January 2, 2023

Happy New Year!

Welcome, 2023!

We've enjoyed 12 months of trainings, events, connections, and more. We were joined by expert speakers for our conferences and learned so much from people with lived experiences. And we were joined by you, who helped us make it all happen. Thank you for your support throughout 2022. We can't wait to see you in the New Year!

Highlights

Opportunity for Feedback on the Revised Draft of the Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic Criteria Update

SAMHSA invites the public to provide comments on the revised draft of the updated Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC) Certification Criteria.

Please provide your recommendations and input on the revised draft of the CCBHC Criteria by emailing CCBHCCriteria@samhsa.hhs.gov no later than January 20th, 2023.

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Events, Products, & Resources

Upcoming Events

CAFE TAC Presents: So You’re Ready to Work, Now What?

Finding and maintaining employment is an essential part of recovery and life in the community for people with lived experience of serious mental health conditions, but those individuals face unique challenges in getting the right job and succeeding in the workplace. CAFÉ TAC’s 12-part bi-weekly interactive employment training series is designed to address those challenges, by equipping peers with the skills and strategies they need to find and maintain employment!

January 3 | 11:00AM CT | Learn More

January 17 | 11:00AM CT

January 31| 11:00AM CT

February 14 | 11:00AM CT

First Episode Psychosis (FEP) Monthly Peer and Family Partner Networking Meeting

We invite Region 6 Peer Specialists and Family Partners working in First Episode Psychosis (FEP) and Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) teams to participate in our monthly networking meetings.

January 6 | 9:00-10:00AM CT | Learn More

February 3 | 9:00-10:00AM CT | Learn More

Case Conceptualization for First Episode Psychosis Series 2: Culturally Informed Therapy for Schizophrenia

The South Southwest MHTTC team is pleased to welcome Dr. Amy Weisman de Mamani, clinical psychologist, who will be leading our next case consultation series on culturally informed therapy for schizophrenia. Join us to learn ways to draw upon clients’ cultural, religious, and spiritual beliefs, traditions, and practices in helping them cope with symptoms of mental illness and live healthier, happier lives.

Session 1 | January 12 | 10:00-11:00AM CT | Learn More

Session 2 | February 9 | 10:00-11:00AM CT

Session 3 | March 9 | 10:00-11:00AM CT

Region 6 Peer Support Advisory Committee

The Region 6 Peer Support Advisory Committee (PSAC) to the South Southwest MHTTC meets on a monthly basis to collaborate across the states and tribal communities to identify and address common areas of need and share resources. This is a closed meeting.

January 17 | 1:00-2:30PM CT |Learn More

Advanced Practice in Healing Centered Virtual Facilitation

In this closed virtual training, peer specialists will engage and provide feedback on the recently updated training developed by the MHTTC "Advanced Practice in Healing Centered Virtual Facilitation." The training provides deeper exploration of Healing-Centered Engagement principles and how those principles can be incorporated into virtual group sessions or meetings facilitated by peer specialists.

January 18-20 | 9:00AM-5:00PM | Learn More

Improve Vocational Outcomes among Adolescent and Young Adults in CSC: Integrate Evidence-based Engagement and Support Strategies

This webinar provides a strong philosophical and practice foundation for integrating developmentally-attuned, evidence-based vocational service strategies to promote work and school engagement among young people with serious mental health needs. Dr. Vanessa Klodnick and Laura Stevens, will share both direct practice and program management strategies based on their successful integration of effective multidisciplinary service models, which include clinical, vocational and peer elements.

January 19 | 12:00PM-1:00PM | Learn More

Products & Resources

Rethinking School Policing: How Round Rock ISD is Changing the Model

In this session of the 2022 ABC Summit, Round Rock ISD leaders shares their model of collaboration between the district police force and mental health providers to support student success. The presenters discuss the different ways in which they are working to avoid the school-to-prison pipeline with mentoring, student supports, and advocacy.

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Universal Supports through Project AWARE

In this session of the 2022 ABC Summit, district leaders across four communities share the universal supports that have been put in place for students through Project AWARE in Texas, the barriers they experienced, how they overcame those barriers, and some of their lessons for others looking to put universal school mental health practices in place.

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Community Engagement: An Essential Component of an Effective and Equitable Substance Use Prevention System

Community engagement is often cited as a tool to improve the health of the community and its members. This guide reviews the evidence related to leveraging community engagement to support the implementation and scale-up of evidence-based programs and policies.

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Implementation Science: Overview and Opportunity for SAMHSA

This implementation science overview was prepared for SAMHSA leadership by the MHTTC Network Coordinating Office. It provides an overview of the emerging science of implementation, and offers suggestions on SAMHSA’s leadership, administrative, and funding role in the delivery of behavioral health services in the U.S. The report is a rapid response, and one interpretation of a broad, complex, and dynamic field.

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Making it Stick: A Guide to Using Dissemination and Implementation Science in Planning High-Impact Training and Technical Assistance

The MHTTC Network created this guide to demonstrate how TA purveyors can use D&I science findings, models, and frameworks to provide the most effective training and technical assistance to accelerate practice change.

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Young Adult Serving Professionals in the Mental Health Workforce

The National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health

(NTTAC) held two listening sessions with Graphic Facilitator Sherrill Knezel on August 23 and 24, 2022. During the listening sessions, 26 participants who work directly with youth and young adults over the age of 14 added their insight to the conversation. Those insights are illustrated on pages 2-3 of this document.

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Making A Difference

Team member Mordecai Dixon improves mental health services with a trauma-informed lens and supporting the workforce

Mordecai Dixon, MA. is the Senior Administrative Program Coordinator for the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center at the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health housed at the University of Texas School of Social Work.

He has worked in human services with diverse populations for over two decades and has leadership experience in operations management, quality improvement, training and staff development, program development, program evaluation, and crisis stabilization.

His career began in residential treatment services for dually diagnosed youth in New York City. He supported and supervised independent living services for youth in the child welfare system. While honing his craft working with youth and families, an interest in doing system wide work developed. He completed his graduate work in psychology and specializes in Organizational Psychology.

“Working with people in need is incredible and I realized early on, that despite their presenting needs, family instability isn’t impacted by the family exclusively, but by the organizations and the people that serve them.”

Mordecai used this value as a guide in all his future leadership endeavors. He developed programs and led teams serving runaway and homeless youth and young adults, veterans, children and families receiving child protective services, as well as community suicide prevention, crisis stabilization and care coordination.

Mordecai focuses his energy these days on workforce development activities with the Mental Health Technology Center. He proudly describes his work as “serving the servants.” He believes, “The most important input in the development of effective services is the dedicated individuals who perform the work daily! Organizations that realize and act on this truth are primed to achieve their strategic and mission goals!”

Mordecai recognizes the impact of trauma on people in need of service and those that provide service. His focus at the institute is helping bring evidence-based practices to leaders and employees who lead trauma informed workforce settings to increase capacity and impact service outcomes.

Mordecai has dedicated his career to improving service outcomes for organizations and the people impacted by human services. He values self- sufficiency, increasing health and wellness outcomes taking a preventive- public health approach to all service endeavors. Mordecai’s passion for fostering diverse and equitable service environments is evidenced in work performed in profit and non- profit organizations alike where he consults, designs and facilitates system wide and service specific education programs.

We want to showcase the incredible people of Region 6! If you or someone you know is Making a Difference in our region, please send us an email at southsouthwest@mhttcnetwork.org for a chance to be featured in our next newsletter!