Products and Resources Catalog

About this Resource: This product accompanies the Southeast MHTTC’s 4-Part Series on Forensic Peer Mentoring, ‘Ready for Re-entry’. It provides an overview of forensic peer mentoring services, describes the role of a forensic peer mentor, and reviews components of the forensic peer mentor training. 

About this Resource: Georgia has had a reputation for being a standard bearer of peer support for many years, and that reputation has been on display over the past 36 months with the launch of the new national 988 and 988lifeline.org. In this series, '988 in Every State', presenters will do a deep dive into what 988 is—its purpose, history, goals, and mechanics, taking micro and macro views of the system by speaking with front line Certified Peer Specialists answering calls and administrators behind the scenes who helped envision and build out Georgia’s response. Throughout the 988 buildup and rollout, Georgia—who already had connected statewide crisis, resource, and warmline telephone support — provided guidance and insight to other states and national leaders. Join staff from the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network as they share their insight and experience throughout this three-part series.

These documents provide information about Peer Specialists in crisis settings, including general competencies for Peer Specialists in crisis work, Peer Run Warmlines, Peer Navigation, Crisis Respite programs, Mobile Crisis Units, and Crisis Stabilization Units. Subject Matter Experts were consulted on this project and are referenced within each document in quotes as well as recognized as contributors. The content provided in these documents is not exhaustive. Contributors provided expertise; their contribution does not imply endorsement nor does it imply opposition to the document.

The Healing & Power in Peer Support training provides an overview of Healing-Centered Engagement and its principles as ways to deepen and advance the practice of peer support. Participants will explore concepts like holding space, radical acceptance, meaning-making, and power dynamics through deep reflection, experiential activities, and facilitated discussion. This curriculum is helpful for new peer supporters or any peer supporters who are looking to refresh and deepen their skills. This curriculum should be facilitated by experienced peer specialists who are looking to support the peer support workforce in their community. Healing & Power in Peer Support is the prerequisite training for the Virtual Facilitation through a Healing-Centered Lens training, another curriculum created by the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center. Learning Objectives At the end of this training, participants will be able to: Integrate the principles of Healing-Centered Engagement in peer support practice; Practice radical acceptance in relation to self and others; Employ Healing-Centered techniques when facilitating difficult conversations in peer support groups; and Analyze power dynamics within interpersonal and group relationships to promote autonomy and self-determination. This curriculum package includes: a Facilitator Manual, participant handouts, and a training slide deck. For questions about the Healing & Power in Peer Support curriculum or how to implement this training in your community, please contact the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center at [email protected].

Recording of the event Eating Disorders for the Non-Specialist: Core Competencies , originally held on February 22, 2024. View Slides

About this Resource: In the final session of our 'Ready for Re-entry' series, panelists discuss the practical application of the Forensic Peer Mentor service delivery model.

About this Resource: In the on-demand recording of Part 3 of our Ready for Re-entry series, panelists discuss the Forensic Peer Mentor Training itself, focusing on the Ready for Reentry training created by the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network (GMHCN). Panelists describe the opportunities and challenges faced while developing and growing this new model of peer support.

  View the slides: Implementing Peer Support Specialists in a First Episode Psychosis Program   Learn more about this Learning Community: First Episode Psychosis Learning Community     Author: Marla Smith, MS, LMHP, LMHC    

About this Resource:  In this on-demand recording, panelists from part 2 of our Ready for Re-entry series discuss how trusting relationships of community partners are essential for the program. Common community partners typically include officials within the department of corrections, community supervision, district attorney office and local law enforcement.    Click here to learn more about our 4-part 'Ready for Re-entry' series! 

Our Center has a special focus on supporting youth and young adults (YYA) of transition age. The transition to adulthood is an important time in young people’s lives—a time for new independence, new challenges, and new opportunities for growth. It’s also a crucial time to support young people who are living with mental health challenges, who are involved in youth-serving systems, or who are at increased chance of developing mental health needs. When we amplify YYA voice, choice, and leadership, we create space for them to thrive. Our YYA Team Leads, Oriana Ides and Evelyn Clark, guide us in this work and develop each issue of Youth & Young Adults Now. This Winter 2023 issue features highlights of the Aging Out or Growing Together? Flipping the Youth Services Paradigm to Better Support Young Adulthood program, led by our Technical Assistance Specialist, Oriana Ides and details of the Creating Safe Spaces for Peer Support Providers and Incorporating Anti-racist Practices in Peer Support Delivery program, led by Evelyn Clark, Technical Assistance Specialist and JEDI consultant. Check out this special Winter 2022 issue for emerging resources from our center, our partners and the field, our spotlights to uplift a YYA peer-support specialist and organization, and more.   

The Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training is a three-day training (19.5 hours of classroom time) for peer supporters on the topics of youth voice and issues specific to youth navigating mental health or substance use challenges. The Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training is available for anyone who works, or is interested in working, as a peer specialist. This training provides participants with a foundation for youth experience with mental health and substance use challenges, the unique issues for youth navigating recovery and youth-serving systems, and best practices and tools for peer specialists looking to support youth. The training will also encourage participants to consider how to use their own lived experience when supporting youth through structured reflection, group discussion, and interactive activities.     The Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training is appropriate for anyone working or volunteering (or interested in working or volunteering) as a peer specialist. The only prerequisite to attendance is that participants must have previous formal training in peer support practice (e.g., their state’s Peer Specialist certification training, Intentional Peer Support, etc.).     Learning Objectives: At the end of this training, it is envisioned that participants will be able to: Define the term “youth” Identify and practice effective ways of meeting youth and young people “where they are” Build authentic connections with young people based on lived experience, regardless of differences in age or other experiences Identify stigmatizing language used to describe young people and effectively reframe such language through the lens of peer values Understand how resistance or other actions may be forms of self-advocacy, communication, or responses to trauma Identify common responses to trauma that young people experience Support young people in exploring different ways to heal from trauma Utilize foundational knowledge of power and privilege to support youth experiencing oppression Assist young people in learning to advocate for themselves within the settings that young people must navigate Set and hold boundaries with persons served and coworkers Identify challenges and ethical boundaries for supporting family members of a young person     A special thanks to Via Hope, the organization where initial development of the Youth and Young Adult Peer Support training took place.     For more information on this training, including training opportunities through the South Southwest Mental Health Technology Transfer Center or how to bring this training to your community, please email [email protected].

Our Center has a special focus on supporting youth and young adults (YYA) of transition age. The transition to adulthood is an important time in young people’s lives—a time for new independence, new challenges, and new opportunities for growth. It’s also a crucial time to support young people who are living with mental health challenges, who are involved in youth-serving systems, or who are at increased chance of developing mental health needs.  When we amplify YYA voice, choice, and leadership, we create space for them to thrive. Each quarter, the Pacific Southwest MHTTC draws together our recent and upcoming events and other important field resources to share with our partners in this work. This Spring 2023 Edition honored Mental Health Awareness in May and highlighted timely and relevant developments from our Center and the field.

Our Center has a special focus on supporting youth and young adults (YYA) of transition age. The transition to adulthood is an important time in young people’s lives—a time for new independence, new challenges, and new opportunities for growth. It’s also a crucial time to support young people who are living with mental health challenges, who are involved in youth-serving systems, or who are at increased chance of developing mental health needs.  When we amplify YYA voice, choice, and leadership, we create space for them to thrive.  The Pacific Southwest MHTTC team spent summer months (of 2023) rounding up the last of our events and completing a special compilation of products to conclude our (fifth) project year, which ended on September 29, 2023. Check out our center's Summer 2023 edition for highlights of learnings, glimmers of hope from the YYA series, and so much more.

About this Resource: The Southeast MHTTC Newsletter highlights upcoming events and recently released products as well as shares information on available resources from SAMHSA and the MHTTC network.  The November 2023 issue promotes Native American Heritage Month. This issue also highlights our upcoming events and recently developed products, celebrates efforts being done by Region IV states, and provides resources available through the MHTTC Network and SAMHSA to connect individuals to needed treatment and support. 

About this Resource:  In this on-demand recording, panelists from Part 1 of our 'Ready for Re-entry' series discuss the Forensic Peer Mentor role, including the responsibilities, qualifications and organizational framework needed to build and support a Forensic Peer Mentor Program.   Click here to learn more about our 4-part 'Ready for Re-entry' series! 

In celebration of the National Hispanic Heritage Month, the Yale Program for Recovery and Community Health, in partnership with the New England MHTTC, invited people to a listening session about the importance of elevating Lived Experience Leadership among Latine/Latinos/Hispanic Peer Supporters and Latinos/Latine People with Lived Experience to inform the development of the first Hispanic/Latine Yale LET(s)Lead Transformational Leadership Academy, a 9-month FREE transformational leadership development opportunity. 

This is a recording of, “Interrupting Bullying & Fostering Belonging for the Youth and Young Adult Mental Health Workforce,” on October 25, 2023. Our Pacific Southwest Region’s national specialty area is the mental health of youth and young adults of transitional age; as such, on our second day of our three-part series, we examined rising practices and policies, informed by research and the field, that can expand the way we approach anti-bullying and foster belonging for youth and young adults (18-24 year olds). Panelists highlighted bullying and belonging within the context of LGBTQ+, BIPOC populations, youth leadership and peer support roles. The session also uplifted young adult perspectives with lived experience in the foster care system and the Navajo Nation, and a focus on cyberbullying within Latinx youth communities. Our Region 9's Technical Assistance and Training Specialist, Oriana Ides moderated this panel of special guests including, Ajahrain (Ajah) Yellowhair; Arc Telos Saint Amour, Executive Director of Youth MOVE National; and Dr. Guadelupe (Lupita) Espinoza, Professor in Child and Adolescent Studies at California State University, Fullerton.  This session was designed for peer support professionals, young adult advocates, psychologists, counselors, community mental health workers, social workers, pre-service graduate students and whoever else is interested.

About this Resource: This is the Spanish language version of our previously published fact sheet titled "Faith, Spirituality, and Peer Support." It is meant to accompany a webinar presented by Dr. Monty Burkes. 

  RECORDING: The Importance of Dual Recovery   September is National Recovery Month – a time when those affected by substance use disorders (SUDs) come together at rallies, parades, and parties to share knowledge, experiences, and hopes for the future. This month also commemorates those we've lost and celebrates those who are traveling on or seeking out their own journey of recovery.    Substance use disorders and mental illness overlap at the rate of 50–70%. Despite this significant overlap, there is often not enough attention paid to co-occurring mental health concerns or dual recovery within SUD treatment. This presentation is an informational celebration of dual recovery.      LEARNING OBJECTIVES: In this webinar, participants will learn: Help clients define dual recovery for themselves Help clients improve the quality of life in recovery Articulate the tenants of person-centered recovery Recognize seven varieties of recovery experiences Help clients identify purpose in recovery Create ideas to celebrate dual recovery     PRESENTER: Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, is the State Project Manager for the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC and PTTC. Mark has worked for 40 years as a social worker, educator, and part of the SUD workforce. He is founder of the Online Museum of African American Addictions, Treatment and Recovery and co-founder of Serenity Academy of Chicago, the only recovery-oriented high school in Illinois. Mark is also an international speaker, trainer, and consultant in the behavioral health field whose work has reached thousands throughout the United States, Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, and the British Islands.    Recently, Mark Sanders was named as the 2021 recipient of the NAADAC Enlightenment Award in recognition of his outstanding work and contributions to NAADAC, the field of SUD services, and SUD professionals. He is also the recipient of the Illinois Association for Behavioral Health’s 2021 Lawrence Goodman Friend of the Field award in honor of the many years of dedicated service Mark has provided to communities throughout his home state of Illinois.     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.

About this Resource:  This 4-part series looks at mental health respite care from the peer perspective, including discussions on its history and future direction, when and how it is being used (both in the Southeast and nationally), and the ways it can benefit one's recovery journey. In Part 4, the final session of this series, thought leaders in behavioral health and respite discuss and answer questions about the future of peer-led peer-run alternatives to the traditional clinical hierarchical model as well as discuss how "peer-washing" traditional services to give them a recovery sheen is impacting peer support and respite models. Our presenters will also forecast what they believe will (or should) come next for the mental health recovery community.     Click here to access the on-demand recordings from the other sessions in this 4-part series.  

About this Resource:  This 4-part series looks at mental health respite care from the peer perspective, including discussions on its history and future direction, when and how it is being used (both in the Southeast and nationally), and the ways it can benefit one's recovery journey. In Part 3 of our series leaders of respite centers across the country shared their lived experience operating their centers. Speakers discussed how respite standards have emerged and how different elements impact the ability of respite to open or remain open, including politics, NIMBYism, economic fluctuations, state and national leadership changes, and even the weather..   Click here to learn more about the 4-part series or view on-demand recordings from our other sessions. 

This three-hour webinar deep dives into the core competencies previously drafted and shared during the Competencies for Peer Support Workers in Crisis Services webinar hosted in March 2023. The co-facilitators – including a youth peer with recent experience working in the field in a crisis setting - explore each competency and allow participants to apply the competencies in peer crisis work scenarios. We present detailed information about how each competency is applicable in peer crisis work and then use breakout rooms and case studies to prompt discussion on how to utilize a specific competency.    Participants gain knowledge about the complexities of working as a peer in crisis settings and how to maintain the ethical standards of the peer role; gain a detailed understanding of the 5 Core Competencies and how they were developed by the MHTTC team; develop a practical understanding of how the competencies will show up in their work in crisis settings; and learn about practices and tools that can be used to assist with becoming comfortable and skilled in the competencies.   View a recording of this 7/31/23 session here.  

This is a recording of Session 3 of Rising Practices & Policies Revisited - Working with Youth and Families Experiencing Homelessness and Home Insecurity, which occurred on July 10, 2023. In this session, Pacific Southwest MHTTC's Co-Director Miranda March hosted and Technical Assistance Specialist Evelyn Clark facilitated a panel discussion on how community-based organizations, mental health systems, and school services are responding to the issues, challenges, and needs of home insecurity and what rising practices and policies are emerging to meet the mental and school mental health needs of people experiencing the impact of structural inequities. The Session 3 panelists included Program Specialist of Homeless Education for the Orange County Department of Education, Elida Sanchez; Executive Director of CARE Olympia, Emily Clouse; Special Projects Coordinator for McKinney-Vento & Foster Care Liaison, Hannah Etchison; and Samantha Taitano who serves as Executive Director of Manelu in Guam. In this session, we explored the following questions and more: How can we interrupt the stigmatization of homelessness and foster safe and equitable access to mental health services? How are school and community-based mental health partners utilizing the McKinney-Vento Homeless Assistance Act and other federal funding streams to maximize the workforce’s skills and support? How can we increase access to school services and supports? How can we collaborate with services that address compounding issues (e.g., interpersonal violence, the foster system) to be innovative in our approaches?

This is a recording of Session 4 in the "Creating Safe Spaces for Peer Support Providers" series entitled, “Peer Support Series, Session 4: Career Paths for Peer Support Specialists,” that took place on June 28, 2023. In session 4, the Pacific Southwest MHTTC's Technical Assistance and Training Specialist Evelyn Clark facilitated a forum with special guests Jason Clark, Lindsey Burton-Anderson, and Stacey Thompson who shared their lived experiences and discussed burnout, trauma and compassion fatigue along with cultural, structural and individual risk and protective factors.