Please help spread the word about Aaron T. Beck Day. On July 18th, people around the world will come together to celebrate the birthday of Dr. Aaron T. Beck, widely regarded as the father of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), by participating in a global day of action. People will pledge to volunteer to do one thing to improve mental health in their communities. Together, we are not only honoring Dr. Beck’s legacy but building the future of CBT and mental health care and treatment. You can share your plans and find more ways to get involved here.
Alaska’s Growing Behavioral Health Aide Workforce
Alaska comprises diverse regions, not just geographically, but also in culture, access, and population. Dr. Xiomara Owens says some regions are small and have limited resources, financial and otherwise. Census data from 2020 illustrates that there are nearly 60 Alaska communities with less than 100 people, and only 24 communities in the state have over 5,000. People who live in remote and rural communities tend to experience increased difficulty in accessing higher levels of healthcare. Dr. Owens says behavioral health aides provide a community-based resource for these communities. She’s the Behavioral Health Aide Training director at the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium.
Behavioral health aides live and work in the same region, which often results in cultural concordance between them and the people they serve. Many are from the same region, community, and of the same culture. "They understand the challenges and strengths that exist for their population," points out Dr. Owens, "which influence their identity, the workforce, and the services they provide." Read the June 1 #CrisisTalk.
Former Professional Rugby Player Joe Williams on Self Compassion and Intergenerational Trauma
Like many Indigenous boys in Australia, Joe Williams dreamt of becoming a rugby player. His father, Wilfred Williams, played in the National Rugby League. "I grew up watching him play on TV," says Williams. "I wanted to do everything I could to do that too." At night, he slept with a football in his arms. And at 13, Williams, a gifted athlete, was scouted and recruited by the Sydney Roosters, a National Rugby League club. That same year, he experienced his first massive concussion, the aftermath of which left him confused, disorientated, paranoid, and with a "head noise" that’s never gone away.
He sat down with #CrisisTalk to share his story of recovery, his work in culturally- and trauma-informed practices, and how Indigenous Australians are constantly navigating two worlds, one of which has been historically unsafe for them. Williams travels to schools and communities across Australia, including those in rural and remote areas, to speak with people about trauma, adverse childhood experiences, and his experience with mental illness. Read the June 8 #CrisisTalk.
NASMHPD extends a warm welcome to the following interim new commissioner:
Tyler Sadwith
Acting Deputy Director, Behavioral Health, Department of Health Care Services, State of California
State Spotlight: Arkansas Inside Out Program
The Arkansas Department of Human Services (DHS) is excited to announce the Inside Out project in collaboration with the Arkansas Department of Corrections (ADC) and the Arkansas Department of Community Corrections (ACC). This two-part peer recovery initiative began May 16, 2022, and focuses on reentry and recovery and adding to the growing peer recovery workforce. Phase One of Inside Out consists of DHS hiring a Peer Recovery Training Coordinator (PRTC) to facilitate a Peer Recovery Training Academy inside the Barbara Ester Unit of ADC. The training academy is a three-month program designed to train thirty incarcerated people every three months, producing returning citizens as certified Peer Recovery Specialists.
Phase Two sees the program extend its reach across the state through six agencies. DHS will provide funding to ACC to hire a certified Peer Recovery Specialist (PR) at each of their six community re-entry centers. The aforementioned PRTC will oversee each of these Peer Specialists and report to the DHS Recovery Manager. The culmination of these efforts will be an increased peer recovery workforce and the positive ripple effect each peer recovery program will have on their respective communities.
Once requirements have been met and candidates are accepted into the Inside Out program, they will:
Complete the thirty-hour Core Training for the Arkansas Model of Peer Recovery
Complete an additional sixteen continuing education hours
Complete five-hundred domain-specific work experience hours
Complete twenty-five hours of supervision by a certified PRPS
Pass the Peer Recovery Specialist credentialing exam
The PRTC and DHS Recovery Manager will work with the Arkansas Peer Recovery Program Manager at NAADAC, the Association for Addiction Professionals, to ensure proper credentialing guidelines are established by staff and met by program participants.
The Inside Out program is expected to yield eighty Peer Recovery Training Academy graduates per calendar year, helping to meet the growing demand for certified Peer Recovery Specialists in Arkansas through consistent contribution to the labor pool. If you would like more information on this program, please contact Jimmy McGill at jimmy.mcgill@dhs.arkansas.gov.
CMS Outlines Strategy to Strengthen Behavioral Health Care
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) shared our vision to make equitable, high-quality, affordable, data-informed care for mental health and substance use challenges available to the people served by our programs, as outlined in Health Affairs.
CMS recently released a Behavioral Health Strategy that demonstrates the Biden-Harris Administration’s ongoing efforts to support the Strategy to Address Our National Mental Health Crisis and underscores the importance of access, equity, quality, and effective data integration in preventing and treating mental health conditions, substance use disorders and acute and chronic pain.
The CMS Behavioral Health Strategy consists of five bold and interrelated goals:
Strengthen equity and quality in behavioral health care
Improve access to substance use disorders prevention, treatment and recovery services
Ensure effective pain treatment and management
Improve access to and quality of mental health care and services
Utilize data to inform effective actions and measure impact on behavioral health
FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Highlights Strategy to Address the National Mental Health Crisis
On May 31st, the White House released a new fact sheethighlighting the Biden-Harris Administration's strategy to address the national mental health crisis, announcing additional, new actions to advance the President’s mental health strategy across its three objectives: strengthening system capacity, connecting more Americans to care, and creating a continuum of support. You can read more about these actions here.
Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University Resources
Our hearts go out to those affected by recent tragic events. The following resources are available from the Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University. We hope these resources are helpful.
Preparedness for 988 Throughout the United States: The New Mental Health Emergency Hotline
This paper describes the result of a survey on preparedness for the launch of the new three-digit mental health emergency hotline (988), and it is accompanied by a research tool summarizing the literature on mental health emergency hotlines. Overall, the survey indicates that many agencies at state and local levels are not prepared to meet an increased need, and policymakers and administrators will need to work quickly if they wish to be ready before the number goes live in July 2022.
Major findings include:
Almost all respondents (97%) felt that 988 preparedness was “somewhat” or “very” important
<50% of respondents expressed they were prepared in terms of financing, staffing, or infrastructure
<50% of respondents indicated that they had been involved in the development of a strategic plan or budget
85% of respondents stated their jurisdiction currently has some sort of mental health emergency hotline in place, though fewer than half were identified as part of the Lifeline network. Additionally, fewer than half supported text/SMS, or online chat.
This 2022 Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA) Report to Congress highlights the Secretaries’ recent emphasis on greater MHPAEA enforcement and discusses the significant resources dedicated to supporting these efforts. As the first report since the enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA), the 2022 Report also details the efforts by the Departments to interpret, implement, and enforce the amendments to MHPAEA made by the CAA. This 2022 Report also provides information to follow up upon the fiscal year (FY) 2020 Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder (MH/SUD) Enforcement Evaluation Program outlined in the 2020 Report. Read the full report here.
A Guide for Addressing Disparities and Promoting Racial Equity in the Behavioral Health Field
NASMHPD’s Children, Youth, and Families (CYF) Division developed a working document that provides suggested inward and outward-facing actionable steps and examples as a guide for State Behavioral Health Agencies to address disparities and promote racial equity in the behavioral health care system. All people should have an equitable (fair and just) opportunity to be as healthy as possible, no matter where they live, work, or play. This document is one way to further efforts to achieve this goal by addressing social problems, unfair practices, and unjust conditions that can weaken the health of specific groups of Americans. Under NASMHPD’s Transformation Transfer Initiative (TTI) program, NASMHPD is promoting this document as a beginning guide and tool with innovative ideas and strategies. We invite new examples and suggestions to be added as the behavioral health system and the larger health care system evolve. NASMHPD would like to thank the CYF subcommittee for working tirelessly to create this document that will assist states and territories in moving forward on health equity.
IPS Intro: The Evidence-Based Practice for Employment
This introductory PowerPoint describes the evidence base for Individual Placement and Support (IPS), populations that IPS is suited for, the value of an employment focus, basic principles and practices of the IPS model, and basic implementation tips. If you are new to the IPS model, reviewing this PowerPoint is a great place to start.
The team at the IPS Employment Center has defined the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to supported employment. The center’s activities focus on employment for people with serious mental illnesses. The center offers training, educational materials, and consultation services. Learn more about training available through the IPS Employment Center.
Text-Based Crisis Intervention Services Found Helpful in Reducing Suicidality
New study finds that nearly 90% of suicidal texters reported feeling more hopeful and nearly 50% felt less suicidal after the text-based crisis intervention service. The goal of the study was to examine the effectiveness of Crisis Text Lines. At the end of the exchanges, texters received an invitation to complete an optional survey to provide anonymous feedback about their experience.
Researchers examined 85,877 survey responses from texters’ who conversed with volunteer crisis counselors from October 12, 2017 to October 11, 2018. Approximately 84% responded that their crisis counselors were genuinely concerned for their well-being and 86.5% of texters found the text-based intervention helpful. Regarding improvement in wellbeing, 37.8% reported feeling more hopeful after the intervention service, 27.6% reported feeling less depressed, 39.5% reported feeling less overwhelmed, and 46.1% reported feeling less suicidal. The open access article, published May 22, can be accessed here.
Tradeoffs Web Series – Answering the Call, Part One: America’s New Mental Health Crisis Line and Part Two: Struggling to Staff the Nation's New Crisis Line Part One Recording Here Part Two Recording Here
This is a special series that follows what is happening to make the vast vision for 988 a reality and the challenges and wins along the way. Part one lays the groundwork for why this line is important and what to expect when it goes live in July 2022. It discusses the problem of insufficient care for people in crisis, the opportunity of a nationwide hotline for mental health emergencies, and potential challenges for 988 implementation. Part two explores how 988 centers are trying to quickly build a large and resilient workforce and the lessons the new line can learn from its cousin, 911. It discusses that call centers across the country likely won’t have enough people ready to answer calls when the line goes live. Centers are scrambling to find more workers, and they know that to fulfill 988’s promise, this workforce must be well-paid, well-trained, and well-supported.
Implementing Effective Medicaid Supported Mobile Crisis Services Register here
Date: June 14, 2022 at 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm Eastern
The Technical Assistance Collaborative (TAC), with the support of the California Health Care Foundation and Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies, is presenting a webinar on “Implementing Effective Medicaid Supported Mobile Crisis Services.” With the impending deadline for the 988 rollout, states and communities are actively redesigning their behavioral health crisis response system to expand capacity and more effectively respond to the needs of those experiencing a crisis. As many states work to implement Medicaid options for mobile crisis intervention services provided by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA), they are exploring opportunities to maximize Medicaid. This webinar will review effective approaches to answer common questions and challenges regarding financing and reimbursement strategies, standards and service definitions, and how to effectively track and evaluate outcomes.
Learn More about SAMHSA’s Recovery Innovation Challenge Register here
Date: June 15, 2022 at 1:00 pm - 2:00 pm Eastern
On Wednesday, May 18, 2022 the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), announced its first-ever behavioral health Recovery Innovation Challenge. As part of this challenge, participants are encouraged to share details about the innovative practices and models they are using to advance recovery and demonstrate how they have: expanded upon SAMHSA’s definition of recovery, or overcome challenges in incorporating recovery into their behavioral health services or systems. SAMHSA will host this webinar that will cover topics and questions ranging from eligibility and prize structure to submission format and the judging process. We ask that attendees submit any questions in advance via the registration page as we will have limited time to answer questions.
Office for Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity Webinar Series: Improving Treatments for Mood Disorders and Depressive Symptoms in Women During Mid and Later Life
Register here
Date: June 21, 2022 at 12:30 pm - 2:00 pm Eastern
The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Office of Disparities Research and Workforce Diversity (ODWD) sponsor this webinar that examines the neurobiology of depression and mood disorders during the menopause transition and later life. Presenters will share research findings on the role of stressful life events and transdermal estradiol administration on depressive symptoms, including irritability and anxiety, the role of circadian rhythm and sleep changes, and their treatment with sleep and light interventions in mood disorders. In addition, findings on anhedonia and depression in women in later life are examined. Current research findings on the underlying biobehavioral mechanisms that may increase depression and other mood disorders will be presented, focusing on improved treatments or prevention of mental illness in women. The ODWD is designed for investigators conducting or interested in conducting research on mental health disparities, women’s mental health, minority mental health, and rural mental health.
Introductory Webinar to the Behavioral Health Guide: Considerations for Best Practices for Children, Youth, and Adults with TBI Register here
Date: June 22, 2022, at 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Eastern
This webinar will introduce Administration for Community Living (ACL) Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Technical Assistance and Resource Center’s (TARC) Behavioral Health Guide designed to provide state brain injury professionals with the tools to effectively partner with their state behavioral health entities and improve outcomes for this population. The guide’s authors will provide an overview of the various sections and answer questions about applying some of the tools and strategies identified within a state system. The guide is available for downloading at Behavioral Health Guide.
Join the Aligning Health and Safety: State Policy Community of Practice Register here
Session 1 of 4: June 23, 2022, at 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Eastern
In partnership with NASMHPD, The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center will host a four-session virtual Community of Practice focused on the state’s role in supporting local efforts to reduce the number of people with behavioral health needs in the criminal justice system. This Community of Practice will bring together teams of policy and program staff responsible for implementing complex, collaborative cross-systems efforts at the state level. Selected teams will receive frameworks, peer learning opportunities, and intensive one-to-one technical assistance to strengthen state policy infrastructure needed to improve outcomes for people with behavioral health needs and reduce overreliance on law enforcement, hospitals, and jails.
How Are You Now? Exploring Emerging Stressors and Evolving Approaches to Coping Register here
Date: June 23, 2022, at 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Eastern
New York State, Department of Health, Office of Mental Health presents a live Disaster Mental Health Webcast. This interactive virtual workshop is a follow‐up to last year’s “How Long Has Your “Check Engine” Light Been On”. Together we will explore the individual stressors that have persisted or emerged since the start of the pandemic. This workshop will present emotional intelligence as a wellness tool and highlight evidence‐based coping strategies to include intentional boundary setting, successful juggling of work and personal obligations, and revisiting values within professional and personal domains to achieve alignment and improve overall wellbeing.
Two-Part Series: Supporting the Mental Health of Refugee and Asylee Communities Register here
Part One: Voices and Stories on June 23, 2022, from 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Eastern
Part Two: Systems and Strategies on June 24, 2022, from 1:00 pm - 2:30 pm Eastern
The MHTTC Building Health Equity and Cultural Responsiveness Working Group (BHE+CRWG) is excited to announce that registration is now open for a special two-part panel series. These series aim to raise awareness about relevant mental health needs of asylum seekers and refugee populations through highlighting their voices and stories, share best practices and strategies with providers and organizations using contextual and system-level perspectives, and differentiate between a cultural knowledge-base and culturally responsive approaches.
Don’t Just Wing It: Combining Clinical and Supervision Case Plans to Improve Outcomes in Veterans Treatment Courts Register here Date: June 27, 2022, at 3:00 pm Eastern
Combined clinical and supervision case plans for Veterans in Veterans Treatment Courts can improve engagement, bring about behavior change, and increase success rates. SAMHSA's GAINS Center will host a webinar that addresses the following common questions about combined case plans: Why create a case plan that combines clinical and supervision requirements for Veterans Treatment Court participants? How do you do it? Who needs to be involved? How do you use it once you have it? This webinar will also review the use of assessments in developing clinical treatment, supervision, and other case planning and how to use the findings from different tools to create individualized plans for each participant. The presenters will discuss the roles of the Veterans Treatment Court team members in creating plans in partnership with Veterans Treatment Court participants.
Technical Assistance Coalition Two-Part Webinar: “Integrating Faith & Spirituality into Trauma Recovery” Register here
Part One: June 29, 2022, from 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm Eastern
Part Two: June 30, 2022, from 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Eastern
Religion, faith, and spirituality can serve as a protective factor against stress, as well as play a significant role in helping people cope with stress when it arises. Spiritual individuals often turn to their beliefs as a primary means of coping with trauma or disaster, particularly for people with serious mental illness. For many trauma survivors, adding a spiritual dimension to their healing and treatment plans - in accordance with their personal beliefs - is associated with increased resiliency and recovery. In this Technical Assistance Coalition (TAC) webinar, presenters Dr. LaNail Plummer, CEO of Onyx Therapy Group, and Shani Banks, founder of Holistic Muslim Healing, will discuss what trauma recovery consists of and the value of a faith- or spirituality-based approach, best practices for inquiring about a trauma survivor’s relationship with spirituality and integrating their beliefs into treatment and healing, and incorporating Islamic faith and spirituality into trauma work with the Black Muslim American population.
The Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), the NASMHPD Research Institute (NRI), and the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD)hosted this two-part webinar with presenters, Kristin Neylon, NRI, Nichole Cunha, Utah Department of Human Services, Anna Bourque, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Dawn Peel, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Wendy White Tiegreen, Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, Jennifer Armstrong, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and Melissa Sparks, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.
Cultural Competency Community of Learning Informational Exchange - Recording Recording here
During the Cultural Competency Community of Learning Informational Exchange, CLC Coordinators and Equity officers Michelle Nihaus and Rashaad Abdur-Rahman from Kentucky, Ida Rosser from Missouri, and DoQuyen Huynh from Washington state discussed how racial justice work progressed over the past two years, how they work across the behavioral health system to address institutionalized racism, how they measure/evaluate cultural competency, and unexpected promising practices they have learned thus far. See below for additional resources.
988 Implementation Guidance Playbooks. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), in co-sponsorship with NASMHPD, convened with national partners across critical working sectors involved with 988 to help advance 988 planning efforts at the state and local levels. These national-level meetings brought together states, territories, and tribes; crisis contact centers; public safety answering points; and behavioral health providers to exchange resources and best practices for facilitating the 988 transition.
SAMHSA also collaborated with these national partners to create playbooks and other guidance documents to assess and improve the operational readiness of these critical groups to support implementation of 988.
The following are the links to the individual playbooks:
988 - Transforming Crisis Systems Resources. NASMHPD has developed a 988 crisis resource landing page and will continue to identify key resources. These resources support state and territorial mental/behavioral health authorities and key stakeholders in implementing and strengthening 988 crisis service systems.
Resources:
988 Lifeline Suicide & Crisis Network Jobs. On July 16, 2022, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) will transition to an easy-to-remember, 3-digit number (988). This represents an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen and expand the existing network of over 200 locally operated and funded crisis centers across the country. In advance of the 988 transition in July, the Lifeline suicide & crisis network is looking to bring on new volunteers and paid employees to answer calls, chats, and texts from people in crisis. In an effort to assist with the hiring challenges many 988 crisis centers are facing, SAMHSA developed a webpage that links prospective applicants to crisis center hiring or volunteer pages.
States' Experiences in Legislating 988 and Crisis Services Systems. In partnership with Vibrant Emotional Health, NASMHPD has released a new report to provide information on states’ 988 and crisis services legislative experiences. The report includes a summary of states’ 988 legislative process through January of 2022; methods of financing noted in some states’ legislation or fiscal note; obstacles encountered when attempting to legislate sustainable funding sources for their crisis systems; and the interface between 988 and 911 systems.
Ready to Respond: Mental Health Beyond Crisis and COVID-19. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has released ongoing resources to help mental health system leaders and providers deliver needed support services and establish integrated programs that continue to build out a robust mental health continuum of care. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the pre-pandemic rising suicide rates, the opioid crisis and numerous challenges in meeting demands for mental health services across the country, the 2021 Compendium of Ready to Respond: Mental Health Beyond Crisis and COVID-19, comes at a critical time.
EPINET is a national learning health care system from the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) that links early psychosis clinics through standard clinical measures, uniform data collection methods, data sharing agreements, and integration of client-level data across service users and clinics. Clients and their families, clinicians, health care administrators, and scientific experts now have the opportunity to partner within EPINET to improve early psychosis care and conduct large-scale, practice-based research. Learn more about EPINET. Download a shareable flyer about EPINET.
The MHTTC Network accelerates the adoption and implementation of mental health related evidence-based practices across the nation, develops and disseminates resources, provides free local and regional training and technical assistance, and heightens the awareness, knowledge, and skills of the mental health workforce.
The Network is comprised of 10 Regional Centers, a National American Indian & Alaska Native Center, a National Hispanic & Latino Center, and a Network Coordinating Office. Find your Center and get connected to free products and free training and events. Stay up to date with resources by following @MHTTCNetwork on Facebook and Twitter, or subscribe to the monthly e-Newsletter, Pathways.
Registration for the 2022 Leadership Exchange is open to International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL) members. The IIMHL 2022 Leadership Exchange will provide opportunities to discuss issues, share emerging good practices and problem solve collaboratively. IIMHL may join in October for both Matches and the Network meeting, which will be hosted in Christchurch, Washington DC, and Dublin. There is no direct cost to become a member and are eligible to join if you are in a leadership role. For more information click here.
