Pacific Southwest MHTTC

TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 2024 10:00 - 11:15 a.m. HT / 12:00 - 1:15 p.m. PT / 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. MT / 2:00 - 3:15 p.m. CT / 3:00 - 4:15 p.m. ET Session 4 of 8 in the "Provider Plática Learning Collaborative" Series / Sesión 4 de 8 de la Serie "Colaboración de Aprendizaje para una Plática entre Profesionales" (view series main page for full details / consultar la página principal de la serie para ver toda la información) Provider Plática Learning Collaborative: Supporting the Training Needs of Practitioners of Spanish Language Mental Health Services Colaboración de Aprendizaje para una Plática entre Profesionales: Respaldando las Necesidades de Capacitación de los Profesionales que Prestan Servicios de Salud Mental en Español April 4: Session 4 / 30 de abril: Sesión 4   Welcome to Session 4 in this series! / ¡Bienvenidos a la Sesión 4 de esta serie!   Collaboratively held by the National Training & Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) and the Pacific Southwest MHTTC this Provider Platica program is a monthly collaborative space for peer learning and resourcing. This session and all that follow are an open, bilingual space for members of the mental health workforce to share common challenges and experiences when providing services to Spanish-speaking communities with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) as well as high-quality resources and innovative solutions. All levels of Spanish language proficiency and comfort are welcome. Este programa de Plática entre Profesionales, llevado a cabo colaborativamente por el Centro Nacional de Capacitación y Asistencia Técnica (NTTAC por sus siglas en inglés) y el Centro de Transferencia de Tecnología de Salud Mental del Sudoeste del Pacífico (MHTTC por sus siglas en inglés), es un espacio mensual de colaboración para el aprendizaje entre pares y la facilitación de recursos. Esta y todas las demás sesiones son un espacio abierto y bilingüe donde los miembros de la fuerza laboral de salud mental podrán compartir desafíos y experiencias en común a la hora de prestar servicios a las comunidades de habla hispana con un Dominio Limitado del Inglés (LEP por sus siglas en inglés), así como recursos de alta calidad y soluciones innovadoras. Son bienvenidas las personas con cualquier nivel de dominio del español y comodidad con el mismo.   Audience / Audiencia Mental health professionals across the country and U.S. territories, including clinicians, peer counselors and others who provide services to Spanish-speaking individuals with Limited English Proficiency (LEP). We welcome providers in a wide range of professional settings, including clinical, community and government agencies, education, private practice, and more. Profesionales de la salud mental de todo Estados Unidos y sus territorios, incluidos médicos clínicos, consejeros entre pares y otras personas que prestan servicios a hablantes de español con un Dominio Limitado del Inglés (LEP por sus siglas en inglés). Les damos la bienvenida a profesionales provenientes de una amplia variedad de entornos, que incluye instituciones clínicas, comunitarias, gubernamentales, educativas, consultorios privados y demás.   About the Facilitators / Conozcan a las Facilitadoras Lisa Teyechea (she/her) is highly skilled and experienced in technical assistance, training, and project developer in areas of public health, prevention, and behavioral health. Other skills include evaluation and grant writing. More than 20 years designing and implementing systems of care and programming at agency and community levels, while approaching work with a trauma-informed lens. Lisa Teyechea (ella) está altamente capacitada y posee una enorme experiencia en asistencia técnica, capacitación y desarrollo de proyectos en las áreas de salud pública, prevención y salud conductual. Entre otras habilidades suyas se incluyen la evaluación y redacción de solicitudes de subvenciones. Posee más de 20 años de experiencia diseñando e implementando sistemas de atención y programas a nivel institucional y comunitario, abordando su labor desde una perspectiva informada sobre el trauma.     Kristi Silva (she/her) has over 15 years’ experience providing culturally responsive training and technical assistance – especially for Latine and Native American communities – at the local, state, and national level. In addition to subject matter expertise in health equity and policy, Ms. Silva is an experienced researcher and evaluator, with specialization in community-developed best practices requiring an adapted evaluation methodology. She has worked in partnership with communities impacted by pan-generational trauma to develop strengths-based policies and practices that are sustainable and rooted in a social justice framework. As a professional who now serves communities like the one she comes from, Ms. Silva brings an essential lens of lived experience to the work. Kristi Silva (ella) tiene más de 15 años de experiencia brindando capacitación y asistencia técnica culturalmente receptiva —especialmente a comunidades latinas e indígenas norteamericanas— a nivel local, estatal y nacional. Además de ser experta en asuntos de equidad y políticas de salud, la Srta. Silva es una evaluadora e investigadora experimentada, especializada en mejores prácticas desarrolladas por la comunidad que requieran una metodología de evaluación adaptada. Ha trabajado junto con comunidades impactadas por el trauma pangeneracional para desarrollar prácticas y políticas basadas en las fortalezas que sean sostenibles y se fundamenten en un marco de justicia social. Como una profesional que ahora atiende a comunidades similares a aquellas de donde proviene, la Srta. Silva lleva a cabo su trabajo con una perspectiva fundamental de experiencias de vida.     (view series main page for full details / consultar la página principal de la serie para ver toda la información)  

TUESDAY, MAY 7, 2024 Join the Pacific Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (PS MHTTC) for a special, no-cost, full-day symposium to uplift the origins, approaches, and practices of harm reduction in mental health work. Our region is proud to be a national incubator of this approach: the National Harm Reduction Coalition started in Oakland, CA over 25 years ago. Throughout our region, providers and systems leaders are partnering with people with lived experience to reimagine how we take care of each other (sometimes through systems, sometimes despite systems, and sometimes within systems). While harm reduction has roots in substance abuse, it is also a vital mental health approach. We are holding this symposium to explore how the tenets of harm reduction and healing justice can inform and transform the way we engage in mental health care. We come together to explore these questions: By centering the lived and living experience of people and communities, how might community-driven public health strategies help us care for our clients and patients differently? How might we as service providers listen and learn from communities who are already taking care of each other, saving each other’s lives in ways that might be uncomfortable but necessary? Our symposium captures innovative approaches to harm reduction with presenters from across the region who work within diverse settings and populations. We also honor voices of lived experience by creating rich learning opportunities throughout the day that explore how our mental health policies, programs, and practices can minimize stigma and discrimination and maximize respect, health, and self-direction.   When? Our symposium runs from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. PT on May 7, 2024 (International Harm Reduction Day). 6:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. HT / 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. PT / 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. MT / 11:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. CT / 12:00 - 7:00 p.m. ET / 5:00 - 11:00 a.m. American Samoa / 4:00 - 10:00 a.m. Marshall Islands / 3:00 - 9:00 a.m. Pohnpei, Kosrae / 2:00 - 8:00 a.m. Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Chuuk, Yap / 1:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. Palau [Find your local time zone here] We apologize to our Pacific Island audience for the timing of this event; we make every effort to make our content accessible across time zones when possible. The event recording will be available on our webpage within two weeks of the symposium to allow for asynchronous learning.   How? Agenda subject to change. Our day begins with a grounding keynote, a workshop, and two panels – one spotlighting regional harm reduction practices and the other centering the voices of lived experience. A closing presentation will bring these strands together and offer a call to action. Opening / Framing: 9:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. PT Session 1 (workshop): 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. PT Session 2 (panel - lived experience): 12:15 - 1:45 p.m. PT Session 3 (regional spotlights): 2:00 - 3:15 p.m. PT Closing /Integration: 3:30 - 4:00 p.m. PT   Participants will pursue a variety of learning objectives, including the following: Opening Keynote Compliance Versus Care: Exploring the Root Questions of Harm Reduction   Session 1 Workshop Non-Suicidal Self-Harm & Injury Reduction Understand the etiology and psychological functions of non-suicidal self-injury behaviors (NSSIB). Effectively assess and identify appropriate NSSIB interventions that promote resolution and recovery in the least restrictive settings.   Session 2 Lived Experience Panel Honoring the Voices of Lived Experience & Allyship Learn about harm reduction in practice through three voices of lived experience and allyship. Identify policies and practices that support a healing-centered approach to harm reduction for individuals who have experienced harm. Gain concrete strategies and guidance for family, friends, and other allies who wish to support the healing and recovery of loved ones.   Session 3 Regional Spotlights Shining Light on Ways to Approach Harm Reduction in Practice Glean tangible policy and practice applications of the intersections of harm reduction and mental health that are creative, innovative, and responsive Identify peer solutions and ideas from organizations and agencies based in our SAMHSA Region 9 (Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, and U.S. Pacific Islands of American Samoa, Guam, Marshall Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Palau)   Notes: This grant-funded event is offered at no cost for all participants. We will be using one Zoom link for the entire day; you may come for the whole day portions, or come in and out as needed!   Audience This Symposium is for public and mental health practitioners, social workers, psychologists, therapists, school mental health personnel, school counselors, educators, school administrators, youth and young adult professionals, and anyone interested in enhancing their knowledge, skills,and practice with harm reduction.   Faculty   Keynote Speaker Compliance Versus Care: Exploring the Root Questions of Harm Reduction   Jen Leland, MFT (she/her/fluid) Jen Leland is a white, queer, licensed marriage and family therapist who spent her adolescence in psychiatric, substance abuse, and group residential care programs using abstinence and high control, coercive approaches. These experiences of harm spurred her 25 year commitment to working in public systems and youth programs, organizing around harm reduction and healing justice principles to create more stories of healing and fewer stories of institutional trauma and harm. She currently works at the RYSE Center in Richmond, CA as Clinical Director, working with young people to build the health justice spaces and practices they deserve.     Session 1 Workshop Speaker Non-Suicidal Self-Harm & Injury Reduction   Priscilla Ward, LCSW (she/her) Priscilla is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who has dedicated the past 19 years of her life to the helping profession by supporting youth, young adults, and families across a variety of settings. Priscilla earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services from California State University, Fullerton and her Masters in Social Work from the University of Southern California. Priscilla’s work has included leading and managing mental health teams across the Orange County Department of Education in alternative education settings, including correctional facilities. She has trained law enforcement personnel, educators, interns, church staff, performing artists facilitating arts programs and community members on topics ranging from trauma informed care, mental health treatment, crisis intervention, suicide assessment and safety, school based mental health, substance abuse treatment, and managing the impact of vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress.     Session 2 Panel Speakers Honoring the Voices of Lived Experience & Allyship   Dylan Thomas (he/him) Dylan is a 27 year old professional and advocate for mental health. He’s spent 6 years speaking about his lived experience as well as his experience through the systems of care, from adolescence to adulthood. During this time Dylan has facilitated various groups, attended trainings, and made valuable connections. He now works full time while finding ways to make a positive impact.         Gabriela Zapata-Alma, LCSW, CADC (they/them) Gabriela is the Associate Director of the National Center on Domestic Violence, Trauma, and Mental Health, as well as faculty at the University of Chicago, where they direct the Advanced Alcohol and Other Drug Counselor Training Program within University of Chicago's Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice. Gabriela brings over 15 years of experience supporting people impacted by structural and interpersonal violence through innovative and evidence-based clinical, housing, resource advocacy, peer-led, harm reduction, and HIV-integrated care programs. As a person with lived experience of violence and trauma, they center survivor-driven solutions, nonpathologizing approaches, and intergenerational healing. Currently, Gabriela authors best practices, leads national capacity-building efforts, and provides trauma-informed policy consultation to advance health equity and social justice.         Janis Whitlock, Ph.D., MPH (she/her) Janis Whitlock is a developmental psychologist, researcher and consultant. She is emerita research faculty at Cornell University and the founder and director of the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery. She retired in 2022 so she could dedicate her time to actively supporting youth serving organizations in direct and effective application of knowledge. Her four-decade career includes direct service, program development and evaluation in the area of women's and youth sexual health, followed by 25 years of direct research in areas related to youth mental health and wellbeing. She focuses on using strength-based approaches, including resilience and connectedness to understand and support social and emotional health and has conducted research in the areas of connectedness and belonging, non-suicidal self-injury, suicide prevention, and the relationship between technology use and youth wellbeing. She is the author of over 70 papers and co-author of the book, Healing self-injury: A compassionate guide for parents and other loved ones and co-editor of the upcoming volume, Oxford handbook on non-suicidal self-injury. She is also the founder and director of the Self-Injury and Recovery Resources website which houses resources for individuals with self-injury experience, youth serving professionals, and caregivers, among others. Dr. Whitlock is dedicated to helping youth, families and larger communities thrive.       Session 3 Regional Spotlights Shining Light on Ways to Approach Harm Reduction in Practice   Erin Hughes, MSW, PPSC (she/her) Erin Hughes is a school based social worker who has spent her career working with adolescents in San Francisco. For the past 17 years, she has been the Wellness Coordinator at June Jordan School for Equity, a small social justice high school in the Excelsior neighborhood. Her work primarily focuses on supporting the well-being of students and families through mental health services, case management, crisis prevention and intervention, and health education. Erin uses a trauma informed, strength based approach in her work with students that centers harm reduction and empowerment. She believes that harm reduction is a powerful approach to use with adolescents because it is rooted in justice and human rights, meets clients where they are at, honors their voice and choice, and aligns with their developmental needs.       Lilinoe Kauahikaua, MSW (she/her) Lilinoe Kauahikaua is from Piʻihonua, Hilo on Moku o Keawe (Hawaiʻi Island) but has lived and grown in many other spaces throughout her journey, including Oʻahu, California, and Arizona. Lilinoe serves as program coordinator with Papa Ola Lōkahi, for all substance use and mental health projects, as well as the AANHPI ʻOhana Center of Excellence for behavioral health project manager. Her work focuses on cultural approaches in healing. Lilinoe was appointed by Governor Ige to the Hawai’i Advisory Commission on Drug Abuse and Controlled Substances and serves on the boards of ʻEkolu Mea Nui, Going Home Hawai’i, Kinohi Mana Nui, and the cultural committee co-chair for The Going Home Hawaiʻi Consortium, organizations serving the Native Hawaiian community impacted by incarceration and substance use. Lilinoe also serves on committees for the Institute of Violence and Trauma (IVAT), and Hawaiʻi SUPD (Substance Use Professional Development) initiative.         Stacey Cope (they/them) Stacey Cope is a queer parent, a plant nerd, a dancer, a sensory and pleasure seeking troll. Stacey is one of the original members of Sonoran Prevention Works, in Tempe, Arizona and is so excited to explore their new role. They see harm reduction as the foundation for all liberatory paths forward; an orientation toward love and building a future we want our children to live in. They center harm reduction in their internal, interpersonal, communal and professional relationships. Harm reduction has saved Stacey’s life, more times than they can count. Stacey sees harm reduction as an invitation to more feeling, more dignity, and more choice. You can catch them resting, exploring libraries, talking to plants and birds and leaning into play with their magical kid.     FAQs Will Continuing Education Credits be available? Up to four Continuing Education Hours (CEH) will be available through verified participation in the session(s) as listed below. 1.5 CEH for Session 1 1.25 CEH for Session 2 1.25 CEH for Session 3 Will the symposium be recorded? This event will be recorded and published on the Pacific Southwest MHTTC website within two weeks of the event.   Priming Materials Harm Reduction Framework | SAMHSA National Harm Reduction Technical Assistance Center Principles of Healing-Centered Harm Reduction | by Reframe Health and Justice (2018) Our Right to Heal: Liberatory Harm Reduction - YES! Magazine Solutions Journalism Medical And Behavioral Health Settings - Harm Reduction Approaches Trans-Inclusive and Trans-Centered Harm Reduction Services | NASTAD; Harm Reduction Services Putting Indigenous Harm Reduction to Work: Developing and Evaluating “Not Just Naloxone” What is Harm Reduction? Harm Reduction is Justice | Yale Law & Policy Review Harm Reduction - National Council for Mental Wellbeing OVERVIEW of Harm Reduction and Eating Disorders The Ethical Defensibility of Harm Reduction and Eating Disorders MHRS - Burnout and Self-Care Working in the HR Field Integrating Harm Reduction Strategies into Services and Supports for Young Adults Experiencing Homelessness Between harm reduction, loss and wellness: on the occupational hazards of work The Why, What, and How: Addressing the Social Determinants of Mental Health in the Pacific Southwest Region Witkiewitz, K., Walthers, J., & Marlatt, G. A. (2013). Harm reduction in mental health practice. In V. L. Vandiver (Ed.), Best practices in community mental health: A pocket guide (pp. 65–82). Lyceum Books.

DESCRIPTION   This workshop will introduce participants to the theory and practice of using theater in therapeutic ways to facilitate self-expression, support self-esteem, cultivate supportive communities, and challenge stereotypes among incarcerated and re-entry populations.     During our time together, we will explore the theoretical underpinnings of Drama Therapy, provide concrete examples of Drama Therapy applications with incarcerated and re-entry populations, and engage in several simple and transformative Drama Therapy exercises. Two individuals who have been formerly incarcerated will also share their experiences participating in therapeutic theater programs, both in prison and after returning home.     • • • •   INTENDED AUDIENCE   This training is intended to serve clinical practitioners, including marriage and family therapists, psychologists, psychiatrists, licensed clinical social workers, drug recovery counselors, psychiatric nurses, as well as those in training or internship programs for their respective licenses.   • • • •   LEARNING OUTCOMES   Participants will be able to: Explain why Drama Therapy is an effective intervention for incarcerated and re-entry populations. Articulate two ways in which theater and/or Drama Therapy can support  incarcerated and re-entry populations. Identify one similarity and one difference between “Drama Therapy” and “Theater as Therapy.” Learn and practice two Drama Therapy exercises that can be used in working with incarcerated and re-entry populations and articulate one benefit of each.   • • • •   **1.5 continuing education hours (CEH's) are available through full participation in this workshop.   • • • •   ABOUT THE FACULTY & PANEL SPEAKERS    Suraya Keating, MFT, RDT (she/hers) Suraya Keating, MFT (#43996), REAT, RDT is a bilingual (Spanish-English) Registered Expressive Arts Therapist, Registered Drama Therapist and master trainer in Expressive Arts and Drama Therapy.  Suraya has worked as Shakespeare for Social Justice Director for Marin Shakespeare Company since 2005, and helped expand Marin Shakespeare’s prison programs from a single prison (San Quentin) to 14 California prisons. She also co-founded Marin Shakespeare’s Returned Citizens’ Theater Troupe, a theater program for artists returning home from incarceration. She has worked as an adjunct professor at the California Institute of Integral Studies, John F Kennedy University and Santa Rosa Junior College, and supervised an Expressive Arts Therapy Program at Contra Costa Health Services, where she provided training and supervision to MFT associates in the use of therapeutic arts practices with multiple populations. Suraya loves facilitating Expressive Arts and Drama Therapy processes with individuals and groups in schools, prisons, hospitals, juvenile halls and in private practice, and has heavily focused her work on populations who are marginalized and oppressed. An avid practitioner of Playback Theater as well as a life-story performance coach, Suraya believes in the healing power of sharing and listening to each others’ life stories. She also has extensive experience in somatic practices including 5 Rhythms Dance, Open Floor Dance and Yoga.  www.suraya.org   Tony Cyprien  Photo and bio are forthcoming.    Preston “Zoe” Gardner Photo and bio are forthcoming.

This is a recording of Workshop 4 of 6 in the "Trauma-Informed, In School Sessions" Workshop Series.  Counseling with Care: Trauma Informed School Counseling Practices Trauma Informed Principle to Practice: Peer Support, Empowerment   Are you a school counselor, becoming a school counselor, or someone who teams/works with school counselors? Zeyda Garcia, founder of Healing Aguas Wellness Solutions and school counseling professor, joined this series to share how to anchor and apply trauma-informed principles in school counseling practices, programs, and policies. In the workshop video, she discusses a high-level overview of trauma, its impacts on students, and different strategies school mental health providers can implement to support young people in counseling settings.   Utilizing trauma informed school counseling practices, providers can support young people in regulating their own nervous system and support them in accessing their education. Watch this workshop video and join in reflections on our unique school and personal practices, in order to enhance our trauma-informed support of students.   Viewers will walk away with practical tools to use in sessions with students, families, and school-wide. Most importantly, and in Zeyda’s words, this workshop aims to offer school counselors “more creativity, courage and confidence in yourself as a counselor and a commitment to caring for yourself.”

This recording is from Workshop 3 of 6 in the "Trauma-Informed, In School Sessions" Workshop Series.  This video recording provides an exploration of Narrative Exposure Therapy (NET), an evidence-based approach tailored for adults or children, particularly refugees and immigrants, with multiple traumatic experiences. Kids Narrative Exposure Therapy (KIDNET) is a therapy designed for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma, especially in conflict zones. KIDNET therapy focuses on reprocessing traumatic memories by contrasting the memories with the present feelings through narration. It focuses on helping them process their traumatic memories by creating a "lifeline" and uses techniques like storytelling, art, and role-play to aid in healing and recovery.   Led by Dr. Alejandra Acuña, this workshop guided participants towards a comprehensive understanding of NET's principles and techniques, learning how to utilize storytelling to help students process and integrate traumatic memories resulting in reduced PTSD symptoms. Viewers will walk away equipped with practical strategies and insights to provide culturally responsive support to students, fostering resilience and facilitating healing within diverse educational settings (e.g., green lights, yellow lights, and red lights of NET implementation!).   Importantly, Dr. Acuña shared not only about the evidence based approach, but how the implementation of it in itself can and should be trauma-informed and culturally responsive so that students and their families experience their recovery through the trauma-informed principles of empowerment and collaboration.

By adopting trauma-informed practices, schools can create environments that empower students, support healing, and break the cycle of bullying. This infographic illustrates the different approaches to address bullying in schools.