Event Calendar

During this webinar, Ann Marie White, Ed.D. Director of the Office of Mental Health Promotion and Associate Professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center, will review systems approaches to identify and understand social connectedness in a number of settings and contexts. Dr. White will provide a brief overview of social connectedness in communities, and share examples such as applying network analyses to identify and understand effective social connectedness in community-based social contexts relevant to suicide prevention.
 

What kinds of messages are you drawn to?

In the July session of Hot Topics in Practice, cartoonist and communications specialist Meredith Li-Vollmer, PhD, explores how comics can be used for creative public health messaging. This one-hour webinar will introduce the field of graphic medicine and speak to how the tools and principles are being translated in new ways to public health work. Participants will have the opportunity to learn from examples in health promotion, risk communication, and advocacy ranging from climate change to preventing opioid misuse. The presentation will also include tips for how small and low-resourced health departments can begin this work or borrow from existing efforts. Register today to learn how comics offer a versatile and creative way to engage public health audiences.
 

Intended audience: Journalists, bloggers, reporters, school newspaper staff and students, social media users, communication professionals and anyone interested in how to talk about suicide appropriately and accurately. Presented by Rena Fitzgerald with Volunteers of American and Wendy Burchill with the Snohomish Health District. Please RSVP to wburchill@snohd.org. 

Hosted by Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC. Discover the history, strengths and challenges related to gender diversity in the behavioral health field in this webinar.   Examine research addressing disparities in this area and improving services. 

Systems have largely been built on mental models that believe individuals are always “in control” and make “choices” about their behavior. Science about trauma has shown this fundamental assumption is wrong! How can we support leadership teams across systems in our community to learn this science, think critically about their services from a new perspective, and adopt trauma-informed practices and innovative approaches to help clients/staff flourish? Come learn about Kitsap Strong’s Collaborative Learning Academy (CLA) an innovative approach to building organizational knowledge and capacity across nearly 50 organizations and schools to become a trauma-informed community.

Kody Russellis the Executive Director of Kitsap Strong, an engaging and entertaining “MASTER Trainer” certified in the ACEInterface NEAR sciences (neuroscience, epigenetics, Adverse Childhood Experiences – ACEs, & resiliency) curriculum, who uses storytelling & lived experience to help people understand complex information. As Executive Director, Kody provides support to 100+ agencies working to implement NEAR sciences & become a trauma-informed community.

This webinar will introduce participants to the evidence-based Signs of Suicide (SOS) program for middle and high schools. SOS educates teens on warning signs of depression and suicide and teaches them how to support themselves or a friend using ACT: Acknowledge, Care and Tell. SOS includes a vital screening component in order to help school student services staff identify at-risk youth and link them to needed services. Participants will also learn about a local organization, Elyssa’s Mission, and their approach to funding and implementing the SOS program in more than200 Illinois schools.

Director of Education at Elyssa’s Mission, Jodie’s primary task is assisting area-wide middle and high schools to implement the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program, an evidence-based suicide prevention program that teaches students how to recognize the warning signs of suicide and seek out needed help from a trusted adult. In addition to providing hands-on support to those staff members implementing SOS, Jodie further facilitates all-staff training sessions, as well as presentations for parents, in order to help these groups identify and support at-risk youth. Jodie is no stranger to preventative efforts, or to working with schools, families and community organizations. She began her career as a school social worker, where she implemented a range of programs designed to foster resiliency in students and strengthen their support systems. Before joining Elyssa’s Mission in 2011, Jodie spent six years as an assistant principal at both the elementary and middle school level

What are the current hot locations for teens to search on the Internet? This presentation will discuss the most current studies and provide demonstrations of where children are going on mobile devices and what kinds of actions they are taking. This presentation will demonstrate several of the newer applications for mobile devices that are popular for teenagers. Participants will learn about vault applications and the ability to secretly store information. Finally, participants will also be shown the different emerging technological devices and the roles they are playing in potentially manipulating children.

Expert Presenter: Justin Fitzsimmons is the Program Manager of the High Tech Training Services division of SEARCH Group, Inc. He trains at national, state and local conferences on the subject of sexual and physical crimes against children. He is on the executive board of the National Children’s Alliance. He is licensed to practice law in Illinois and has significant experience as a prosecuting attorney. Prior to joining SEARCH Group he was a Senior Attorney with the National District Attorneys Association. He managed NDAA's technology-facilitated child exploitation unit. Before joining NDAA he was the supervisor of the Special Prosecutions Unit of the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. He was also assigned to the Child Advocacy Center where he prosecuted sexual assault and severe physical abuse of children.

People living with serious mental illness (SMI) are at higher risk of dying by suicide, yet there is little research about unique considerations or interventions for treating suicidal thoughts and behaviors in those diagnosed with SMI. A comprehensive, systematic approach to managing suicide risk for patients seen in health and behavioral health (HBH) organizations should include specific clinical decisions, tailored interventions, and enhanced engagement for patients with SMI. This webinar will provide an overview of the relationship between SMI and suicide, highlight some of the resources available to support health and behavioral healthcare organizations in their care for individuals with serious mental illness, as well as how to assist their loved ones.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to (1) describe the importance of addressing suicide risk for those with SMI in HBH organizations, (2) identify resources that are available to support suicide prevention and care for individuals with SMI and how to access these resources, and (3) list the benefits of taking a patient-centered approach to treating suicide risk and SMI that includes community, peer, family, and other supports.
 

This webinar is part one of a two-part series presented in collaboration with the Great Lakes PTTC and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center.  Part 1 will present the complicated relationship between substance use disorders and suicidal thinking and behaviors. Presenters will explore the implications of this information for prevention and early intervention, including opportunities for collaboration.

Dr. Kristen Quinlan is lead epidemiologist for the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC), where she provides recommendations on using suicide-related data for planning, quality improvement, and/or impact   purposes.  Dr. Quinlan is also the Director of the Outreach Core for the Injury Control Research Center for Suicide Prevention (ICRC-S), where she is responsible for translating the latest suicide prevention research  into practice. Dr. Quinlan also coordinates and evaluates outreach efforts for the TRANSFORM project for child maltreatment prevention.

Nicole Tirone, LCSW, is a licensed clinical social worker in Massachusetts who works as a Senior Project Associate for Health and Behavioral Health Initiatives at the Suicide Prevention Resource Center (SPRC) at EDC. Her role includes providing consultation to behavioral health organizations, states, emergency   departments, and primary care providers that are implementing safer suicide care protocols such as the   Zero Suicide framework as well as developing resources for staff and external audiences related to the intersection of substance misuse and suicide. Additionally, she has worked on a suicide risk assessment curriculum to train clinicians who work in substance use disorder treatment settings, virtual trainings on suicide risk assessment and motivating individuals to engage with treatment, and led virtual events and presentations on the overlaps between opioid misuse and suicide risk.  

Hosted by Northeast & Caribbean MHTTC. Discover the history, strengths and challenges related to gender diversity in the behavioral health field in this webinar.   Examine research addressing disparities in this area and improving services.

Substance misuse prevention efforts are often under-funded and under-resourced. Prevention practitioners are often forced to stretch limited resources and implement programs with extremely tight budgets. Additionally, prevention practitioners may find themselves continually advocating for prevention in order to maintain existing funding and/or avert additional budget cuts. This webinar will discuss the current federal funding trends and funding landscape related to substance misuse prevention. Participants will be able to identify potential partners and champions to engage in their local community who have the power to influence the allocation of resources supporting prevention programs. The webinar will discuss the five key steps in strategic finance planning and will highlight specific tools to support finance planning in their sites.

Presenter: Margaret Flynn-Khan, MSW, is founding partner of Mainspring Consulting, a national consulting firm that works with foundations, policymakers, and state and community leaders to design effective investments for families and communities.  She has provided training and technical assistance to public and private leaders around the country focused on financing and sustaining collaborative initiatives.  She acts as the lead finance technical assistance provider for the Annie E. Casey Foundation Evidence2Success Initiative.  She is a former Practice Group Leader for Vulnerable Children and Youth at The Finance Project, a national policy research and technical assistance organization. Margaret holds a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Connecticut.