Past Events

DESCRIPTION The relationship between obesity, diabetes, and mental health In the African American community is a persistent concern that demands attention. According to American Heart Association statistics, 55% of Black women and 38% of Black men have obesity. This disease significantly increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes among African Americans. Based on findings from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Minority Health, 13.4% of Black men and 12.7% of Black women have been diagnosed with diabetes. In addition to the lifelong physical toil of managing diabetes, there is also an undeniable toll on mental health. This webinar will cover the effects of obesity and diabetes on mental wellness as well as how to promote a holistic approach to overall health and well-being that is specifically designed to meet the needs of African Americans.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Explain the interconnectedness of obesity, diabetes, and mental health in the African American community, emphasizing key risk factors and complexities Explore and counter social and self-stigma surrounding mental health and obesity, proposing strategies to foster an open, understanding environment for care Discuss the significant impact of obesity and diabetes on mental health, focusing on stress, anxiety, and depression, while emphasizing the need for lifestyle medicine interventions and empathetic support systems   PRESENTER Tiffani Bell Washington MD, MPH, FAPA, Diplomate of American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Diplomate of American Board of Obesity Medicine, Diplomate of American Board of Lifestyle Medicine Dr. Bell Washington is a Harvard Trained Public Health specialist and Quadruple Board-Certified Physician who specializes in Obesity Medicine, Lifestyle Medicine, Adult  Psychiatry, and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She is a graduate of Harvard T. H. Chan with a Master of Public Health and concentration in Health Policy and Leadership. She completed undergraduate  education at Norfolk State University (a Historically Black College and University), medical school at Medical College of Virginia, and residency and fellowship at Wake  Forest School of Medicine. She is pursuing her Executive MBA with a concentration in healthcare management at Yale School of Management (class of 2025). Dr. Bell Washington is passionate about advocacy, research, improving diversity and equity through leadership and decreasing stigma and bias surrounding chronic illnesses such as mental health disorders and obesity. She is an executive board member for the Black Psychiatrists of America and serves as the Chair for the Lifestyle Psychiatry committee. She currently works as a Medical Director with Elevance Health (Massachusetts Behavioral Health Partnership, WellSense MA) where she focuses on child psychiatry, health policy, quality of care, and population health measures.   HOST Annelle Primm MD, MPH is the Senior Medical Director of the Steve Fund, an organization focused on the mental health of young people of color. She is also a member of the Black Psychiatrists of America Council of Elders.         AUDIENCE Mental health clinicians, peer advocates, and the general public   

The South Southwest MHTTC is pleased to collaborate with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) to host a Trauma Informed Care Open Office Hours series. Get 'hands on' application and clarity on concepts through case-study examples and interactive discussion with TACHC Trauma Informed Care Coordinators.     TIC Open Office Hours are open and applicable to all providers (Medical, Dental, Behavioral Health, and SUD Treatment Clinicians) and all staff (direct-care, front-line, operations, administration, and leadership).     Trauma Informed Care (TIC) is an evidence-based framework particularly suited to collaboratively identify risk factors to care, such as medication access and use, therapeutic engagement, and non-medical resource needs and navigation.     These 1-hour TIC Open Office Hours will be held on the 4th Tuesday of the month: Session 1 (July 25th): Foundations & Application of TIC Session 2 (August 22nd): SDoH & JEDI Session 3 (September 26th): Care Coordination & Cross-Sector Collaboration Session 4 (October 24th): Chronic Disease Supports Session 5 (November 28th): SUD   Download Flyer 

This event is closed to select participants. Learn more about this series: First Episode Psychosis Webinar Series & Learning Community  

The South Southwest MHTTC is pleased to host this in-person training for Texas ESC staff and leaders.     In this workshop, participants will learn and practice skills in evidence-based suicide prevention and intervention practices, including screening for risk, safety planning, connecting with families, and supporting transitions back to school following a suicide event or hospitalization.   View Flyer

This learning community is closed to select participants.  To learn more about this series, visit the homepage: Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas  

This learning community is closed to select participants.  To learn more about this series, visit the homepage: Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas  

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2023 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. PT [Find your local time zone here]   On Monday, November 20, 2023, we’re offering a special session led by Dr. David Schonfeld, director of the National Center for School Crisis & Bereavement, to enhance our skills in supporting children. We offer this session during a season in which many families are gathering and discussions of charged issues can be challenging.   Current and ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, coupled with a wide range of humanitarian and other major crises in the U.S. and abroad, pose numerous challenges to children and adults alike. Educators and caregivers may not feel prepared to explain such complex, evolving crises, especially when they are associated with strong emotions and differing opinions.   This session will provide information on how children understand – and misunderstand – crises and how best to explain it to them in order to promote their understanding and adjustment. Group discussions (such as within classrooms) pose unique challenges; advice on how to address anger and blame in group settings will be discussed.   Dr. Schonfeld will offer 45 minutes of training followed by a 45 minute interactive workshop for participants to debrief, process, peer resource, and discuss how to integrate these practices.   Free resources, including guidance documents for parents/caregivers and websites with related information on supporting children in the aftermath of crisis and loss, will be shared. Ample time will be provided for questions and discussion.   1.5 continuing education credits are available at no cost through full participation in this training.   Learning Objectives   By participating in the session, participants will be able to: Identify 1-3 approaches for how to talk with children about wars and other humanitarian crises. Understand some of the causes of ineffective communication, whether due to the source (e.g., media) or recipient (i.e., the child) of the information. Identify 1-3 strategies to address anger and blame during group discussions with children in the aftermath of a humanitarian crisis.   Audience   This event is open to all mental health and school mental health professionals, including counselors, psychologists, social workers, marriage and family therapists, and mental health program administrators.   Priming Resources PBS NEWS HOUR, How to talk to kids about the Israel-Hamas war, PBS Talking to Children and Teens About the War in Ukraine, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement How to Talk With Your Child About the Israel-Gaza War - HealthyChildren.org A parent’s guide to talking with kids about the Ukraine war, Carter County Times Talking to Children about War, The National Child Traumatic Stress Network How to Talk With Kids About the War in Gaza and Israel, Greater Good Science Center Magazine How to Talk to Young Children About War, Zero to Three How to Talk with Kids About Violence, Crime, and War, Common Sense Media   Meet Our Faculty David J Schonfeld, MD, FAAP established and directs the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement (www.schoolcrisiscenter.org), located at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He is Professor of Clinical Pediatrics at Keck School of Medicine. Prior faculty positions have been in the Department of Pediatrics at Yale University School of Medicine; Head of the Section of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center; and Pediatrician-in-Chief at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children and Chair of Pediatrics at Drexel University School of Medicine. For over 30 years, he has provided consultation and training to schools on supporting students and staff at times of crisis and loss in the aftermath of numerous school crisis events and disasters within the United States and abroad, including the COVID-19 pandemic (2020); terrorist attacks of the World Trade Center (2001); school and community shootings and stabbings in Santa Clarita, CA (2019); Parkland, FL (2018); Newtown, CT (2012); Benton, KY (2018); Las Vegas, NV (2017); Thousand Oaks, CA (2018); Floresville, TX (Sutherland Springs church) (2017); Marysville, WA (2014); Osaka, Japan (2001); Corning, CA (2017); Aurora, CO (2012); Platte Canyon, CO (2006); Chardon, OH (2012); and Townville, South Carolina (2016); flooding from hurricanes Maria in San Juan (2017), Sandy in NY and NJ (2012), Katrina in New Orleans (2005), and Ike in Galveston, Texas (2008); tornadoes in Joplin, MO (2011) and AL (2011); wildfires in Maui, HI (2023); Butte County, CA (2018); Sonoma County, CA (2017) and in the Great Smoky Mountains in Sevierville, TN (2016); and the 8.0-magnitude earthquake in Sichuan, China (2008). Dr. Schonfeld frequently speaks on the topics of crisis and loss and has authored more than 150 scholarly articles, book chapters, and books (including the Grieving Student: A Guide for Schools (2nd edition)). He has conducted school-based research (funded by NICHD, NIMH, NIDA, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, William T Grant Foundation, and other foundations) involving children’s understanding of and adjustment to serious illness and death and school-based interventions to promote adjustment and risk prevention. Dr. Schonfeld is Chair of the National Advisory Committee on Children and Disasters and a member of the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children and Disasters. He served as a Commissioner for both the National Commission on Children and Disasters and the Sandy Hook Advisory Commission in CT and was a member of the National Biodefense Science Board. Dr. Schonfeld served as President of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics from 2006-7.    

About the Event:  In part 2 of our 'Ready for Reentry' series, we will discuss how trusting relationships of community partners are essential for the program. Common community partners typically include officials within the department of corrections, community supervision, district attorney office and local law enforcement. Learning Objectives: By the end of this program participants will be able to 1) Identify community stakeholders necessary to begin establishing Forensic Peer Mentor services 2) Describe activities used to build buy-in and consensus from community partners 3) Realize Forensic Peer Mentor as a community resource   Click here to learn more about the other sessions in this 4-part series!

This is Session 1 of our Mindful Monday series, which focuses on a wide range of evidence-based practices from different disciplines.  Event Description Self-Compassion HEAL acronym November 20th, 2023 This is a 30-minute training and will run every other week through December 4th, 2023.     Each month will have a specific theme/focus with exercises from that discipline. At the beginning of each session, participants will spend a few minutes grounding and learning about the practice for that day and then spend approximately 15-20 minutes in experiential practice, leaving a few minutes in the end for reflection and discussion.   Trainer Christina Ruggiero, RP

  Event Description This presentation will provide an overview of the practice of psychological tele-assessment. Necessary foundations to the practice of tele-assessment will be reviewed and the research on equivalence will be presented. For those practitioners interested in incorporating tele-assessment into their practice, next steps for pursuing competency in psychological tele-assessment will be discussed. Trainer Melanie Wilcox, Ph.D., ABPP     Dr. Melanie Wilcox is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences, Institute of Public and Preventive Health, and Department of Psychiatry at Augusta University. She is also a licensed psychologist and board certified in counseling psychology and works part-time in private practice providing both therapy and assessment via telehealth. Her clinical areas of expertise include culturally responsive and trauma-informed care as well as substance abuse and addiction. Her research focuses on culturally response and antiracist psychotherapy and training, racial and socioeconomic inequity in higher education, and racial and social justice more broadly. She is in her final year as a member of the American Psychological Association’s Board of Educational Affairs, which she chaired in 2020, and is currently President Elect-Elect of APA Division 17, the Society of Counseling Psychology.

About the Event:  Open Dialogue (OD) is an integrated approach that encourages the involvement one's social network (i.e., family, friends, care providers) during a mental health crisis. It emphasizes listening to, understanding, and engaging an individual's social network almost immediately (i.e., within 24 hours of seeking crisis services) through open conversations and shared decisions. In this webinar, the presenters will share about the Open Dialogue approach to care for persons experiencing psychosis. An overview of the key principles and elements of the approach will be provided. The presenters will discuss their implementation of the approach in a safety net hospital system and the lessons learned.    Learning Objectives: 1. List and describe three principles of Open Dialogue. 2. List and explain three key elements of dialogic practice in Open Dialogue. 3. Give three examples of how Open Dialogue has been implemented.   About the Presenters:  Robert O. Cotes, MD, is an Associate Professor at Emory University School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He is Director of the Clinical & Research Program for Psychosis at Grady Health System, which comprises of two clinical programs: 1) PSTAR, which provides evidence-based, recovery-oriented care for individuals with persistent symptoms of psychosis, specializing in the use of clozapine, and 2) Project ARROW, a coordinated specialty care team for people experiencing early psychosis. He serves as Physician Expert for SMI Adviser (www.smiadviser.org), which is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and administered by the American Psychiatric Association. SMI Adviser provides evidence-based resources to clinicians, individuals with serious mental illness, and their families. Within SMI Adviser, he co-directs the Clozapine Center of Excellence and Long-Acting Injectable Center of Excellence.   Justin Palanci, MD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Emory University School of Medicine. He serves as Medical Director for the Assertive Community Treatment program at Grady Memorial Hospital. His interests include recovery-oriented care for persons experiencing serious mental illness, racial disparities in the assessment and treatment of psychosis, and the relationship between trauma and psychosis. Dr. Palanci is certified as a dialogic practitioner and trainer through the Institute for Dialogic Practice.

We welcome a panel of speakers who share their lived experience with systems of care for mental health and recovery. ABOUT THIS EVENT Join us for a panel of speakers from WA SPEAKS (Statewide Peer Engagement and Advocacy Keynote Speakers) who will share their lived experiences traversing or navigating systems of care for mental health and recovery. By sharing these journeys by using person-first, recovery-centered, and strengths-based language we aim to shatter stigma. The panelists will also take questions from the audience. Resources HCA Office of Recovery Partnerships WA SPEAKS-Portraits of Hope and Wellness in Recovery YouTube playlist   FACILITATORS   Karen Kelly Washington State Community Connectors, Project Director      Garrett Leonard Olympic Health & Recovery Services  

  Leadership is hard. Often, leaders are put into a role with little guidance and direction. Goals given to leaders by the organization can be vague. In this session, attendees will learn skills to help them reflect on who they are and discern what type of leadership style best fits for them. Strategies that encourage leadership development will also be discussed in order to identify a style that aligns with an attendee's temperament and role.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Review multiple leadership styles Reflect on one’s own self and discern which leadership style best fits with one's personality     CONTINUING EDUCATION: Registrants who fully attend this training will be eligible to receive 1 continuing education (CE) hour certified by the Minnesota Board of Social Work. CE certificates are provided by People Incorporated Training Institute.     PRESENTER: Warren Duncan, BS, has had various roles throughout his career working with households experiencing homelessness and multiple barriers to stable housing. He has worked as direct support staff on mobile teams in Permanent Supportive Housing program across the metro area, assisted in outreach efforts for program participants living on the streets and in shelter, provided outreach to property managers and landlords, connecting them to support services in metro and greater Minnesota communities. He has worked to provide support to a network of supportive housing programs and community organizing among County, State, and local community agencies in Southern and Central Minnesota. He is currently overseeing all programming as Program Director for a Minnesota Nonprofit. Warren enjoys facilitating workshops and has led a number of training sessions. Topics include Building Landlord Relationships, Housing First, Harm Reduction, Navigating Conflict, De-escalation, and Mindfulness. Warren grew up in Des Moines, Iowa and moved to Minnesota shortly after graduating from Iowa State University. He currently lives with his family in the Twin Cities western suburbs. He enjoys drawing, painting, and photography in his spare time.       This training is provided by our valued partners at the People Incorporated Training Institute.     The Great Lakes MHTTC is offering this training for individuals working in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI. This training is being provided in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

1 in 36 school-age children have autism. Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with emotion regulation, anxiety, and depression that may be exacerbated by experiences of bullying, victimization, and segregation within schools. There is an urgent need to support the mental and behavioral health of autistic students. In the past year, the SEMHTTC team has disseminated resources related to identifying and supporting mental health challenges in this population, including anxiety and, more recently, executive function. The purpose of this two-part series is to build on the didactic content covered in our earlier learning sessions on executive function [Part 1, Part 2] and provide more opportunity to cover a case example, engage in discussion, and have ample time for Q&A.  In each session, we will provide a very brief overview of the prior content we covered (15 minutes), have an in-depth discussion of one case example (15 minutes), and ample time for questions and open conversation related to the mental health of autistic students (25 minutes).   The second learning session will center on evidence-based approaches that can be used to support the executive functioning of autistic students. Describe evidence-based approaches and strategies to support executive functioning in autistic students. Identify strategies to support the executive functioning of autistic students within one case study.

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

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

  Event Description This presentation will provide an overview of protective and risk factors for both individuals and communities in the phases of disaster. Trainer Andrew McLean, MD, MPH   Dr. McLean is Chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences. He obtained his medical degree from the University of North Dakota School of Medicine, completed a psychiatry residency at the University of Wisconsin, and an M.P.H. degree from the University of Minnesota. He has been recognized as a UND School of Medicine Distinguished Alumnus, has received the American Psychiatric Association Bruno Lima award for outstanding contributions to Disaster Psychiatry, and has been conferred with numerous teaching excellence awards. Dr. McLean previously was the Medical Director of the ND Department of Human Services. He has served on numerous clinical, administrative, and regulatory boards, including medical licensing and professional health programs. He has lectured internationally on pertinent behavioral and public health issues. Dr. McLean has a particular interest in collaborative models of care. He also is interested in individual and community resilience.  

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

This session will provide participant providers with experiential opportunities to learn about Breath-Body-Mind™, an integrative approach and universally accessible stress reduction practice. These techniques will be introduced using breath work and gentle, adaptable body movements. Parents/caregivers and other family members often bear the stressors of trying to navigate systems, advocating for supports and services that work, balancing the internal struggle between caring "for" and caring "with," and juggling other work, family, and life responsibilities, leaving little time to protect their own peace and wellbeing. Please join Level 4 practitioner Linda Lentini as she shows us useful stress reduction tools we can all use and share with families and caregivers.   If you would like accommodations to participate in any of our events, please contact us at [email protected].

This webinar discusses the results of the Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma (ALMA) intervention studies. ABOUT THIS EVENT Latina immigrant women are at increased risk of depression and anxiety symptoms, due to the many social and economic stressors they face, as well as significant barriers to accessing quality mental health care. Join us as India Ornelas, professor of health systems and population health at the University of Washington School of Public Health, presents results from the Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma (ALMA) intervention studies, including efforts to disseminate the program to Latinas living in the Yakima Valley of Washington State.  Resources Slides Promoting mental health in Latina immigrant women: Results from the Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma intervention trial India J. Ornelas, Deepa Rao, Cynthia Price, Gary Chan, Anh Tran, Gino Aisenberg, Georgina Perez, Serena Maurer, Adrianne Katrina Nelson PMID: 36809698 PMCID: PMC9998361 (available on 2024-03-01) DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115776 Amigas Latinas Motivando el Alma: In-Person and Online Delivery of an Intervention to Promote Mental Health Among Latina Immigrant Women India J. Ornelas, PhD, MPH, Georgina Perez, MSW, Serena Maurer, PhD, Silvia Gonzalez, Veronica Childs, Cynthia Price, PhD, Adrianne Katrina Nelson, MPH, MSC, S. Adriana Perez Solorio, Anh Tran, PhD, MPH, and Deepa Rao, PhD PMID: 35723668 PMCID: PMC9595613 DOI: 10.1089/jicm.2022.0491 FACILITATOR India J. Ornelas, PhD Dr. India J. Ornelas is a Professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health and is the Acting Chair of the Health Systems and Population Health department.  She teaches in the MPH program and is the Director of the MPH Core Curriculum. Her research focuses on understanding how social and cultural factors influence the health of Latino and American Indian communities. She collaborates with communities to develop and test culturally relevant interventions in the areas of mental health, substance use and cancer prevention.      

This 90-minute webinar explores how the Northwest Center for Family Support is working to improve access to family-focused evidence-based interventions. ABOUT THIS EVENT The University of Washington School of Social Work's Social Development Research Group’s (SDRG) Northwest Center for Family Support (NCFS) was established to build capacity and increase access to family-focused evidence-based interventions (EBIs) for families impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD) in the state of Washington.  Learn about how NCFS is working to increase statewide capacity to deliver EBIs that braid recovery and treatment support for caregivers with OUD and prevention for their children, ages 0-14.  Learning objectives:  Review potential adverse outcomes for children living with a caregiver with OUD  Understand the EBIs supported by NCFS and how they can mitigate potential adverse outcomes for children and support caregiver recovery  Understand NCFS’s approach to expanding access to family-focused EBIs  Gain a deeper understanding of UW’s Social Development Research Group’s 45+ years of leadership in prevention science    FACILITATORS Margaret Kuklinski, PhD Margaret Kuklinski, PhD, is Director of the Social Development Research Group (SDRG), Acting Director of the Center for Communities That Care, and Endowed Associate Professor of Prevention in Social Work in the School of Social Work at the University of Washington. At SDRG and the Center for CTC, she oversees multidisciplinary staff dedicated to promoting healthy development and preventing substance misuse and other problem behaviors in young people through rigorous prevention science and dissemination of effective preventive interventions. Her own NIH- and foundation-funded research focuses on demonstrating the long-term impact of effective community-based and family-focused substance use prevention interventions; partnering with communities, agencies, and services systems to implement and scale them; and building policy support for preventive interventions by demonstrating their benefits and costs.  She is the Principal Investigator of a Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts grant that established the Northwest Center for Family Support to increase access to family-focused evidence-based interventions for families impacted by opioid use disorder.  Under NIDA’s HEAL Prevention Initiative she co-chairs the Health Economics Working Group, which is examining the cost-effectiveness of a set of projects aimed at developing effective approaches to preventing opioid misuse in adolescents and young adults.  Dr. Kuklinski is a member of the Board on Children Youth and Families at the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine. She previously served on the board of the Society for Prevention Research. As a health economist, she has helped set methodological standards for cost, benefit-cost, and cost-effectiveness analyses of preventive interventions for children, youth, and families through efforts led by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and the Society for Prevention Research. Dr. Kuklinski received a PhD in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley, and an AB in Economics from Harvard University.    Jim Leighty, MSW, LICSW Jim Leighty, MSW, LICSW, is the Project Director for the Northwest Center for Family Support (NCFS) within the Social Development Research Group (SDRG) at the University of Washington’s School of Social Work.  NCFS was created, via a grant from the Foundation for Opioid Response Efforts, to build capacity and increase access to family-focused evidence-based intervention for families impacted by opioid use disorder.   Prior to joining SDRG, he worked in and managed various multidisciplinary community mental health programs working with adults with serious mental illness and co-occurring disorders in two assertive community treatment programs and adolescents in inpatient and juvenile justice settings.  Before joining the social work world, Jim served 20 years in the US Marine Corps.  Jim received his MSW from the University of Washington, an MS in Management (Finance) from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a BA in Economics & Political Science from the University of Rochester.    Ashton Gatsby, BA Ashton Gatsby is the Project Coordinator for the Northwest Center for Family Support. Their focus is on increasing data driven engagement and outreach. In addition, they work as a Research Coordinator for SDRG's Survey Research Division.       

This learning community is closed to select participants.  To learn more about this series, visit the homepage: Implementing Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) in Kansas  

The Region 6 Peer Support Advisory Committee (PSAC) to the South Southwest MHTTC meets on a monthly basis to collaborate across the states and tribal communities to identify and address common areas of need and share resources. Based on feedback from the PSAC, and needs identified by peers across Region 6, the MHTTC organizes training and technical assistance focused on peer retention and workforce development. This is a closed meeting.

The South Southwest MHTTC is pleased to collaborate with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers to host a Trauma Informed Care Series: Knowledge & Strategies for Health and Hope. Join us as we empower staff with “hands-on” Trauma Informed Care knowledge and strategies to advance holistic patient-centered care.     Trauma Informed Care (TIC) is an evidence-based framework particularly suited to collaboratively identify risk factors to care, such as medication access and use, therapeutic engagement, and non-medical resource needs and navigation.     This series is open and applicable to all providers (Medical, Dental, Behavioral Health, and SUD Treatment Clinicians) and all staff (direct-care, front-line, operations, administration, and leadership).     These 1-hour didactic sessions will meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month. Session 1 (July 11th): Trauma Informed Care Foundations Session 2 (August 8th): Real-world Applications of Trauma Informed Care Principles: Non-Medical Drivers of Health (SDoH) and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Session 3 (September 12th): TIC and Care Coordination through Cross-Sector Collaborations Session 4 (October 10th): TIC and Care for Individuals with Chronic Diseases Session 5 (November 14th): TIC and Care for Individuals with SUD   Download Flyer