Products and Resources Catalog

This is a recording of Workshop 5 of 6 in the "Trauma-Informed, In School Sessions" Workshop Series.  "You Can Talk to Me": A Family Guide to Support Students' Mental Health and Well-Being Trauma Informed Principle to Practice: Trustworthiness & Transparency, Collaboration & Mutuality    How might we partner with parents, caregivers and families through trauma informed approaches to support the mental health and well-being of the children and teens in their lives? In 2023, Project Cal-Well (a cross-agency mental health initiative led by the California Department of Education to promote mental health awareness and wellness among California's K-12 students) designed the Family Guide to Supporting Young People’s Mental Health and Well-Being for parents and other caregivers (available in English and Spanish), with input from families, educators, mental health professionals, and youth. By sharing tips for families on how to have conversations about social media use, mental health, anti-LGBTQ experiences, bullying and more, this guide provides parents and other caregivers with information and easy-to-use strategies to support their children’s overall well-being and mental health.   How did the guide’s authors partner with students and their families to create this guide? How might we support students and families to dig into its information and leverage this resource to partner with parents and other caretakers? View this workshop recording to explore these questions, and the guide itself, while learning from several of its authors about how the guide’s development process was trauma informed.   Viewers of this workshop video will: (1) learn about the development and content of the guide; (2) have the opportunity to consider how to get the guide and related local resources into the hands of families; and (3) generate ideas for how to use individual sections of the guide to align with a school’s continuum of trauma-informed approaches and social, emotional, and behavioral supports.

Dear Friends, We want to inform you that the MHTTC School Mental Health supplement will not continue after September 2024. SAMHSA funding has ended without a future opportunity.  For six years, the Northwest MHTTC School Mental Health team has served the school mental health workforce in Region 10 (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington) by curating timely and regionally-responsive events, developing tools for those in the field, and distributing critical resources. Rest assured that you can continue to access MHTTC school mental health materials, along with a broad array of additional ones, through the NWMHTTC SMH team’s home organization, the University of Washington School Mental Health Assessment, Research and Training (SMART) Center. While the supplement continues through the end of September, we invite you to start connecting with the SMART Center now. Join the UW SMART Center mailing list to continue receiving resource-rich newsletters Follow us on Facebook Engage with us on X/Twitter  Connect with us on LinkedIn Subscribe to our YouTube channel  Bookmark the UW SMART Center website From our team to yours, thank you for your partnership over the past six years. We couldn't have done it without you and credit your engagement, feedback, and support for our collective success.      “Don’t be dismayed at good-bye. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends.”    – Richard Bach, Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah  Make sure to sign up for the SMART Center newsletter to stay up to date on all things school mental health. If you have additional questions about the transition, please reach out to [email protected]. In gratitude, The NWMHTTC SMH Team Kelcey Schmitz, Eric Bruns, Clynita Grafenreed, Casey Chandler, Jennifer Cohen, Elsa Ferguson, Nathaly Florez, Mari Meador, and Rayann Silva

Research has indicated that youth may experience racism, prejudice, and bias as early as preschool. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their experiences of working within schools and school districts and learn strategies to help students navigate a culturally complex world while decreasing negative physical, emotional, and psychological outcomes. This webinar will also focus on existing policies within school systems and assess how those policies impact access to equitable and high quality mental and behavioral health care for communities of color. Attendees will walk away with strategies for how to discuss these topic areas with their students and how to support students who are coping with complex cultural issues in developmentally appropriate ways.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Define racial stress and trauma and Provide examples of how racial stress and trauma can occur in schools Identify the systems & policies within schools that impact student health and wellness Understanding the role of implicit bias in school systems & policies   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.   PRESENTERS: Nicole L. Cammack, PhD Dr. Nicole L. Cammack is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Speaker, Media Contributor, and the Founder, President and CEO of Black Mental Wellness, Corp. She received her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Howard University and her Master’s and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from The George Washington University. Lastly, she completed a specialized Postdoctoral Fellowship, with the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine. Dr. Cammack is passionate about mental health awareness, treatment, and reducing the mental health stigma, particularly as it relates to Black communities. This passion is what led to the development of Black Mental Wellness, Corp an organization of clinical psychologists passionate about shifting the narrative of mental health in the Black community. In addition, she is a co-author of, Healing Racial Stress Workbook for Black Teens: Skills to Help You Manage Emotions, Resist Racism, and Feel Empowered. Her work has been featured in Huffington Post, Essence, People, Thrive Global, Good Housekeeping, Salesforce, and Rally Up Magazine (Cover feature). In addition, she was recognized as a 40 under 40 Honoree with the Leadership Center for Excellence and recognized through her work at Fort Meade and the Department of the Army with an Achievement Medal for Civilian Service. Danielle R. Busby, PhD Dr. Danielle Busby is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Speaker, Author, Educator, and Co-Founder and Vice President of Professional Relations of Black Mental Wellness Corp. She received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Michigan and her Master’s and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the George Washington University. She completed her pre-doctoral internship, with a child trauma specialization, at Duke University’s Medical Center and a postdoctoral fellowship at Michigan Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Busby is passionate about decreasing barriers to mental health service use for underserved patient populations and is committed to continuously bridging the gap between research and clinical practice. Her research and clinical work are centered on examining barriers to mental health service use, specifically among Black youth who are at an elevated risk for suicide. She has led and contributed to scholarly articles and research on child trauma, youth suicide prevention, racial discrimination among Black youth, and the psychological effects of neighborhood stressors, such as, community violence exposure among Black adolescents. Dr. Busby and her work has been featured in NBC News, People, Women’s Health, Parents, Rally Up Magazine (Cover feature), PsychAlive, and WJLA news. Additionally, she is an awarded recipient of the National Institute of Mental Health’s Research Supplement to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research. She is a proud member of the American Psychological Association’s Leadership Development Institute, SelfSea Digital Wellbeing Advisory Board, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., where she has served for over 15 years. Dr. Busby was born in Detroit, MI and raised in Southfield, MI. She loves early morning yoga, college football Saturdays, and traveling with her close family and friends.   This event is being held in partnership with Black Mental Wellness.   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 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 event is part of the UW SMART Center's 2024 Virtual Speaker Series. Learn more and register for upcoming events in the series here. Bullying Prevention in Elementary and Middle Schools: Foundations and Student Ownership Description: Session attendants will learn about school readiness for bullying prevention, what staff and students can do to create a safe school climate, and how school members and students can teach and reinforce prosocial behaviors.   Objectives Core features of bullying prevention  Increasing student buy-in and ownership  Examples of student ownership from exemplar districts    Presentation Materials Recording Available Here! About the Presenter: Rhonda Nese, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences Scientist, Prevention Science Institute Affiliate Faculty, Prevention Science Program   Rhonda Nese, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Special Education and Clinical Sciences at the University of Oregon and the Director of the Nese Lab. She is also a Scientist within the Prevention Science Institute, a multidisciplinary research institute at the University of Oregon. Dr. Nese’s research involves equitable intervention delivery within a multi-tiered behavior support framework focused on preventative strategies for improving student outcomes.​ Dr. Nese currently serves as the director of an IES grant to refine and test an intervention to reduce exclusionary discipline practices, improve student-teacher relationships, and increase instructional time for students in secondary settings, and co-principal investigator on additional federally-funded projects to identify factors that predict implementation and sustainability of evidence-based practices, to develop technology to improve online learning for educators, and to develop and validate an automated scoring system for oral reading fluency. Dr. Nese also provides technical assistance to state, district, and school level teams across the nation on preventative practices, including addressing implicit bias in school discipline, effective classroom behavior management strategies, bullying prevention, and alternatives to exclusionary discipline practices through the OSEP-funded National TA-Center on PBIS. Dr. Nese is the recipient of the 2022 Presidential Equity Award from the NorthWest PBIS Network and the 2022 Outstanding Early Career Award from the University of Oregon, the UO’s highest award for early career faculty to recognize and celebrate an emerging and significant record of scholarship and research.      Want more information and school mental health resources? Visit the Northwest MHTTC's School Mental Health page and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates about events, trainings, and resources available to the Northwest region.

The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. The April 2024 issue spotlights content celebrating National Minority Health Month and Alcohol Awareness Month. It also features links to upcoming trainings focused on supporting Black students experiencing racial trauma, harnessing AI for substance misuse prevention, and process improvement. Make sure you're subscribed to our email contact list so you never miss a month of The Great Lakes Current newsletter, and thank you for reading!

The Comprehensive School Mental Health Case Examples Training Packet was developed to be utilized with multi-disciplinary school teams, including building, district, and/or community professionals, who are tasked with assessing the academic, mental, and behavioral health needs of students.

In this learning session, we: Provided an overview of the School Mental Health (SMH) Implementation Guidance Modules (including related learning extension materials, such as the SHAPE System, SMH Best Practices ‘Always and Now” Learning Series, and SMH Quality Guides), and shared how the modules are intended to be utilized by states, districts, and schools in their SMH implementation efforts. Provided specific examples of training and technical assistance that the Mid-America and South Southwest MHTTCs have provided/are providing utilizing the modules as a foundation, to support states, districts, and schools in their SMH implementation efforts. The session included a 10-minute question & answer portion with the presenters. Please note: This session was open to Project AWARE grantees only. It was developed with the new 2023 AWARE cohort in mind, but AWARE grantees from all cohorts were welcomed to attend.

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.

To access resources from this training, click ATTACHMENT links Click here to watch the recording Event Description Studies have estimated that it takes approximately 17 years for research to inform practice. Implementation science is the systematic study of methods to improve the translation of research to practice. There are many implementation science studies within youth mental health that have focused on therapist training, dissemination campaigns, and cost-effectiveness of training in particular interventions based on community appropriateness. This training will go over implementation science theories, methods, and frameworks that anyone can use to guide an implementation effort. Practical examples in youth mental health implementation within school-settings will be used to highlight innovative ways people can use implementation science in their own work. Learning Objectives Define implementation science, applied implementation, and implementation research Understand theories, frameworks, and models that comprise implementation research Learn from practical school-based implementation efforts for youth mental health Commit to one action that aligns with implementation science principle Trainers Kelsie Okamura Kelsie Okamura (she/her) is an Implementation Researcher at the Baker Center for Children and Families, a Harvard Medical School affiliate, and a licensed psychologist. Dr. Okamura serves on the training, consultation, and distance learning development teams at PracticeWise, LLC. She received her BA in Psychology with Honors and PhD from the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa. Dr. Okamura completed her predoctoral internship at I Ola Lāhui Rural Hawai‘i Behavioral Health and postdoc at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Mental Health. Dr. Okamura was both a NIMH Child Intervention, Prevention and Services (CHIPS) and Training in Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (TIDIRH) fellow; and has more than 30 peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters. She currently serves as Leader for the ABCT Dissemination and Implementation Science Special Interest Group and is a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Advisory Group Member to Implementation Research and Practice. Dr. Okamura is passionate about community-based public-sector service system implementation, particularly (a) knowledge formation, (b) quality improvement initiatives that bridge team-based technology, and (c) financial strategies to improve implementation. She is currently funded through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (Co-PI, System of Care Expansion Award), and has received funding through the National Institute for General Medical Services, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and American Psychological Foundation. As a fourth-generation daughter of Japanese and Okinawan immigrants to Hawaiʻi, Dr. Okamura has a deep appreciation of understanding diversity, culture, and contexts as they apply to youth mental health implementation. Growing up in a rural town in Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi has afforded her insight into the complexities of socioeconomic and cultural barriers that may impede successful implementation of youth psychosocial interventions.   Summer Pascual Summer Pascual (she/her) is an Implementation Research Assistant at The Baker Center for Children and Families, Implementation Research Division. Summer grew up in California and graduated cum laude from Western Washington University with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology in 2021. She was also the 2021 recipient of the WWU Presidential Scholar Award for the College of Humanities and Social Sciences as a testament to her exceptional scholarship and service to the university and community. Her undergraduate clinical research focused on eating disorders, body image, and community-based work with underserved populations. In her time at WWU, Summer also researched race, culture, and prejudice. Her understanding of equity and oppressive systems is at the forefront of all her work, and she carries this with her into her current position. At the Baker Center, Summer has worked on several implementation research projects such as the implementation evaluation of a case management system in a publicly-funded mental health system. In conjunction with her work in the IRD, she also supports various implementation projects in the Quality Care Initiative including MATCH and PCIT Learning Collaboratives. Part of her time is spent providing administrative support to the Baker Center’s internship, practicum student, and postdoc training programs. Her passion for developing, implementing, and improving mental health services for underserved communities drives all of her work.

The South Southwest MHTTC hosted this presentation on April 8, 2024. The program, facilitated by Dr. Heather Curry and Dr. Marianne Thomas, provided the foundations of identifying human trafficking, exploring trauma-informed and trauma-responsive interventions with victims and survivors, as well as techniques used when providing healing-centered care. About the Facilitators Dr. Heather Curry, PhD  Dr. Heather Curry has over a decade of experience through her scholarship, practice, and professional commitments with many of the most impactful systems of care for victims of human trafficking. She has served as Director for the Hillsborough County Commission on Human Trafficking, during which time she and the Commission, at the behest of the NFL, developed and executed the County’s plan to address Human Trafficking before, during, and over the Super Bowl. However, her approach to the phenomenon of human trafficking is always focused on what happens before, during, and after big events. She was also the Chief Liaison for Hillsborough County’s Juvenile Justice and Equity work. She holds her Doctorate. in Communication Theory from the University of South Florida. She has had teaching and research positions at the University of South Florida, Arizona State University, and Full Sail University during which she focused on social policy and homelessness, and community responses to matters of equity and vulnerability.  Dr. Curry also works with corporations, public sector clients, and non-profit organizations to address diversity, equity and inclusion. Her commitments, personally and professionally, have always been driven toward creating healthier, more responsive communities, in which issues such as human trafficking, can be prevented. Dr. Curry lives in Tampa, Florida with her two sons and two cats in an old, sometimes-lovely moneypit of a bungalow. She has made Tampa home since 2002.   Dr. Marianne Thomas, PhD  Marianne Thomas has an MA in Mental Health Counseling and a PhD in Behavioral Psychology.  As a survivor of human trafficking, Dr. Thomas used education as a way out of the life and has devoted her career to bringing awareness about the true problem of human trafficking in the United States, educating communities on the human trafficking problem in their area, and helping organizations to create or grow their own anti-trafficking program.     Early in her career, Dr. Thomas worked with women and children who experienced homelessness and with men and women within the incarceration system who also struggled with addictions.   She noticed a common thread of women who would trade their bodies for their, and their children’s, basic needs.   This recognition propelled her into the anti-trafficking movement.  Dr. Thomas began her work in the movement with the women she met within the world of homelessness.  Since then, she has worked with trafficking survivors across numerous populations. 

To access resources from this session, click ATTACHMENT link Click here to watch the recording Event Description Overview: The workshop places a special emphasis on combating deficit thinking by encouraging participants to recognize and rectify assumptions, biases, and evaluations in their observations. By adopting a strengths-based approach, educators can contribute to a positive learning environment and promote equity. This workshop aims to empower education professionals with practical tools to enhance their observation skills, particularly in recognizing and addressing deficit thinking. The observation protocol provided will guide participants in unpacking their observations of students, encouraging a deeper understanding and awareness of assumptions before making recommendations to support student learning. Purpose: The purpose of this 90-minute workshop is to equip participants with the knowledge, skills, and strategies to conduct better observations by avoiding deficit thinking and fostering a strengths-based approach. By practicing objective description, participants will learn to recognize and challenge assumptions, leading to more informed and equitable observations. Why Training is Important: Training is crucial for education professionals to refine their observation skills, ensuring that the assessments made are fair, unbiased, and conducive to positive learning outcomes. This workshop provides participants with a comprehensive observation protocol, helping them understand the importance of describing behaviors objectively and be mindful of where assumptions may influence interpretation and evaluation of students learning. What Training will Provide Participants: Skillsets: Objective detailing of observable behaviors. Differentiation between description, interpretation, and evaluation. Checking assumptions and biases during the observation process. Analysis of behaviors, considering alternative explanations.   Types of Resources Observation and Analysis Form for systematic recording and reflection. Guidelines for Distinguishing Description, Interpretation, and Evaluation. Practical steps on using the observation protocol effectively.   Learning Objectives: Participants will understand the concept of deficit thinking and how it can show up in learning observations (overt and nuanced ways) Participants will practice distinguishing between objective description, interpretation, and evaluation in their observations Learn One Approach for Implementing Systematic Observation and Analysis Trainer Alyson Kaneshiro, EdD Alyson Kaneshiro, Ed.D, is an educator based in the Bay Area. Currently serving as the Bay Area Regional SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) Facilitator, she also holds the position of Associate Director of Learning Services at Urban School of San Francisco. Additionally, Alyson offers consulting and coaching services through her private practice, Learning Specialist LLC. Her extensive experience includes teaching as an adjunct professor in the Master of Arts Special Education Program at the University of San Francisco, conducting action research in Response to Intervention practices, and working in inclusive education and special education compliance at the Hawai’i Department of Education. With a rich educational background spanning 20 years, Alyson is passionate about designing equitable student support systems that prioritize relationships and compassionate care.

The Community Resiliency Model (CRM) is a skill-based wellness and prevention program that provides a biological, non-stigmatizing perspective on normal human reactions to stress and trauma. In this webinar we will apply CRM to schools by teaching skills for educators, administrators, and the school mental health workforce to reduce burnout and promote staff retention. Attendees will gain knowledge of concepts to understand stress responses in themselves and others as well as learn skills to help regain emotional balance after experiencing strong negative emotions. The knowledge and skills gained will help attendees avoid burn-out and promote cultures of resiliency in schools to better support student mental health.   Learning objectives: 1. Describe how stress and trauma affect mental and physical health. 2. Describe how CRM can protect and heal via sensory-motor awareness. 3. Explain the 6 CRM skills. 4. Understand how CRM can help reduce burnout and promote resiliency.

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.

To view resources from this training, click ATTACHMENT links Click here to watch the recording Event Description Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and/or ADHD often experience areas of significant executive dysfunction, which can adversely impact their educational performance. In order for these students to meet with more success in school, they will likely require evidence-based intervention, specific to their areas of executive dysfunction, to be implemented. This presentation will help participants to gain a broad understanding of what executive functions are, and how areas of executive dysfunction can negatively impact a student in school if interventions are not in place to assist them. It will take a deeper look at the areas of executive dysfunction commonly associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD, and finally, it will discuss best practices (evidence-based interventions) to assist with the specific areas of executive dysfunction often found in students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD. After attending this session, participants will be able to: 1. Obtain a general understanding of what executive functions (EFs) are. 2. Be able to identify specific areas of executive dysfunction commonly associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder and ADHD, and understand how they may adversely impact a student’s educational performance. 3. Gain an understanding of best practices (evidence-based interventions) to implement to assist students with Autism Spectrum Disorder or ADHD, specific to their areas of executive dysfunction. Trainer Amanda Garrett, Psy.D., NCSP Dr. Amanda Garrett is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist who has practiced School Psychology for the Department of Education (DOE) for over 16 years across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Hawaiʻi. After earning her Ed.S. in School Psychology at Rider University (NJ), she continued on to obtain her doctorate in School Psychology at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PA). Dr. Garrett’s doctoral program had an emphasis in School Neuropsychology, which became an area of passion for her. In addition to working for the DOE, Dr. Garrett spent three years as the Southeast Delegate on the executive board of the Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania (ASPP), and she is currently in her sixth year as an executive board member of the Hawaiʻi Association of School Psychologists (HASP), where she has served multiple positions, including Past President.

This event is part of the UW SMART Center's 2024 Virtual Speaker Series. Learn more and register for upcoming events in the series here. Becoming - The Journey of a Change Agent  Description: In part II of the series, participants will describe the value of belonging in their own self-awareness journey to creating transformative educational systems. What role will they play in the work of creating belonging for every learner? How will they create spaces in their roles to disrupt disproportionate outcomes for students and improve school climate? Ultimately, how can we create and support change agents in education? Objective: This session will offer strategies and considerations for ensuring newly recruited and current staff have empowerment to shift their climates.   About the Presenter: Nikole Y. Hollins-Sims, Ed.D. Technical Assistance Coordinator for the Midwest PBIS Network Nikole Y. Hollins-Sims, Ed.D.,is the senior educational consultant & strategist for Hollins-Sims Consultation. She formerly served as a technical assistance coordinator for the Midwest PBIS network and is a former Special Assistant to the Secretary of Education at the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE). Dr. Hollins-Sims has been awarded as a Moral and Courageous Leader for Education by Cabrini University in 2021, the 2021 American Psychology Association (APA) Anti-Racism School Psychology Emerging Professional Award and was named the 2021 Pennsylvania School Psychologist of the Year. One of her career highlights is serving as the lead author of the book titled: Creating Equitable Practices in PBIS.     Want more information and school mental health resources? Visit the Northwest MHTTC's School Mental Health page and sign up for our newsletter for regular updates about events, trainings, and resources available to the Northwest region.

Download Session Slides Here This session is designed for local education agencies/school districts engaged in school mental health initiatives that provide students and families service referrals. The information will also be relevant to state education agencies seeking to advance policies and procedures that ensure a full spectrum of services are accessible to meet student and family wellness needs.   Learning Objectives Participants who join this session will be able to: 1. Understand and articulate the value of ongoing investment in effective school mental health referral pathways. 2. Leverage best practices to build and refine pathways linking schools, providers, students, and families to support student mental health. 3. Select and apply easy-to-implement tools and templates that improve school mental health referral pathways.   Session overview What level of need warrants referral to an outside provider? Does your team have a communication procedure for a student’s supported re-entry to campus? Are the school mental health providers you work with timely in their intake of students after they have received a referral? This session outlines the benefits off effective school mental health referral pathways. After reviewing best practices, you will be able to improve the consistency and efficiency with which your students are connected to appropriate levels of mental health support. Given the dynamic nature of schools and service agencies, establishing and maintaining good methods of contact and tracking requires regular attention. This session will also provide tools and templates to strengthen your referral pathways, and it will explain how these tools and templates can be adapted to the circumstances and culture of your school system.

Participants will be able to define a school-wide crisis and an individual student emergency, understand incident management guidelines at each phase, and identify possible barriers to school emergency responses in order to positively engage leadership/staff during an emergency.

March 6 (Session 1) To view resources from this training, please click ATTACHMENT links Click here to watch the recording March 7 (Session 2) To view resources from this training, please click ATTACHMENT links Click here to watch the recording Series Description Implicit bias is insidious in nature; we all have them. Many of these biases are formed through inaccurate information, such as stereotypes, the patterns established by oppressive systems, and even by internalized oppression. Since implicit biases operate outside our conscious control, they can be harmful yet unrecognized barriers to collective liberation and to our individual wellbeing. This interactive workshop will cover concepts and strategies for participants to heal from bias and systemic racism in order to better live our values on an individual and systemic level. We will engage in various forms of mindful and contemplative practices and spend time strategizing to embed them into our lives to support our collective healing. Due to time constraints in this workshop, we will not be covering foundational concepts of DEI in these sessions. We will focus on practices to mitigate bias and to interrupt it in others. Therefore, participants must already have a baseline understanding of implicit bias, systemic oppression, social identities, intersectionality, systemic privilege and marginalization, and equity. Learning Objectives: Participants will delve deeper into how implicit bias is formed, how to recognize and redress it in one’s self, and practice talk moves to support them in addressing others’ biases. Participants will explore how to address microaggressions and strategies to scale up their response in order to establish a culture of belonging for every student, family, and staff. Participants will have an open frame to explore the culmination of their learning, delve into resources to continue their work in this topic, and examine scenarios to authentically push their theoretical understanding of implicit bias into praxis. Trainer Dr. Rana Razzaque Dr. Rana Razzaque’s commitment to improving opportunity, access, and inclusion for all children has driven her educational and professional journey. This commitment has deepened over time due to her own lived experiences and the continuous learning she seeks out on a variety of topics related to equity and inclusion, the persistent disparities for marginalized communities, and the deep need to build understanding and empathy through courageous conversations with people from multiple perspectives. Rana was born in Bangladesh, raised in Maryland, spent her adolescence in Texas, and spent a couple of years in Arizona before moving to Denver in 2011. In the warmer months, you might find Rana hiking with her husband, Rob, and her dog Eeyore. She also loves reading (especially fiction and poetry), trying out new recipes to cook, going to concerts, boxing, and indoor rock climbing (even though she is afraid of heights). Rana received her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in English Literature from the University of Texas at Austin and Arizona State University, respectively, and focused her thesis research on the impact of literary influence on colonizing South Asia in the 17th century. In 2017, she earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies from the University of Denver and focused her dissertation research on how mindfulness influences the culturally responsive practices of educators. Rana has served as Social Emotional Learning Partner in Denver Public Schools, Program Development Coordinator with Sources of Strength, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Specialist at Jeffco Public Schools, and is now the Director of Opportunity, Access, and Inclusion at Englewood Schools in Colorado. Her work intersects culturally responsive and sustaining practices with social-emotional learning and transformative educational leadership. Rana’s mission is to ensure that youth and educators have an intentional focus on honoring diverse cultures and identities, utilizing challenges as opportunities to build resilience, and holistically supporting themselves and others to equitably reach their highest potential.

Session learning objectives: Provide an overview of the prevalence of mental health challenges among youth before and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Examine specific groups of youth that may be more vulnerable to mental health challenges post-pandemic. Explore pandemic-related changes in behavior patterns and coping mechanisms adopted by youth, including the role of technology. Describe ways in which schools can identify students who experience persistent challenges and implement school-based programs to best support these youth.  

Download the presentation slides here 1 in 36 school-age children are autistic. Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with emotion regulation and anxiety that may be exacerbated by experiences of bullying, victimization, and segregation within schools. There is an urgent need to support the mental and behavioral health of autistic students. The purpose of our two-part webinar office hours series is to provide overviews of how to identify and support anxiety in autistic students and to apply these strategies within case studies. This webinar will center on evidence-based approaches and practices that can be used within schools to help manage anxiety in autistic students. By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to: Describe evidence-based approaches to support anxiety in autistic students. Understand different ways that mental health programming can be delivered to autistic students in schools. Identify strategies that may support an autistic student as illustrated within two case examples.

  The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The February 2024 issue features content from the Great Lakes ATTC celebrating Black History Month, including our upcoming 2024 Black History Month Panel Presentation. It also features a new educational brief on health equity in crisis systems, upcoming prevention trainings on drug trends in the region, and updates to the Classroom WISE curriculum for 2024. As always, you will also find links to all upcoming events and trainings hosted by the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC!   Make sure you're subscribed to our email contact list so you never miss a month of The Great Lakes Current newsletter, and thank you for reading!

Download the presentation slides here 1 in 44 school-age children have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with emotion regulation, anxiety, and depression that may be exacerbated by experiences of bullying, victimization, and segregation within schools. There is an urgent need to support the mental and behavioral health of autistic students. In the past year, the SEMHTTC team has disseminated resources related to identifying and supporting mental health challenges in this population, with a specific emphasis on anxiety here. The purpose of this two-part series is to build on the didactic content covered in our earlier learning sessions (learning session 1, learning session 2) and provide more opportunity to cover a case example, engage in discussion, and have ample time for Q&A. In each sessions, we will provide a very brief overview of the prior content we covered (15 minutes), have an in-depth discussion of one case example (15 minutes), and ample time for questions and open conversation related to the mental health of autistic students (25 minutes). The first learning session is devoted to identifying anxiety and other mental health challenges in autistic students. By the end of the session, participants will be able to: Identify anxiety and signs of other mental health challenges in autistic students. Describe risk factors for autistic students to develop anxiety and other mental health challenges. Identify anxiety signs within one case example of an autistic student.

Recent prevalence estimates indicate that 1 in 36 school-age children have autism. Autistic students are much more likely than non-autistic students to experience mental health challenges, including difficulty with aspects of executive function such as inhibition.  This infographic provides information about strategies that can be used by educators to help autistic students build their inhibition skills in a manner that is inclusive and neurodiversity affirming.