Past Events

Suicide Risk Assessment is an interactive training targeted to Master’s level and licensed mental health clinicians who are providing counseling and/or assessment in a variety of settings.  The training will address the need for training in suicide risk assessment, cover some of the statistics around suicide, and educate participants on how to recognize, assess, and intervene when working with clients who are at risk of suicidal ideation and/or behavior. After completing the training, participants should be able to:       1. Describe the components of effective suicide risk assessment,       2. Discuss the elements of suicide risk assessment that have been determined to be “best practice,”       3. Discuss key elements in completing an effective crisis and safety response plan, and       4. Identify appropriate agency, professional, clinical, and social resources to engage during a crisis or risk assessment.   Participants will have 1 hour for lunch on their own. *This training will include 4 hours of NBCC-approved continuing education credit.   Georgia HOPE is a community-based counseling provider in Northwest Georgia. Georgia HOPE has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Provider, ACEP No. 6803.  Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified.  Georgia HOPE is solely responsible for all aspects of the program.  For complaints about the workshop, please contact Christine Clark at [email protected].

Youth Mental Health First Aid is designed to teach parents, family members, caregivers, teachers, school staff, peers, neighbors, health and human services workers, and other caring citizens how to help an adolescent (age 12-18) who is experiencing a mental health or addictions challenge or is in crisis. Youth Mental Health First Aid is primarily designed for adults who regularly interact with young people. The course introduces common mental health challenges for youth, reviews typical adolescent development, and teaches a 5-step action plan for how to help young people in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics covered include anxiety, depression, substance use, disorders in which psychosis may occur, disruptive behavior disorders (including AD/HD), and eating disorders. (from: https://www.mentalhealthfirstaid.org/take-a-course/course-types/youth/)  

Youth peer support is a growing field in many mental health and child-serving systems, yet many agencies are new to supervising and supporting these roles. This line of work can often be taxing for its young employees, and self-care is just as important to supervision as job performance. During the webinar "Supervision and Self-care for Youth Peer Support Specialists," youth peer experts Caitlin Baird and Mary Beth Welch will talk about specific strategies supervisors can use to promote self-care amongst their youth peer staff while ensuring accountability to their job duties.   Trainers Mary Beth Welch Mary Beth Welch is a Peer Support Training Specialist with Pathways Research and Training Center. Mary Beth uses her lived experience as a youth in the mental health system, foster care, and special education systems and a peer support specialist who worked with youth to guide her work. Mary Beth is also avid cat lover!              Caitlin Baird Caitlin Baird is a Project Manager and Trainer with Pathways RTC at Portland State University. Caitlin has experience working directly with transition aged youth and young adults as a peer support specialist and as a supervisor for peer support specialists in wraparound and other mental health settings.           

Time: 9:00AM to 12:00PM PDT Join us in exploring concrete strategies on how to develop and foster a robust and equitable approach to youth leadership and engagement for early intervention and prevention. Youth engagement experts Lacy Dicharry and Martin Rafferty will share insights into innovative engagement techniques, how we can build our approach to significant youth peer support from the day to day and the organizational leadership perspective, how to reduce turnover through reasonable accommodations and self-care strategies, how agencies can support youth with lived experience to identify and realize their goals and overcome adversity and lived-experience in reaching their potential, and more.  

Join for an immersive workshop that explores how we can better support our students and children we work with through a trauma-informed, stigma-aware lens. Together, we’ll explore the latest research, innovation, and strategies on adverse childhood experiences, trauma and the brain, early protective factors, crisis response practices, and engagement strategies for diverse settings like hospitals, schools, and other environments working towards creating healing-centered cultures. Presented by Lacy Dicharry and Martin Rafferty.  

Becky Helfand will discuss how to tweak the ACT model to make it work in a rural setting.

The Southeast MHTTC, in partnership with Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, is pleased to offer The Peer Voice Training. This training will instruct mental health peers on ways to gather data from large and small community groups and build support for mental health recovery. Participants will gain an understanding of how individuals, communities, and organizations can work collaboratively to produce successful mental health recovery outcomes.  After completing the training, participants should be able to Discuss the importance of the peer voice  in developing and delivering services in the behavioral health community, Describe the benefits of collaborating with allied organizations, Discuss the role of the behavioral health peer community in providing diverse perspectives, Identify strategies for including the peer voice in adapting data collection tools, and Create a plan to develop a system of information gathering for peer populations. A Listening Session event will take place from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM, with the main Peer Voice training taking place from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. 

6:00-7:15 p.m. ET / 3:00-4:15 p.m. PT / 12:00-1:15 p.m. HT / 9:00-10:15 a.m. CT This session explores civil commitment law through the lens of civil liberties for young adults of transition age. We will consider ethical tensions between a provider or family member's desire to help a young person experiencing serious mental illness and the young person's autonomy. We will discuss the importance of shared decision making and strategies for improving the process for youth and families.   Learning Objectives: Understand the history of civil commitment in the US. Consider justifications for civil commitment and involuntary mental health treatment. Identify best practices and practical strategies for shared decision making with youth and families through a civil commitment process. Identify key questions for policy and agency decision makers to consider when establishing processes which may lead to civil commitment.   ABOUT THE PRESENTERS Kristin Thorp, BSW, Youth Engagement Specialist at Youth MOVE National, has ten years of experience in advocacy, youth leadership, and program development, with a special focus on the mental health and criminal justice systems. In addition, she is an advisor on the System of Care Children's Mental Health Initiative and supports national evaluation efforts by conducting qualitative and quantitative research as well as utilizing data to determine technical assistance needs. Prior to joining Youth M.O.V.E. National, Ms. Thorp was the Continuous Quality Improvement Coordinator for Maine's System of Care. Ms. Thorp utilizes her own lived experience, passion, and expertise in positive youth development to bridge multiple perspectives to promote trauma-informed approaches to recovery.     Amanda Lipp is a social entrepreneur working at the intersection of mental health, filmmaking, and philanthropy. Amanda works as a Specialist for the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS), is Founder and CEO of The Giving Gallery, and is a Filmmaker at Lipp Studios. She has given over 150 speeches locally and globally, and has made over 20 short documentaries that have influenced policy and practice in youth psychosis, schizophrenia, and treatment paradigms. Amanda serves as the youngest board director of the largest mental health grassroots nonprofit in the U.S., the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), and is a board advisor for the Technology Adolescent Mental Wellness (TAM) research initiative at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Previously, Amanda worked at the California Mental Health Services Authority (CalMHSA) in Sacramento, where she co-designed the first U.S.-hosted 7th International Together Against Stigma conference.  

A Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative (C-TLC) Webinar Series presented by Center for Educational Improvement (CEI) and NE-MHTTC.  Based on her work with trauma in West Virginia, Suzan Mullane will explain how schools can be engaged with families that are steeped in trauma. This will include, 1) helping families understand how trauma impacts children and how families, including extended families, can help alleviate this trauma, and 2) how to increase compassionate interactions between schools and families. Presenter(s): Suzan Mullane, MS, Ed., CEI Research Associate and Trustee

Maintaining Mental Health Wellness in Adolescents in the Face of Trauma and Adversity: Build Resiliency Sponsored by:  The Economic Development Authority, Youth Arise, Inc., and SAMHSA The MHTTC will be presenting on Trauma Informed Care Approaches to Youth Mental Health. The ATTC will be presenting on Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, and the PTTC will be presenting on Making Healthy Choices Easier Choices:  The Role of The Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) in Creating Health-Promoting Environments for Youth.

The state of affairs in the United States and globally currently places policies over people.  The intersection of international territories and human rights is most salient in our discourse on immigration.  The impact systemic policies have on families, particularly children, is profound and deeply troubling.  This webinar will address the challenges immigrant children face, including unaccompanied minors, and how school-based systems can create supportive contexts for children and their families.  

Presented by: John A. Naslund, Ph.D. Reminder emails will be sent prior to each session to all people registered for this series. Webinar Series Description: Social media platforms have emerged as highly popular venues for sharing personal experiences, seeking information, and offering peer-to-peer support among individuals living with mental illness and those facing the challenges of substance use. With significant shortfalls in the availability, quality, and reach of evidence-based mental health and substance use treatment services across the United States, popular social media platforms may afford new opportunities to bridge this gap. The goal of this three-part webinar series is to present the state of the science on the role of social media as a potentially viable intervention platform for engaging persons with mental disorders, enhancing existing mental health services, and supporting community-based mental health providers. This webinar series will: summarize the current research on the use of social media among mental health service users, as well as early efforts using social media for the delivery of evidence-based programs; identify and consider the risks, challenges, and necessary safety precautions with using social media as a part of supportive services for mental health service delivery; discuss best practices and recommendations for supporting and informing mental health service providers about the role of social media in community-based settings; and highlight future research directions and opportunities for novel social media interventions to improve the lives of individuals with mental health and substance use disorders. Webinar Series Takeaways: Describe the state of the science on the role of social media for engaging persons with mental disorders, enhancing existing mental health services, and supporting community-based mental health providers; Recognize the risks, challenges, and necessary safety precautions with using social media for mental health services from the perspectives of clients of community mental health centers and other social media users with mental illness; and Identify best practices for effectively guiding clients who may be using popular social media platforms to seek support or health information, and consider future opportunities for social media interventions to improve the lives of individuals living with mental health and substance use disorders. For more information, contact Trisha Dudkowski at [email protected] or call 775-784-6265

Via Hope is providing a train-the-trainer peer training specifically for formerly incarcerated individuals. This training is designed to directly address the significant barriers to becoming a whole person; this includes employment and other reentry barriers that many people face after release from incarceration. The emphasis on the trauma individuals experience before, during, and after incarceration is a significant distinction from other training models. There is also an emphasis on the Freedom vs. Release perspective. The Reentry Peer Specialist credential will also offer formerly incarcerated individuals an opportunity to further their own recovery while providing support and hope to other people who may be trying to find their own way through reentry and recovery. The core learning objectives of this training will engage participant’s self-exploration relative to: (1) Recovery from a Reentry Perspective, (2) Trauma – 3 types, (3) Recidivism Intervention, (4) What it Means to be a Peer Specialist, and (5) Maintaining a Whole Person Perspective.

Time: 6:00-7:00 p.m. ET / 3:00-4:00 p.m. PT / 12:00-1:00 p.m. HT Join other mental and behavioral health organizations as we engage in peer learning around Building a Diverse Workforce From the Ground Up. Register for one or more of the following Community of Practice sessions, held the 4th Wednesday of each month at 6:00 p.m. ET / 3:00 p.m. PT / 12:00 p.m. HT: May 22, June 26, July 24, August 28.

Stafanie Winifield, Liza Tupa, and Dennis Mohatt will be bringing together professors in teacher education to share ideas and ways to integrate mental health into new teacher training. This is the first of two workgroup meetings.

Our topics will be identified as we listen to the needs of the state teams participating in our region.

According to SAMHSA, "Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) is an evidence-based practice used to identify, reduce, and prevent problematic use, abuse, and dependence on alcohol and illicit drugs." Join us to learn more about SBIRT and how to gear it towards Youth. Laura Winn will lead this webcast.

Via Hope is providing a peer training specifically for formerly incarcerated individuals. This training is designed to directly address the significant barriers to becoming a whole person; this includes employment and other reentry barriers that many people face after release from incarceration. The emphasis on the trauma individuals experience before, during, and after incarceration is a significant distinction from other training models. There is also an emphasis on the Freedom vs. Release perspective. The Reentry Peer Specialist credential will also offer formerly incarcerated individuals an opportunity to further their own recovery while providing support and hope to other people who may be trying to find their own way through reentry and recovery. The core learning objectives of this training will engage participant’s self-exploration relative to: (1) Recovery from a Reentry Perspective, (2) Trauma – 3 types, (3) Recidivism Intervention, (4) What it Means to be a Peer Specialist, and (5) Maintaining a Whole Person Perspective.

A Childhood-Trauma Learning Collaborative (C-TLC) Webinar Series presented by Center for Educational Improvement (CEI) and NE-MHTTC.    A discussion around the neurobiology of trauma and how trauma impacts cognition, judgment, and academic learning.   Presenter (s): Hilary Hodgdon, Ph.D., Director of Research Operations at the Trauma Center, Justice Resource Institute

Time: 6-7 p.m. ET / 3-4 p.m. PT / 12-1 p.m. HT / 9-10 a.m. ChT Join The Teaching Well as we bring together diverse school site roles to share ways they have collaborated to create healthy and sustainable school climate for students, teachers and staff. Learning directly from teachers, school site personnel, and school leaders, together we’ll consider the possibilities of integrating wellness into whole school staff development, leadership approaches, collaborative conversations, and support spaces for both teachers and students. Participants will hear firsthand accounts of the personal and professional benefits when school staff make wellness a central focus in their work plans, relational strategies, and overall school culture. This webinar uplifts the concept that whole school wellness is best achieved as a multi-year collaborative and iterative process between all members of a campus community.   Participants will: Define personal sustainability in the context of schools Explore the relationship between personal sustainability and professional sustainability Learn how specific school site roles can lead sustainably Learn best practices and practical strategies for integrating a wellness focus into school culture Explore the links between school leader wellness, teacher wellness and student outcomes   This webinar will be most helpful for new and veteran teachers, administrators who seek to lead sustainably, and school site wellness staff such as social workers, counselors and paraeducators or teachers on special assignment.   This is the third session in the Mental Health Literacy & Student Learning Outcomes webinar series.   About the Presenters Candice Valenzuela, Lead Mindful Mentor and Executive Coach at The Teaching Well, is a proud Afro-Latina native of Watts, CA who has worked in the Bay Area education community for 13 years. Starting out as a teen health educator, she went on to teach Special Education, high school English, creative writing, and women's studies. She ran after-school enrichment programs before becoming a teacher coach and wellness consultant. Ms. Valenzuela has coached, trained, and mentored hundreds of educators in Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Indianapolis schools.  Ms. Valenzuela has a B.A. in Humanities from Loyola Marymount University, and an MA in East-West Psychology from the California Institute for Integral Studies. Candice is also certified as a mindful yoga teacher through the Niroga Institute. In addition to coaching and facilitating in schools, Ms. Valenzuela teaches as an adjunct at the University of San Francisco School of Education and the San Francisco State Department of Health Education. Ms. Valenzuela believes that the keys to social transformation lie at the intersections of education, healing, and justice.   Kelly Knoche, Executive Director of The Teaching Well, taught math, science and socio-emotional learning (SEL) for six years in public schools in Oakland. She holds a B.A. in psychology from UC Berkeley and also spent time studying at Harvard University.  As a Teach for America corps member, she demonstrated great skill in bringing resources to her students by raising $15,000 for a multi-night field trip and building a joint tutoring program with the UC Berkeley field hockey team. As an innovative curriculum designer, she designed a nationally-recognized middle school project-based SEL program that has continued to be implemented by OUSD middle schools. She is a certified doula, 400-hour yoga teacher and has been trained in both the Mindful Schools and Niroga Institute's Mindfulness programs.

Michelle Friedman-Yakoobian PhD and Brandon Gaudiano PhD discuss Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and its application to treating individuals with early psychosis. The webinar will provide a brief overview of this approach, information about the emerging research in this area, and a case example. 

Times: 8:30am - 12pm PT Location: Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA The Pacific Southwest MHTTC will be sponsoring the following pre-conference tracks on May 15:   Cross Systems Transition Age Youth Coordinators/Mentors/Allies Pre-Conference Track Sponsored by the Pacific Southwest MHTTC May 15th, 2019: 8:30am - 12pm PT The Transition Age Youth Coordinators/Mentors/Allies Pre-Conference is a cross system gathering of like minded professionals, para-professionals, and persons with lived experienced working on behalf of the TAY populations. The Pre-Conference will focus upon supports identified by youth as essential components in their personal development: housing, education and the availability youth friendly behavioral health services and supports. More Information   Beyond Trauma Informed: Schools Taking Action to Address the Needs of Students Affected by Trauma Pre-Conference Track Sponsored by the Pacific Southwest MHTTC May 15th, 2019: 8:30am - 12pm PT n the first part of the pre conference, presenter Matthew Reddam will guide participants “out of the box” of practices and into a deeper understanding of systems within in the trauma responsive setting. Participants will explore communication through the language we use around trauma, and identify where their systems exist, through the lens of active trauma response. In the second part, presenter James Thompson will build upon the morning session and activities to address the role of race and culture, and how these critical variables work with stress and trauma outcomes. Participants will explore implicit bias across systems, recognizing steps to move beyond trauma informed. More Information   View All Conference Information

Overview of School Mental Health and the Learning Collaborative - Virtual Learning Session 1 Online Virtual Lunch Webinar Objectives: Provide an overview of MHTTC school mental health activities, opportunities for consultation, training, on-site/virtual learning, and landscape analysis  Provide an overview and train states and districts in the foundational principles and strategies of CSMHSs based on a national curriculum aligned with national performance standards Increase knowledge and awareness related to advancing high quality, sustainable school mental health Promote regional and cross-state networking and shared learning about best practices, successes and challenges of CSMHS implementation, including policy strategies to advance CSMHS (e.g., inclusion in state and local school safety planning and/or ESSA plans Equip MHTTC state teams with tools and strategies to engage states and districts in ongoing CSMHS quality improvement What to Expect from Virtual Learning Sessions: State and district leaders are invited.  Didactic content will be presented, aligned with the SMH Curriculum modules States and districts will be asked to share progress and lessons learned related to school mental health innovation. States will be asked to exchange resources, tools, templates, and other materials within the regional collaborative to promote shared learning. States are expected to ask for and provide feedback to peers within the learning collaborative. Learning sessions will be recorded and archived on the MHTTC website.   Registration: Once you have registered for this online webinar you will receive an email with instructions on how to access the call.     

New England MHTTC and the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services are proud to sponsor the International Recovery and Citizenship Collective (IRCC) 2019 Symposium. The IRCC is a global collaborative of policy makers, health care providers, persons with lived experience, advocates, researchers, and other stakeholders. The IRCC focuses on bi-directional learning and the sharing of policy, service delivery, workforce, and other mental health and addictions innovations designed to promote recovery, citizenship, and health care system development and transformation. The IRCC envisions a world in which people thrive, are connected to their communities, and live meaningful lives. To learn more, email us at [email protected]. Space is limited.