Past Events

Youth & Young Adult Peer Services Learning Series Part 1: Trauma Informed Youth Peer Support: An Essential Tool for Supporting Youth July 12th at 3pm PDT  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.  Register Here • • • • Exploring Ethics and Boundaries in Youth Peer Services: Maintaining Professional and Caring Relationships with Youth Adults Receiving Peer Support July 26th at 3pm PDT Ethics and boundaries are critical to any profession, and are especially important in helping professions. There are specific ethical dilemmas related to supporting youth and young adults with mental health and/or substance use challenges. This workshop will describe ethics and boundaries in the context of youth peer support, identify the ethical responsibilities of a peer provider, and discuss strategies to make skilled judgments related to privacy and confidentiality, boundaries of dual relationships, informed consent, mandated reporting, and more. Attendees will come away with a clear understanding of the ethics, guidelines, and boundaries that are essential in youth peer support work.  Register Here • • • • Filling Your Cup: Self Care with and for Youth Peers August 2nd at 3pm PDT This workshop will focus on the importance of actionable strategies for managing self-care while serving as a youth peer provider. Centered in a holistic definition of self-care that meets each of SAMHSA’s eight dimensions of wellness, the workshop will help each peer understand the value and impact of self-care in their peer role. This topic is of importance to the peer workforce because a strong practice of self-care can counteract experiences of burnout and overwhelm in peer positions. Actionable strategies will be shared, including self-reflection tools and self-care resources. Register Here • • • • About the Presenter: Kristin Thorp, MPP has ten years of experience in advocacy and youth leadership and program development with a special focus on the mental health and criminal justice systems. She currently serves as a Youth Program Director with Youth Move National, where she is a national technical assistance provider on the development, implementation, and sustainability of quality youth programming. She also supports organizations develop meaningful and mutual partnerships with youth, young adults, and system leaders to advance best practices for youth engagement. Kristin is an advisor on the System of Care Children’s Mental Health Initiative and supports the implementation of national evaluation efforts by conducting qualitative and quantitative research, utilizing data to determine and define technical assistance needs for grantee communities.  Kristin has utilized her own lived experience, passion, and expertise in the field of positive youth development to bridge multiple perspectives to promote trauma-informed approaches to recovery.

Join us for this 90-minute meeting for ACT Teams, hosted and facilitated by the Northwest MHTTC and the Institute for Best Practices at the University of North Carolina. This month's topic is "Leveraging the ACT Multidisciplinary Team Approach: Working Smarter, Not Harder within the Daily Team Meeting." The pandemic forced most ACT teams to pivot to virtual daily team meetings with most or all of their team, and in some cases, meeting less frequently or taking short cuts. Learn from two former ACT team leaders who now train and support ACT teams, the value and functions of the daily team meeting to support the work of the multidisciplinary team and facilitate a more team-based approach to service provision. ABOUT THIS EVENT Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a multidisciplinary, team-based model that provides intensive community-based and outreach-oriented services to people who experience the most severe and persistent mental illness. The vast majority also have a co-occurring substance use disorder and many experience comorbid medical illnesses as well as homelessness. This is a vulnerable population and their providers – ACT teams – are at elevated risk themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Northwest MHTTC is partnering with the Institute for Best Practices at the University of North Carolina to host and facilitate regular meetings for ACT teams.  Goals of the meetings are to: connect with one another share strategies and resources for adapting team practices and communications    facilitate connection to the most up-to-date resources during the COVID-19 pandemic.   For more information or questions, contact: Maria Monroe-DeVita, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine and Director of the Washington State Center of Excellence in First Episode Psychosis; or Lorna Moser, PhD, Director of the UNC ACT Technical Assistance Center in the UNC Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health; and Coordinator of the North Carolina ACT Coalition. FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THIS SERIES FACILITATORS Lynette M. Studer, PhD, MSW, LCSW Lynette M. Studer is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work. She teaches MSW students in a mental health field unit as well as classes on Mental Health Policies & Services and Advanced Practice Skills in Mental Health. Prior to joining the UW-Madison faculty, she held a position as both an Agency Policy Specialist and State Administrator with the State of Minnesota Department of Human Services, Chemical and Mental Health Administration overseeing and improving policy and the provision of technical assistance for the state’s 32 Assertive Community Treatment teams who serve individuals with serious mental illness. Dr. Studer holds clinical social work licenses in both Wisconsin and Minnesota and has been a practicing clinical social worker for over 20 years.     Tracy Hinz, MSW, LICSW Tracy Hinz is the Director of Rehabilitative Services, Central Minnesota Mental Health Center.  

  In collaboration with the E4 Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging, the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office is hosting the webinar, Grief and Loss: An Active Approach for Older Adults on Monday, July 12 @ 9am PT / 11am CT / 12pm ET.   Overview:   While some talk about stages of grief, the reality is that most of us do not move through grief in a step-by-step way. Grief researchers have identified tasks that we need to accomplish in the grieving process to lessen the pain of loss. Some of us move through those tasks without even knowing that’s what we’re doing – it just feels like time healing the wounds. Some may need to focus more attention on the tasks of grieving in order to let go of our suffering. In either case, having an active approach to grief can empower both older adults and those who serve them to manage this human experience. Differentiating normal grief from prolonged grief disorder and evidence-based treatments will also be discussed. Speaker:  Dr. Erin Emery-Tiburcio is an Associate Professor of Geriatric & Rehabilitation Psychology and Geriatric Medicine at Rush University Medical Center, as well as Co-Director of the Rush Center for Excellence in Aging. She is past-Chair of American Psychological Association Committee on Aging, and past-President of the Society for Clinical Geropsychology. Dr. Emery-Tiburcio is Co-Director of CATCH-ON, the Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Program based at Rush University Medical Center. Dr. Emery-Tiburcio also co-directs the brand new Engage, Educate, Empower for Equity: E4, The Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging at Rush.   Download the event flyer here.  Questions? Contact [email protected]

Microlearnings are 15-minute “TED-Talk” style workshops delivered via teleconference. They are intended to reach a large audience in a low time commitment manner/adult learning format. Topics include all aspects of individual and organizational health and well-being. All are welcome! Dates and Times are below:  9:00–9:15am PT 11:00–11:15am CT 12:00–12:15 pm ET Jul 9, 2021: Dismantling Defenses Against Authentic Relationships July 23, 2021: The Benefits of Nature Aug 13, 2021: How to Not Let Anxiety Wreck You Aug 27, 2021: Humor as Mindfulness Strategy There is no need to register for these podcasts.  The call-in information is listed below. Call in # +1 646-876-9923 Meeting ID: 335-268-657 Passcode: 754991  

People define their spirituality, faith, and religion as being a process involving growth, addressing existential questions about meaning and sense in life, life satisfaction, well-being, a sense of purpose, hope, and optimism. During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals and communities have started to explore more personal and collective connections with spiritual, faith, and religious resources as coping mechanisms. They seem to be a potential antidote that minimizes the consequences of anxiety, depression, and any other mental or physical stress caused during the coronavirus crisis.   In this context, the proposed panel and conversation series on spirituality, faith, and religion: creating a time and space for connection, wellness, and hope can be a tool for healthcare professionals, patients, family, and communities to reconnect with themselves, provide the most comprehensive care possible, benefit from spiritual practice, build social support, and share stories of hope and resilience.   Our community conversation series will offer comfort and safe space through structured and innovative conversation focusing on spiritual beliefs and coping. Activities facilitate verbal expression and appropriate social interaction and build a sense of belonging. We discuss activities and themes from these webinars within a recovery-oriented “emotion-focused coping” framework. A faith community member will lead this series.   Moderator: Thomas Burr, Community and Affiliate Relations Manager, NAMI Connecticut   Panelists for June 3rd, 2021   Reverend Torianto S. Johnson Sr. Congregation: Flames of Fire Christian Fellowship   Rev. Johnson is the founder and pastor of Flames of Fire Christian Fellowship in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He preaches a theology that calls attention to the intractability of anti-blackness, social and economic inequality, racial capitalism and the carceral state, and how colonialism affects the articulation and experience of the gospel. He is committed to preaching a prophetic message rooted in love, hope, and justice. Rev. Johnson is a native of Benton Harbor, Michigan, and a graduate of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. He earned a master of arts in religion with a concentration in theology from Yale Divinity School. While at the Yale Divinity School, Rev. Johnson served as minister for Marquand Chapel and was the Reverend Dr. Samuel N. Slie Fellow for the University Church. Pastor Marylin Rodriguez Congregation: Church Oasis of Blessing Christian Center   Pastor Marilyn Rodriguez was born in Mayagüez, Puerto Rico, and raised in a Christian home. In 1996, Pastor Rodriquez received her bachelor’s degree in visual arts and moved to New Britain, Connecticut, where she met her future husband, Jose Rodriguez. She has always been active in her church, and in 1999 she graduated from the Hispanic Bible Institute. In 2014, Pastor Rodriguez graduated from the Latin-American Bible Institute and went on to teach there for 2 years. For the last 8 years, she and her husband have worked at the Church Oasis of Blessing Christian Center. Pastor Rodriguez and her husband Jose have eight children. Pastor Kelcy G. L. Steele Congregation: Varick Memorial African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Zion Church   A native of Rock Hill, South Carolina, Rev. Steele is the 43rd pastor of Varick Memorial AME Zion Church. He is author of the book The Sound of Revival: 7 Powerful Prophetic Proclamations, which explores prophetic preaching in the Wesleyan tradition. He earned his master of divinity degree at United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio, in 2018. Governor Ned Lamont appointed Pastor Steele to the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles in 2020. Pastor Steele is CEO of the Varick Center for Empowerment and an Imani Breakthrough Project Leader. He serves on the Board of Directors of Booker T. Washington Academy and is Cultural Ambassador of the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation. Pastor William L. Mathis Congregation: Springs of Life-Giving Water Church (The Springs) A native of Albany, Georgia, after graduating from Morehouse College with a bachelor’s degree in political science and accounting, Pastor Mathis joined the staff of the Select Committee on Narcotics Abuse and Control for the U. S. House of Representatives.   Afterwards, he pursued his interest in law at Boston College, earning his JD degree in 1989 and serving as the National Chair of the Black Law Students Association in the wake of increasing minority presence in the profession. He served first as a judicial law clerk and then as Baltimore City Assistant State’s Attorney. While in these positions, he worked to ameliorate the plight of juvenile delinquents and to develop preventive programs and supporting environments. During this time, he was called to the ministry and began ministering through public policies. Before he entered Harvard University, he served as chaplain, counselor, and teacher at The Baraka School, a school for inner-city male youth based in Kenya, East Africa. Pastor Mathis received his MDiv from Harvard in 2002.   The Springs is an American Baptist Church in New Haven, Connecticut. Pastor Mathis seeks to help individuals view and develop each life experience as empowering and directional for their purposed lives as they become all that God intends. In line with his assignment, Pastor Mathis is CEO of WLM Ministries, a nonprofit organization devoted to providing consulting services to create community and faith-based initiatives focused on criminal justice, neighborhood safety, community building, youth empowerment, social justice, and African diaspora collaboration.    These are additional positions and affiliations for Pastor Mathis: Immediate past president, American Baptist Churches of Connecticut (ABCCONN), 2019–2020 Member, Baptist World Alliance’s Justice and Freedom Commission Consultant, Brazilian faith-based communities and non-governmental organizations working to empower Afro-Brazilian communities Member, Kingdom Association of Covenant Pastors Founding and steering committee member, New Haven 828, an organization devoted to bringing pastors and para-church leaders together for prayer and the formation of collaborative initiatives to address social ills Advisory board member, New Haven’s Juvenile Review Board Member, New Haven’s Reentry Initiative Roundtable Member, New Haven Community Violence Response Group     Panelists for June 24th, 2021   Reverend Hiram L. Brett Rev. Brett, the spiritual care coordinator and chaplain at Connecticut Mental Health Center (CMHC) in New Haven, serves as a chaplain in the Bridgeport Hospital emergency room. Before joining CMHC, Rev. Brett served as pastor of Whitneyville United Church of Christ in Hamden, Connecticut. A graduate of Yale Divinity School (MDiv) and Stanford University (MBA), Rev. Brett completed his residency in clinical pastoral education at Yale New Haven Hospital. He has completed International Federal Levels 1 and 2 coach training and is working toward professional coach certification. Rabbi Randall (Randy) Konigsburg Senior Rabbi, Beth Sholom B’nai Israel, Manchester, Connecticut For almost 40 years, Rabbi Konigsburg has been a spiritual leader and pastor in congregations in Florida, Minnesota, Alabama, and Connecticut. He graduated from the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) in New York City with ordination and a master’s degree in rabbinic literature. He has worked as a hospital and police chaplain, as a rabbi for hospice, and as a rabbi for teens on the March of The Living, an educational history tour of holocaust sites in Poland. He has trained in pastoral crisis intervention, education, cancer care, and substance abuse. He received an honorary doctorate from JTS for his work in the Jewish community. Rabbi Konigsburg tries to find time for nature photography. Benjamin (Ben) Doolittle, MD, MA Div Rev. Dr. Benjamin Doolittle is a local church pastor and a physician. He is an associate professor of internal medicine and of pediatrics at Yale Medical School and an associate professor of religion and health at Yale Divinity School. He directs the Yale Program for Medicine, Spirituality, and Religion as well as the Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program. Pastor Anthony (Tony) C. Martin Congregation: Trinity Baptist Church Pastor Martin is worship director at Trinity Baptist Church in Arlington, Massachusetts, and regional worship leader at the American Baptist Churches of Massachusetts. He holds a master of science and a bachelor of arts degrees in music and political science from the University of Massachusetts Boston (UMass Boston). He is the director of the UMass Boston chapter of My Brother’s Keeper. Launched by President Barack Obama in 2014, the My Brother’s Keeper initiative works to address persistent opportunity gaps faced by boys and young men of color and to ensure that all young people can reach their full potential.   Panelists for July 8th, 2021   Enroue [On-roo] Halfkenny [Haf-ken-ee] Enroue Halfkenny has been a Babalawo [Bah-bah-lah-woe] within the West African traditional religion of the Yoruba [Yoh-ru-bah] People for more than 20 years. He is a clinical social worker, an artist, and an activist. He is a multiracial, Black, cisgender, heterosexual man, father of two, who has been married for more than 21 years. Mr. Halfkenny has also been living sober for over 28 years. The weaving together of spiritual health, mental health, and social justice issues and practices guide his life and direct his work with others. Noman J. Nuton Jr., Senior Minister Congregation: New Haven Church of Christ A native of Cambridge, Maryland, Minister Nuton is a graduate of Amridge University (formerly Southern Christian University) where he earned his bachelor of science degree in bible/ministry, graduating summa cum laude. For several years, he served at the Cambridge Church of Christ as the assistant minister and youth minister. At the Capital Church of Christ, he assisted with the youth ministry, teaching high school teens and preaching the gospel. Minister Nuton served as the senior minister of the Church of Christ in Easton Maryland for 6 years; for the past 4 years, he has served in his current position as senior minister at the New Haven Church of Christ. Committed to serving his church and his community, Minister Nuton is a board member of Christian Community Action, which is a faith-based nonprofit organization committed to housing, feeding, and educating families who are less fortunate. Minister Nuton achieved recognition working as a paralegal for a prominent law firm in Baltimore City, Maryland. In addition to his ministerial service, he worked in the insurance industry for 15 years in various positions, including working as a national sales executive for an insurance brokerage in Cambridge for 8 years. He also worked in conjunction with the Dorchester County Public Schools, speaking at various schools and community events. Minister Nuton, a resident of Hamden, Connecticut, is married to Myra; together they have three children, Mya, Mariah, and Norman III. Reverend Bonita Grubbs Rev. Grubbs has been the executive director of Christian Community Action since December 1988. Before that, 1985–1988, she was employed as assistant regional administrator in Region V (Northwest Connecticut) for the Connecticut Department of Mental Health. Actively engaged in public service, she has served as a governing board member for these organizations: Connecticut Housing Coalition The Hospital of Saint Raphael Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund International Festival of Arts and Ideas Connecticut Voices for Children Project Access New Haven Community Economic Development Fund Addition leadership positions include the following: Member, Connecticut Judicial Review Council Interim pastor, Christian Tabernacle Baptist Church, Hamden, Connecticut President, Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness Co-chair, Steering Committee of New Haven’s Fighting Back Project Member, Board of Trustees of Mercy Center in Madison, Connecticut Member, Board of Trustees of Connecticut Center for School Change and Dwight Hall at Yale University Lecturer in supervised ministries and homiletics, Yale Divinity School President, ABCCONN, and chair of ABCCONN’s Personnel Committee   Rev. Grubbs holds an undergraduate degree in sociology and Afro-American studies from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She received two degrees from Yale University, a master of arts in religion and a master of public health. She received an honorary degree from Albertus Magnus College in 2001. In 2012, Richard Levin, former Yale University president, and Rev. Grubbs received the New Haven Register’s Person of the Year Award. In 2013, she received the Humanitarian Award from the Connecticut Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Commission. Presently, Rev. Grubbs is a member of the governing board of the Regional Workforce Alliance. Confirmed as deputy chaplain of the Connecticut State Senate General Assembly in 2015, she continues to serve in this capacity. Pastor Marcelo Centeno Jr. Congregation: CPR Church, Bristol, Connecticut Born on a cold December day in 1982, Pastor Centeno dedicated his life to the service of the Lord. After 4 years of biblical and theological studies, he began his evangelical and missionary ministry as well as teaching in various Bible theology schools. Pastor Centeno has preached and taught the gospel throughout the United States as well as in South and Central America. Pastors of CPR Church since 2018, Centeno and his wife Ruth Noemi offer counseling services, including marriage counseling, and helping people with low self-esteem, depression, anxiety, and other concerns. The pastors actively work with the community, including the Salvation Army and Brian’s Angels, which is a homeless outreach organization. They provide food and clothing to the less fortunate, and annually provide hundreds of book bags and schools supplies to low-income families. Each month, they send two 96-gallon barrels filled with clothing, canned goods, and supplies to a church ministry in the Dominican Republic. Pastor Centeno’s focus is impacting lives through the love of Jesus.   Love photo created by jcomp - www.freepik.com  

Migrant Clinicians Network and the Witness to Witness Program are pleased to present Part 1 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.    At this moment in time, service providers are overexposed to stories of hardship. Fortunately, we are also honored to learn about examples of adaptation and courage. However, regardless of whether the stories providers hear are challenging or uplifting, being a witness takes a toll.  The premise of this online seminar is that the helpers need help to manage the distress that comes with the role of witness and helper. Sometimes the distress comes from the stories providers are told by the people they work with or interactions they directly observe. Sometimes the distress comes from the people who administer the policies and procedures that affect the people they serve. And often the distress derives from both sources. Providers may also have their own challenging histories. Current situations may trigger memories of difficult personal experiences, making it harder to cope with contemporary stress.  Join Dr. Kaethe Weingarten to discuss all these topics. In the second half of this online seminar, we look at sources of resilience and what Dr. Weingarten calls reasonable hope. There is time for Q&A throughout and we encourage participants to share in the chat and respond to each other. In this way, participants create virtual community.   Meet the Presenter  Kaethe Weingarten, Ph.D., directs the Witness to Witness Program (W2W) whose goal is to help the helpers, primarily serving health care workers, attorneys, domestic violence advocates and journalists working with vulnerable populations.  She was an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry from 1981-2017 and a faculty member of the Family Institute of Cambridge where she founded and directed the Program in Families, Trauma and Resilience.  She has published six books and over 100 articles and essays. 

Migrant Clinicians Network and the Witness to Witness Program are pleased to present 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.  • • • • Part I - Understanding & Coping with the Effects of Overexposure to Stories of Hardship and Trauma July 8, 2021 from 2:00pm - 3:30pm PST Register Here   At this moment in time, service providers are overexposed to stories of hardship. Fortunately, we are also honored to learn about examples of adaptation and courage. However, regardless of whether the stories providers hear are challenging or uplifting, being a witness takes a toll.  The premise of this online seminar is that the helpers need help to manage the distress that comes with the role of witness and helper. Sometimes the distress comes from the stories providers are told by the people they work with or interactions they directly observe. Sometimes the distress comes from the people who administer the policies and procedures that affect the people they serve. And often the distress derives from both sources. Providers may also have their own challenging histories. Current situations may trigger memories of difficult personal experiences, making it harder to cope with contemporary stress.  • • • • Part II - Managing Stress During Uncertain Times July 15, 2021 from 2:00pm - 3:30pm PST Register Here  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. • • • • Part III - Grief in the Time of COVID-19: Loss, Connection, & Hope July 22, 2021 from 2:00pm to 3:30pm PST Register Here  As the losses mount with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, people are feeling a range of emotions. Confusion, fear, anger, and sadness are strong, as is grief. Grief usually takes shared public forms, but during the pandemic, there are constraints. In this online seminar, Kaethe Weingarten, PhD, presents materials about grief in general and grief in the circumstances of the pandemic. We discuss the particular challenges of grief following estrangement or ambiguous loss. We look at ways to support others – clients, friends, colleagues, family members – without becoming overburdened ourselves, so that we may avoid empathic pitfalls while offering support. Throughout the online seminar, we create ways for participants to share their experiences and form a felt sense of community. We need to balance despair with hope, and hope is something best done with others. For 90 minutes, we become your community. • • • • About the Facilitator  Kaethe Weingarten, Ph.D., directs the Witness to Witness Program (W2W) whose goal is to help the helpers, primarily serving health care workers, attorneys, domestic violence advocates and journalists working with vulnerable populations.  She was an Associate Clinical Professor of Psychology in the Harvard Medical School Department of Psychiatry from 1981-2017 and a faculty member of the Family Institute of Cambridge where she founded and directed the Program in Families, Trauma and Resilience.  She has published six books and over 100 articles and essays. 

Description: The challenge of bringing a good psychiatrist into a public service setting, where there are constraints on income and amenities due to the nature of public service, is considerable. The issues of recruitment break down to two issues. The first one is designing a job that an excellent psychiatrist would want to do. The second is finding that excellent psychiatrist. This presentation will address both concerns. Download Flyer   Presenter: Kenneth S. Thompson, MD, Psychiatrist, grew up in Pittsburgh and was educated at Kenyon College and Boston University School of Medicine, where he was a National Health Service Corps Scholar. He was a resident in psychiatry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY, and did a postdoctoral fellowship in mental health services research at Yale University. He has served as faculty at Yale University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Graduate School of Public Health. He has been the Director of the Institute for Public Health and Psychiatry at Pitt, the Chief Medical Officer of Harrisburg State Hospital, the Director for Medical Affairs at the Center for Mental Health Services in SAMHSA and the Medical Director of Recovery Innovations. He is the Chief Medical Officer of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Leadership Council. He practices in and oversees the mental health program at the Squirrel Hill Health Center, a Federally Qualified Health Center. Dr. Thompson also provides psychiatric services at Milestone Community Mental Health Center and the Center for Inclusion Health in the Allegheny Health Network. He is a Soros Physician Advocate Fellow. Throughout his career he has focused on social medicine and community psychiatry. He has written extensively and consults and lectures globally on issues pertaining to public service, leadership and advocacy, personal and community recovery and resiliency, behavioral health and primary medical care "fusion" and mental health, public health and the struggle for health equity.   Learning Objectives: Understand the importance of job design Appreciate need to support career development Learn where to find interested psychiatrists   Who Should Attend? Open to the general public.

Please join us for our event: From Longhouse to Schoolhouse: AI/AN school communities coming together in partnership to learn, collaborate, and share experiences and knowledge on Jul 8, 2021!   3- 4:30 EST 2- 3:30 CST 1- 2:30 MST 12- 1:30 PST 11- 12:30 AKST

Join us for 3 interactive coaching sessions to help you plan and implement a manualized wellness program for yourself and your colleagues at work. During these unprecedented times when stress, anxiety, and pressures are high it’s critical to take care of yourself in order to take care of others. But this can be challenging. To support you in this effort, we’ve created a simple, manualized wellness program that you can do with your colleagues at work. Our Facilitation Manual for Self-Care in the Workplace outlines 5, 30-minute sessions. The Manual includes information for facilitating each session (i.e., a session plan for each session, a detailed outline of what the facilitator will say and do during each session, and video guidance for self-care activities). You can access the manual on our website. Each coaching session will walk you through the critical steps in planning to implement this program in your work setting. The sessions build on each other so please plan to attend all three sessions. Session 1: Assessing Motivation, Audience, Comfort, and Supports | Thursday, July 8,12:00-1:00 pm ET Session 2: Planning Considerations | Thursday, July 22, 12:00-1:00 pm ET Session 3: Action Steps for Implementation | Thursday, August 5,12:00-1:00 pm ET Presenters: Peggy Swarbrick, Ph.D., FAOTA, Associate Director of the Center of Alcohol & Substance Use Studies and a Research Professor, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology; Collaborative Support Programs of New Jersey.  Michelle Zechner, Ph.D., MSW, LSW, CPRP, Assistant Professor at Rutgers, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Programs.

About the Session: In this fourth 90-minute session of the Culturally Responsive Evidence-Based and Community-Defined Practices for Mental Health Series, we will: Discuss how Motivational Interviewing (MI) is being implemented with various cultural groups across the Network/in different regions. Highlight additional culturally responsive “MI practices” being utilized across the Network/in different regions. Share lessons learned during the implementation of MI (i.e., Balancing MI and the cultural needs of the people served). Certificate of Completion: This session will be recorded and available on the series landing page here within a week of each live event. CEUs are not available for these sessions; however, certificates of completion for each learning session are available to viewers of 50% (45 minutes) or more of the live session. Questions? Contact Jessica Gonzalez, MHTTC School Mental Health Coordinator, at [email protected]. Session Facilitators and Panelists: Dr. Henry Gregory is a clinical psychologist with a wealth of experience as a clinician, educator, trainer, and researcher. He currently is an assistant professor at the University of Maryland, School of Nursing where he teaches, among other subjects, Motivational Interviewing at the undergraduate and graduate levels. He has served as a facilitator/mentor at Georgetown University’s National Center for Cultural Competence, as the Assistant Director at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County’s Center for Community Collaboration and as the Cultural Competence Coordinator for MDCARES, a SAMHSA funded system of care.        Laura A. Saunders, MSSW is with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, College of Engineering, Center for Health Enhancement System Studies, Great Lakes ATTC, PTTC and MHTTC and an independent consultant. Since 2001, Laura has designed, facilitated, and delivered MI and SBIRT training and coaching in person, online, and via distance learning in the fields of health care, human services, public health, and criminal justice. She has provided feedback and coaching to hundreds of learners who are interested in using evidence based practices to fidelity. Laura has also conducted train the trainer events. She joined the International group of Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) in 2006 and is an active Member of Wisconsin Motivational interviewing group.         Dave Brown is the Senior Associate for School-based Training and Behavioral Health Equity at the Daynay Institute/Central East Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC). Prior to his role with the Danya Institute/MHTTC Dave spent more than 25-years as an educator, nonprofit leader and community capacity building advocate.           

The second meeting for Cohort #3 takes place on 7/22/21 from 11 A.M.-1 P.M. SMART offers an innovative, modern, uplifting, and highly scalable approach to enhance individual resilience. SMART, developed by Dr. Amit Sood at Mayo Clinic, is offered as a four-module structured program. SMART has been tested and found efficacious in over 30 clinical trials for decreasing symptoms of stress, anxiety, and burnout, and increasing resilience, wellbeing, mindfulness, happiness, and positive health behaviors. The training addresses two aspects of human experience—attention and interpretation. Research shows that our brain’s attention, in its default state, incessantly wanders and instinctively focuses on the negative aspects of the day. This excessive ‘dwell time’ in the default mode correlates with symptoms of anxiety, depression, low engagement, and attention deficit. It also fatigues our brains. SMART offers a way out of this dilemma by engaging the brain’s focused mode—not only to experience more uplifting emotions, but also develop better focus, enhance creativity and productivity, improve engagement, deepen relationships, and find greater purpose in life. Each of the four modules of SMART is a combination of neuroscience and specific skills that are directly drawn from the science. The four modules will be covered in two sessions of two hours each.

The First Episode Psychosis (FEP) monthly mentoring call hosted by the South Southwest MHTTC provides technical assistance and an open discussion platform for mental health workers offering services for FEP and clinical high risk populations. For more information on how to join us for this call, please email us at [email protected].

SERIES DESCRIPTION The Central East MHTTC in collaboration with the National Center for School Mental Health is pleased to offer a school mental health webinar series with a focus on advancing high quality, sustainable school mental health from a multi-tiered system of support, trauma sensitive, and culturally responsive and equitable lens. To familiarize yourself with the foundations of school mental health, please review the school mental health guidance document. Download the Series flyer here.   OBJECTIVES Gain increased awareness of high quality, sustainable multi-tiered system of school mental health supports and services Support trauma-informed systems in schools Discover the impacts of social determinants of health on student academic and social-emotional-behavioral success Learn to provide more culturally responsive and equitable services and supports Hear perspectives on school mental health from school, district and state levels Obtain insight into how youth, families, schools and communities can best work together to address student mental health needs   WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Educators, Administrators, Health and Behavioral Health Care Professionals, Child-Serving Agency Staff, Policymakers and Advocates    Scheduled Webinars for January – August 2021 Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 3:00-4:00 PM ET Trauma Responsive Care for Younger Students Slides   Recording Wednesday, February 3, 2021, 3:00-4:00 PM ET Addressing Systemic Racism: Creating Safe and Equitable Schools Slides   Recording Wednesday, March 3, 2021, 3:00-4:00 PM ET Creating Safe and Equitable Schools: Tier II Interventions and Considerations Slides   Recording Wednesday, April 7, 2021, 3:00-4:00 PM ET National Association of School Psychologists: School-Community Partnerships Slides   Recording Wednesday, May 5, 2021, 3:00-4:00 PM ET Youth MOVE: Leveraging Youth Advocacy Slides   Recording Wednesday, June 2, 2021, 3:00-4:00 PM ET Supporting Students Impacted by Racial Stress and Trauma Slides   Recording Wednesday, July 7, 2021, 3:00-4:00 PM ET Supporting Native and Indigenous Youth in Schools Slides   Recording Wednesday, August 4, 2021, 3:00-4:00 PM ET Supporting Newcomer (Immigrant and Refugee) Youth in Schools Slides   Recording    

The Great Lakes MHTTC offers Cultural Competency training for behavioral healthcare professionals in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This training is offered in response to a need identified by stakeholders in our region. The Cultural Competency- NIATx Change Leader Academy (CC-CLA) trains change leaders, those directing the day-to-day operations of a change project, in the NIATx model of process improvement: a structured, team-based approach to change management for organizations large and small with a focus on cultural competency and their corresponding change projects. Attendees learn how to select a culturally focused change project, set a project aim, engage senior leaders and staff in the change process, and achieve measurable, sustainable improvements. Following the CLA webinar workshop, participants will have an optional follow-up series consists of four monthly individual and group coaching sessions. This training is offered at no cost and is supported by funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Participants in the virtual CLA will learn: The NIATx principles and how they motivate positive change How to build a change team and integrate NIATx principles at the organizational level How to conduct a change project to improve a specific process within their organization   Trainers Mat Roosa was a founding member of NIATx and has been a NIATx coach for a wide range of projects. He works as a consultant in the areas of quality improvement, organizational development, and planning, evidence-based practice implementation. His experience includes direct clinical practice in mental health and substance use services, teaching at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and human service agency administration.             Alfredo Cerrato is the Senior Cultural and Workforce Development Officer for the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC, managed by the Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Mr. Cerrato has 25 years of international relations experience and specializes in cross-cultural communications, conflict resolution, and process improvement topics. He has conducted advocacy, policy, and disaster relief work in Northern Ireland, Honduras, Peru, Brazil, Japan, Sri Lanka, and other locations across the globe.  His new focus here at home has been working with Hmong, Hispanic and Latino, and Native American communities through Intensive Training Assistance, curriculum development, and the NIATx Change Leader Academy.         Continuing Education  5.5 NAADAC CE for attending the initial training sessions, with an additional 3.5 CE  for completing assignments and attending the optional monthly coaching sessions

Promoting Resiliency at an Organizational Level; HHS Region 8 Building Resilience among Providers during a Global Health Pandemic (4-Part Series)   Providing physical or behavioral healthcare to others during the global health pandemic can lead to increased levels of stress, fear, anxiety, burnout, frustration, and other strong emotions. It is imperative that physical and behavioral healthcare providers recognize personal signs of mental fatigue, are given supports in their organization to ensure continued productivity and quality care, and are provided with tools to learn how to cope and build resilience. Providers residing in rural areas often face additional challenges unique to their setting. This training series has been developed to encourage self-care and to assist in building resilience among physical and behavioral healthcare providers amidst the global health pandemic.   Access the free toolkit: Building Resilience Among Physical and Behavioral Healthcare Providers During a Global Health Pandemic   Register Registration is free and required. Register for any/all sessions of this series by using the purple "REGISTER" button at the top of the page. The series is available for individuals residing in Heath and Human Services (HHS) Region 8 (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, and WY).   Session One Understanding the Impact of a Public Health Crisis on Medical and Behavioral Healthcare Providers; HHS Region 8 June 16, 2021 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM MST | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST   This session will outline common terms, introduce compassion fatigue, and discuss the impact of moral injury and traumatic stress. Speakers will also present a toolkit that has been developed to assist providers and their organizations in building resiliency.   Trainers: Andrew J. McLean, MD, MPH & Shawnda Schroeder PhD, MA   Session Two Home Life, Clinical Care, and Work Relationships: Causes of Stress and Resiliency Building for Providers; HHS Region 8 June 23, 2021 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM MST | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST   Presenters will discuss home life stressors, challenges of managing work relationships during a time of crisis, and the current issues facing providers as they work to provide quality care during a public health emergency. This session will also offer specific solutions and key resources for fostering resilience and balancing demands of home life, clinical care, and professional relationships during a pandemic.   Trainers: Robin Landwehr, DBH, LPCC, NCC & Per Ostmo, BA   Session Three Preventing and Responding to Grief, Loss, and Secondary Traumatic Stress among Providers; HHS Region 8 June 30, 2021 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM MST | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST   Providers are experiencing loss of normalcy, loss of routine, and other ambiguous loss. Many may also be dealing with grief over the loss of a loved one, or the loss of numerous patients. Compounding this sense of loss and grief, providers commonly carry their patients’ stories with them. It is important that providers connect with their patients. If providers feel nothing, then they cannot connect as strongly and may not be able to optimize patient care. However, this connection, especially during a pandemic, can lead to secondary traumatic stress (STS). This session will address signs and symptoms of grief and loss among providers that have been present during the pandemic, and will describe secondary traumatic stress. Presenters will also offer ways to prevent and respond to these experiences at both an organizational and individual level.   Trainers: Robin Landwehr, DBH, LPCC, NCC & Shawnda Schroeder PhD, MA   Session Four Promoting Resiliency at an Organizational Level; HHS Region 8 July 7, 2021 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM MST | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM CST   Research indicates that, although efforts to promote resilience at an individual level are important, addressing characteristics of the external environment are at least as important. Absence of organizational and leadership support for provider distress during COVID-19 may adversely impact organizational resilience, patient safety, and staff retention. Providers cannot sustain their own well-being without the support of their leadership. Targets for improvement at the organizational level include ensuring:   Organizational efficiency through identifying inefficient workplace processes. A transformational work culture. Correction of any negative leadership behaviors.   Trainers: Andrew J. McLean, MD, MPH & Per Ostmo, BA

July's topic is "An Update on COVID-19 Adaptations to Fidelity Reviews and Looking Ahead," co-facilitated by Heidi Herinckx, PhD, Director of the Oregon Center of Excellence for Assertive Community Treatment (OCEACT), and Maria Monroe-DeVita, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine; Co-Director of the Northwest MHTTC; and Director, Washington State Center of Excellence in First Episode Psychosis. This is our quarterly meet-up for non-provider ACT stakeholders who assume a role of overseeing ACT from a mental health authority perspective, funding ACT, providing ACT training and technical supports, which includes leading ACT fidelity reviews. The intent is to create a unique space to share challenges and solutions related ACT operations and services during the COVID-19 pandemic. This meet-up is hosted by Lorna Moser, PhD, of the Institute for Best Practices, UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health and Maria Monroe-DeVita, PhD of the University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, the sponsor for these ACT meet-up events. Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) is a multidisciplinary, team-based model that provides intensive community-based and outreach-oriented services to people who experience the most severe and persistent mental illness. The vast majority also have a co-occurring substance use disorder and many experience comorbid medical illnesses as well as homelessness. This is a vulnerable population and their providers – ACT teams – are at elevated risk themselves during the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information or questions, contact: Lorna Moser, PhD, Director of the UNC ACT Technical Assistance Center in the UNC Department of Psychiatry’s Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health; and Coordinator of the North Carolina ACT Coalition. Maria Monroe-DeVita, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine; Co-Director of the Northwest MHTTC; and Director, Washington State Center of Excellence in First Episode Psychosis.    

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.

Region 6 Peer Specialists and Family Partners working in First Episode Psychosis (FEP) and Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) teams! The South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC), in collaboration with PEPPNET, invites you to participate in our newly established monthly networking meetings. These no-cost, virtual meetings offer you the opportunity to collaborate with other FEP/CSC Team Peer Specialists and Family Partners in a supportive, mentoring environment. The goal is provide a space for resource sharing, support around ways to be most effective when working with FEP/CSC clients, options for self-care strategies, and more! For more information on how to join us for this call, please email us at [email protected].

  Recent events have evidenced how structural inequities, racism and discrimination contribute to the health and mental health experiences of communities of color. In the United States, 92% of Blacks, 78% of Latinxs, 75% of Native Americans, and 61% of Asian Americans have reported experiencing racial discrimination in the form of racial slurs, violence, threats, and harassment. For Latinx, the intersectionality of identities may also contribute to the way health and mental health is experienced and expressed. This conversation is geared at addressing how Latinx identities, discrimination, and mental health interact. Our panelist will provide insight from the mental health and social justice perspective on the impact of these variables on Latinx communities. The panel will provide recommendations for practitioners, including how advocacy can be an important element in mental health services.   Who should attend? This webinar is designed for mental health providers including psychologists, clinical social workers, mental health counselors, and graduate level students in the mental health field.   About the presenters:      Haner Hernández, PhD, CPS, CADCII, LADCI- Dr. Hernández is originally from Puerto Rico and has lived in the United States since 1968. He is bilingual and has worked for over 20 years in the human service field developing, implementing, and evaluating culturally and linguistically competent youth and adult health prevention, intervention, treatment, and aftercare programs. Dr. Hernández has many years of experience in delivering addiction counseling and clinical supervision to professional in the field. Furthermore, he is a professional trainer and facilitator and provides individualized technical assistance and support to organizations that provide addiction and recovery services to the Latino population. Haner is a person in long-term recovery from addiction, and for the past 20 years has been committed to eliminating health disparities by working at the national, state, and local levels.     Miguel Gallardo, PsyD- Dr Miguel Gallardo has been a long- time collaborator for the previous National Hispanic and Latino Addiction Technology Transfer Center and now National Hispanic and Latino Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. His expertise in culturally responsive approaches has been instrumental for our audience that has included addiction counselors, clinicians, clinical social workers, psychologist, mental health counselors and graduate level students. Dr. Gallardo´s sensibility and awareness in describing the social, historical, community and individual factors that have an impact on the mental health of Latinos has been recognized and appreciated by our audiences. Dr Gallardo has been a presenter at our conferences and has also facilitated webinars, and in all of those he has been well-organized, articulate and responsible in presenting the information. We are grateful to have him as one of our main collaborators.

Presenter: Loretta Veney is a motivational teacher and trainer. Throughout her life, she has chronicled family events through journals, photos and videos seeking to capture every moment. After learning that her beloved Mother Doris was the first female in her family to suffer from dementia, Loretta began documenting the details of doctor visits, and recording people, places and things as a substitute for lost memory. She is also the author of Refreshment for the Caregivers Spirit (2017) Colors Flowing from My Mind (2019) and Being My Mom's Mom: A Journey Through Dementia from a Daughter's Perspective (2019).   Learning Objectives: Define the role and required skills of an Advocate Explain National Advocacy for Alzheimer's and Caregiving Give examples of the role of the Advocate Identify best practices for being an effective Advocate Describe how to advocate for those who don't live with their loved ones Define the role of an Ombudsman in solving issues   The Central East MHTTC is supporting this Baltimore Faith Based Commission for Behavioral Health-sponsored event.

  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 content and facilitated discussion about effective implementation strategies to roll out Classroom Wise in your local schools. Participants will be provided implementation support materials including a menu of implementation activities and sample timeline. This session will be followed by 5 additional office hours to support Classroom WISE implementation in the Southeast.     Learning Objectives: Increase understanding of Classroom WISE development, structure and content. Increase understanding best practices to effectively support Classroom WISE training completion and practice implementation in local school systems. Promote cross-state networking and shared learning about best practices in school mental health system implementation of school staff training materials.

After The Storm Leading in the mental health system requires us to navigate continuously changing and evolving regulations and mandates. Leaders need to review, prioritize, and may also need to reassess certain projects/programs while initiating others. This environment proves particularly challenging when the needs of communities in the Pacific Southwest region are varied and shifting. This session will cover how adaptive leaders in mental health can effectively manage change, consider diverse perspectives, and address multiple competing needs. This webinar is part three of three in the series titled, "Weathering the Storm: Adaptive Leadership for Resilient Mental Health Organizations in the Pacific Southwest." Please see a description of the series below and additionally, you can view the full schedule on the main event page.   Innovative Leadership Strategies for Mental Health Professionals Leading mental health organizations, programs and initiatives can prove challenging in the best of times. Meeting the needs of clients in the diverse Pacific Southwest, while effectively navigating the field’s evolving best practices, policies, and funding requires innovative, resilient, and adaptable leadership at all levels. COVID-19’s impact on both our personal and professional lives exacerbates the need for these skills.  The Adaptive Leadership Framework facilitates evolution and growth in response to change and challenge. Join us as we explore the principles of Adaptive Leadership, and how you can apply the framework to lead more effectively. During this three-part series, participants will: Learn the principles of Adaptive Leadership and how to implement them in mental health work Identify strategies for engaging others to initiate, make, and sustain change Apply Adaptive Leadership principles to “weather the storm,” lead effectively, and prioritize well-being during challenging times.