Past Events

  Wednesday January 12th | 1:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. MT Event Description It is estimated that one in five youth will suffer from some type of mental health disorder by age 18. Anxiety is one of the most common mental health disorders, affecting 31.9% of youth (Merikangas, 2010). The COVID-19 pandemic has affected more than 75% of caregivers and have disproportionately affected people of color (American Psychological Association, 2021). This training will provide resources to school professionals on identifying anxiety in youth and provide strategies to address worry in youth around transitioning back to school. We will also provide free resources to help in the identification and treatment of anxiety disorders. An important emphasis will focus on culturally adaptive anxiety and how to best meet youth needs.    Objectives 1. Consider the impact of COVID-19 on youth and caregiver mental health. 2. Identify signs of anxiety in students transitioning back to school during COVID-19. 3. Provide practical tips to assessing and addressing anxiety. 4. Distinguish clinical anxiety from worry in youth. 5. Address development and cultural adaptations to anxiety treatment. Trainer Kelsie Okamura, PhD               College of Liberal Arts - Department of Psychology B.A. in Psychology with Honors - University of Hawai’i at Mānoa M.A. in Psychology - University of Hawai’i at Mānoa Ph.D. in Psychology - University of Hawai’i at Mānoa   Dr. Kelsie H. Okamura is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and an Assistant Professor at Hawai’i Pacific University in the Department of Psychology. She received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from the University of Hawai’i at Mānoa and completed her predoctoral internship at I Ola Lāhui Rural Hawai’i Behavioral Health and postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Mental Health. Dr. Okamura’s research focuses on the dissemination and implementation of evidence-based innovations in youth behavioral health, psychometrics, measurement development, and youth internalizing psychopathology. Her research has been funded by the American Psychological Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. She works closely with the Hawai’i State Department of Health Child and Adolescent Mental Health Division, where she received valuable clinical training and quality improvement initiative experiences. Clinically, she is trained in modular cognitive behavioral therapy, measurement-based care, health psychology, primary care, and specializes in anxiety disorders for youth. She has trained providers in the Departments of Health and Education since 2010 and has taught Psychology courses for the University of Hawai’i at the undergraduate and graduate level. Dr. Okamura is passionate about improving the lives of youth and families suffering from behavioral health disorders by creating innovations to synthesize knowledge. In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her three children and playing soccer.

The clinical high-risk state for psychosis syndrome (CHR) offers substantial potential benefits in identifying and treating at-risk youth at the earliest signs of psychosis. Early treatment might lead to decreased symptoms, thus reducing stigma related to symptoms. However, stigma of the CHR state for psychosis designation could initiate further stigma through the label of risk for psychosis among identified young people. Dr. Yang and his colleagues studied 170 CHR state for psychosis individuals in a major, NIH-funded longitudinal study at 3 US centres from 2012 to 2017. Labeling-related measures of stigma (e.g., “shame of being identified as at psychosis-risk”) adapted to the CHR group, and a parallel measure of symptom-related stigma (e.g., “shame of the symptoms associated with CHR”) were administered. These measures were examined in relation to outcomes such as self-esteem, quality of life, social functioning and loss of social networks. The conventional wisdom was confirmed that stigma related to symptoms was somewhat more strongly associated with most outcomes when compared with stigma related to the risk-label. Stigma related to symptoms remained a significant predictor of self-esteem, quality of life, and social network loss even after accounting for stigma related to the risk-label and the effects of covariates. Yet stigma related to the risk-label was still associated with several outcomes once we factored in stigma related to symptoms.   This lecture will place this study in the context of the knowns of stigma research. Specifically, this study’s findings indicate that CHR services should address stigma associated with symptoms quickly at first identification, given their negative impacts on outcomes. Dr. Yang will lead a discussion on how we might integrate best evidence into designing services for young people who may develop psychosis.   Presenter:  Dr. Lawrence Yang is Vice Chair and Associate Professor of the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences at NYU- School of Global Public Health. Dr. Yang also is Founding Director of the Global Mental Health and Stigma Program where he administers a generous donor gift from the Li Ka Shing Foundation, and is Associate Director for the University-Wide Global Center for Implementation Science at NYU. He is also an Adjunct Associate Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University. Dr. Yang received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Boston University and completed his clinical training at Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts Mental Health Center. He received a T32 NIMH-sponsored post-doctoral fellowship at Columbia University in psychiatric epidemiology. Dr. Yang’s research focuses on two main areas: 1) Global Mental Health, Implementation Science and Stigma; and 2) Cognition of Untreated Psychosis. Dr. Yang is currently PI of two separate R01’s and a 3-year Supplement in China, which seek to examine the cognition in the ‘natural state’ of psychosis in a large untreated, community sample of individuals with psychosis (n=400), who have not yet received any antipsychotic medications, compared with a treated sample (n=400) and healthy controls (n=400) in China. He also is PI of a third R01 implementing task sharing measures for global mental health which seeks to validate a newly-developed multi-dimensional measure that enables rapid assessment of modifiable critical factors that affect the implementation of task sharing mental health strategies. In his presentation, Dr. Yang (PI) will describe results from a recently-completed 5-year NIMH R01 grant examining the stigma associated with the "clinical high risk state for psychosis" designation, a potentially transformative new syndrome to detect psychotic signs before symptoms develop into a full psychotic disorder. Dr. Yang has over 125 peer-reviewed publications, including publications in the JAMA Psychiatry, British Journal of Psychiatry and The Lancet. Dr. Yang has received seven national awards, most recently the 2021 Maltz Prize for Innovative and Promising Schizophrenia Research from the Brain and Behavioral Research Foundation, for his work.      

Description:  The onset of psychosis (e.g., schizophrenia-spectrum symptoms) typically occurs during adolescence and young adulthood. Before developing a psychotic disorder, a number of youth present with psychotic-like experiences that cause distress or impact functioning but do not meet the diagnostic criteria for a full psychotic episode. These youth may fall under an umbrella of "psychosis-risk" (also known as "clinical high risk for psychosis") and be at a heightened risk of developing a psychotic disorder or other mental health conditions. Worldwide efforts are underway to identify youth at psychosis-risk and there is evidence that early intervention can improve mental health and functional outcomes for this group. This webinar will provide an introduction to the psychosis-risk period and broader psychosis spectrum, including discussion on the diversity of clinical presentations, screening/assessment tools and cultural considerations, evidence-based treatments, and specialized programs you can consult with and refer to. Download Flyer   Presenter: Joseph DeLuca, Ph.D., is an NIMH-T32 Postdoctoral Fellow at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City, specializing in psychosis-risk and the early stages of psychosis. He earned his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology at the City University of New York Graduate Center and completed his predoctoral internship at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. Dr. DeLuca’s research and clinical interests include screening and treatment for psychosis-spectrum symptoms, particularly with youth and families, as well as stigma, the role of culture and context in psychosis, and the intersection of mental illness and the criminal justice system.   Learning Objectives: Define psychosis-risk Describe the psychosis spectrum List two common psychosis-risk screening tools, as well as cultural considerations Describe psychosis-risk evidence-based treatment Identify specialized psychosis-risk programs   Who Should Attend? Mental health professionals, school teachers/staff, mental health advocates, mental health graduate students, and others who work with/on behalf of youth diagnosed with mental illness.   Certificates of attendance will be available to viewers of 50% (45 minutes) or more of the live webinar (via email within 30 business days post-event). CEUs are not offered for this session. The webinar slide presentation and recording will be posted to the website.

The Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) Training and Learning Cohort will train thirty (30) licensed clinicians over a two day training. This cohort will receive ongoing bimonthly coaching and consultation by their trainers February 2022-June 2022. Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) is a skills-based, group intervention that is aimed at relieving symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, and general anxiety among children exposed to trauma. Children learn skills in relaxation, challenging upsetting thoughts, and social problem solving, and children work on processing traumatic memories and grief. These skills are learned through the use of drawings and through talking in both individual and group settings. Between sessions, children complete assignments and participate in activities that reinforce the skills they’ve learned. CBITS also includes parent and teacher education sessions. The CBITS program has been used most commonly for children in grades six to nine (ages 10 to 15) who have experienced events such as witnessing or being a victim of violence, being in a natural or man-made disaster, being in an accident or house fire, or being physically abused/injured, and who are suffering from moderate to severe levels of PTSD symptoms.

3:15 pm - 5:15 pm PT Session 1 of 4 in the "New Year, New Approaches to Anxiety" Learning Series (view series page) Note that while you do not need to attend all four, it is highly encouraged to at least attend the first session and build learning thereafter.   Goals Understand anxiety and the stress response; review the physiological framework for how stress and trauma affect the body, mind, and emotions Invite self-reflection on how we are impacted by stress and anxiety Learn somatic tools to get present in the body and release stress and anxiety   About the Learning Series Anxiety impacts all of us and is rooted in many layers of our being: it is physical, psychological, relational, and existential. In this series of workshops for school and the general mental health workforce, Hala Khouri, author, facilitator, and practitioner, will offer a physiological and socio-political framework for anxiety and trauma to support us as we enter a new year. In this series, Hala will share tools and practices to transform our stress and anxiety and build capacity for self and collective care and resilience. “New Year, New Approaches to Anxiety” Learning Series will address and explore:   Building a culture at work (and home) that values wellbeing Having tools to manage and release stress and anxiety Feeling less overwhelmed and more grounded and inspired Cultivating relationships that are healthy and connected Engaging with the world in a way that reflects your values Building capacity for self and collective care and resilience Finding joy amidst the chaos   Who is this series for? This series is offered to school and mental health providers in the Pacific Southwest (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and U.S. Pacific Islands of American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau); this series is open to other providers outside of our region.  State leadership (e.g., departments of education, child services, behavioral health) District, county, and local behavioral health and education leadership Professional behavioral and school mental health associations (e.g., associations for psychologists/school psychologists, counselors/school counselors, nurses/school nurses, community and school-based health centers Community-based organizations that provide mental health services > More about the learning series   Who is the faculty for this series?  Hala Khouri, M.A., trains direct service providers and educators on how to be trauma-informed with their students and clients. Believing that oppressive systems harm all of us, even those who benefit, Hala has a private practice for individuals and couples. She also works with A Thousand Joys training direct service providers and educators to be trauma-informed and culturally responsive. The focus of both her clinical and group work has been trauma- personal, interpersonal, and systemic.  She brings her decade of clinical experience combined with her experience as a facilitator of group processes for over 15 years. As a Lebanese immigrant in a multi-racial marriage who also gets white skin privilege, Hala is able to be a bridge in the work of equity and inclusion with diverse groups. Hala is known for her compassionate yet straightforward style of facilitation which invites people to grapple with the often charged topics of diversity, inclusivity, justice, and oppression. She knows that none of us individually created these harmful systems, but it’s up to all of us to shift them and create a new paradigm that embraces and celebrates everyone.  Hala earned her B.A. in Psychology from Columbia University and an M.A. in Counseling Psychology and an M.A. in Community Psychology with an emphasis in Liberation Studies and Social Justice from Pacifica Graduate Institute. Hala is trained in Somatic Experiencing, a body-based psychotherapy that helps resolve trauma and its symptoms. She lives in Venice, California with her husband and two sons and teaches yoga classes weekly.  Listen to Hala on this podcast episode: EP 129: Healing Individually and Collectively - Nervous System Awareness in Social Justice Activism with Hala Khouri    

What is this? Our region is excited to host the three-part Region 9 Comprehensive School Mental Health Champion (CSMHC) Learning Collaborative that connects educators, practice partners, district and county leaders, and researchers across the education and school mental health pipeline to co-create and execute evidence-based strategic plans that equitably advance comprehensive school mental health practices and policies.   Why? To advocate for and increase effective school-based mental health best-practices in the Pacific Southwest region, using the National School Mental Health (NSMH) curriculum modules and Classroom WISE content.     Who can participate? School mental health champions in the Pacific Southwest region (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and U.S. Pacific Islands of American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau) Teams of 2-4 people to participate: School District/County Leaders (e.g., Superintendent, School Board) & School Administrators (e.g., Principal, Assistant Principal), school site leaders (instructional coaches, MTSS teams) District Mental Health Director or Student Services Supervisor (e.g., Director of Student Services, District Supervisor School Psychologists/Social Workers/Counselors Community Behavioral Health Agency Supervisor/Director (e.g., Clinical Director of an agency that provides school-based services in the district) Youth/Family Advocate or Consumer We’ll accept individual applicants by exception.    What to expect during Part 1 of this collaborative? Together as teams, we’ll explore the National School Mental Health Implementation Guidance Modules’ outcomes, content, and resources. The Implementation Guidance Modules are intended to be used by district teams to influence, develop, and oversee school mental health systems at the school district- and building-levels. Whether it’s your first year working to build comprehensive school mental health systems or your fifth, the development, and implementation of comprehensive school mental health systems are rich, complex, and always digested better through dialogue and reflections around how your teams are working to implement the guidance on your campus. The School Mental Health Guidance Modules are intended to be used by district teams to develop comprehensive school mental health systems at the school district- and building-levels. Together, we’ll explore the National School Mental Health Implementation Guidance Modules’ outcomes, content, and resources. Note: You can participate in Part 1 and not join us for Part 2 or 3.   Part 1: Exploring the National School Mental Health Implementation Guidance Modules Please note that the following sessions are mandatory: Welcome & Prientation Integration & Planning Implementation At least four of the six main sessions   You can participate in Part 1 and not join us for Part 2 or 3.   Welcome & Orientation: January 11, 2022 at 3:00 - 4:00 pm PT Impact: January 19, 2022 at 3:00 - 5:00 pm PT Foundations of School Mental Health: January 20, 2022 at 3:00 - 5:00 pm PT Needs Assessments, Resource Mapping & Teaming: January 26, 2022, at 3:00 - 5:00 pm PT Tier 1: January 27, 2022 at 3:00 -5:00 pm PT Tiers 2 & 3: February 2, 2022 at 3:00 - 5:00 pm PT Funding & Sustainability: February 3, 2022 at 3:00 - 5:00 pm PT Integration & Planning Implementation: February 10, 2022 at 3:00 - 5:00 pm PT   Resources to Learn More about the Focused Content of the Region 9 CSMHC Learning Collaborative     Part 1: National School Mental Health Implementation Guidance Modules National School Mental Health Implementation Guidance Modules and Related Projects  National School Mental Health Best Practices: Implementation Guidance Module Index  School Mental Health Best Practices 'Always and Now" Learning Series (Spring 2021)   Part 2: Classroom WISE Classroom WISE Information Session  Classroom WISE      Faculty Main faculty for Part 1: Leora Wolf-Prusan & Angela Castellanos (with supporting trainers) Main faculty for Part 2: Angela Castellanos (with supporting trainers) Main faculty for Part 3: Leora Wolf-Prusan (with supporting trainers)   Angela Castellanos, PPSC, LCSW Angela J. Castellanos (she/hers) serves as a School Mental Health Training Specialist for the Pacific Southwest (Region 9) Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC), housed at the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS). Angela is an experienced mental health consultant and administrator with 25+ years of diverse and progressive expertise in the mental health care industry and school settings. As a licensed clinical social worker, she specializes in administering school mental health programs; mentoring industry professionals (local, state, and federal); and developing and teaching best practices in the area of Trauma, Suicide Prevention, Crisis Response and Recovery, and School Mental Health. As a direct practitioner, Angela has developed programs and services for newcomers in a school district setting.  Internationally, she has provided trauma-based work in El Salvador.       Heidi Cisneros, PPSC, MSW Heidi Cisneros has served in various leadership roles establishing new policy and practices in systems impacting student mental health and suicide prevention and intervention. For over 25 years, she has provided trainings on suicide and mental health trends, connecting with GenZ, school safety, school-based services, and crisis response on a local and national level. She has transformed programs and established cutting edge practices in the development of effective suicide prevention campaigns, threat management, new school based mental health systems and community-school partnerships. Currently, Heidi serves as a Student Safety Advocate, specializing in prevention and response to child sexual assault for Alliance of Schools for Cooperative Insurance Programs (ASCIP).     Leora Wolf-Prusan, EdD Leora Wolf-Prusan (she/hers) is the School Mental Health Field Director for the Pacific Southwest (Region 9) Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC), housed at the Center for Applied Research Solutions (CARS). She provides consulting and training around issues related to trauma-informed and resilience-oriented leadership, organizational and school climate and positive youth development, provider mental health and wellness, grief in the workplace, and anti-racism and health, among much more.  Wolf-Prusan leads CARS’ school mental health teaching and learning portfolio, also serving as the Project Director for the NCTSN Category II School Crisis Recovery & Renewal project in addition to many other facilitation projects. Previous roles include a national field director of a SAMHSA initiative (Resilience in Communities after Stress & Trauma), technical assistance for the Student Mental Health Program for California’s Community Colleges, CalWorks and more.  She received a BA in international relations and a BA in Spanish with a minor in Social & Ethnic Relations from the University of California, Davis; a teaching credential from Mills College; and an EdD in educational leadership from the University of California, Los Angeles.

Session Description: Helping professionals, such as counselors, teachers, and health professionals, are critically important to the workforce, yet we are also at great risk for helping others more than we help ourselves! In this 6 part series, we invite YOU to sit down, take a breath, replenish yourself and restore by considering strategies to help you flourish. Together, we’ll explore the importance of making our own well-being a priority, think about our work/life balance, remember our purpose, take actions to flourish, and use our strengths within a framework of healthy positivity. This 6-week collection (webinar and podcast series) will be led by experts in supporting personal recovery, wellness, and positive psychology with practical approaches that build up to a comprehensive flourishing plan. Join us for this series designed to support your flourishing. Your one-time registration will automatically enroll you in all 6 sessions of this series. Presenter:  Michelle Zechner, PhD, MSW, LSW, CPRP, Assistant Professor at Rutgers, Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Programs, has focused her career on the promotion of health and wellness for people with mental health conditions, their families, and the staff who support them for over 25 years. She has worked in a variety of settings including: academia, outpatient mental health programs, family advocacy organization, psychiatric hospitals, nursing homes, and training services. She conducts research, teaches and mentors students, and consults with state psychiatric hospitals on the implementation of evidence-based mental health practices. She is also involved in family advocacy in New Jersey.

About the Event:  Climate crisis is a major social determinant of health and mental health. Psychiatric conditions and other mental health impacts often emerge from and/or are affected by climate crisis. Building community resilience is a key component in the public mental health effort to address the health risks associated with climate crisis. Mental health professionals can play a role in speaking out about these threats, advocate for rational policies to address the threats to health posed by climate crisis, and facilitate recovery from the immediate and longer term climate crisis related disasters.    Learning Objectives:  1. Recognize the reality of the climate crisis and its impact on health. 2.Recognize immediate and urgent mental health and public health impacts of climate crisis.  3.Recognize ethical and public health duties for mental health professionals to speak out about these threats and to advocate for rational policies to address the threats to health posed by climate crisis. 4. Understand roles that mental health professionals can perform in facilitating recovery from immediate and longer term climate crisis related disasters. 5. Become aware of available resources to facilitate such public health and mental health activities.   About the Presenter:  David Pollack, M.D., is Professor Emeritus for Public Policy in the department of Psychiatry at Oregon Health and  Science University (OHSU). His activities include teaching, writing, and consulting on policy, systems, and health care leadership issues for local, state, and national organizations. Dr. Pollack worked as a community and public psychiatrist in Oregon through his entire career. He was a pivotal participant in Oregon’s pioneering health reform efforts. Since retiring from his academic activities at OHSU in 2018, he has primarily dedicated his post-retirement professional time to the public health and mental health impacts of the climate crisis. He is a founding member of the Climate Psychiatry Alliance and has been pivotal in many of the climate related policy and educational initiatives conducted through the American Psychiatric Association and other health related organizations.

This series of six meetings will promote further peer-to-peer learning and collaboration among Region 6 Employment and Education providers in community mental health settings who want to better engage and support the career development of young adults with serious mental health needs. Each learning collaborative will cover a topic that is critical for engagement and career development; an activity; and a discussion facilitated by trainers with lots of real-world vocational and community mental health experience.

These no-cost, virtual meetings offer you the opportunity to collaborate with other First Episode Psychosis (FEP) and Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) team Peer Supports and Family Partners in a supportive, mentoring environment. This is 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!

The New England MHTTC's School Mental Health Initiative is excited to announce our Healthcare workers and Educators Addressing and Reducing Trauma (HEART) Webinar Series and Community of Practice!   Educators, healthcare workers, mental and behavioral health providers, and staff of community-based organizations are invited to monthly webinars and peer support hours about: Building and Maintaining a Comprehensive School Mental Health System Effective Collaborations Funding and Logistics Stakeholder Voice, Engagement, and Advocacy Equity Considerations   Earn up to 5 hours of CEUs for this 5-month series!   1st Thursday: Evidence-based Practices to Enhance Efficacy In these 60-minute sessions, experts in education, mental health, and healthcare from New England will share the evidence-based practices they have used to forge and maintain successful collaborations around comprehensive school mental health systems.   3rd Thursday: Peer Support Hours to Learn from One Another and Receive Technical Assistance For these 60-minute sessions, members of the community of practice are invited to share their own experiences around the month's topic and ask questions about specific challenges.     See the full HEART Webinar Series and Community of Practice schedule here.    

The Adult Resilience Curriculum (ARC) for Educators is a tried and tested model for helping educators and their organizations overcome barriers to well-being. You’ve seen the curriculum in action in the Mid-America MHTTC’s popular series Well-Being Wednesdays: Taking Care of Educators Who Take Care of Kids and across all of our well-being programming. It has yielded numerous requests for training and technical assistance from schools and districts across the country. Now, you can take the curriculum back to your school. The ARC for Educators: A Training of Trainers series is intended for school, district, educational agency, or state-level teams interested in implementing the ARC for Educator framework within their schools or districts. The series will: Provide an overview and foundation of the ARC for Educators framework; Introduce trainers to the materials for both the core and supplemental skills; and Provide time for implementation planning.

SERIES DESCRIPTION Central East MHTTC in collaboration with the National Center for School Mental Health is pleased to offer a school mental health webinar series with a focus on advancing high quality, sustainable school mental health from a multi-tiered system of support, trauma sensitive, and culturally responsive and equitable lens. To familiarize yourself with the foundations of school mental health, please review the school mental health guidance document.   OBJECTIVES Gain increased awareness of high quality, sustainable multi-tiered system of school mental health supports and services Support trauma-informed systems in schools Discover the impacts of social determinants of health on student academic and social-emotional-behavioral success Learn to provide more culturally responsive and equitable services and supports Hear perspectives on school mental health from school, district and state levels Obtain insight into how youth, families, schools and communities can best work together to address student mental health needs   WHO SHOULD ATTEND? Educators, Administrators, Health and Behavioral Health Care Professionals, Policymakers and Advocates, Child-Serving Agency Staff  

Mindful Movement is a 30 minute meditation space for individuals to ground themselves, release any built up tension, prepare for the week ahead, etc..   1:00-1:30pm CT Tuesdays   It will be led by Victoria Marie, Wáčhiŋhiŋ Máza Wíŋyaŋ (Iron Plume Woman) (https://indigenouslotus.com/about) and is for all school personnel to attend and benefit from.   The sessions will be recorded and can later be used for teachers to use as a resource whenever needed.   Questions? [email protected]  

This presentation is an introduction to integrated behavioral health in primary care for pediatric residents. The benefits, format, and research supporting integrated care will be presented through an exemplar program in Nebraska. 

This three-part webinar series in collaboration with UnitedHealthcare is intended to educate UnitedHealthcare paneled providers on topics related to integrating behavioral health into pediatric primary care. The series will cover general aspects of pediatric integrated primary care as well as more focused topics in pediatric integrated primary care including management of ADHD and practice considerations. Measurement-based care (MBC), also known as routine outcome monitoring, is a systematic and ongoing ‘assessment as intervention’ practice. There are four critical aspects of MBC: patients regularly complete outcome measures, clinicians view resulting interpreted results as feedback, the feedback influences clinical decision-making, and is shared in sessions with the patient. Several systematic reviews and meta-analyses support MBC as an evidence-based practice for treatment effectiveness (improved outcomes) and efficiency (fewer dropouts, less time to treatment response). This presentation will provide an introduction to MBC as a valuable tool for patient engagement and clinical decision support. Examples will span a variety of settings and populations including youth mental health and integrated care.

The effects of anxiety on students Is a major issue in the United States today. In this webinar we will explore some of the major issues surrounding this topic. LEARNING OBJECTIVES:  1. Defined the school as connective tissue, exploring what has been permanently lost due to COVID-19, what is healing and where there has been unanticipated growth. 2. Examined children’s unique vulnerability to chronic stress and range of responses to the stress. 3. Critiqued the system and its effects on children who sit entrapped in it. 4. Defined and examined how consistency can be rebuilt. 5. Explored factors of student satisfaction. 6. Named the roles and responsibilities of adults in creating safety for children and helping develop their polyvagal brake. 7. Anticipated what to expect in terms of student learning this school year.   SPEAKER:        Erin Leraris has formal training in education, earning a master’s in school leadership from Concordia University as well as a graduate level certificate in Applied Educational Neuroscience from Butler University. Although she has worked in public, private and charter schools, she has long been a public-school advocate. Erin's advocacy work shows up as "Invest in Teachers; Not Tests." Erin has worked as a teacher, teacher's coach and substitute teacher, and created Cultivating Climate in which she blends knowledge of social-emotional learning and neuroscience with anti-racism curriculum. Erin has three children -- a senior at Xavier University, a junior at Virginia Commonwealth University and a sophomore at Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis.  

Context Clues: Using Social Determinants of Health (SDOH) to Enhance Treatment, a monthly training series co-developed by the Mid-America MHTTC and Aetna Better Health of Kansas, will provide health care providers and other interested parties the tools they need to identify social determinants of health and strategies for addressing them. Attendees will learn how economic stability, education access and quality, health care access and quality, neighborhood and environmental factors, and social and community context affect patients’ health and quality-of-life outcomes. A certificate for one contact hour will be provided upon completion of each session.

Description: Mental illness and substance use disorders often occur together. The joint occurrence of these conditions means that one or the other will not be recognized, that treatment is complicated, and that the outcomes are worse. Co-occurrence may be a major factor in the increased suicide rate in African Americans and the wave of opiate overdoses. This webinar will address why there is co-occurrence, both from a psychosocial and biological perspective. The presenter will also discuss how to develop effective treatment strategies. Download Flyer   Presenter:  William B. Lawson, M.D., Ph.D., D.L.F.A.P.A. is Founder and Director of the Institute to Reduce Disparities LLC, Director of Psychiatric Research for the Emerson Clinical Research Institute and Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Maryland  School of Medicine. He is emeritus professor of psychiatry, at the Dell Medical School, University of Texas, Austin, and emeritus professor and formerly chair of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Howard University School of Medicine. He received a Ph.D. in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire and M.D. from the Pritzker School of Medicine University of Chicago, did his residency at Stanford University and a fellowship at the National Institute of Mental Health. He has held faculty positions at the University of Illinois, Urbana, University of California, Irvine, Vanderbilt University, University of Arkansas, and Howard University. He has held numerous senior positions and received national recognition including past President of the DC Chapter of Mental Health America, Past President of the Washington Psychiatric Society, past Chair of the Section of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences of the National Medical Association, and past president of the Black Psychiatrists of America. He has received several honors, including the American Psychiatric Foundation Award for Advancing Minority Mental Health, and the National Alliance on Mental Illness Exemplary Psychiatrist Award. He has over 200 publications, and is the former editor in chief of the Journal of the National Medical Association.   Learning Objectives: •    Describe common neurobiological mechanisms in mental illnesses and substance use disorders •    Discuss how to determine which came first, “the chicken or the egg” •    Explore cultural and sociological factors that promote mental illnesses and substance use disorders  •    List the unique treatment issues involved in addressing comorbidity    Who Should Attend? Clinicians, case workers, addiction counselors, peer recovery support staff, administrators, and others who work on behalf of adults with mental illnesses and substance use disorders     Certificates of attendance will be available to viewers of 50% (30 minutes) or more of the live webinar (via email within 30 business days post-event). CEUs are not offered for this session. The webinar slide presentation and recording will be posted to the website.  

Youth Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) 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.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Learn how to help an adolescent with a mental health or addiction challenge.   PRESENTER   Riley Cleary, MSW, Prevention Program Manager for IABH, works to develop, implement, and evaluate the association’s prevention, wellness, and leadership programs. Riley holds a Master’s of Social Work with a specialization in children and family from Loyola University Chicago.     CONTINUING EDUCATION   The training offers 6.5 CEs. Note: there is a $30.00 charge for the CEs. Category: Counselor I or II, Preventionist I or II, CARS I or II, CODP I or II, PCGC II, CCJP II, CAAP I, CRSS I or II, CPRS I or II, MAATP I or II, NCRS II, CFPP II, ATE, CVSS II Webcam must be turned on to receive CE certificates.

The Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) at Rutgers University will provide monthly webinars to support you in developing your school-based mental health services and supports. During these sessions, the MHTTC in collaboration with school mental health experts and New Jersey district exemplars will focus on the following core features of effective school mental health: Developing your Multi-Tiered Systems of Support Needs Assessment and Resource Mapping Establishing Universal Prevention Establishing Tiered Supports (Tier 2 & Tier 3) System Partners Risk Assessment Funding Comprehensive School-based Mental Health Staff Self-Care Intended Audience: The webinars are intended to help support school/district mental health teams that will develop and influence school mental health programming. This includes, but is not limited to: Administrators (school principals/vice-principals) School mental health professionals (e.g., school counselors, social workers, etc.) District Mental Health Director or Student Services Coordinator Community Behavioral Health Agencies

Disabilities can be an important aspect of young people’s identities and lived experiences. Many youth with disabilities face barriers accessing needed services and supports. As peer supporters, we can help facilitate better access for young people with disabilities. Join us this month to discuss how our own biases affect the services we offer; strategies and tools for fostering young people’s strengths, interests, and diverse perspectives; and what we need to do to create a more responsive and inclusive system. These monthly forums are an opportunity to connect with others who share concern and passion for developmentally appropriate and appealing systems and supports for youth and young adults. Maybe you're a peer support provider or a new professional with lived experience working in mental health advocacy. Whatever your role, if you are a young adult professional seeking to make peer-to-peer connections and develop your professional capacity, this learning community offers a space to acquire and build skills with other mental health workforce professionals. We hope you will join us in collective skill-building, engaging conversations, and young professional networking. Intended Audience The target audience for this learning community is young professionals working with youth and young adults of transition age.

While the statistics help to validate that the rates of mental health disorders are similar across racial groups, they also conceal a deeper inequity. What you can’t tell from the numbers is how the severity, persistence, contributing factors, and implications for the overall well-being of mental health conditions vary widely across demographic groups. Join us for a review of the stats and a discussion around ways to support the behavioral health needs of BIPOC individuals and communities. Presenter(s): Mary Roary, PhD Taylor Bryan Turner Jessica Isom, MD, MPH Maria E. Restrepo-Toro Ingrid Padgett

Mid-America MHTTC faculty trainers will train employees at an Iowa agency in Motivational Interviewing for persons with serious mental illness. The training will focus on foundational knowledge and skills to engage clients in behavioral change.