Past Events

The Northwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center will hold its winter advisory meeting virtually.  A final agenda will be circulated to advisory board members in advance of this meeting.  

The South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC), invites Region 6 Peer Specialists and Family Partners working in First Episode Psychosis (FEP) and Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) teams to participate in our 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! This event takes place on the first Friday of each month.   Facilitators:   Missy Boyd Certified Peer Specialist FEP/Hope Program I have years of experience facilitating groups as well as teaching. I have been in Peer Support close to two years now helping others with my shared life experience. I am now with FEP and am flourishing in the job.               Angie Tyler  Certified Family Partner I have been working with the Integral Care RA1SE Team for 5 years and 7 months. I am fortunate to work and be part of an amazing team here in Austin. As a Certified Bilingual Family Partner, I am able to share my lived experience with families and help them navigate through community resources. My work background includes working with Travis County Juvenile Probation, Caseworker at Lifeworks for Homeless Foster Youth, and Arc of the Capital Area working with IDD services as well as with the Juvenile Justice Program. The work I am most proud of is with the Integral Care RA1SE team because it has allowed me the honor to walk with so many families through their own journey and to give them hope and encouragement in their most challenging moments.

  This is Part 2 of 9 of the Supporting Resilience in Children & Youth learning series.     DESCRIPTION: This 2-hour workshop is the second in the Supporting Resilience for Children and Youth series. This presentation will provide an overview of attachment theory and describe what attachment relationships may look like at various ages/stages of development and across cultures and contexts. We will also discuss strategies for cultivating attunement between young children and their caregivers, focusing on mutual joy and co-regulation skills. Over the course of the workshop, we will highlight the social-emotional development at each stage of early childhood, and its role in fostering strong relationships.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Identify attachment styles and the implications for children and practice. Understand co-regulation and identify at least three strategies to foster attunement between             caregivers and infants). Understand the emotional development of toddlers and learn how to interpret behavior as communication, stay calm amidst chaos, and identify three practical strategies to co-regulate.     CERTIFICATES: Registrants who fully attend this event or training will receive a certificate of attendance via email within two weeks after the event or training.      PRESENTER: Katie Volk, MA is a child development specialist with a particular focus on infancy, early childhood, and families living in poverty. She has worked with hundreds of community organizations to provide training and technical assistance in the United States and Australia, particularly focused on implementing  trauma-informed practices. Katie understands the multidimensional strengths and needs of children and families, the paraprofessionals who serve them, and the systems and contexts in which they live and work. Katie has worked at The National Center on Family Homelessness and C4 Innovations. She has served as adjunct faculty at Boston College, Lesley University, and Wheaton College and is currently conducting her doctoral research at the University of Massachusetts Boston.     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.

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

Long COVID is used to describe the lingering symptoms that many are left managing long after recovering from the illness itself. Some of the symptoms include those related to depression, anxiety, fatigue, PTSD, and brain fog (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).   The experience of these symptoms may affect attainment of important recovery goals, such as working, attending school, living independently, socializing, and overall emotional wellbeing.   Behavioral health practitioners are in key positions to support individuals to better manage the functional implications and impact of long COVID symptoms, particularly those related to emotional wellbeing and attainment of community goals. The techniques and supports used in psychiatric rehabilitation are designed to assist people in finding hope and purpose after loss and illness. This workshop will explore established psychiatric rehabilitation tools and strategies to support individuals in establishing recovery goals, learning skills, and developing supports to live a meaningful and purposeful life.   At the end of this two-part webinar, attendees will be able to: Define long COVID and its related symptoms and functional implications Review current research on the impact of long COVID on mental health Describe the benefits of using a recovery framework when addressing long COVID Explore psychiatric rehabilitation strategies that are assistive in the attainment of recovery goals despite symptoms of long COVID

This session is a part of our ongoing Workshop Wednesday series.  Event Description This training will provide participants with information on domestic violence dynamics and the intersection of behavioral health. The trainer will walk through tactics used in domestic violence relationships that are also often both warnings signs and barriers to leaving the abusive relationship. Additionally, the impact from this type of relationship on one’s mental health and the trauma that may linger will also be briefly discussed. Upon completion of the training, providers will be able to identify warnings signs of domestic violence, list ways to support survivors, and uncover community resources. Trainer Brittany Love, M.A.                     Brittany oversees a program that reaches more than 7,500 youth, adults, and professionals annually as director of prevention and education for the Community Violence Intervention Center (CVIC) in Grand Forks, N.D. She coordinates implementation of evidence-based violence prevention and healthy relationship education in 16 Grand Forks County schools and at the University of North Dakota, the state’s flagship university, as well as the Green Dot bystander intervention program. In addition, she and her team provide trainings to professionals on domestic/sexual violence, childhood exposure to violence and trauma-informed practices that are based on latest research and best practice. Brittany has presented locally and nationally about CVIC’s program success and the importance of prevention education in the organization’s initiative to end violence in two generations. She earned her bachelor’s and master’s degree in sociology from the University of North Dakota and has eight years of experience in the social justice field as a presenter/educator.

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 2022 10:00 am - 11:15 am PT [Find your local time zone here] Session 1 of 5 in the "Aging Out or Growing Together?" Series (view series page for full details) Aging Out or Growing Together? Flipping the Youth Services Paradigm to Better Support Young Adulthood November 30, 2022: Kickoff Panel Discussion: Framing the Need for Responsive Young Adult Services   This five-part learning series is an open forum and discussion group for agencies and individuals that serve transition-aged youth and young adults. We will examine how our collective organizational values, implementation strategies, program design, and goals might expand to support the evolving, holistic needs of this age group. Join us for a panel discussion session on November 30th as we kick off this series that will bring together a diverse mix of youth-serving organizations to learn from each other's work and uplift the complex and comprehensive needs of transition aged youth. We will explore the creative ways youth-serving organizations are adjusting to best support them. Beyond exploring barriers to meaningful engagement and service provision, this generative space will also unpack culturally and developmentally appropriate models that support young adults in attaining wellness and self-actualization through guided conversation and promising-practice spotlights.   Series Learning Objectives Consider the unique experiences and developmental needs of transition-aged youth Build an understanding of brain science and culturally sustaining practices that strengthens service provision for transition-aged youth Expand organizational capacity to address priority topics, including but not limited to meaningful program engagement, teaming, healthy boundary setting, and accountability   Audience: All community-based organizations and institutions that support the mental health and wellness of transition-aged youth.    Series Sequence: from 10:00-11:15 am PT on the last Wednesday of every other month   We welcome you to join in listening, learning and dialogue for this session, starting with a presentation panel of representatives with three youth serving organizations and hear from all voices in the space.   Panelists Kazani Finao and Lucero Herrera of Young Women's Freedom Center  Tiffani Marie, Founder and Program Director at H20 Productions  Sikander Iqbal, Deputy Director of Urban Peace Movement   Facilitator  Oriana Ides, MA, APCC, PPS Oriana Ides is a School Mental Health Training Specialist at CARS (the Center for Applied Research Solutions) and approaches healing the wounds of trauma and oppression as core elements of social justice. She has worked with young people across the life course from elementary school to college, and has served as teacher-leader, school counselor, classroom educator and program director. She is committed to generating equity within school structures and policies by focusing on evidence-based mental health techniques and institutional design.   Visit the main page for more information on this series.  

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.     DESCRIPTION: Motivational interviewing is an evidence-based practice used to help people overcome their ambivalence about change. In this interactive, skills-based workshop, participants will have the opportunity to learn about and practice the spirit of MI and both the relational and technical skills.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Define and summarize the processes of focusing and evoking Identify different strategies for focusing and prepare to apply them to client interactions Define and recognize change talk, sustain talk, and discordance Differentiate between client cues of readiness, ambivalence, and discordance Construct effective responses to different client cues Design a plan for advancing individual MI skills   Prerequisite: Motivational Interviewing Level 1     SPEAKER: Laura A. Saunders, MSSW, is the Wisconsin State Project Manager for the Great Lakes Addiction, Mental Health and Prevention Technology Transfer Centers. Her position is housed at the UW–Madison, where she’s worked since 1988. Since 2001, Laura has provided SBIRT and Motivational Interviewing training to physicians, nurses, medical students, psychologists, specialty addiction treatment providers, social workers, physical therapists, health educators, and staff who work in correctional settings. She has provided feedback and coaching to hundreds of social workers, correctional staff, and other human service providers who are interested in using evidence-based practices with fidelity. Laura joined the international group of Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) in 2006 (Sophia, Bulgaria) and is an active member of the Wisconsin MINT group.     CONTINUING EDUCATION Participants who attend all three sessions in full will be eligible for 9 NAADAC Continuing Education hours. Note: partial credit will not be awarded.

This one hour panel meeting hosted by the University of Washington will discuss potential careers for those interested in the field of Social Work. ABOUT THIS EVENT Christina Clayton will present at this meeting about her experience as a social worker and as Co-Director of the Northwest MHTTC. PRESENTER Christina N. Clayton, LICSW, SUDP, Northwest MHTTC Co-Director Christina Clayton has been working in the behavioral health field since 1993 working with people and programs addressing severe mental health issues, substance use, co-occurring issues, chronic homelessness, integrated care, outreach, physical health, trauma and diversity/equity/inclusion topics. Christina has education and licenses/credentials in clinical social work, mental health and substance use.  She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor and Field Instructor for the University of Washington School of Social Work (MSW ’97).  

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2022 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. PT [Find your local time zone here] Session 1 of 3 in the "Fostering our Health Equity Literacy" training series (view series page for full details) What are CLAS standards and why should we adapt them to school mental health contexts? In our first session together, we will establish an understanding of how we can integrate CLAS into our school mental health programs to maximize our commitment to health equity. The CLAS Standards encompass a primary standard (“to provide effective, equitable, understandable, and respectful quality care and services that are responsive to diverse cultural health beliefs and practices, preferred languages, health literacy, and other communication needs”) and fourteen other standards categorized into three themes: 1) Governance, Leadership, and Workforce; 2) Communication and Language Assistance; and 3) Engagement, Continuous Improvement, and Accountability. These standards provide broad goals for ensuring cultural and linguistic appropriateness within the health care delivery system. Rarely are they translated from public health systems into school mental health and education contexts...until now! Join us as we explore how culture and language influence the delivery of mental health services in school settings and communities.     Fostering our Health Equity Literacy Exploring the CLAS Standards as a Blueprint for Education, Healthcare, and School Mental Health Systems Collaboration Session 1: November 29, 2022 An Introduction: How the National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services Standards (CLAS) Can Elevate Our School Mental Health Equity Commitments Session 2: December 6, 2022 A Deeper Dive into the CLAS Standards: Mapping Health Equity Literacy onto Our Education and School Mental Health Systems Session 3: December 13, 2022 Implementation and Sustainability: A CLAS Standards Learning Lab   LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TRAINING SERIES  

About the Community of Practice:  In a crisis, school mental health leaders help a school community build a collective coping system; navigate overwhelming situations; and stay attuned to how various members are activated by different events, experience shared events differently, and have varying recovery and renewal needs. And, this work can be incredibly overwhelming, lonely, and isolating. It doesn’t have to be though: our greatest source of support comes from creating space to resource ourselves, resource each other, and to then resource the school communities we lead.   Join the Southeast MHTTC for the first session in a three-part coaching series for school leaders. Facilitated by the School Crisis Recovery & Renewal project, we are offering three sessions to engage in self & collective reflection. The series is an extended learning opportunity following Parts 1-6 of the collective trauma webinar series; you do not need to have attended all the webinars to attend the CoP, though it is highly recommended. You can view parts 1-6 here.   What can you expect from these CoP sessions? Application of theory, interactive breakouts, peer coaching, and bringing the frameworks to life (including workshopping how to translate framework language like “healing” into the contexts and communities in which you lead).   Session Overview:  Session 1 offers a deeper exploration of what it means to move from crisis response into recovery and then into renewal as school leaders (including self-reflection: how do I know that I’m ready to shift from response to recovery to renewal?). This session also offers a deeper dive into the five concepts of renewal (coping, resilience, post traumatic growth theory, healing, and meaning making).   Session Objectives:  Enhance knowledge, skills and capacities related to school crisis recovery & renewal leadership  Identify 1-3 practices to begin or continue implementing that strengthen a trauma-informed crisis leadership approach   Register for additional sessions Session 2: 12/6 from 12:00 - 1:00pm here Session 3: 12/13 from 12:00 - 1:00pm here

The South Southwest MHTTC is pleased to partner with the Texas Education Agency and other state partners to host the 6th ABC Summit. This year’s theme is Integrating School Mental Health to Support the Whole Child and each day will highlight levels of tiered integrated student supports including universal, targeted, and intensive interventions.  The Summit will showcase best practices, shared insights and provide resources to advance school mental health.   We encourage participation from professionals working in education service centers, local education agencies, state agencies and community organizations who desire to support schools, learn from colleagues, and strengthen school mental health in Texas.  Download the flyer here.

  DESCRIPTION: Resiliency refers to the ability to withstand the stresses and strains of life and work and have a strong capacity for adaptation. Resilient people tend to display certain personality traits, but in addition have robust daily practices that keep them mentally and physically strong. This class explores the problem of chronic unremitting stress on our overactive and distracted brains and offers a set of different skill sets for robust mental health that can be learned and practiced by anyone.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Identify individual signs of stress and personal strengths Examine key areas of physical health and active relaxation skills Increase positive emotions and counter negative thinking Cultivate community for wellbeing     CONTINUING EDUCATION: Registrants who fully attend this training will be eligible to receive 2 continuing education (CE) hours certified by the Minnesota Board of Social Work and the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. 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.   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.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2022 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. PT [Find your local time zone here] Part 1 of 2 in the "Getting Grief-Ready at Work: A Starter Kit Workshop Series" (view series page for full details)   Part 1: Monday, November 28th, 2022 Grief Readiness: The Basics & How Grief Impacts our Workforce Self-reflection: How Grief Ready am I? Is my Team? Is my System? Approaching Grief Readiness with a Power Analysis: Cultural Sensitivity and Anti-Racism at Work Each session includes opportunities to engage in questions, discussion, and discourse with our faculty and each other.      About the Workshop Series The Pacific Southwest MHTTC team provides the mental health and school mental health workforces with evidence-based practices to inform their work in the field. In other words, we support those who are supporting, which in itself is an evidence-based approach. To address the need for evidence-based grief support in the mental health field, we published Fostering Grief Ready Workplaces: A Starter Kit for Mental Health and School Mental Health Leadership (March, 2022). This Starter Kit provides essential guidance so you and your organization can support a grieving workforce. This winter, join us to explore how school and school mental health leaders can utilize the Starter Kit in their own management, supervision, and leadership. For many, the winter holidays are a time when family and friends gather for celebration; as a result,it can be a particularly difficult time for those who are grieving, even if the death occurred more than a year prior. By exploring the Starter Kit, we can be ready and responsive, and help cultivate a grief-sensitive culture.   Part 1: November 28th, 2022 Part 2: December 5th, 2022 All workshops are from 3:30 - 5:00pm PT   LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS TRAINING SERIES  

November 28, 2022  1 PM | ET Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-up (ABC), to build resilience in families and communities for infants and toddlers between birth and 4 years of age. ABC is an evidenced-based home-visiting program that partners with parents to support young children exposed to early adversity.  Objectives: •Describe the Attachment and Biobehavioral Catch-Up home visiting program. •Understand how to balance maintaining fidelity to the model and culturally and linguistically responsive home visiting. •Develop an understanding of culturally responsive efforts to support Latino families and home visitors.   Speaker Marta Benito-Gomez is a Research Associate in the Families and Children Policy Area at MDRC. She closely collaborates with the Attachment & Biobehavioral Catch-Up (ABC) Program at the University of Delaware where she completed her Postdoctoral Fellowship. She received her doctoral and master’s degree in Human Development and Family Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of Santiago de Compostela (Spain). Dr. Benito-Gomez is a trainer and supervisor of the ABC Intervention and coordinates cultural adaptations of ABC to diverse contexts and efforts directed towards supporting bilingual parent coaches. She is interested in the dissemination, implementation, and cultural adaptation of evidence-based programs that support children and their families, in particular those from low-income communities facing multiple adversities.  

NOTE: This event is specifically for Washington State attendees who are part of the behavioral health workforce.   This session is part of the Co-occurring Disorders track of the Mental Health Institute. ABOUT THIS EVENT This session is composed of 2 modules: This module will focus on understanding the cognitive theory of co-occurring disorders, and will cover automatic negative thoughts and core negative beliefs. This module will focus on action stage CBT strategies for COD, including strategies for psychotic experience and addictions. Contact hours will be available for participants who attend the entire session. The University of Washington is an approved provider of continuing education for DOH licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, psychologists, chemical dependency professionals, nurses and physicians under the provisions of: WAC 246-809-610, WAC 246-809-620,WAC 246-811-200, WAC 246-840-210, WAC 246-919-460 and WAC 246-924-240. Session is 10a-3p PT See more in the Co-occurring Disorders Track HERE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE HERE FACILITATOR Jeffery Roskelley, LICSW Jeffery Roskelley is a licensed independent clinical social worker training and consulting for the SPIRIT (which stands for Supporting Psychosis Innovation through Research, Implementation and Training) Lab at the University of Washington. Jeff graduated from the University of Utah with a Masters of Social Work degree in 2008, and has worked in several different settings including hospice, as a co-occurring assessment specialist at the University of Utah and as a co-occurring specialist for the Lake Whatcom PACT team in Bellingham WA, where he currently resides. Jeff’s area of specialty is in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Psychosis and for Substance Use Disorder. Since 2013 he has been training Assertive Community Treatment Teams in WA state in co-occurring disorders treatment and cognitive behavioral techniques for severe mental illness. Jeff was trained and received consultation in CBTp with the original Washington state cohort in 2015, trained by Jennifer Gottlieb, PhD, from the Harvard Medical School and provided direct clinical CBTp counseling to clients at Sunrise Mental Health from 2015 to 2018, receiving supervision from Sarah Kopelovich, PhD, from the University of Washington. Currently, Jeff provides individual private counseling in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, addressing a wide range of clinical issues, ranging from anxiety and depression to obsessive compulsive disorder and psychosis. In addition, Jeff is a clinical supervisor for social workers. Finally, last but not least, Jeff is an ardent dog lover and a dabbler in chi gong.       VISIT THE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE MAIN PAGE    

NOTE: This event is specifically for Washington State attendees who are part of the behavioral health workforce.   This session is part of the Social Justice & Inclusion track of the Mental Health Institute. ABOUT THIS EVENT This session is offered in two parts and attendance at both parts is expected: Part 1: Co-researching Anti-oppressive Practices: Monday, November 28, 9:00am-1:00pm PT Part 2: Co-researching Anti-oppressive Practices: Thursday, December 1, 9:00am-1:00pm PT   Join Akansha and Poh for this workshop on articulating the ways anti-oppressive practices accompany us or can be invited more explicitly into our moment-by-moment practices. Catching the movement from broader ideas of social justice into tangible practices and know-how invites us to slow down and come close in describing the multiplicity that surrounds and travels through the conversations and exchanges we participate in. Slowing down is political, it resists exclusion or othering practices, it asks us to creatively seek out the pockets and windows in restrictive systems and ideas to co-create counter practices to the effects and consequences of injustices in ways that invite being seen on one’s own terms and heard in one’s own words. Contact hours will be available for participants who attend the entire session. The University of Washington is an approved provider of continuing education for DOH licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, psychologists, chemical dependency professionals, nurses and physicians under the provisions of: WAC 246-809-610, WAC 246-809-620,WAC 246-811-200, WAC 246-840-210, WAC 246-919-460 and WAC 246-924-240. See more in the Social Justice Track HERE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE HERE FACILITATORS Poh Lin Lee, Master of Narrative Therapy and Community Work Poh is a Chinese Malaysian Australian woman who comes to the practice through multiple experiences and relationships as a narrative therapy practitioner, social worker, co-researcher of trauma/displacement, writer, teacher, film protagonist and creative consultant. Since 2004 Poh has been engaged in therapeutic co-research with people and communities responding to themes of experience such as family and state violence, displacement (from rights, land, home, body, identity, relationships), liminality and reclaiming practices of staying with experience and preference. Creative and therapeutic fields intersected for Poh whilst working with people seeking asylum within a film project with director Gabrielle Brady, Island of the Hungry Ghosts (2018). Poh is currently on the teaching faculty of Dulwich Centre; the teaching faculty & Board of Re-authoring Teaching; honorary clinical fellow of the School of Social Work, University of Melbourne and a member of the International Advisory Committee of the Latin American Journal of Clinical Social Work. Poh is a sessional facilitator for KHM Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Germany; Dokomotive Collective Cologne, Germany; VCA Film and Television, Australia; Attagirl for female and non-binary filmmakers; DocX Archive Lab Duke University, North Carolina and The Flaherty, New York, USA.   Akansha Vaswani-Bye, PhD Akansha Vaswani Bye, PhD, is an Acting Assistant Professor in the SPIRIT Lab (stands for Supporting Psychosis Innovation through Research, Implementation and Training) at the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. She grew up in Mumbai and her first learnings as a professional came from individuals and families navigating developmental disabilities. Early in her career, she was introduced to the principles of family-centered care, early intervention, and community-based advocacy. Her interest in narrative practices and systemic change has been at the forefront as she moved into spaces as a researcher, clinician, consultant, and trainer. Her doctoral work focused on drivers of institutional corruption in psychiatry and solutions for reform, particularly the practice of deprescribing and rational prescribing grounded in informed consent. Her current research and implementation work is focused on supporting communities impacted by psychosis, building the family peer workforce, and developing and disseminating culturally responsive principles and practices. She is particularly interested in non-pathologizing interventions and interventions that account for the impact of structural and social determinants of health. Currently, her clinical work is located at the Madison Clinic, a primary care clinic for people living with HIV/AIDS.      VISIT THE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE MAIN PAGE    

Join the November session of Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance, a Tribal Behavioral Health ECHO. This session will be an open discussion forum to give feedback and help design the agenda topics for next year. There will be no continuing education credits available for this session.   This no-cost telehealth series. The concept of Native psychological brilliance will be highlighted through Native music videos and Native spoken word performances as part of each session of the Reclaiming Native Psychological Brilliance series. Be sure to join us 5 minutes early to enjoy the first selection of Native brilliance!    Who should attend? Tribal Nation health directors, clinic staff, counselors, social workers, physicians, nurses, Tribal Epidemiology Center staff, and anyone supporting Tribal Nation citizens through the health/behavioral health sector are welcome to join.   The session will be hosted by United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc. partnered with the Nashville Area Indian Health Services, New England MHTTC, and C4 Innovations with support from Northwest Portland Area Indian Health Board and Project ECHO. Faculty include: Holly Echo-Hawk, MSc, Senior Tribal Behavioral Health Advisor, New England MHTTC; Jennifer Downs, LCSW, Behavioral Health Consultant, Nashville Area Indian Health Service; Harry Brown, MD, Medical Epidemiologist, Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority and United South and Eastern Tribes, Inc.; Ken Kraybill, MSW, Senior Trainer, C4 Innovations; and Livia Davis, MSW, Chief Learning Officer, C4 Innovations.

This is Week 7 of our Mindful Monday- Experiential Practices to Develop Personal Resilience micro-training series. Event Description 12:00 - 12:30 p.m. MT / 1:00 - 1:30 p.m. CT This series will expand on the evidence-based practices that have been introduced in prior series. Participants will have the opportunity to review and practice mindfulness-based exercises, led by a facilitator. Each month will feature a mindfulness theme with supportive practices. Participants can register for and attend any number of sessions. The same link will be used for all sessions. Upon completion of your registration, you will receive the session link in a confirmation email.    November 21st- Somatic Experiences 2 Trainer Christina Ruggerio, Masters of Counseling Psychology, Registered Psychoterapist

This 90-minute collaborative session is for members of Native communities in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington State. The session is hosted by the Northwest MHTTC and the National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC.   DESCRIPTION This past summer, the Northwest MHTTC partnered with the National American Indian and Alaska Native MHTTC and several Native consultants to host four listening sessions with Native community members for each of the states in Region 10. Through these listening sessions, we hoped to:  Establish and/or deepen connections with Native communities, governments, agencies and leaders in our Region.  Understand Native-identified topics and priorities for mental health workforce training and technical assistance (TA).  Generate collaborations in Aug ‘22-Sept ‘23, honoring the strengths & priorities determined by Native communities.   We are so grateful to those of you who participated in these listening sessions and truly value the wisdom and insight you offered.     On November 21, we will hold a collaborative session with Native community members across Region 10 to discuss your ideas, identify your priorities and outline next steps in our collective work together. We welcome your participation whether or not you attended our previous listening sessions.   We hope to connect with any interested Native community members in Region 10 at this collaborative session. Please feel free to pass this on to anyone who may be interested in participating. If you cannot attend nor send a representative, we’d still much appreciate hearing from you and finding ways to collaborate. Please email [email protected] and someone from our team will get back to you. Thank you!

Join Vineeth John, MD, MBA to discuss creativity in medical education. Once considered the product of genius or divine inspiration, creativity--the ability to spot problems and devise smart solutions--is now recognized as a prized and teachable skill. Study of creativity is unfortunately not part of the formal curricular instruction in most academic healthcare settings. Creativity positively impacts clinical care, teaching effectiveness, and breakthroughs in research. However, time constraints, limited opportunities for fresh observations and emotional exhaustion seem to have restricted our ability to cultivate creativity in our chore-filled and task-oriented lives. Creativity thus becomes a valuable tool to mitigate the destructive impact of burnout in healthcare workers.   Dr. John is professor and vice chair for education in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School with UTHealth Houston. John is also the Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Section and is actively involved in various educational initiatives directed towards enhancing domain expertise among psychiatry residents. He received his medical training from Christian Medical College in Vellore, India, and completed his residency in general adult psychiatry at Tufts-New England Medical Center and fellowship in geriatric psychiatry at the University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Hospital. In addition, he holds an MBA from the University of Pittsburgh Katz School of Business. John has held positions of academic leadership at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, and University of Wisconsin School of Medicine. From 2010-2015, he directed the General Adult Psychiatry Residency Program in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at McGovern Medical School. Over the past decade, he has been studying the effect of disruptive styles of leadership in organizations and presenting his research at national and international conferences.

NOTE: This event is specifically for Washington State attendees who are part of the behavioral health workforce.   This session is part of the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) track of the Mental Health Institute. ABOUT THIS EVENT Behavioral activation is an important component of cognitive behavioral therapy, especially in the treatment of depression. Increasing insight into the impact behaviors can have on emotions is a key tool clinicians can use in helping clients gain more control over their mental health. This training will provide participants with psychoeducation about depression, behavioral activation, and its application with the IDD population. Contact hours will be available for participants who attend the entire session. The University of Washington is an approved provider of continuing education for DOH licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, psychologists, chemical dependency professionals, nurses and physicians under the provisions of: WAC 246-809-610, WAC 246-809-620,WAC 246-811-200, WAC 246-840-210, WAC 246-919-460 and WAC 246-924-240. Session is 11a-1p PT See more in the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) Track HERE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE HERE FACILITATORS Dave Oneal, MS, LMHC, MHP Dave has been working with individuals with Intellectual and developmental disabilities and their systems of support for the last 33 years. He is currently the Director of IDD Services at Sound Health serving King, Pierce, and Snohomish Counties, a Strong Minds Clinical Director with Special Olympics of WA, and a Project Facilitator and trainer for the National Center for START Services and he still learns something new every day.       Tariq Karmy-Jones Tariq, age 24 is an autistic self-advocate who resides in Vancouver, Washington, with his parents and a menagerie of farm animals. Tariq is non-speaking and is able to communicate using assistive technology. Tariq graduated from high school in 2017 and went on to attend Clark College and receive a year’s worth of credit towards his Associates degree. Tariq serves as a HUB team member on the Autism Resource Navigation ECHO Project, providing valuable insight for the hundreds of participants from across Washington State. Tariq offers the world a rare glimpse into the mind of an autistic person, without intellectual impairment, who is non-speaking but is able to share his perspectives and lived experiences growing up autistic.  Tariq speaks eloquently about his involvement with therapies, public school, medications, meltdowns, struggles, skills, triumphs, and the complex emotions he’s experienced over the years.   Morgan Joe Tariq will be accompanied by his long-time support person and now close friend, Morgan, who Tariq refers to as his brother. Morgan started his position with Tariq to address struggles Tariq faced due to an often overwhelming world.  The two have moved beyond sensory overload and now the focus on supporting goals determined by Tariq which include life skills that allow Tariq as much independence as possible; routine, hygiene, chores, medical appointments, finances, exercise, recreation, community participation and many other aspects of life that accompany the responsibilities and joys of being an adult. Morgan and Tariq share a close bond made from years of hard work, respect, fun, and high expectations for one another.        Molly Cevasco, PhD Molly Cevasco, PhD, BCBA, is a clinical psychologist at Seattle Children’s Hospital. She works primarily within the Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) program at Seattle Children’s, providing therapeutic services in both the outpatient and intensive outpatient programs. Dr. Cevasco is leading the development of a Spanish-language DBT program at Seattle Children’s and works to reduce healthcare inequities and institutional racism. She also specializes in the treatment of trauma in children and teens with autism and intellectual disabilities. Dr. Cevasco also serves as faculty in the Master of Arts in Applied Child and Adolescent Psychology program at the University of Washington.     Marie Loeb, MSW, LICSW, LMHC, CMHS, DMHS  Marie Loeb, LICSW, LMHC, CMHS, DMHS, (she/they) is an Autistic, queer, polyamorous Clinical Social Worker who is committed to serving their community through direct practice, training, and advocating for policy change. Marie is the owner of Holistic Child and Family Practice where she works with individuals and families, is a practicum instructor for the University of Washington School of Social Work, supervises clinicians in and out of the practice, and works to build community through no cost neurodiversity-affirming consult groups and trainings. Holistic Child and Family Practice has a staff that is exclusively neurodivergent, and within this environment Marie developed a new modality, Empathetic Inquiry, which is a strengths-based approach where the client is centered as the expert of their own experience and utilizes the natural hyperempathetic talents of neurodivergent providers.   Jim Mancini, MS, CCC-SLP Jim Mancini, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist with over 20 years of experience working with patients with intellectual and developmental disabilities/autism and their families. He is currently the Director of the WA INCLUDE Collaborative, manages ECHO programs at the University of Washington and leads the Washington State Center of Excellence (COE) training program. He has special interest in diagnosis of autism and other developmental disabilities, building community through building relationships, parent and provider education and health equity for underserved communities. Jim loves gardening, backpacking and other outdoor adventures, music and spending time with his family.   Alana McVey, PhD Alana McVey, PhD, is a Postdoctoral Scholar jointly appointed at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Autism Center. Clinically, she provides evidence-based treatment of mental health concerns to autistic children, adolescents, and adults through the Autism Center's Mood and Anxiety Program. Dr. McVey's program of research centers on the redesign and implementation of evidence-based mental health treatments for autistic people in community settings. Her current project, funded by the Autism Intervention Network on Physical Health (AIR-P), is focused on redesigning Dialectical Behavior Therapy to treat suicidality in autistic young adults.       VISIT THE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE MAIN PAGE    

NOTE: This event is specifically for Washington State attendees who are part of the behavioral health workforce.   This session is part of the Social Justice & Inclusion track of the Mental Health Institute. ABOUT THIS EVENT Participants will be exposed to a decolonial perspective advanced by activists from Abya Yala (Latin America). Decolonial key concepts will be explored with an interest in the understanding of the role that healthcare practitioners play in advancing decolonial projects within the context of the mental health care system. Explorations on how, as practitioners, we are influenced by colonial power will be an introductory step to the decolonization of mental health services to construct alternatives of healing. Capitalism, Eurocentrism, Race and Gender, and the control of authority will be discussed. Contact hours will be available for participants who attend the entire session. The University of Washington is an approved provider of continuing education for DOH licensed social workers, licensed mental health counselors, licensed marriage and family therapists, psychologists, chemical dependency professionals, nurses and physicians under the provisions of: WAC 246-809-610, WAC 246-809-620,WAC 246-811-200, WAC 246-840-210, WAC 246-919-460 and WAC 246-924-240. Session is 9a-3p PT See more in the Social Justice Track HERE LEARN MORE ABOUT THE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE HERE FACILITATOR marcela polanco, PhD I was born in unceded and exploited territories of the Muisca indigenous communities. These territories became part of the Nation-State of what we now call Colombia. From the colonial system of social categorization of humanity and identities in modernity, my body is racially marked as a brown cis woman, middle class, heterosexual, able bodied, with no religious affiliations yet educated in the Colombian discriminatory, private, and Catholic schooling system. My ancestry is Southern European by colonization; as well as Muisca, Pijao, and Black (although, I know very little or nothing at all of my non-European ancestry due to the historical genocide since colonial times). I speak two imperial languages, Español Colombiano or Colombian Spanish; and 20 years-old U.S. Immigrant English. During my immigration experience here in the U.S. I came to learn to speak borderland Spanglish/Ingleñol. I live an advantageous urban life—financially unaffected by the pandemic– I live in unceded territories of the Kumeyaay peoples in San Diego, California. I actively participate in, hence sustain Eurocentric capitalist systems. My earnings come from institutional systems of power that are dedicated to the legitimation of the production of knowledge in standard English, through patriarchal science, and racialized professional education. I am part of a profession that abides singularly to Western systems of power that perpetuate relationality within the ideas of marriage, family, and therapy. I hold the MFT license in three states: California, Texas, and Florida. I am part of the faculty team of San Diego State University’s master’s program and Spanglish certificate in the same profession. I profit financially from my scholarly agenda on decoloniality and social justice that seeks to critique the very same racists and capitalist systems that my livelihood depends on. My name is marcela polanco. [lowercase is intentional.]     VISIT THE MENTAL HEALTH INSTITUTE MAIN PAGE      

  DESCRIPTION: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors can be experienced by anyone but are more likely by people with mental health concerns. People who work with or care for vulnerable populations will likely encounter individuals talking about suicide and suicidal ideation, and it is important to project calm and poise at these times. This class aims to improve comfort and skill levels with this difficult and emotional topic by exploring and practicing assessment protocols and conversation dynamics.     LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Identify common signs of suicidal thoughts in adults, adolescents, and children Approach a conversation about suicide in a calm, focused manner Introduce the 4-point protocol questions Explain how suicide risk assessment tools work and when mental health professionals use them     CONTINUING EDUCATION: Registrants who fully attend this training will be eligible to receive 2 continuing education (CE) hours certified by the Minnesota Board of Social Work and the Minnesota Board of Behavioral Health and Therapy. CE certificates are provided by People Incorporated Training Institute.     PRESENTER:   Russ Turner, MA, Director of the People Incorporated Training Institute   During Russ’s 16-year tenure, he has written and taught thousands of hours of person-centered curriculum to help people become more effective helpers, communicators, and leaders. His audience includes workers and leaders across a wide range of organizations from human services, healthcare, and libraries, to law enforcement and corrections. He trains trainers, works with management, and has consulted and coached on training projects across multiple sectors of the economy. He has worked as an educator for three decades in a variety of countries and settings including Japan, the Czech Republic, and the UK. His teaching philosophy is that adults learn best when they are challenged, the material is applicable to work situations, and sessions are interactive and engaging.       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.