Products and Resources Catalog

Please note: This recording will only be available until May 28, 2024. Determinants of health are varied and many, encompassing biological, social, structural, environmental, legal, and political determinants. In combination, these determinants bridge downstream and upstream locations; for example, from the clinic office to the school classroom to state-specific legislation. This 90-minute virtual session will cover the many determinants of health, their definitions, related impacts and outcomes, and current interventions, such as social prescribing and CARE courts. We will also discuss the range of competence and importance of advocacy through a trauma-informed lens to advance holistic health for collective benefit.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Participants will: Gain an understanding of the varied and many determinants of health Identify interconnections and impacts among multiple determinants of health Learn current interventions and what is important to help close gaps in care   PRESENTER: Jean Balestrery, PhD Jean E. Balestrery holds a Joint PhD in Social Work and Anthropology from University of Michigan, a MA in Anthropology from University of Michigan, a MSW from University of Washington and a BA from Brown University. Dr. Balestrery is founder and CEO of Integrated Care Counsel, LLC, a Spirit of Eagles Hampton Faculty Fellow and a licensed independent behavioral health clinician. An interdisciplinary scholar-practitioner with more than twenty years of combined experience in research, training and practice, Dr. Balestrery has presented research nationally and internationally with a focus on holistic health and wellbeing across the life course. Dr. Balestrery is currently a National Association of Social Workers Committee Member for LGBTQ+ Issues, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Grant Reviewer and Study of Environmental Arctic Change (SEARCH) Co-Production of Knowledge discussion participant.   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.

  Learn more about this Learning Community: First Episode Psychosis Learning Community     Presented by: Angela Schindler-Berg, MS, LMHP Angela Schindler-Berg is a Licensed Mental Health Practitioner and has worked with primary care clinics and integrated community-based mental health services for over 25 years.   As the Nebraska Project Lead for HealthTeamWorks, Angie promotes healthcare delivery that utilizes evidence based mental health practices, effective team-based care, care management resources, quality improvement processes, and strategic population health to improve the quality of health/life for individuals.  As a practice facilitator Ms. Schindler-Berg has worked on CMS/CMMI initiatives such as the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC+) and with SAMHSA on the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Initiative (PBHCI).   Currently, Ms. Schindler-Berg supports the University of Nebraska Medical Center-Munroe Meyer Institute as a contracted Regional Trainer with the Region 7 Mid-America Mental Health Technical Transfer Center (MHTTC) She facilitates a collaborative network of supports, focusing on resource development and dissemination, training and technical assistance, and workforce development for the mental health field.  Angie received her Master of Science with Drake University in Rehabilitation Administration and Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling. She brings expertise in integrated care, mental health, care management, crisis intervention and trauma informed care.       

ABOUT THIS RESOURCE Leading, managing and supervising in the behavioral health field can be demanding work, requiring attention, organizational skills, quick thinking and creative problem solving. With all of these demands, it can be difficult to remain stable and flexible, while navigating interpersonal relationships, in and out of work. Individuals can often feel discouraged and frustrated, which can affect desired outcomes and add another layer of personal stress. Leading and advocating for change is intense work. All too often, an individual's mental health and wellness will take a back seat, and over time, burnout can occur. In this training a broader picture is revealed as we examine personal responses to life through a Polyvagal lens. With a collection of fresh ideas, plus a bit of tender encouragement, participants can discover new nervous system awareness, resilience and some much needed soul-nurturing to inspire confidence for the challenges of leadership and advocacy. Learning Objectives Understand the foundations of polyvagal theory Self-identify personal nervous system states through a polyvagal lens Cultivate broader awareness and connection with self and others Gain increased skill and confidence for effective leadership and advocacy ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Presentation Resources  Slides Rhythm of Regulation  - Deb Dana Website  Published Works — Rhythm of Regulation - Published works by Deb Dana (i.e. Anchored, Polyvagal Theory in Therapy and Polyvagal Card Deck)  “The Pocket Guide to Polyvagal Theory” - by Dr. Stephen Porges  “Activate Your Vagus Nerve: Unleash your body's natural ability to heal” - by Dr. Navaz Habib  The healing power of music with thisislea FACILITATORS Rebekah Demirel, L.Ac MPCC Rebekah Demirel L.Ac. MPCC, is the founder and director of Trauma Integration Programs, with more than a decade as an ambulance paramedic, twenty-two years as a paramedic trainer, eighteen years of mental health counseling experience, specializing in traumatic stress, and she is a licensed East Asian medicine practitioner and acupuncturist. Rebekah’s unique skill set and experience are informed by her own traumatic childhood and teen years spent on the street and in the foster care system, giving her a special familiarity and empathy for trauma and loss. Terms of use and Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) disclosure statement ​

About this Resource: The Community Resiliency Model (CRM)® is a skills-based wellness and prevention program that provides a biological, non-stigmatizing perspective on human reactions to stress and trauma. The primary focus of this stabilization program is to learn to reset the natural balance of the nervous system, using the body itself. CRM skills help people understand their nervous system and learn to track sensations connected to their own wellbeing. This low-intensity intervention teaches easy-to-learn skills to manage difficult emotions which can be brought on by stressful personal or professional situations. In this 1.5 hour on-demand recording, presenters share their knowledge of concepts to understand their own and others' stress responses and the skills to regain emotional balance when buffeted by strong negative emotions.

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.

Description: How did you learn about substance use, addiction, treatment and recovery? What are the sources of information that shaped your views? This workshop will discuss how news, entertainment, and social media, as well as personal experience, influence how people understand substance use disorders and different pathways to recovery. It will also address common beliefs like, “You have to hit rock bottom” and “Recovery is rare,” and explain how attitudes, practices, and data collection have evolved. Information from the 2022 National Survey on Drug Use and Health and other sources will be presented, including prevalence of illicit substance use, substance use disorders, and co-occurring mental health challenges. Goals: Encourage participants to examine the sources of their attitudes and beliefs about substance use, addiction, treatment and recovery, reconsider any misperceptions, and expand their understanding of these topics by presenting current research and statistics. Workshop Outline: Discuss where participants learned about addiction, treatment and recovery (personal experience, news and entertainment media, etc.). Highlight themes that often appear in films, TV shows, books, music, and social media, including overview of research findings. Discuss critiques of media coverage of these topics. Address common beliefs and whether they’re supported by evidence (hitting rock bottom, enabling and co-dependency, tough love). Discuss how personal experience influences attitudes and beliefs. Present graphics illustrating types of substance use (experimental, social, risky, etc.). Discuss different reasons people use drugs, and how that varies for different substances over time. Present substance use and mental health statistics, using sources such as the 2022 NSDUH. Discuss criteria for diagnosing a substance use disorder (mild, moderate or severe). Trainer Bio: Susan Stellin, MPH is a writer, educator, and public health consultant focusing on health-centered responses to substance use and addiction. Since earning a master's in public health at Columbia University, she has worked on projects about ways to reduce overdose deaths, reform punitive drug policies, and expand access to harm reduction, treatment, and recovery support. Recent clients include NYU Langone’s Health x Housing Lab, the Northeast & Caribbean Addiction Technology Transfer Center, the Opioid Response Network, the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, the Overdose Prevention Program at Vital Strategies, and the Vera Institute of Justice. She regularly leads training workshops for service providers working with people experiencing substance use, mental health, and housing challenges, and has also taught undergraduate courses about media ethics, collaborative storytelling, and the history of journalism. Session Recording:

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.

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.

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.  

Job Development is an important component of providing best-practice employment services and includes initiating and developing relationships with employers. However, many vocational services staff express discomfort and limited skills in interacting with the business community. This training will provide attendees with the tools to approach employers and market their employment services confidently.

This webinar will explore the concept of healthy aging for people living with serious mental health conditions. While people aging in this group may experience health challenges, supporters can encourage and empower people to take actions toward healthy aging despite challenges. Objectives: Explore healthy aging for people aging with serious mental health conditions List methods to promote healthy aging Identify strategies to empower older adults to make informed decisions about resources for care and supports  

A major concern in school communities across the country is school violence. This symposium provides an overview of the MHTTC Network's School Mental Health Initiative, and highlights training and technical assistance (TA) that the MHTTC Network is leading on addressing school violence and school mental health. NOTE: This was originally presented at the 2023 Advancing School Mental Health Conference, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health in New Orleans, LA.

Behavioral threat assessment was developed to prevent targeted attacks, such as school shootings. However, there are concerns about the use of threat assessment in schools, including as it relates to student mental health. This symposium by the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office and National Center for School Mental Health details results of a key informant roundtable, scoping review, and white paper that examine considerations for behavioral threat assessment, research outcomes, and recommendations for the future of behavioral threat assessment in schools. NOTE: This was originally presented at the 2023 Advancing School Mental Health Conference, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health in New Orleans, LA.

The South Southwest MHTTC collaborated with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) to host the Trauma Informed Care Open Office Hours session 4. This session offered hands-on application and clarity on concepts through case-study examples and interactive discussion with TACHC Trauma Informed Care Coordinators. This session was held on October 24, 2023, and focused on TIC and Care of Individuals with Chronic Diseases.

The South Southwest MHTTC collaborated with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) to host the Trauma Informed Care Open Office Hours session 5. This session offered hands-on application and clarity on concepts through case-study examples and interactive discussion with TACHC Trauma Informed Care Coordinators. This session was held on November 28, 2023, and focused on TIC and Care for Individuals with Substance Use Disorders.

The South Southwest MHTTC collaborated with the Texas Association of Community Health Centers (TACHC) to host the Trauma Informed Care Open Office Hours session 3. This session offered hands-on application and clarity on concepts through case-study examples and interactive discussion with TACHC Trauma Informed Care Coordinators. This session was held on September 26, 2023, and focused on Care Coordination & Cross-Sector Collaboration.

School mental health staff play a vital role in promoting mental health and well-being and identifying and responding to emerging mental illness in children and adolescents. Partnering with educators is essential; however, they often have not received the education, training, and/or ongoing support needed to respond in the classroom. Learn how school mental health staff can use the free Classroom WISE suite of tools to move school mental health forward. NOTE: This was originally presented at the School Social Work Association of America's 2022 Annual Conference in Chicago, IL.

Developing and disseminating effective educator and school personnel training packages does not necessarily lead to their use and implementation. This session demonstrates Classroom WISE, a free 3-part package (online course, video series, resource library) focused on educator mental health literacy, and presents evaluation results for the package and a technical assistance project that examines differences in uptake of the Classroom WISE based on the level of implementation support. NOTE: This was originally presented virtually at the 2022 Advancing School Mental Health Conference, hosted by the National Center for School Mental Health.

This poster uses an Implementation Research model to examine how contextual factors (e.g., leadership and climate; steps taken by the school to incorporate the content into professional development activities) affect implementing a mental health literacy training, Classroom WISE, in K-12 schools, and how to leverage facilitators to increase program uptake. NOTE: This poster was originally presented at the School Social Work Association of America's 2023 Annual Conference in Broomfield, CO.

About 4 of 5 children with mental health issues have unmet mental health needs. Key to addressing the youth mental health crisis (as declared by the U.S. Surgeon General) is identifying and addressing student mental health challenges in school settings. This poster examines how much technical assistance/implementation strategies was needed to introduce districts and schools to Classroom WISE and help them explore, plan, implement, and sustain training. NOTE: This poster was originally presented at the 15th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Washington, DC.

Download the presentation slides here 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 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, including anxiety and, more recently, executive function. The purpose of this two-part series is to build on the didactic content covered in our earlier learning sessions on executive function [Part 1, Part 2] and provide more opportunity to cover a case example, engage in discussion, and have ample time for Q&A.  In each session, 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).

Download the presentation slides here Medicaid is a leading source of financing for school mental health services and programs.  As Medicaid policies change, there may be greater opportunities for mental health providers to bill Medicaid for more services in schools.  In this two-part webinar event, Dr. Adam Wilk (SE MHTTC Policy Lead) will describe key policies that govern Medicaid funding for school mental health services, and how they can be changed to increase school mental health funding.  He will provide examples of states that have pursued specific reforms, and he will also highlight important resources that can help school mental health leaders to identify what steps may be most appropriate to take in their home state.  This series is designed for school mental health leaders who are interested in learning 1) about the fundamentals of Medicaid financing of school mental health services and 2) about options for changing Medicaid policy to better support school mental health systems and services. Part 1 will focus on policies related to who is eligible for Medicaid coverage and what services Medicaid covers.   Learning Objectives: Specify when Medicaid can be billed for school mental health services. Discuss how Medicaid policies affect who may be eligible for coverage under Medicaid and what services may be covered by Medicaid. Describe and distinguish the two main pathways for reforming state Medicaid eligibility and service coverage policies in support of school mental health.  

Many of us at some point in our lives decide what type of information and how much to tell others. We may not formally sit down and consider this decision but we nevertheless weigh the pros and cons of what we want our colleagues or others to know about us. Researchers in this area (Waghorn and McGahey, et al., 2014; Waghorn, et al., 2010) describe this type of disclosure decision-making as developing a plan for managing personal information (PMPI). A PMPI includes agreed upon language of how the student wishes to describe their disability as well as any accommodations that might mitigate support needs. This workshop will provide resources and strategies to assist students in developing a plan for managing personal information in education, including assessing the need for and requesting reasonable accommodations., including assessing the need for and requesting reasonable accommodations. This training will utilize a service conceptualization framework and peer/expert discussions to apply the skills learned. If you wish, please come prepared to discuss an individual participating in services (please no names or other identifying information). This training is in collaboration with the Integrated Employment Institute (IEI) at Rutgers University.   View session recording.   Presenters: Joni Dolce, M.S., CRC  Joni Dolce is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers School of Health Professions. Joni has many years of experience working in behavioral health services, specifically Supported Employment (SE), providing both direct services and supervising SE staff. She has authored and co-authored several articles and workbooks on employment and presents and provides webinars and trainings locally and nationally on a variety of employment related topics. She has provided training in SE on a national level, including at the NY Department of Mental Health and Hygiene, Washington State Healthcare Authority, the Veterans Administration, and SAMHSA’s Northeast and Caribbean Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC). She has taught/co-developed the inaugural academic courses for Rutgers in SE and Supported Education. Joni was training coordinator for a Field Initiated National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) grant evaluating the implementation of SE into Supportive Housing environments. Joni has been invited to present to Human Resource professionals on the topic of mental health in the workplace and is listed in the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) as a recommended speaker on this topic. She is currently a member of the MHTTC’s Dissemination and Implementation working group and is a past president of the National Rehabilitation Association’s NJ affiliate chapter and past secretary of the NJ Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association. Joni is a doctoral candidate in Psychiatric Rehabilitation further exploring the impact of disclosure decision making in employment.     Amy Banko, M.S., LAC, NCC, CPRP Amy Banko is a Lecturer in the Department of Psychiatric Rehabilitation and Counseling Professions at Rutgers University. In addition to providing course instruction, Ms.Banko is a trainer and consultant at the Integrated Employment Institute of Rutgers. Within this role, she facilitates trauma-informed, Supported Employment & Supported Education training and technical assistance to enhance practitioner competencies and program outcomes. Previously, Ms. Banko was a clinical contributor on three NIDILRR funded studies focused on education, employment,  and trauma for individuals with mental health conditions. Additionally, Ms. Banko is a co-author of a best practice manual for providing career services to transition-age youth with mental health conditions. She currently serves as Co-Investigator on two NIDILRR funded studies related to postsecondary education, mental health conditions, and trauma. Ms. Banko’s research agenda focuses on rehabilitation counseling and social/transformative justice as well as critical disability theory as she seeks to build interventions and counseling services that bolster the social determinants of health for those with mental health conditions. Her passion is addressing disability stigma, internalized stigma, ableism, and improving the social determinants of health for people with disabilities and those who experience the intersectionality of disability with other marginalized and oppressed identities. Additionally, Ms. Banko leverages her lived experience of a mental health condition to inform her research, course instruction, and counseling. Ms. Banko is currently attending her doctoral studies at Kean University for Counseling and Supervision with a focus on the treatment of trauma.