Products and Resources Catalog

Prevention messaging seeks to change behavior by inspiring hope and providing information on the risks of substance use. Implementing well-designed, culturally responsive messaging alongside other evidence-based prevention strategies can increase the effectiveness of each. This product explains the importance of prevention messaging, provides examples of messaging techniques, and shares tips and resources for developing a messaging campaign.

Cultural Intersections Across the Continuum of Care Southeast TTC’s Collaborative Virtual Summit   Join the Southeast TTC’s Collaborative Virtual Summit! Are you a professional or practitioner in the field of prevention, treatment, recovery, or mental health services within the southeastern United States? If so, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's (SAMHSA) Southeast Technology Transfer Centers (TTCs) invite you to our illuminating event: "Cultural Intersections Across the Continuum of Care." The Technology Transfer Centers (TTC) play a crucial role in developing and fortifying the specialized workforce that provides prevention, treatment and recovery support services for substance use disorder and mental health. The Southeast Addiction Technology Transfer Center (SE ATTC), Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (SE MHTTC), and Prevention Technology Transfer Center (SE PTTC) will lead discussions, share insights, ideas, and best practices within their specialized areas. This regionally relevant summit will focus on the intersection of culture and illuminate the challenges and approaches experienced across the continuum of behavioral health.   Supplemental Resources: Presentation Slides - Cultural Intersections SE TTC Collaboration   Key Themes: Equity Across Borders: Explore how cultural intersections impact prevention, treatment, and recovery efforts in diverse communities across the southeastern United States. Continuum of Care: Examine the continuum of care and the role of equity in prevention, addiction science, and mental health services. Challenges and Opportunities: Engage in thought-provoking discussions on the challenges and opportunities faced in ensuring health equity in substance use prevention and mental health services.   Presenters: CAPT Michael King, PhD, MSW, Regional Director Albert Gay, MS, CPC Lucy Cannon, EdD, LCSW, CCDP-D, MATS Pierluigi Mancini, PhD  

Building Bridges: Fostering Community-Campus Collaboration for Substance Use Prevention, Harm Reduction, & Recovery   Join the Southeast PTTC for a lively discussion on the power of collaboration between college campuses and their surrounding communities to support substance misuse prevention, harm reduction and recovery. Our panel of regional experts shared insights, best practices, and success stories, empowering participants with the knowledge needed to implement successful initiatives.   Supplemental Resources: Presentation Slides   Learning Objectives: Understand the significance of collaborative approaches between college campuses and surrounding communities to support prevention, harm reduction, and recovery among youth and young adults. Identify key strategies for building collaborative college campus and community partnerships to address substance use among youth and young adults. Learn about prevention, harm reduction, and recovery initiatives being implemented on college campuses from regional experts. Identify strategies and tools available to implement effective substance misuse prevention, harm reduction, and recovery initiatives within college campuses and surrounding communities.   Presented by: Dr. Lori Ann Eldridge is an assistant professor at East Carolina University, North Carolina. She is a public health implementation scientist specializing in substance use. Her research is dedicated to examining the accessibility of prevention, treatment, and harm reduction services for substance use in rural and underserved communities. Currently, she is the Principal Investigator of Pitt County Coalition on Substance Use Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act Opioid and Stimulant Grant funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With this work she is bridging partnerships between the local community and East Carolina University campus to prevent youth and young adult substance use and related harms. She has worked with students to expand access to naloxone and other harm reduction strategies at East Carolina University and is a co-faculty mentor for the Team Awareness Combatting Overdose at East Carolina University. Kayce Matthews is the Director of the Coalition for Healthy and Safe Campus Communities (CHASCo) in Tennessee. In this role she oversees the collection of higher education institutions and professionals in Tennessee who are working to address issues of campus health and safety. The work of CHASCO includes providing professional development & networking opportunities, providing assessment tools to campuses, and providing resources and funding for evidence-based prevention programing. Kayce joined CHASCo with over 10 years of experience in prevention and advocacy work. Before joining CHASCo, Kayce worked for the TN Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence. In this role, she founded both the TN Campus Prevention Project and the TN Statewide Sexual Assault Prevention Committee. Previous to the TN Coalition, she served as the Associate Director of the Margaret Cuninggim Women’s Center at Vanderbilt University. She holds a Master of Arts in Counseling from Trevecca University, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Stephens College, and is a Certified Prevention Specialist. Annette Newton-Baldwin is the Assistant Director of the LION UP Recovery Program (Collegiate Recovery Program) and Intervention. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor as well as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She serves the Association of Recovery in Higher Education as the Southeast Region Representative. Currently serves as Project Director for the Louisiana Collegiate Recovery Expansion Grant. Reese Hiatt is an undergraduate student at East Carolina University, North Carolina. She is a marketing major and Co-President of Team Awareness Combatting Overdose. She is dedicated to advocating for those experiencing substance use disorder and making a positive difference in the amount of harm reduction resources available to those in need.  

Practical Skills in Prevention: A Series Focused on Soft Skills When it comes to building workforce capacity, some fields overlook the importance of practical or “soft skills” as they are not as tangible as technical or “hard skills.” Soft skills are abilities that relate to how you work and interact with others. Soft skills are transferable, and useful in every domain of life. Soft skills enable you to collaborate, build relationships, and enhance productivity. For prevention professionals, strong communication skills instill confidence to engage with communities, foster meaningful connections and strengthen relationships. Developing soft skills may take time but is essential for advancing in the modern prevention workforce.   Supplemental Resources: Presentation Slides Exploratory Questions to Increase Contact Worksheet (Prosper & Partners) Identifying Group Belonging Worksheet (Prosper & Partners)   Session 1: Nurturing a Sense of Belonging The goal of this webinar is to explore the concept of belonging in our communities and its application in the prevention field. Dr. Kelly-Ann writes that a sense of belonging, "is a fundamental human need that predicts numerous mental, physical, social, economic and behavior outcomes." If this is true, do we have a responsibility to make sure everyone in our communities feels like they belong? What's the individual community member's responsibility? This interactive session explored these questions and how forms of exclusion can lead to substance use/misuse. Participants were placed in breakout groups to discuss and brainstorm strategies to recruit and retain diverse community members to lead prevention initiatives.   Learning Objectives: Define what is meant by "a sense of belonging" Analyze past recruitment and retention efforts and their effectiveness  Design a preliminary recruitment action plan   Presenter: Colber Prosper, M.S. Colber Prosper, M.S., is the CEO of Prosper & Partners International Consulting Firm, LLC and authored the book title, No Entry Examining the Powers that Undermine our Full Potential. Colber is an expert in various areas like education, organizational development, community public health and prevention. However, all of this work is centered around building community and creating inclusive spaces for all. He is passionate about spirituality, social justice, humans and South Florida sport teams.      

  Webinar Description How we as prevention professionals communicate our prevention messages to our intended audience is key to our success in reaching sustainable long term substance abuse prevention outcomes.  While we have many tools at our disposal, harnessing the power of these tools to convey our prevention message and inspiring our audience to see their place at the table is how we know that our communication strategy is effective.     During this two-part series, we: Reviewed communication goals in prevention and dug into the “who” and the “what” as it relates to promoting our prevention message(s) Explored best practices for creating slides, handouts, and newsletters to support prevention efforts Identified practices that help persuade our target audience to engage in our initiative and take action   Session 2 is an opportunity to review using tools such as newsletters, handouts and slides.   Presenters  Clara McCurdy-Kirlis is a multilingual communications and project management professional and has over 15 years of experience in project development, implementation, and management. She has held lead roles in health and education instructional design for adult learners, e-learning design and delivery, higher education curricula development, and interdisciplinary project coordination. McCurdy-Kirlis has also led communities of practice (CoP) with an emphasis on facilitating dialogue in a safe space where participants can share successes, challenges, and brainstorm solutions together. Clara designs virtual and face-to-face training materials and creates tools, blogs, and informational resources for the Northeast and Caribbean Prevention Technology Transfer Center in English and Spanish.   Additional Resources  Flyer  PowerPoint

  As prevention professionals, we spend much of our time facilitating trainings for our peers and various community sectors. Facilitators juggle many roles, from keeping the group focused to exploring ways to promote the application of new knowledge. But how do you learn to do this? This workshop explored what makes the "perfect" facilitator and the impact the facilitator has on the training and participants. Many of you may have found yourself in a situation where you are ready to deliver an outstanding presentation, only to encounter a distraction. Distractions, whether intentional or not, happen. As facilitators, how we respond to distractions is a good indicator of how successful the presentation will be. It's best to be prepared for potential distractions so that we are ready just in case they occur. This workshop discussed the importance of setting group norms and expectations to create presentations that will benefit all learning styles. There was a discussion of the different types of participants. Finally, there was a discussion of strategies for working with all participants and situations that could arise during your presentation.   Learning Objectives: Identify instructional design theories, seat placement practices, and speaking styles that can help create the "perfect" presentation. Demonstrate skills needed to engage all audiences to accommodate different learning styles and develop capacity for managing difficult people and situations in a program setting. Recognize the types of different participants, the effects of disruptive audience members on others and the behavior of the perfect participant.   About the Presenter: Jordon Hillhouse is a Certified Prevention Specialist with over ten years of experience in substance use prevention. In the past, he has worked with state agencies targeting the opioid crisis, underage drinking, and mental health awareness efforts. His passion is with alcohol and drug prevention education. He has developed many prevention-related trainings and has had the opportunity to speak to thousands of people across the country. He holds a master’s degree in business administration from Alcorn State University and is a published author. He currently works at the Mississippi Public Health Institute as the Workforce Development Manager, where he oversees the Mississippi Behavioral Health Learning Network, providing relevant trainings to state and national mental health professionals.

This toolkit and PowerPoint presentation walk substance misuse prevention practitioners and coalition members through the first two tasks of Step 3 of the Strategic Prevention Framework: Prioritizing risk and protective factors and selecting an evidence-based strategy.  

The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. The April 2022 issue features Alcohol Awareness month, the Counselor's Corner blog series, and a complete calendar of events. 

The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC. The May 2022 issue features Mental Health Awareness month, the Counselor's Corner blog series, and a complete calendar of events. 

    This 90-minute webinar will review the best practices in effective coalitions. We will discuss the importance and role that coalitions play in successful prevention efforts. We will also discuss the importance of leadership in building strong a community coalition.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Describe key characteristics of effective coalitions Describe best practices for building strong community coalitions Identify approaches for applying coalition best practices in your community   PRESENTERS Dodi Swope, M.Ed., is a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the state of Massachusetts. Dodi’s background includes teaching in regular and special education settings and a clinical practice serving children and families in the Boston area. Most recently, Dodi has provided training and planning facilitation on a broad scope of community health initiatives.           Erin Ficker, CPRS, MPAff, serves as a prevention manager for the Great Lakes PTTC. Erin has worked in substance misuse prevention for more than 14 years, helping communities to use evidence-based strategies and data driven processes in prevention planning and implementation.  She works with community-level prevention practitioners and schools in developing, implementing, evaluating, and sustaining prevention interventions.             The Great Lakes PTTC offers this training to prevention practitioners in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This training is offered in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.

  The Great Lakes PTTC offers this training to prevention practitioners in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This training is offered in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders. This 90-minute webinar will provide insight and information on how to tell your story and promote prevention in your community.  The webinar will focus on using persuasive communication, tailoring your message to your audience, and using communication to overcome barriers to full community engagement.    LEARNING OBJECTIVES Describe how to use contextual information about a community to create persuasive communications Define three key elements of effective prevention messages Identify barriers to engaging new partners and strategies to overcome them   Speaker Ms. Goldberg is responsible for providing virtual and in-person training and technical assistance (T/TA) to prevention practitioners served by SAMHSA’s Prevention Technology Transfer Center for Health and Human Services Region 2, as well as state agencies and community-based organizational clients of EDC’s Prevention Solutions initiative and school-based staff members through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education’s Social and Emotional Learning and Mental Health Academy. Previously, Ms. Goldberg provided T/TA to community coalitions in Massachusetts working to prevent substance misuse, obesity, violence and crime, and to promote positive mental health and youth development.

  The Great Lakes PTTC offers this training for prevention practitioners in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This training is offered in response to a need identified by Region 5 stakeholders.   Fentanyl Test strips have been proven as an effective harm reduction strategy in studies from the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health and the National Center for Biotechnology Information. The Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County, Ohio has been supporting fentanyl test strips as a harm reduction tool since 2018 and began grassroots distribution in 2019. Using data from both fatal and non-fatal ODs, the ADAMHS Board was able to get this harm reduction tool to the communities where it was needed most.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES Background on fentanyl test strips as a harm reduction tool Using data to inform harm reduction outreach efforts The power of community partnerships to reach individuals where they are     Panel Members Beth Zietlow-DeJesus, MA Director of External Affairs Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County              Madison Greenspan, MNAL External Affairs Officer Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Mental Health Services (ADAMHS) Board of Cuyahoga County                  Rebekah Wiland, MSW, LISW-S Associate Director of Housing FrontLine Service                   Waverly Willis Founder The Urban Barber Association (TUBA)    

  This webinar is the fourth in a series of webinars that will highlight the overdose prevention efforts in Region 5. Today will highlight the key challenges associated with opioid misuse/OUD or unintentional fatal mixed stimulant/opioid overdoses within the Black/African American population. Presenters will provide community-informed practices for addressing opioid misuse, overdose and the prevention of OUD in Black/ African American Populations.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES   Provide recent data on prevalence of opioid overdose death rates in the Black/African American population in the U.S. Discuss contextual factors that impact the opioid epidemic and increase overdose deaths in these communities, including challenges to accessing early intervention and treatment. Understand the difference in the ways that Blacks/African Americans use opioids and other drugs compared to White and Latinx populations. Highlight new or potential innovative outreach and engagement strategies that have the potential to connect individuals with evidence-based prevention, treatment, and recovery.   Presenters today served as community experts and contributed to the development of this SAMHSA Resource: The Opioid Crisis and the Black/African American Population: An Urgent Issue was prepared for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) by SAMHSA’s Office of Behavioral Health Equity. You can also see our research from 2017 Whitewashed   Presenters:  Kathie Kane-Willis  Director of Research and Policy for the Chicago Urban League   Kathie Kane-Willis is the Director of Research and Policy for the Chicago Urban League and she has been trending the opioid epidemic since 2003. Before joining the League, she co-founded and led the Illinois Consortium on Drug Policy at Roosevelt University from 2005-2016 and has worked to pass harm reduction policies in a number of Midwestern states.     Kareem Butler  Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Research and Policy Center, at the Chicago Urban League Kareem Butler is the Director of Learning and Evaluation for the Research and Policy Center, at the Chicago Urban League. In this role, Kareem works enterprise wide to evaluate the performance and resource needs of programmatic departments through a client focused lens to help shape and support programming that is responsive to longstanding community needs and emerging trends. With a background in public health and health policy, Kareem has developed an appreciation and respect for the gathering of input, stories and quality data, to advocate more effectively on behalf of black families and communities in pursuit of racial equity in total health and wellness.    THE OPIOID CRISIS AND THE BLACK/AFRICAN AMERICANPOPULATION: AN URGENT ISSUE (samhsa.gov)  

The Great Lakes PTTC is providing this training to prevention practitioners in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI. This interactive virtual learning event helps participants discover the unique leadership needs of coalitions.  Besides exploring their leadership style,  participants learn how to develop shared leadership throughout the coalition. Through interactive virtual activities, participants will examine common challenges and solutions to building coalition leadership.   Learning Objectives List two common leadership styles Define shared leadership Explain how coalition leadership needs change over time Identify one engagement challenge and solution Presenter: Carol Oliver is a nationally-recognized leader and trainer in substance misuse prevention. She has expertise in evidence-based methods, stigma reduction, instructional design, and in-person and virtual learning. She specializes in developing systems to solve complex health-related problems and create effective behavioral health workforces.         PPT_EffectiveLeadershipInYourCoalition_Oliver_10.22.20 Transcript_EffectiveLeadershipInYourCoalition_Oliver_10.22.20  

Offered by the Great Lakes PTTC for prevention practitioners in HHS Region 5: IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, and WI Building on coalition leadership Part 1, this virtual learning event focuses on building skills that facilitate leadership in the coalition and the community. This webinar highlights effective virtual engagement techniques for existing and new coalition members and stakeholders in the age of COVID-19. Participants will receive hands-on tools they can use with their coalitions. A successful engagement technique is effective messaging. Participants will learn the critical components of communication for working with coalition members and community-level stakeholders. Learning Objectives List two techniques for engaging people in a virtual meeting. Explain the connection between adult learning and practical engagement. Describe one approach for selecting new coalition members. List two critical components of a communication message.   Presenter:  Carol Oliver is a nationally-recognized leader and trainer in substance misuse prevention. She has expertise in evidence-based methods, stigma reduction, instructional design, and in-person and virtual learning. She specializes in developing systems to solve complex health-related problems and create effective behavioral health workforces.         PPT_CoalitionLeadershipInTheCommunity_Oliver_10.28.20 Transcript_CoalitionLeadershipInTheCommunity_Oliver_10.28.20

Presented By: Parissa Ballard, Ph.D., Wake Forest Health Sciences Description: Engaging youth in their communities in meaningful ways can benefit community organizations and youth themselves. This presentation will provide an overview of theories and evidence regarding the benefits of youth community engagement to organizations (for example, strengthening youth-focused prevention programs and policies) and to youth themselves (for example, promoting a sense of empowerment and meaningful contribution). This presentation will also provide developmentally informed information and suggestions for practitioners and organizations to engage youth in a way that promotes youth development. Learning Objectives: Identify the benefits of engaging youth in their communities. Identify the role youth engagement can play in substance misuse prevention (for both organizations and youth themselves). Utilize insights from developmental science to inform when and how you engage young people in your community work.   About Parissa Ballard, Ph.D., Wake Forest Health Sciences Parissa Ballard, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine. Dr. Ballard is a developmental psychologist with expertise in child and adolescent development and youth civic engagement.Her research focuses on the intersection of civic engagement and health and wellness among adolescents and young adults. 

Download the presentation Presented by: Wanda Boone, PhD, Together for Resilient Youth and Teresa Bishop, Roundtable of St. Lucie County Description: Reaching underserved populations is often a dilemma for coalitions, agencies, and organizations. This presentation will help participants explore the causes of community disengagement and provide tips and strategies for facilitating meaningful participation of underserved populations in community change efforts. Learning Objectives: 1.    Identify the causes of community disengagement for underserved populations. 2.    Describe the role of the Prevention Specialists in bridging the grassroots/grass tops divide to reach underserved populations. 3.    Utilize strategies to empower and engage underserved populations in meaningful community change efforts. About Dr. Wanda Boone Dr. Wanda Boone’s career in prevention spans over 30 years. She founded Together for Resilient Youth (TRY) in 2003. Together for Resilient Youth has received local, State and National recognition. Dr. Boone is a guest speaker and technical advisor on all things related to the Strategic Prevention Framework, Trauma, Resilience and Disparities. She has earned the title Social Justice Warrior. She currently: Works collaboratively locally, around the State of NC and nationally to address health disparities and associated challenges. Uses the Disparity Impact Guidance to construct and distribute information and outcomes based on demographics and sectors (youth, young adults, parents, community neighborhoods, law enforcement, faith, health, local government, business, and schools. Addresses the outcomes of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Behavioral Health Disparities, as they impact vulnerable community members and to ensure resilience is built back. Develops and carries out Developmental Asset Training sessions Works with multiple sectors to uncover their self-designed “Resilience” Develops Principles of Trauma Informed Care in Institutional settings Focuses on evidence-based, culturally competent environmental strategies at the community level across Durham County and collaboratively Statewide. Provides leadership in carrying out a strategic plan implemented by the community coalition members. Helps ensure engagement of culturally representative key stakeholders Provides cultural competence training Publications include: Duke University School of Medicine Medical Student Research Day (AOA Day), Durham, NC, August 2010.“How do you engage community when there are cultural, educational or socioeconomic differences within the community as well as between the community and the researchers?” Section 2c of “Challenges in Improving Community Engaged Research,” Chapter 5 of CTSA Community Engagement Key Function Community Task Force on the Principles of Community Engagement, Principles of Community Engagement, 2nd edition. Washington, DC: National Institutes of Health 2011 (in press-#11-7782). Boone, Wanda Johnson. “Regulating Outlets That Sell Alcohol in Predominantly African American and Hispanic Neighborhoods.” In Preventing Alcohol-Related Problems: Evidence and Community-Based Initiatives, edited by Norman Giesbrecht and Linda M. Bosma, 397–408, n.d."2018 Social Stigma and Recovery, WJ Boone 2019, Trauma and Resilience in the African American Community, WJ Boone 2019 About Teresa Bishop Teresa Bishop is Executive Director for the Roundtable of St. Lucie County.  She is also the Founder and Director of Provision Training and Consulting, LLC and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration, Personnel Management,  from the University of Central Florida  Over the past 25 years, she has worked both nationally and abroad, to improve capacity of  communities, federal and state agencies, as well community and faith based organizations, to achieve positive outcomes.  She has focused her efforts in the children and family arena and in recent years has championed causes around community development, youth development, and juvenile justice issues.  Ms. Bishop has provided support to a number of federal agencies including the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. Department of Labor and The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. She has and continues to work closely with state, local and grassroots organizations to provide training and technical assistance to improve staff and program development, strategic planning  and organizational development to impact community change and system reform.  She currently serves as the Executive Director for the Roundtable of St. Lucie County, a 501(c) organization, and works closely with executive level leaders, to accomplish system change that results in improved outcomes for youth.