses, and teachers for an additional $25/person fee. These CEs may be applicable to other state professional licensing boards. To obtain a CE certificate, trainees can submit the fee to MN Peacebuilding via a private payment link in the registration process. PDF certificates will be emailed directly within 10 business days after receipt of payment. 

In this 90-minute interactive webinar, representatives from the LA County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH), the San Bernardino Department of Behavioral Health (SBC DBH), the California Mental Health Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), and Third Sector will share insights, tips, and lessons learned from California’s journey to build more outcomes-focused outpatient mental health services.  Over the last four years, seven California counties and the MHSOAC have worked with Third Sector, a nonprofit advisory firm, to develop a more client-centered approach to serving California’s most vulnerable residents living with serious mental illness through Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs. In California, these FSP programs partner with individuals of all ages through a “whatever it takes” model of care to provide support on the path to wellness and recovery. Currently, over 60,000 individuals are enrolled in FSP programs across the state.  The presentation will include insights from LACDMH’s outcomes-focused contracting transformation, SBC DBH’s data-driven approach to local service improvement, and the MHSOAC’s role in building more consistent and human-centered programs statewide. Participants who attend the webinar will learn: •    Foundations of an outcomes-focused approach to mental health •    Strategies to navigate outcomes-focused contracting and build stakeholder buy-in across the county political and provider community  •    Actionable recommendations to build more outcomes-focused outpatient mental health services locally  •    Opportunities for state leaders to support and scale local innovations and outcomes-focused strategies Meet the Presenters Brian R. Sala, Ph.D. Brian R. Sala, Ph.D., is Deputy Director for Research and Evaluation and Chief Information Officer for California’s Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, the state agency that oversees mental health services in California. He has served the Commission for more than five years. Prior to joining the Commission, he served as Acting Director and Assistant Director of the California Research Bureau, following 15 years in academia. In his time with the Mental Health Commission, Brian has focused on developing the Commission’s data visualization and analytics capacity. The Commission has negotiated data sharing agreements with partner agencies and counties to create new, linked data sets to better track and analyze how communities are affected by untreated, undertreated, or inappropriately treated mental health needs and to better identify and disseminate effective services. By leveraging statewide data and analysis, the Commission seeks to support county planning under the Mental Health Services Act and to improve public access to and understanding of mental health financing and client/consumer outcomes. Brian earned a B.A. in Political Science with a concentration in political economy at Carleton College and a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of California at Davis. Alejandro E. Silva, Psy.D. Dr. Alejandro E. Silva is a licensed psychologist who has worked for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH) for 21 years. Dr. Silva began his career with LACDMH conducting psychosocial assessments for children with a range of socio-emotional, developmental, and behavioral problems at all stages of development.  For approximately 7 years, he worked for the Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) Implementation and Outcomes Division under the Adult System of Care Bureau as a supervising psychologist in an administrative capacity.  Dr. Silva was responsible for leading and supervising the Prevention Early Intervention (PEI) Outcomes Team.  For the past 3 years, Dr. Silva has held the position of Mental Health Clinical Program Manager and is responsible for the administration of the county-wide Full Service Partnership Program (FSP). His administrative team manages service capacity and problem resolution, ensures clients meet FSP criteria, facilitates program fidelity, and interfaces with referral sources such as L.A. County Jail, psychiatric hospitals, homeless outreach teams, other departments, and the community.  Lisa H. Wong, Psy.D. Lisa H. Wong, Psy.D., is Senior Deputy Director of the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH), overseeing the Department’s clinical programs and community-based services over a broad range of settings throughout Los Angeles County. Dr. Wong is a lifelong advocate for vulnerable populations and social justice issues. In addition to her role as Senior Deputy Director, Dr. Wong is also the interim Chief of the Full-Service Partnership (FSP) program, a 24/7 intensive outpatient service aimed at helping clients at risk for homelessness, incarceration, and hospitalization, among other negative life outcomes. Starting in the County as a student over 31 years ago, Dr. Wong spent more than two decades working in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles providing care to some of the County’s most vulnerable and high-risk individuals experiencing serious mental illness and homelessness. Michelle Dusick Michelle Dusick currently serves as the MHSA Administrative Manager for San Bernardino County Behavioral Health. Her primary responsibilities include coordination and oversight for over 50 Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) programs across the county. Her previous roles in the Department include Coordination of Substance Abuse Prevention programs and Youth Substance Use Disorder services. She also served as the Prevention and Early Intervention Manager.  She has served as adjunct faculty for the Human Services Department at San Bernardino Valley College, served on the San Bernardino County First 5 Advisory Committee, served on San Bernardino County First Book Board, is the Co-Chair of the California Behavioral Health Directors MHSA Committee, is the Co-chair of the System-wide Program Outcomes Committee, and is the Chairperson for the Department of Behavioral Health’s Community Policy Advisory Committee and the MHSA Executive Committee.  Prior to joining the Department of Behavioral Health in 2004, Michelle worked in the health and human services field providing direct services to transition aged foster youth, TANF recipients, and SSI applicants. As a family member of a person living with serious mental illness, she continues to volunteer as a support person for consumers and family members.  Aurelle Amram, MBA Aurelle Amram, MBA, is a Director at Third Sector, a 501(c)3 nonprofit advisory firm working to transform public systems to advance improved and equitable outcomes. Aurelle leads Third Sector’s mental health practice, where she assists state and local governments in improving mental health services and contracts. This portfolio includes Los Angeles County’s outcomes-focused re-design of $300M+ of intensive outpatient mental health services contracts and a statewide, multi-county collaborative of six California counties seeking to build more data-driven mental health services.  Prior to Third Sector, Aurelle previously worked in the Securities & Finance practice of NERA Economic Consulting in New York City, where she wrote expert reports and conducted financial analyses for use in litigation and regulatory investigations, with a special focus on cases involving financial derivatives. Nicole Kristy, MBA Nicole Kristy, MBA, is a Director at Third Sector, a 501(c)3 nonprofit advisory firm working to transform public systems to advance improved and equitable outcomes. Nicole delivers feasibility assessments, technical assistance, and project construction support to government, nonprofit, and philanthropic clients. She is currently co-leading a multi-county collaborative of six California counties seeking to build more data-driven mental health services. Prior to joining Third Sector, Nicole worked at a prominent healthcare consulting firm where she led providers across the country through the transition from traditional reimbursement models to outcomes and performance-based contracting. She worked closely with hospital administrators, physicians, and other key stakeholders to promote collaboration and data sharing, optimize pricing and managed-care strategies, and support change management processes in an effort to improve health outcomes for entire communities. 

The Northeast and Caribbean MHTTC wants to continue to support you and your work during the COVID-19 public health crisis. Many of you have developed unique strategies for meeting the needs of service participants over the course of the year, but you may still be struggling with maintaining your own wellness and self-care. To help facilitate support and the sharing of wellness strategies and resources, we will be facilitating Mutual Support Calls for Thriving at Work During COVID-19.  Who: Community Mental Health Service Providers What: One-hour virtual support group sessions to share experiences, exchange resources, develop skills, and provide and receive mutual support When: The third Monday of each month, February through September Schedule: 2/15; 3/15; 4/19; 5/17; 6/21; 7/19; 8/16; 9/20 We look forward to connecting with you!   Facilitator: Bill Burns-Lynch, MA, LPC, has a 30+ year history of engagement in the psychiatric rehabilitation and mental health treatment community. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in both Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Throughout his career, he has worked extensively in community mental health developing and supporting the implementation of innovative, effective, and evidence-based psychiatric rehabilitation practices and service delivery programs. He has been a direct service provider, program developer, supervisor, administrator, trainer, consultant, researcher, and educator.  Currently, Bill is in practice in Bordentown, New Jersey, where he provides psychotherapy and counseling services geared toward helping people identify, address, and overcome the distress associated with a number of lifestyle and life-changing events, including depression and anxiety, substance misuse and substance use disorder, and living with grief and loss (through death, divorce, loss of relationships). Bill's work focuses on the impact of trauma across the lifespan for men and women; exploring life challenges and choices related to transitioning to adulthood; and adults living with serious mental health conditions, helping to manage systems and develop recovery and wellness plans.

Registration for the Regional Peer Worker Support Circle is closed.   What: The Regional Peer Worker Support Circle (RPWSC) is a virtual gathering of peer workers from several U.S. states and territories that will meet every other week. The RPWSC is a safe and welcoming forum for mutual support, story sharing, discussion, and networking that unites peers from different professional and personal backgrounds. Meetings will focus on a variety of topics and issues central to peers, such as compassion fatigue, role clarity, systemic racism, self-care, and doing peer work amidst the pandemic. When: The Regional Peer Worker Support Circle will meet every other Friday from 4:00 to 5:00 pm ET. The first session will begin on Friday, February 12, 2021, and continue every other Friday through the end of August 2021. Where: The RPWSC will meet virtually via Zoom. Who Can Participate: People serving in peer worker roles are welcome to participate. Priority will be given to peer workers in the Northeast and Caribbean Region (i.e., New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands), but is not limited to individuals within the region. Schedule: 2/12; 2/26; 3/12; 3/26; 4/9; 4/23; 5/7; 5/21; 6/4; 6/18; 7/2; 7/16; 7/30; 8/6; 8/20   Facilitators: Stephanie Colon is a Bilingual Peer Specialist at the Institute for Family Health at the Center for Counseling at Walton, OnTrackNY, in the Bronx. She has been in this position since November 2017. Stephanie works with young people between the ages of 16 and 30 who have first-time altered state experiences. It is one of the most rewarding jobs that she has had in her lifetime. Stephanie is excited about being a co-facilitator of the Regional Peer Worker Support Circle. She says, “It gives me an opportunity to provide a safe/brave environment where peers feel like they are not alone and that their contribution to peer work is valuable.” Michael DeVivo is a Peer Specialist based in Syracuse, New York. He uses his lived experience with psychiatric labels to support young adults with first-episode psychosis. As a non-clinical member of a clinical team, he enjoys the challenge of improving the mental healthcare system “from the inside.” Mike is also passionate about developing the peer profession. To this end, he serves on a peer networking committee in his home region that links peer workers to foster a culture of support and solidarity, which he also hopes to promote as a co-facilitator of the Regional Peer Worker Support Circle. Outside of the peer world Mike teaches philosophy and writes music.

Migrant Clinicians Network and the Witness to Witness Program are pleased to present Part 2 in this three-part online seminar series that addresses how to manage the multiple stressors impacting service providers and those they serve.  The series will present a model of the helper as witness that provides concrete suggestions as to how the provider can shift from feeling ineffective to feeling effective and competent.  Participants will learn ways of activating resilience, creating a self-care toolbox and managing grief and loss.  The COVID-19 pandemic has radically changed the way we function in our homes, schools, and jobs. Many service providers, considered essential workers, continue to work outside the home and are experiencing stress far beyond normal levels. Work stress is combined with concern for their families — who are also living through difficult situations, including worry about the service provider. While deeply concerned about caring for the people they serve, service providers are also rightly concerned about themselves. They need constructive ways to understand the current context and approaches to caring for themselves so that they can remain emotionally resilient while they do their work.  This online seminar will provide a general understanding of common emotional responses to the pandemic – worry, anxiety, demoralization, moral distress – and provide efficient strategies to deal with them. A focus will be on the witnessing model, developed by presenter Kaethe Weingarten, PhD, that describes four different witness positions that affect people in their daily lives. Ways of moving into the only effective position will be suggested. Dr. Weingarten will describe concrete ideas for remaining in one’s resilient zone – not stuck too high, not stuck too low. She will also share an approach for preventing the development of PTSD.

The Context Clues: Using Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) to Enhance Treatment webinar series offers health care providers and other interested parties the tools they need to identify social determinants of health and strategies for addressing them.   Webinar attendees will learn how economic stability, access to quality education, access to quality health care, neighborhood and environmental factors, and social and community context affect patients’ health and quality-of-life outcomes.   After an introduction to social determinants of health on July 15, webinars will be divided into two flash presentations on SDOH-related topics. A certificate for one contact hour will be provided upon completion of each session.

Everyone can support the foundational principles of recovery: choice, self-determination and the importance of relationships. However, translating these principles into real world practice can be difficult. Using medication to support recovery is more than learning to swallow pills on schedule. In this webinar, Patricia Deegan will conclude presenting 8 challenges on the journey to use medications optimally to support recovery and practical strategies for supporting folks on this journey. Learn more about the webinar series here. Presenter Patricia E. Deegan, PhD's mission is to help activate and empower mental health services users in their own recovery and to provide peer supporters and clinicians with the know-how to support people in their recovery journey. She is uniquely positioned to fulfill her vocation because she was diagnosed with schizophrenia as a teenager, went on to get her doctorate in clinical psychology and today leads a company run by and for people in recovery. She is a thought-leader in the field of mental health recovery, has numerous peer-reviewed publications, has held a number of academic appointments, and has carried a message of hope for recovery to audiences around the world. In addition to her work on the CommonGround Program, she consults with OnTrackNY and has helped the team at the Center for Practice Innovations develop an innovative model for engaging young people under the NIMH RAISE Study. The model is now being adopted nationally.     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.  

The Great Lakes MHTTC offers this training for behavioral health providers in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This training is offered in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders. This class looks at the nature of common conversations where ambivalence and reluctance about behavior change is the main theme. In these conversations it is easy to play the role of the expert and tell the person what they need to do to improve their situation. The problem is that this usually provokes resistance in the ambivalent person, and as they voice the reasons not to change, it reduces the likelihood of behavior change. While accounting for the change burden and the Stages of Change of the person, this class presents an alternative guiding style for these conversations using Miller and Rollnick’s “OARS” skills.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Explore the difference between a guiding style and a confrontational one Identify how using a guiding style helps explore ambivalence about change Identify and practice open questions, affirmations, reflections, and summaries   Continuing Education: MN Board of Social Work MN Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy NUMBER OF UNITS BEING OFFERED: 2 CEUs   This training is provided in collaboration with The Training Institute, People  Incorporated Mental Health Services.   Speaker:  Russ Turner, MA, MS is the Director of the People Incorporated Training Institute. During his 14-year tenure he has developed and taught a curriculum of training classes and workshops in a wide variety of subjects related to behavioral health from crisis de-escalation to motivational interviewing. His audience includes mental health professionals, social workers, case managers, addiction professionals, law enforcement, healthcare professionals, and organizational leaders. He trains trainers, works with management, and has consulted and coached on numerous mental health related training projects. He has worked as a teacher or trainer for over 25 years in a variety of countries and settings including Japan, the Czech Republic and the UK. His teaching philosophy is that adults learn best when they are challenged, the material is applicable to work situations, and sessions are interactive and engaging.  

This webinar is focused on steps behavioral health employers can take to support the well-being of their employees, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. The first of a two-part series, this webinar will feature speakers who will share their lessons learned as behavioral health agencies supporting employee well-being through the pandemic and beyond. For over a year, the behavioral health workforce has worked harder and longer, often putting their physical and mental health and well-being on the line. This group – like so many others – has faced unprecedented demands, including but not limited to rapidly shifting to telehealth and/or figuring out safe ways to offer in-person services; grieving the loss of colleagues, clients, friends, and family; balancing decreases in funding with the increased need to support wellbeing for colleagues and clients alike; and more. Now, after more than a year of working during the global pandemic, providers are experiencing high levels of stress, vicarious trauma, emotional exhaustion, and compassion fatigue. This added burden puts them at risk for stress-related medical problems, mental conditions, and substance use, as well as increased risk for leaving their profession altogether. In this context, it is critical that employers adopt organizational strategies and practices to support employee well-being. The Quadruple Aim is a framework that adds “improving the work-life of providers and staff” to the goals of improving population health, enhancing the patient experience, and reducing costs. In this webinar, there will be a discussion of creative interventions to support the provider-oriented aim in this unprecedented time, with implications for wellness now and in the future.   Presenter(s): Allison Ponce and Kyle Pedersen are Co-Chief Wellness Officers for Connecticut Mental Health Center, a public mental health center run jointly by the State of Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services and the Yale Department of Psychiatry.    Allison Ponce, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Yale Department of Psychiatry. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Connecticut. She is the Director of Education at the Connecticut Mental Health Center. Dr. Ponce has research, administrative, and clinical interests in public mental health, particularly with regard to serious mental illness and homelessness. Another major area of focus is the education and training of psychologists and other mental health professionals. Dr. Ponce supervises and advises psychology fellows and coordinates several seminars focused on administration, leadership, and community-based care. Dr. Ponce is Chair of the American Psychological Association's Policy and Planning Board and Past-Chair of the Board of Directors of the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers.   Kyle Pedersen, M.A.R., has worked for Connecticut Mental Health Center since 2002, is currently Director of the CMHC Foundation, and has more than 20 years experience in community mental health and non-profit leadership in New Haven and New York City. In the Department of Psychiatry he co-chairs the Project Synapse workplace improvement initiative and the Staff Sub-committee of the Anti-Racism Task Force. Kyle is skilled in executive leadership; strategic planning; new program development; sound fiscal management; donor relations and fund development; community connections; supervision of staff, volunteers, and interns; and training and education for students and learners of all ages. He is an anti-racist trainer/organizer with the Elm City-Undoing Racism Organizing Collective and People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond; deacon for Trinity Episcopal Church and the Episcopal Church at Yale; treasurer of Gather New Haven; on the boards of Beulah Land Development Corporation and Citywide Youth Coalition; and has served on boards of other local and regional organizations. Kyle enjoys cooking, gardening, reading, and messing around in small boats.

The Great Lakes MHTTC offers this training for behavioral health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This session is offered in partnership with the Ohio Association of County Behavioral Health Authorities in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.   For children in the United States, experiencing trauma is common. However, the impact of trauma can be difficult to recognize. This two-hour workshop, led by Eileen Russo, MA, LADC, will provide an understanding of psychological trauma and define trauma-informed approaches to education and treatment services. This workshop includes a focus on the impact of COVID-19.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Use a broad definition of trauma. Understand the impact of trauma on the developing brain. Apply trauma-informed principles to the classroom or treatment program.   Speaker: Eileen Russo, MA, LADC Eileen M. Russo, MA, LADC is a licensed addiction counselor, a certified clinical supervisor, and an advanced certified addiction/co-occurring disorders (AADC) professional who has worked in the addiction and mental health field for the past thirty-five years. Ms. Russo is a professor and program coordinator for the Drug and Alcohol Recovery Counselor program with Gateway Community College, New Haven, CT.  Ms. Russo has co-authored articles on the integration of trauma-specific services into substance abuse treatment and is a co-author of the curriculum Healing Trauma: A Brief Intervention for Women by Dr. Stephanie Covington. Full bio.      

Telebehavioral Health Services: Planning and Investing for the Future of Your Services The COVID-19 pandemic forced many mental health organizations to rapidly modify services that are typically provided in-person to remote delivery via telehealth. Now as social distancing restrictions are lifted, you have to decide how your services will look going forward. This series of 6 sessions will help you think about how telebehavioral health services could continue to be utilized, how to think about investing in telebehavioral health, and what you need to do now for long-term success. Intended Audience: Behavioral health administrators and organizational decision-makers. Dates: Wednesdays from 12:00 – 1:00 pm ET from July 14 – August 18 July 14 | Session 1: The future of telebehavioral health and digital mental health services July 21 | Session 2: The evidence-base for telebehavioral health and digital mental health services July 28 | Session 3: Return on Investment for telebehavioral health and digital mental health services August 4 | Session 4: Future planning and investment for telebehavioral health and digital mental health services August 11 | Session 5: What telebehavioral health and digital mental health infrastructure to build now and what can be built later August 18 | Session 6: Rollout Lessons: Recommendations for training, known issues with provider training, and lessons learned Each session will include a request for questions to be addressed in the presentation and time for questions and answers. Participants will receive a downloadable PDF of the presentation and access to the speaker for additional confidential questions. Presenter: Jay Ostrowski, MA, NCC, LPC-S, ACS, BC-TMH, is the CEO at Adaptive Telehealth. Mr. Ostrowski serves as a consultant providing training, consulting, and development services for telebehavioral health, telepsychiatry, telemental health, ambulatory telehealth, telehealth billing, population health, remote patient monitoring, and chronic care management. He also has expertise in telebehavioral health best practices and service delivery operations, HIPAA security, HIPAA-secure software applications, and telehealth regulations for all states and 8 professions. He has authored many peer-reviewed telebehavioral health trainings and founded the Board Certification in Telemental Health (BC-TMH). With a background in counseling psychology, Mr. Ostrowski develops products, services, and trainings on the clinical application of digital health products, services, and artificial intelligence.

Series Title: Creating Cultures of Staff Wellness for our Schools and Community Partners Intended Audience This series designed for educators, state and district leadership, student mental health staff on campus, and community mental health allies.   Learning Objectives Participants who join this session will be able to: Use a trauma-informed framework for noticing and responding to how we react to stress. Gain strategies to support our capacity for maintaining a sense of safety and connection when we need it most. Use a tool to develop awareness and skills to promote our ability to stay balanced, connected, and compassionate (including to ourselves) when feeling overwhelmed or burned out. Session overview Feel like you’ve been running nonstop since you can’t remember when? Is your tank on empty? It’s been a lot. This session is designed for all of you who have been navigating twists and turns, pushing forward through unpredictable and changing circumstances, and mustering energy to care for students and coworkers day after day. Together, we will take pause to consider how to make sense of the stress we experience, understand how long term exposure to crisis changes how we function, and link to specific things we can do right now to improve our sense of balance, calm, and capacity to connect. This is the introduction to a series intended to help you reset and restore your own sense of wellness, and to help inform the way districts and schools promote cultures of care that benefit staff and partners.  

Please join us for our monthly MHTTC webinar series. We will be featuring our special guest speaker: Avis Garcia, PhD, LAT, LPC, NCC, Northern Arapaho. Please note your time zone: 1:00-2:30 ET . 12:00-1:30 CT . 11:00-12:30 MT . 10:00-11:30 PT . 9:00-10:30 AKT

ABOUT THIS EVENT The supervisory relationship in behavioral health is critical for fostering employees' personal and professional development, enhancing clinical skills, implementing best practices, ensuring accountability, promoting self-care and wellness, and most importantly, improving client outcomes. Motivational Interviewing (MI) provides a valuable foundation and approach for providing quality supervision. In this session we’ll explore ways in which the MI spirit, core skills, and four processes can enhance supervision. Three MI-based supervisory models will be presented along with vignettes. Whether you’re experienced, new, or not yet a supervisor, you are invited to explore what is MI-informed supervision, why it matters, and how to apply specific strategies to help staff thrive in their work. Find out more about this series with C4 Innovations.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Participants will be able to:  Describe how the “mindset and heart-set” of MI applies to supervision Name the four MI processes to help structure exploratory conversations Explain how to use the E-O-E approach to provide information and feedback Describe how to use the B-E-E-R model to take corrective action   FACILITATOR Ken Kraybill, MSW, Senior Trainer, has worked in healthcare, behavioral health, homelessness, and housing for more than 35 years. Ken has 18 years of experience working as a behavioral health practitioner in homeless services. For the past two decades, he has been developing curricula and facilitating in-person and online training nationally on topics including motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, outreach and engagement, case management, critical time intervention, and supervision. He also has experience facilitating strategic planning processes and providing staff retreats focused on finding resiliency and renewal for care providers. Ken is a member of the international Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). He has a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Washington.         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.

Participants will increase their understanding of common oral health problems faced by individuals with mental health and substance abuse challenges in this webinar. Many may face stigma or shame related to their oral health. Peer support specialists play an integral role in supporting those they serve related to their oral health and recovery. Excerpts from the Mental Health and Addiction Certification Board of Oregon’s Peer Oral Health Training will be utilized in this webinar.  Hosted by the Northwest MHTTC in partnership with the Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon. FACILITATOR  Janie Gullickson, MPA: HA Janie Gullickson is a person in long-term recovery and for her that means she has not used alcohol or other drugs in over 11 years. Janie is in recovery from both addiction and mental health challenges as well as homelessness, incarceration, and criminal justice involvement. She navigated all types of systems and institutions that can accompany such life experiences, from frequent hospitalizations to prison. Janie was released from Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in September of 2006. Janie first began her work as a Peer Support Specialist/Recovery Mentor for Yamhill County HHS in McMinnville, Oregon in 2011. Janie joined the peer-run organization Mental Health & Addiction Association of Oregon (MHAAO) as a project assistant in 2014. In May of 2017 Janie became MHAAO’s Executive Director. She also earned her Master of Public Administration: Health Administration (MPA: HA) degree from Portland State University in June of 2017. Janie is passionate about social justice issues with a focus on mental health and addiction recovery, peer programs and services and advocacy in these realms.   PANELISTS Reina Bower Reina Bower is the Mental Health and Addiction Association of Oregon Evolve Peer Services Director.     Kevin Fitts Kevin Fitts is the Executive Director of the Oregon Mental Health Consumers Association.       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.

Classroom WISE is a free, 6-hour mental health literacy online course for teachers and school staff with brief, high-impact training videos and accompanying website (www.classroomwise.org ). This course was developed with input from educators, students, and school mental health leaders, co-developed by the National Center for School Mental Health and the SAMHSA-funded Mental Health Technology Center Network. This learning session will provide an overview of Classroom Wise Module 1: Creating Safe and Supportive Classrooms and Module 2: Teaching Mental Health Literacy and Reducing Stigma. Join us to discuss how these modules align with your existing initiatives and supports and explore effective approaches to roll out the Classroom Wise in your local schools. This session will be followed by 4 upcoming office hours this summer to support Classroom WISE implementation in the Southeast. Learning Objectives: 1. Increase understanding of Classroom WISE Modules 1 and 2 structure and content. 2. Increase understanding of best practices to effectively support Classroom WISE adoption and implementation in local school systems. 3. Promote cross-state networking and shared learning about best practices in school mental health system implementation of school staff training materials.

The Great Lakes MHTTC offers this training for behavioral health professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, an WI.  This training is offered in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders. This is a two-part series:  July 13 and July 15, 2021.   July 13, 2021 Part 1: Psychopharmacology and Alternatives for Mental Health Disorders  The release of interesting, approved psychiatric medications has slowed considerably in the last few years. Pharmaceutical companies continue to focus on trying to find the next Prozac, but progress is slow. In the two hours of Part 1, we will discuss the placebo effect and treatment adherence, client age and culture, and pharmacogenetic testing. We will then explore the latest research about antidepressants, including ketamine; and antipsychotics.   Learning Objectives  At the end of this day, participants will: Have reviewed the basic understanding of chemical treatments of depression and psychosis Be introduced to data concerning compliance with treatment and pharmacogenetic testing Learn about the possible new directions in treating depression and suicidality   July 15, 2021 Part 2:   In Part 2 of this webinar on psychopharmacology we will look at drugs to treat bipolar disorder, substance misuse, ADHD, and some alternative medications in mental health, including street drugs. Throughout both part 1 and part 2, we will look at side effects and how people may misinterpret them as behavior problems     Learning Objectives At the end of this day, participants will; Become familiar with pharmacological treatments for bipolar disorder and substance use Understand the fundamental differences of treatments for ADHD Know how alternative medications and street drugs fit into psychiatric treatment research   Presenter: David Mays, PhD, University of Wisconsin Dept. of Psychiatry Dr. Mays is a Distinguished Life Fellow of the American Psychiatric Association, member the Wisconsin Psychiatric Association, and a member of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law. Over his career, Dr. Mays has practiced psychiatry in a variety of settings, including an HMO, an assertive community treatment program, private clinical and forensic practice, and as the clinical director of the forensic program at the Mendota Mental Health Institute. Dr. Mays has received numerous awards for his teaching and clinical work, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Alliance on Mental Illness in Dane County, the Exemplary Psychiatrist Award from the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the Exceptional Performance Award from the Wisconsin Health and Family Services, the Outstanding Professional Award from the Wisconsin Association on Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse, and the Outstanding Mental Health Professional Award from the Wisconsin National Alliance on Mental Illness. He is a highly sought-after presenter on numerous topics in mental health, including psychiatric diagnosis and treatment, personality disorders, suicide and aggression risk management, mainstream and alternative treatments in psychiatry, and the biology of ethics.     Continuing Education  Four CE credit hours will be available for those who attend the full webinar. WAFCA will provide 4 NBCC continuing education hours to those who attend the entire four-hour training event. Partial credit will be provided to those who choose to attend only part of the event.

Trauma Informed Youth Peer Support: An Essential Tool for Supporting Youth This workshop will walk participants through the foundations of trauma-informed care, including its principles and philosophy, why trauma-informed care is important, and strategies for incorporating trauma-informed practices throughout youth peer support services. It is critical for peer providers to understand trauma and its impact on many of the youth and young adults they will be working with. This workshop will provide concrete examples of what trauma-informed practice looks like in action and how to apply this philosophy within peer relationships.