Mid-America MHTTC Newsletter
JUNE 2021
Good morning,

We hope your spring is getting along well. Here at the Mid-America MHTTC, we're looking forward to an increasing mix of online and in-person events. In May, we saw the retirement of two major series as well as the conclusion of our podcast, Burnout Busters.

Below, you'll find a compilation of all the webinars and podcast episodes you missed for future viewing. While these series are retiring, we are always developing new training opportunities to meet the needs of our region. Be sure to check out the announcement of our new school mental health webinar series, Expect the Unexpected: Preparing for Crises in Schools.

As always, reach out if you have any questions about our training opportunities and resources.

Best wishes,

The Team at the Mid-America MHTTC
UPCOMING EVENTS & TRAINING
We hope to connect with you through one of our free events!
Nebraska School Mental Health Conference
June 2-3 | ONLINE
Expect the Unexpected: Preparing for Crises in Schools (Crisis Management in School Settings: Part 1)
12-1 p.m. June 7 | ONLINE
Well-Being Wednesdays: Bringing It All Together: A Wellness Plan for the Future
12-12:30 p.m. June 9 | ONLINE
Serious Mental Illness: Motivational Interviewing Learning Community
June 10, 16 | ONLINE
Program Limited to Select Participants
Developing Comprehensive and Living Crisis Plans (Crisis Management in School Settings: Part 2)
12-1 p.m. June 14 | ONLINE
Supporting School Mental Health During a Pandemic Professional Learning Community
1-2:30 p.m. June 16 | ONLINE
Adult Resilience Curriculum (ARC) Training of Trainers for Colorado Crisis Counseling Programs (CCPs) for Denver Metro and Western Slope
June 16-17 | ONLINE
Program Limited to Select Participants
Sustaining Pediatric Integrated Primary Care During a Pandemic
12-1 p.m. June 18 | ONLINE
What Educators Need to Know: School-Based Suicide Prevention and Intervention (Crisis Management in School Settings: Part 3)
12-1 p.m. June 21 | ONLINE
Educator Well-being Strategic Planning and Preparation for the 2021-2022 School Year
9 a.m. to 12 p.m. June 23 | ONLINE
What Now? Supporting Students after a Mental Health Crisis (Crisis Management in School Settings: Part 4)
12-1 p.m. June 28 | ONLINE
HOLIDAYS & COMMEMORATIONS
LGBTQ Pride Month - June 1-30
Alzheimer’s and Brain Awareness Month - June 1-30
Men's Health Month - June 1-30
PTSD Awareness Month - June 1-30
PRIDE MONTH BEHAVIORAL HEALTH RESOURCES
Top Health Issues for LGBT Populations Populations Information & Resource Kit (SAMHSA) - This kit equips prevention professionals, health care providers, and educators with information on health issues among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) population. It includes an overview of terms related to gender identity and sexual expression.

LGBT Training Curricula for Behavioral Health and Primary Care Practitioners (SAMHSA) - SAMHSA and the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) have compiled a list of professional training curricula to improve the health and well-being of the LGBT population.

LGBTQ+ Communities And Mental Health Infographic + Overview (Mental Health America) - Mental Health America (MHA) provides statistics around LGBTQ+ mental health issues as well as resources for LGBTQ+ individuals seeking help.

Suicide Risk and Prevention for LGBTQ People (NAMI) - Patients brief from the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). This publication offers a brief summary of what is known about suicidal behavior and risk among
LGBTQ people, followed by information and resources for health centers to help both young and old LGBTQ people get support and tap into internal and community resilience.
Advocacy organizations near you
PROMO is Missouri’s statewide organization advocating for LGBTQ equality through legislative action, electoral politics, grassroots organizing, and community education.
OutNebraska's mission is to empower, celebrate and grow LGBTQ+ communities in Nebraska.
One Iowa advances, empowers, and improves the lives of LGBTQ Iowans statewide.
Equality Kansas's mission is to end discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. The group works towards its mission through education, public policy advocacy, and political action.
NEWS & UPDATES
Expect the Unexpected: Preparing for Crises in Schools airs on Mondays in June
How can schools prevent crisis events, and under unpredictable circumstances, how can schools respond and encourage student and educator resilience?

Expect the Unexpected: Preparing for Crises in Schools is a webinar series geared toward education professionals, administrators, and stakeholders who are working together to create a school climate that promotes having answers to these questions.

This month, catch us from 12-1 p.m. every Monday for a crash course on an area of crisis response, including creating comprehensive crisis plans, suicide prevention and intervention, and reintegration strategies. The first webinar in this series covers what a crisis event is, why it is important for educators to focus on crisis prevention, intervention, and response despite barriers, and how they can do so using the Five R’s for best practice.

School representatives who are interested in additional support in developing their crisis planning and response are encouraged to join our Learning Community for the 2021-2022 school year. 

Content is tailored to address needs within HHS Region 7 — Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri — but all are welcome to attend. Register using the links below.
 
Expect the Unexpected: Preparing for Crises in Schools
12-1 p.m. Monday, June 7
Attendees will learn the Five R’s for best practices in school crisis response: readiness, response, recovery, review/evaluate, and resources. Attendees will identify common barriers to implementation of best practices and ways they can incorporate these vital components into their school’s crisis planning.
 
Developing Comprehensive and Living Crisis Plans
12-1 p.m. Monday, June 14
Attendees will learn how to assess their current crisis planning documents, identify areas for growth, and progress monitor changes made to readiness and response efforts throughout the school year.
 
What Educators Need to Know: School-Based Suicide Prevention and Intervention 
12-1 p.m. Monday, June 21  
Attendees will learn best practices in school-based suicide prevention and intervention. Attendees will gain knowledge on conducting skillful assessment in their buildings, as well as consultation, communication, and safety planning for suicide intervention. 
 
What Now? Supporting Students after a Mental Health Crisis 
12-1 p.m. Monday, June 28
Attendees will learn about best practices in reintegration, including supporting students transitioning from a mental health-related crisis back into the school setting. Attendees will gain knowledge on the role of educators in this transition, as well as strategies for implementing this in their school buildings.
June 23: Educator Well-being Strategic Planning and Preparation for the 2021-2022 School Year
The Mid-America MHTTC is inviting all school, district, educational agency, and state-level leaders to a half-day workshop to learn about educator well-being and determine how to fit educator well-being into their schools' plans for the 2021-2022 school year.

Educator Well-Being Strategic Planning and Preparation will convene 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Wednesday, June 23. Participants will learn the importance of educator well-being and its impact on school and student success; complete an organizational well-being assessment tool to evaluate their organizations; and learn about the Tier 1/universal strategy utilized by the Mid-America MHTTC: the Adult Resilience Curriculum (ARC) for Educators. The MHTTC team will conclude the session with an introduction to data-collection strategies and guidance with strategic planning around integrating educator well-being into school success plans for the 2021-2022 year.

Certificates of completion will be provided to all who attend the entirety of the session. Please click here to register.
Deadline approaching: Mid-America School Mental Health Provider Learning Community
Applications to the Mid-America School Mental Health Provider Learning Community are due 5 p.m. Friday, June 11.

This learning community is focused on comprehensive service delivery in school-based settings. Trainers will help school-based providers with integration into school settings and address school mental health from a multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) framework. Participants will learn about comprehensive systems to support school mental health, strategies to engage and participate in school teams, strategies to navigate information-sharing, and strategies to manage school crises.

Teams of school mental health providers, including community-based providers providing services in schools, school psychologists, school counselors, school social workers, board certified behavior analysts are encouraged to apply.

Please apply using our online application form.
That's a wrap! Burnout Busters, podcast on well-being for health professionals, concludes with sixth episode on trauma
In May, we released our sixth and final episode of Burnout Busters: The Podcast, featuring an interview with host Hannah West, PhD, LP, who talks about her work with trauma patients and with organizations on addressing trauma among caregivers, prior to and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. You’ll learn how to recognize trauma and take steps to respond to its symptoms, and how the “do no harm” tenet of the Hippocratic oath applies to health workers in addition to their subjects.

Binge-listen all six episodes using the links below, or find us on your favorite podcast platform.
Episode 6
When empathy becomes too much: How crises translate to trauma and what to do about it

Episode 5
Don't go it alone: Meaningful connections can help you through tough times

Episode 4
Be here now: Integrating mindfulness into your daily life with ease

Episode 3
Calibrating your life compass: How values can orient you toward well-being

Episode 2
When self-care isn't enough: Why we need organizations to tackle well-being

Episode 1
We are not robots: How stress is core to being human and ways we can work with it during tough times
ICYMI: Well-Being Wednesdays: Rejuvenating Through Relaxation, Recreation, and Routines
To view the webinar, watch the video embedded above or click here.
Coming Home to Primary Care: Pediatric Integrated Health series archive available now
All webinars from our Coming Home to Primary Care: Pediatric Integrated Health series are now available for viewing at your convenience.

This monthly series ran from July 2020 through May 2021 and covers topics pertinent to both new and established integrated care programs. Our trainers draw upon decades of combined experience working in integrated care settings, as well as firsthand knowledge of how many children, adults and families face limited access to behavioral health services, especially in rural and underserved inner-city areas.
Professional Well-Being

Organizational Well-Being
  
Equity Considerations in Rural Communities and Reservations
 
Addressing Linguistic Diversity in Pediatric Integrated Care

 Building an Equitable Workforce in Pediatric Integrated Care
  
Considerations in Maintaining Equity on Our Path to Pediatric Primary Care
*Dr. Warrior was unable to join us for this webinar. Watch her presentation (recorded separately).
 
 Ready to Hit the Pavement: How to Dive Into Primary Care
  
The Road to Primary Care: Several Paths to Coming Home
  
Starting Down the Integrated Care Road and How the Mid-America MHTTC Can Help
Speaker(s): Joseph Evans, PhD
Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce series archive available now
The final webinar in our Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce series, How Families Can Foster Independence: Housing, aired May 20.

This series, produced in collaboration with Omaha-based Community Alliance, presented SAMHSA-published competencies in peer support and featured guests who shared their powerful personal stories attesting to the benefits of family peer support.

How Families Can Foster Independence: Housing
Speakers: Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram; Dr. Bill Baerentzen; Aileen Brady

How Families Can Foster Independence: Employment
Speakers: Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram; Dr. Bill Baerentzen; Cecilia Losee

How Families Can Help the Team Become Oriented Toward Recovery
Speakers: Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram; Dr. Bill Baerentzen; Jon Thomsen; Dr. Mark Thomsen
 
How to Orient Families and Their Loved One Toward Recovery
Speakers: Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram; Dr. Bill Baerentzen; James and Barbara Kirkpatrick; Cecilia Losee; Ed Furay

Family Peer Support: Preventing Crisis and Relapse
Speakers: Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram; Dr. Bill Baerentzen; Rich Kalal
 
Family Peer Support: Being Part of the Mental Health Team
Speakers: Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram; Dr. Bill Baerentzen; Rita and Stuart (Last names omitted for privacy)
  
Family Peer Support: Self-Care
Speakers: Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram; Dr. Bill Baerentzen; Cecilia Losee; Rich Kalal
 
Family Peer Support: Outcomes
Speakers: Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram, Bill Baerentzen, Ph.D., CRC, LMHP, Jon Thomsen, Joe and Nancy Pawloski
 
Kick-off webinar: Family Peer Support: An Emerging Workforce
Speakers: Dr. Lilchandra Jai Sookram; Dr. Bill Baerentzen; Cecilia Losee; Rich Kalal
You have reached the conclusion of this issue. Thank you for reading!
Mid-America MHTTC | 402.552.7697 | MHTTCnetwork.org/midamerica
The Mid-America Mental Health Technology Transfer Center is a SAMHSA-funded program at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. The Mid-America MHTTC provides training in evidence-based practices to the four-state area of Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska and Kansas. 
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