Past Events

Thomasine Heitkamp, Director of the Mountain Plains Mental Health Technology Transfer Center, and Dr. Shawnda Schroeder with the Center for Rural Health will present the first topic in a series of webinars addressing farm stress. In this first session, you will learn about the definition of farm stress, contributing factors, the impact of farm stress on the family, and how farming demographics and associated stress may vary by U.S. region. Finally, this session will introduce resources that currently exist for farmers addressing stress and suicide risk, as well as present ongoing gaps and barriers to utilizing mental health services among agricultural communities.

The Mid-America MHTTC will provide a six hour workshop on advanced techniques in motivational interviewing (MI) to practitioners in the Mental Health Region of Northwest Iowa Care Connections. The training is part of a two year project to develop a self-sustaining MI program in the region and is designed for practitioners of MI who are familiar with basic techniques and wish to gain further skills. This advanced training will include instruction on reflecting critically on one's practice, addressing ambivalence, increasing treatment seeking behavior, using setbacks as learning opportunities, and supporting other professionals using MI.  

Mental Health First Aid is a skills-based training course that teaches participants about mental health and substance-use issues. Just as CPR helps you assist an individual having a heart attack, Mental Health First Aid helps you assist someone experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis. In the Mental Health First Aid course, you learn risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in both crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help. Mental Health First Aid teaches about recovery and resiliency – the belief that individuals experiencing these challenges can and do get better, and use their strengths to stay well. Topics Covered: Depression and Mood Disorders Anxiety Disorders Trauma Psychosis Substance Use Disorders

The Mid-America MHTTC will provide a four hour motivational interviewing (MI) workshop to practitioners in the Mental Health Region of Northwest Iowa Care Connections. The training is for new practitioners of MI and is part of a two year project to develop a self-sustaining MI program in the region. This training will include a lecture on the basic principles of the practice, discussion on how the practice fits with peer support work, and role-play activities on four essential motivational interviewing skills.

This session covers symptoms of stress and anxiety and the impact on learning, etc.; the purpose of Calm Moments Cards program; development of  plans for using Calm Moments Cards. This training is a private event. If you are interested in similar training for your school, please contact Sarah Nielsen at [email protected]. This training is being provided to Smee School District-Wakpala School, Wakpala, SD; Redfield Elementary, Redfield, SD; WilMac Multi-District Special Education Unit, Williston, ND.

Self-care and good mental health is important, especially for those who are dedicated to taking care of others. This training will identify strategies for helping caregivers (taking care of a family member), health care professionals, faith leaders and others (parents, etc.) maintain their well-being by providing examples of what self-care looks like and how they can use it in their daily lives. This Baltimore Faith Based Commission for Behavioral Health-sponsored event is supported by the Central East MHTTC.

This presentation, by a non-Latino clinician who has worked extensively in Spanish and with Latino patients, integrates available research on effective clinical practice with Latinos with the first-hand experience in providing transcultural psychotherapy.

This webinar will provide an overview of intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and discuss some of the most prevalent IDDs, their associated behavioral challenges, and mental health concerns. It will also provide information on how to distinguish between behaviors associated with IDD and co-occurring mental illness, helpful interventions, and how to increase provider comfort in working with people with IDD.

The Mid-America ATTC, MHTTC and PTTC have joined together to develop the Mid-America TTC Advisory Board. Board members from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska with expertise in substance abuse disorders, mental health, prevention, and behavioral health will help all three TTC's address the needs of the Mid-America region.

Part II of this two part webinar series will cover an overview of Crisis Intervention Teams, research related to Crisis Intervention Teams, other CIT models such as Mobile Crisis Teams, Co-Responders, and Specialized EMS, and The Police-Mental Health Linkage System.

Patients with serious mental illness (SMI) experience inequities in cancer care that contribute to increased cancer mortality. Comorbid mental illness is also associated with increased healthcare utilization and costs compared to other patients with cancer. Proactive psychiatry consultation and person-centered, team-based care are promising approaches that may increase access to cancer care. We will discuss how we adapted the collaborative care model to address the needs of patients with SMI and cancer and share best practices and case examples. Presented by Dr. Kelly Irwin Dr. Irwin is an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and a faculty psychiatrist at the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Cancer Center and MGH Schizophrenia Program where she founded the Cancer Prevention Program. Dr. Irwin is the Director of the Collaborative Care and Community Engagement Program, a research and clinical program focused on improving cancer outcomes for people with severe mental illness. In collaboration with community partners, she is also establishing a 2nd opinion service for patients with severe mental illness and cancer. Dr. Irwin graduated from Harvard University in 2001, worked with Doctors for Global Health in El Salvador, and then returned to Harvard Medical School, receiving her MD in 2008, and completing her residency in psychiatry at MGH and McLean in 2012. She received the Dupont-Warren Fellowship from Harvard Medical School in 2013 and the Program in Cancer Outcomes Research Training (PCORT) fellowship in 2015. 

ABOUT THIS LEARNING SERIES The overarching goal of this series is to provide monthly community learning forums that address topics relevant to working with young adults of transition age. These forums will provide opportunities for peer-learning to build knowledge and skills for TAY-serving providers, advocates, champions, and allies. Please feel free to share this opportunity with colleagues and champions who may want to be involved. We are looking forward to having you join us!   UPCOMING SESSIONS We will be hosting monthly, 60-minute calls using the Adobe Connect platform. After the month of October, these sessions will take place on the third Wednesday of each month at 10:00 AM PT (see schedule below).   We want the CA TAY PLC to bring together diverse expertise from across sectors.  A tentative schedule and topics have been developed, based on feedback from the PLC planning session. TAY PLC SCHEDULE •Wednesday, October 16, from 10-11 a.m. PT (kickoff session re-scheduled from 9/25) (Register) •Wednesday, October 30, from 10-11 a.m. PT (Register) •Wednesday, November 20, from 10-11 a.m. PT (Register) •Wednesday, December 18, from 10-11 a.m. PT (Register)

The Mid-America MHTTC will provide a two hour motivational interviewing workshop to students in the Community Alliance Peer Support Training Program. This training is an integral part of an 80-hour curriculum. The training will include a lecture on the basic principles of the practice, discussion on how the practice fits with peer support work, and role-play activities based on four essential motivational interviewing skills.

Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) is a two-day, two-trainer, workshop designed for members of all caregiving groups. Family, friends, and other community members may be the first to talk with a person at risk, but have little or no training. ASIST can also provide those in formal helping roles with professional development to ensure that they are prepared to provide suicide first aid help as part of the care they provide. The emphasis is on teaching suicide first-aid to help a person at risk stay safe and seek further help as needed. Participants learn to use a suicide intervention model to identify persons with thoughts of suicide, seek a shared understanding of reasons for dying and living, develop a safeplan based upon a review of risk, be prepared to do follow-up, and become involved in suicide-safer community networks. The learning process is based on adult learning principles and highly participatory. Graduated skills development occurs through mini-lectures, facilitated discussions, group simulations, and role plays.

This session covers symptoms of stress and anxiety and the impact on learning, etc.; the purpose of Calm Moments Cards program; development of  plans for using Calm Moments Cards. This training is a private event. If you are interested in similar training for your school, please contact Sarah Nielsen at [email protected].

Implementing comprehensive school mental health policies and practices is a complex task that has the potential to positively affect the lives of many students. To help states, districts, and schools across the United States understand the core components of comprehensive school mental health, as well as engage in a planning process, the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office and National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) developed a national school mental health curricula, including a train-the-trainer for school district leadership. The Mountain Plains School Mental Health Program is bringing this exciting new Curriculum to schools and districts in our region.

Suicide Risk Assessment is an interactive training targeted to Master’s level and licensed mental health clinicians who provide counseling and/or assessment in a variety of settings. The training will highlight the importance of suicide risk assessment and demonstrate ways clinicians can recognize, assess, and intervene when working with at-risk clients.

Goal: Heighten the awareness, knowledge and skills of mental health professionals serving Hispanic and Latino families in Southern CA and along the U.S. Mexico border. Enhance promising and best practices.   Objectives of the event 1. Identify main traumatic events that Hispanic and Latino immigrant children are experiencing on the border. 2. Explain the impact of traumatic events and mental health conditions among Hispanic and Latino populations. 3. Describe Evidence-Based Practices focus on trauma that could be integrated in the mental health treatment for Hispanic and Latino populations.

This training provides an overview of important concepts for understanding trauma and its influence on school participation. Additionally, participants will be able to identify practical strategies for creating trauma-sensitive learning environments across grade levels. This is a closed event. If you are interested in hosting a similar training, please contact Sarah Nielsen at [email protected].

Millard Public Schools (MPS) is participating in a four part professional development series designed for Behavior Coaches and Coaches of Coaches throughout their district. The series will include content on the roles and competencies of behavior coaches, data-based decision making, tiered problem-solving, and team collaboration. The goals of the series include helping all coaches to (1) Develop behavior coaching competencies; (2) Be able to identify, interpret, and use data across MTSS-B tiers of support; (3) Unify around a common behavioral problem-solving model; and (4) Develop the needed interpersonal and collaborative skills to guide the problem solving process. 

Implementing comprehensive school mental health policies and practices is a complex task that has the potential to positively affect the lives of many students. To help states, districts, and schools across the United States understand the core components of comprehensive school mental health, as well as engage in a planning process, the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network Coordinating Office and National Center for School Mental Health (NCSMH) developed a national school mental health curricula, including a train-the-trainer for school district leadership. The Mountain Plains School Mental Health Program is bringing this exciting new Curriculum to schools and districts in our region.

Project Director Joe Evans, Ph.D and Training Faculty Holly Roberts, Ph.D will lead a session at the 2019 Integrating Primary and Behavioral Healthcare Through the Lens of Prevention National Conference (IPBHC). The mission of IPBHC is to improve behavioral and primary health outcomes by integrating these with the science and practice of prevention across public, private, and community sectors.

Dr. Andrew McLean, MD, MPH Clinical Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Science at the University of North Dakota is presenting on an overview of classes of medications used for mood and anxiety problems at the 2019 North Dakota Behavioral Health Conference, ADHD and psychosis, among others illnesses. Information relating to both benefits and adverse effects will be provided.

Dr. Andrew McLean, MD, MPH Clinical Professor and Chair, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health Science UND is presenting an overview of classes of medications used for mood and anxiety problems, ADHD and psychosis, among others illnesses. Information relating to both benefits and adverse effects will be provided.