Your one-stop source for the latest from SAMHSA.

Advisory: Prescription Stimulant Misuse Among Youth and Young Adults

This Advisory reviews the evidence on prescription stimulant misuse among youth and young adults. It establishes prescription stimulant misuse as a public health problem, identifies associated risk and protective factors, and provides programs and action steps for stakeholders to prevent misuse.

CAPT Karen Hearod to lead Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy

CAPT Karen (Kari) Hearod, MSW, LCSW, is the new Director of the Office of Tribal Affairs and Policy (OTAP). OTAP is housed within the Office of Intergovernmental and External Affairs (OIEA) and serves as SAMHSA’s primary point of contact for tribal governments, tribal organizations, federal departments and agencies, and other governments and organizations on behavioral health issues facing American Indians and Alaska Natives.

SAMHSA’s PATH Program Supports Services for People Experiencing Homelessness

In fiscal year 2020, SAMHSA’s Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH) grantees enrolled 60,000 individuals and connected nearly 40,000 into community mental health services. Nearly 40% of these individuals reported co-occurring disorders and approximately 39% of these individuals were experiencing chronic homelessness. The PATH program was created to reduce or eliminate homelessness for individuals with serious mental illnesses and/or co-occurring substance use disorders, who are experiencing homelessness or are at imminent risk of becoming homeless. Read more in the PATH 2020 Annual Report.

Training and events are available for practitioners through SAMHSA's Training and Technical Assistance Centers. Some of these are highlighted below. Visit SAMHSA’s Practitioner Training webpage for a more complete listing.

SAMHSA Headlines offers you a biweekly update of selected upcoming trainings and webinars. However, for a broader range of activities, visit this website, as well as the training sections of individual technical assistance center websites.

Selected events are highlighted below. Note that some of them require advance registration.

Note: If you are unable to access an event or webinar or have questions, please contact the source given at the individual event URL.

Ohio Crisis Academy: Children’s Crisis Response—Virtual Presentation

Friday, November 19, 2021 9:00 a.m. ET

The presentation will focus on the changing landscape of youth residential services and care coordination, including discussions on psychiatric residential treatment facilities, qualified residential treatment programs, child and adolescent needs and strengths assessments, family permanency teams, and special considerations for how Ohio will implement this level of care.

Psychological Treatment of ADHD—Webinar

Friday, November 19, 2021 1:00 p.m. ET

This presentation will provide an overview of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Participants will learn about the symptoms of ADHD, DSM-5 diagnostic criteria, prevalence, course, and long-term outcomes of ADHD. Additionally, the importance of comprehensive evaluation for ADHD will be addressed, due to the range of other causes of symptoms of ADHD and the frequency of comorbidities associated with ADHD. Participants will be exposed to components of a comprehensive multi-method, multi-rater evaluation for ADHD. Presenters will also discuss empirically supported interventions for ADHD, including specific behavioral strategies.

Trauma Strategies for Peer Support Using Self Care—Webinar

Monday, November 22, 2021 10:00 a.m. ET

Peer professionals provide an array of recovery-oriented supports and person-centered care which include empathetic engagement with survivors of trauma circumstances. This work at times can increase the peer’s vulnerability to vicarious trauma or secondary stress. Potentially it can result in the loss of ability to objectively help others find their recovery pathways and can affect the peer’s mental and emotional wellbeing. This two-hour interactive workshop will review how trauma situations may present, signs to recognize and cues alerting as to when to step away from a trauma inducing situation.

Patient Assessment and Induction—Webinar

Tuesday, November 23, 2021 2:00 p.m. ET

This discussion is designed to promote interactivity through an informal "round table" conversation. Attendees will be given the opportunity to speak directly with the presenter to ask questions and discuss issues.

Job Development: Building Skills to Connect with the Business Community, Session 2: Marketing Your Employment Services to the Business Community—Webinar

Tuesday, November 30, 2021 10:00 a.m. ET

Job development is an important component to 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 three-part series will provide attendees with the tools to confidently approach employers, market their employment services, and develop and maintain relationships with employers.

Early Intervention for Psychosis in Young People: A Lived Experience and School Perspective—Webinar

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 3:00 p.m. ET

Join us for this listening session to gain insight on the early signs and symptoms of psychosis, review the benefits of early intervention, and access tools that help young people connect with care. Specialized early intervention provides the best hope for recovery and growth for teens and young adults who are starting to experience psychosis.

School Mental Health Virtual Learning Series 2021-2022 Session 2 Educator Well-being

Wednesday, December 1, 2021 3:00 p.m. ET

This is a school mental health webinar series with a focus on advancing high quality, sustainable school mental health from a multi-tiered system of support, trauma sensitive, and culturally responsive and equitable lens. Among other objectives, participants will discover the social impacts of health on student academic and social-emotional-behavioral success.

Topics in the series include –

• December 1: Educator Well-Being
• January 5, 2022: Cultural responsiveness, Anti-racism, and Equity (CARE) Best Practices in School Mental Health Teaming
• January 19, 2022: Cultural Inclusiveness and Equity (CIE) Part 1: Understanding How Cultural Injustices Impact Student Mental Health
• February 2, 2022: CIE Part 2: Understanding How Educator Bias Impacts Student Mental Health
• March 2, 2022: CARE Best Practices in SMH - Screening
• March 16, 2022: CIE Part 3: Engaging in Culturally Inclusive Classroom Actions to Promote Student Mental Health
• April 6, 2022: CIE Part 4: Supporting Students Experiencing Distress from a Cultural Inclusiveness & Equity Lens
• May 4, 2022: CARE Best Practices in SMH - Universal Health Promotion (Tier 1)
• June 1, 2022: CARE Best Practices in SMH - Early Intervention and Treatment in Schools (Tiers 2 and 3)

Culture: An Integral Part of Behavioral Health Services for Hmong Populations—3-part Webinar series

Thursday, December 2, 2021 10:00 a.m. ET

Thursday, December 9, 2021 10:00 a.m. ET

Thursday, December 16, 2021 10:00 a.m. ET

This three-part training was developed for behavioral health professionals and administrators wishing to learn how to integrate cultural elements into effective behavioral health services for Hmong clients. The seminars will help participants:

• Learn how to incorporate cultural values when treating Hmong with behavioral health disorders;
• Distinguish culture-related symptoms when diagnosing Hmong clients;
• Identify the harms of labeling culture-related reactions as pathological;
• Identify strategies to engage Hmong clients effectively.

Promoting Person-Centered Psychopharmacology and Self-Management for Persons with Mental Health and/or Substance Use Conditions: New Practice Guidance—Webinar

Thursday, December 2, 2021 12:00 p.m. ET

Several forces have converged over the last decade to call for a reconsideration of how to view, discuss, prescribe, and assess medications for effectiveness in the care of persons with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders. This webinar announces the release of a new tool to promote person-centered psychopharmacology. It describes six evidence-based principles for promoting self-management in individuals with mental illness and/or addictions and illustrates them using clinical vignettes.

Building Community Resilience – Prevention and Recovery Services Working Together

September and October were two of the busiest months of the year here at SAMHSA. Each September, we observe Recovery Month by celebrating a strong and proud recovery community, promoting, and supporting innovative treatment and recovery practices, and lifting up the dedicated service providers, peers, families, and community members who make recovery possible. Following on the heels of Recovery Month, October is Substance Use Prevention Month, during which we remember those who have lost their lives to drug overdose and substance use and renew our commitment to enabling and promoting the supports that help prevent these tragic deaths and heal hurting communities.

SAMHSA Releases New Talk. They Hear You. Campaign Window Clings

SAMHSA expands its Talk. They Hear You. substance use prevention campaign resources with the release of Public Service Announcement (PSA) window clings. Each PSA encourages parents to talk to their children about alcohol and other substances.

The new window clings include:

• Talk. They Hear You: Choose Informal Times to Talk as She Gets Older
• Talk. They Hear You: Make Regular Conversations Part of the Routine
• Talk. They Hear You: Find New Ways to Talk as She Gets Older
• Talk. They Hear You: Before They Make Plans with Friends

We appreciate your feedback! Please send your questions, comments, and suggestions to the SAMHSA Headlines Team. You can call us at 1-877-SAMHSA-7, or email us at SAMHSAHeadlines@samhsa.hhs.gov. We look forward to hearing from you.

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