Products and Resources Catalog

Responsible Marketing Practices Resources for Prevention Specialists Guidelines for Responsible Marketing Practices Responsible marketing practices for prevention specialists are essential for promoting accurate information, maintaining ethical standards, and safeguarding public health. Below are guidelines designed for practitioners who communicate to families, educators, and stakeholders who care about how health messages are communicated in social media and other outreach efforts. Click here to download the NW PTTC Handout for Responsible Marketing Practices. *Note the term “marketing practices” encompasses the outreach or communication practices you may use in your roles as prevention practitioners.   Additional Resources and Webinars: Media in Prevention Webinar 1: Social Media Best Practices Media in Prevention Webinar 2: Media Literacy as a Practical and Transferrable Skill Media in Prevention Webinar 3: Using Media in Substance Misuse Prevention

  Media Literacy Resources From the PTTC Network All media literacy skills can be used across topics, but these resources have been organized based on the primary way media literacy is applied by the source. Click here to download the Media Literacy Resources Handout.   Additional Resources and Webinars: Media in Prevention Webinar 1: Social Media Best Practices Media in Prevention Webinar 2: Media Literacy as a Practical and Transferrable Skill Media in Prevention Webinar 3: Using Media in Substance Misuse Prevention  

Substance Use and HIV Part 1: The Importance of Action and Addressing Disparities Josh Esrick, MPP, and Princess Walker, MPHc June 20, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will review the connections between substance use and HIV. It will summarize the research on how substance use can increase the risk of contracting HIV and present the most recent data on co-occurring prevalence rates. The webinar will examine the disproportionate impact of HIV among LGBTQ, BIPOC, Hispanic, and other populations nationwide and in the Central East region. It will discuss the importance of expanding services and key considerations for serving people living with HIV. The webinar will also review examples of evidence-based strategies. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Explain the importance of addressing substance use and HIV Describe the disproportionate impact of HIV Identify key considerations for serving people living with HIV Name examples of evidence-based HIV and SUD prevention strategies PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPP is the Chief of Training and Technical Assistance at Carnevale Associates, LLC. Mr. Esrick has over ten years of experience researching, writing, evaluating, and presenting on substance use prevention and other behavioral health topics. He is an expert in providing training and technical assistance (TTA) in substance use, having overseen the development of hundreds of TTA products for numerous clients, including six of SAMHSA’s ten regional Prevention Technology Transfer Centers (PTTCs), the PTTC Network Coordinating Office, the Central East Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC) and Mental Health Technology Transfer Centers (MHTTC), and SAMHSA’s Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT). These trainings and products have covered a wide range of topics, including strategic planning, data collection and analysis, and identifying evidence-based prevention interventions for youth. In addition to TTA, Mr. Esrick has directly provided many of these services to behavioral health agencies and other entities. He has published several academic journal articles. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the State University of New York at Buffalo and a Master of Public Policy from George Washington University.     Princess Walker, MPHc, graduated with a dual degree in Psychology and Health Administration and Policy Program with a concentration in Public Health from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She is a results-oriented public health professional passionate about community health education, inequality, public health research, and eliminating health disparities. Specifically, she serves underprivileged communities to address health disparities in high-risk groups. She has worked extensively at both the community and state levels developing strategic prevention/behavioral healthcare plans and enforcing policies. Princess is proficient in qualitative and quantitative research and analysis, program/project management, and public health issues. Recognized for orchestrating work processes and instilling trust and confidence in stakeholders in education, private entities, government organizations, and participants that support public health objectives—currently advancing her degree as an MPH candidate with a concentration in Epidemiology. She hopes to advance community-level monitoring and evidence-based interventions and training to improve health outcomes produced by Substance used disorder and other communicable diseases.  

COURSE DESCRIPTION This training demonstrates how adverse childhood experiences (ACE) data can be used to identify risk factors that contribute to substance misuse in a community and how the data can be used by prevention professionals to plan.  Exposure to traumatic experiences during childhood, or adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), is not uncommon. Studies estimate that 1 in 6 people report 4 or more types of ACEs.     This training assumes you have a basic knowledge of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Theory. If you have not been introduced to ACEs previously, we recommend watching this recording Understanding the Science of Trauma, Illuminating Prevention Action prior to attending this training event. Select the View Resource button above to watch the recording and the PowerPoint below. PPT Handout: Using the SPF and Creating a Logic Model   PRESENTERS Iris Smith is an Associate Professor Emeritus at Emory University's Rollins School of Public Health where she has taught graduate courses in Program Evaluation, Substance Abuse, Social Determinants of Health, and Mental Health Capstone course.  In addition to teaching Dr. Smith has served as the Coordinator for the Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT) Southeast Resource Team. In this role, she supervised a team of training and technical assistance specialists, content experts and consultants who provide training and technical assistance to Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services (SAMHSA) state grantees. Prior to coming to Emory, she was the Director of National Evaluation Services for the American Cancer Society, and has also served as a Deputy Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice. From 1979- 1992, Iris was Principal and Co-Investigator on a number of studies on prenatal drug exposure and intervention for substance abusing women and their children at Emory University’s School of Medicine.  Her accomplishments include design, implementation and evaluation of outreach, intervention and treatment programs for substance abusing women and their children. Dr. Smith’s expertise includes substance abuse prevention and treatment, juvenile justice, and program evaluation.          

Prevention Spotlight: What Does & Does Not Work in Prevention May 17, 2023   Webinar Description Many trainings and resources focus on what research has shown to be effective to prevent substance use. We also know through research what is NOT effective and sometimes harmful in preventing substance use. Yet communities across the nation continue to implement these ineffective and sometimes counterproductive strategies. The focus of this webinar will be on identifying these ineffective approaches and alternative evidence-based strategies to replace these ineffective strategies. We will also spend time discussing strategies prevention professionals can use to address the resistance often expressed by individuals and organizations reluctant to change long-standing, well-liked, but ineffective prevention practices.   Objectives In this webinar, participants will: Identify interventions that have been shown through research to not be effective in preventing substance use. Identify evidence-based interventions that can be used as effective alternatives to the ineffective strategies. Describe strategies to address resistance to discontinuing ineffective prevention strategies.   Webinar Recording and Slides What Does & Does Not Work in Prevention Recording What Does & Does Not Work in Prevention Slide Deck (PDF)   Additional Resources SAMHSA-SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment Alcohol Tax Tool Pre-Emption Tool Alcohol: No Ordinary Commodity The Community Guide Reducing Vaping Among Youth and Young Adults Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health Cannabis: Moving Forward, Protecting Health SAMHSA - Preventing Marijuana Use Among Youth National Academies of Science and Engineering: Reducing Underage Drinking: A Collective Responsibility STOP Act Report to Congress   Presenters Alicia Sparks, PhD, MPH, is the Chair of the U.S. Alcohol Policy Alliance and a Senior Principal at Synergy Enterprises, where she serves as the Project Director for NIAAA’s APIS contract, as well as SAMHSA’s STOP Act contract. Dr. Sparks served as Project Director for CDC’s alcohol advertising monitoring project, for which she directed a team of researchers in conducting analyses of Nielsen data to determine alcohol industry compliance with self-governed rules on advertising alcohol to youth audiences. She has more than 12 years of experience in alcohol policy research, including designing, implementing, and evaluating studies, programs, and policies. Dr. Sparks has led the development of numerous publications on alcohol policy, including the 2022 Implementing Community-Level Policies to Prevent Alcohol Misuse evidence-based resource guide and the 2016 Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs, and Health. She has published more than 20 peer-reviewed manuscripts and has presented at more than a dozen conferences. She is co-chair of the Alcohol Policy conference series and serves on the Scientific Advisory Board of the Global Alcohol Policy Conference.   Rick Collins is a Cincinnati, OH native who has resided in Hawai‘i since 2003. He specializes in public health policy on alcohol and other drugs. He is the co-founder of the Hawai‘i Alcohol Policy Alliance and the Maui Coalition for Drug-Free Youth, and he currently serves as Coalition Director for three community coalitions across Hawai‘i. His experience includes building new community coalitions, community organizing, and building coalition capacity to implement community-level policy strategies that reduce the harms of substance use. Rick currently serves as a board member for the US Alcohol Policy Alliance. He is a Certified Prevention Specialist and holds an MS in Counseling Psychology from Chaminade University   Questions Contact Kathy Gardner ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this webinar.

This webinar will explore common risk factors for mental health and substance use disorders.   The presentation is roughly divided into two evidence-based approaches to stigma-reduction and education:  Part 1 includes a personal testimony of co-occurring substance use disorder and mental health diagnoses.  Part 2 details the common risk factors and provides context for preventing and treating co-occurring disorders   Learning Objectives:  To compare risk factors for mental health and substance use disorders To apply research-informed approaches to preventing and/or supporting recovery from mental health and/or substance use disorders   About the Presenter:   Dr. Alex Elswick joined the Department of Family Sciences at the University of Kentucky in 2020 as an Assistant Extension Professor for Substance Use Prevention and Recovery.  He began his journey with the department as a graduate student in 2015, where he earned his Master’s and PhD and later served Family and Consumer Sciences Extension as an Extension Associate and as an Extension Specialist. Alex Elswick is a tireless advocate for people who use drugs and people with substance use disorders.  He currently serves the University of Kentucky as an Assistant Extension Professor for Substance Use Prevention and Recovery. He is a trained researcher and therapist, but most importantly, Alex is himself a person in long term recovery from the chronic disease of addiction.          

RECORDING: What Is Ripple Effects Mapping?    DESCRIPTION: This one-hour webinar will provide an overview of Ripple Effects Mapping. Identifying the impacts of complicated community work is often challenging due to the time lag between the work and the ultimate affects to the clients. Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) gives you the ability to tell your stories of the direct and indirect impacts of your work, while being engaging and fun. It starts with storytelling in a group setting which leads to the mapping process. Stories build on each other while the facilitator maps the accomplishments, partnerships, and contributions. REM helps you capture and visualize the learning, actions and condition changes that happened as a result of a program, workshop series or event.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Introduce participants to the benefits of using Ripple Effects Mapping (REM) to identify the intended and unintended outcomes Demonstrate how REM captures impacts of complex or evolving work Show how it is useful when outcomes are difficult to conceptualize and measure with other methods   PRESENTERS: Rebecca Sero, PhD Rebecca Sero is a research methodologist at a federal agency, where she works with teams to help select and implement methodologies that will effectively evaluate and analyze data in order to answer proposed research questions. Rebecca also helps conduct and train on “in-depth” Ripple Effects Mapping and is most often engaged with determining how to best analyze the rich data that is produced from REM evaluations. She received a PhD in Human Development from Purdue University and a MS in Family Studies from Miami University.   Debra Hansen, MEd Debra Hansen is a professor and county Extension Director with Washington State University, focusing on community and economic development in rural Stevens County. Debra was one of the original architects of Ripple Effects Mapping, developed in 2008 to discover poverty reduction outcomes in individual communities that participated in the Washington’s Horizons Program. She continues to map programs and train others to use this engaging tool. Hansen has a master's degree in Adult Education from Penn State.

Preventing Underage Alcohol Use (April 2023 Series) Part 2: Strategies and Recommendations for Prevention Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip April 27, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will discuss evidence-based prevention strategies for addressing underage alcohol use. It will cover both environmental and behavioral interventions, as well as opportunities to implement or expand policies and address the social determinants of health. The webinar will review both general strategies and those specifically focused on early adolescents or college-age youth. Lastly, it will provide an overview of Federal underage alcohol prevention efforts. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Recognize the importance of providing evidence-based alcohol misuse prevention strategies Describe evidence-based environmental strategies for preventing underage alcohol use Describe evidence-based behavioral strategies for preventing underage alcohol use among younger adolescents and college-age youth Identify Federal prevention efforts to address underage alcohol use PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPPJosh Esrick, MPP is a Senior Policy Analyst with Carnevale Associates. Josh has extensive experience in substance use prevention; researching, writing, and presenting on best practice and knowledge development publications, briefs, and reference guides; and developing and providing T/TA to numerous organizations. He developed numerous SAMHSA Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies’ (CAPT) products on strategies to prevent opioid misuse and overdose, risk and protective factors for substance use, youth substance use prevention strategies, youth substance use trends, emerging substance use trends, the potential regulations surrounding marijuana legalization, as well as numerous other topics. Emily Patton, MSEmily Patton, MSc, PgDip holds a Masters of Science in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology from Swansea University and a Postgraduate Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Edinburgh. She offers significant professional experience in the fields of public policy development and analysis, criminal justice research, data collection and analysis, program development, and performance management.

  These three lesson packages correspond to the three broad content areas where prevention science can inform prevention practice – epidemiology, evidence-based programs, and implementation. Lesson packages each contain learning objectives, suggested readings or resources, an activity that can be modified to best suit your needs, and additional multimedia learning material (e.g., videos). These lessons supplement the slide deck material to enhance learning.  

  This slide deck contains an overview of prevention science as well as an overview of three broad content areas where prevention science can inform prevention practice – epidemiology, evidence-based programs, and implementation. This slide deck can be used as a whole, by individual subsection, or by picking and choosing slides you want to embed into your own materials. Slides contain detailed instructor notes. At the end of each subsection are a few questions to check students’ knowledge on the material as well as activities from the corresponding Prevention Science Lesson Packages. A recording and transcript of the slide deck is also available for download.  

  This handout briefly describes prevention science, including three content areas where prevention science informs prevention practice and how prevention fits into a spectrum of interventions.    

This resource guide was developed to provide educators across disciplines with a variety of materials related to three broad content areas where prevention science can inform prevention practice – epidemiology, evidence-based programs, and implementation. These resources can be infused into existing courses to enhance training in prevention science. They are organized by the three content areas. Last updated: March 2023.

This Slide Deck for You can be used as a stand-alone overview of the Social Development Strategy or incorporated into other presentations or materials. The Social Development Strategy (SDS) is a tool for enhancing five factors proven to build protection and organizes these protective factors into a strategy for action that anyone can use in their daily interactions with young people. The SDS is as simple as five fingers on one hand.  SlideDecks4U Spanish Version - The Social Development Strategy: 5 Proven Keys to Raising Healthy, Successful Youth

Behavioral Health Services for Criminal Justice-Involved Populations Part 1: Understanding the Unique Needs of Diverse Populations Josh Esrick, MPP, and Lauren Pappacena, MSW March 7, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will provide an introduction on criminal justice-involved populations for behavioral health professionals. It will overview the various populations within the criminal justice system and their needs across the behavioral health continuum of care, including lack of access to services while incarcerated and lack of case management during re-entry. It will also discuss how behavioral health professionals should consider risk versus need level and justice system stages when deploying services. Lastly, the webinar will discuss the unique substance use, overdose, and suicide risks associated with justice system-involvement, particularly at the point of community re-entry for incarcerated populations. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Explain the need for behavioral health services among criminal justice-involved populations Define the risk-need responsivity model, describe its use in determining treatment needs, and recognize how it can be adapted to assessing prevention needs Identify the intercept points where individuals encounter the justice system and can receive services Describe the unique risks associated with justice system involvement PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPP is a Senior Policy Analyst with Carnevale Associates. Josh has extensive experience in substance use prevention; researching, writing, and presenting on best practice and knowledge development publications, briefs, and reference guides; and developing and providing T/TA to numerous organizations. He developed numerous SAMHSA Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies’ (CAPT) products on strategies to prevent opioid misuse and overdose, risk and protective factors for substance use, youth substance use prevention strategies, youth substance use trends, emerging substance use trends, the potential regulations surrounding marijuana legalization, as well as numerous other topics. Lauren Pappacena, MSW is a Research Associate with Carnevale Associates. Lauren has a background in criminal justice and juvenile justice research specifically as it relates to evidence-based programs and practices spanning criminal justice topics, including corrections, law enforcement, reentry, and courts. Currently, she assists with training evaluations for NADCP and the PTTC, where she brings her experience with quantitative and qualitative analysis and data visualization. With a strong interest in policy analysis, research translation, data collection, and analytic writing, Ms. Pappacena is published in the Journal of Human Rights and Social Work for her analysis of national early-release laws.  

The Mountain Plains PTTC developed the following infographic to help prevention professionals, healthcare providers, educators, and parents understand the importance of sleep during adolescence. Sufficient sleep during adolescence is prevention.   

Program Spotlight: Engaging Families through Abriendo Purertas/ Opening Doors February 15, 2023   Webinar Description In this presentation, participants will be introduced to the Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors (AP/OD) program. They will also learn from an implementing partner and their experience implementing AP/OD to their community. AP/OD is the nation's first evidence-based parent leadership program designed by and for Latino parents with children ages 0-5 and adopted by diverse communities across the country. The bilingual 10-session curriculum promotes school readiness, family well-being, and advocacy by addressing best practices in brain development, key aspects of early childhood development, early literacy, early math, positive use of technology, transition to school, civic engagement, parent leadership, goal-setting, and planning for family success.   Webinar Recording and Slides Engaging Families through Abriendo Puertas/ Opening Doors Recording Engaging Families through Abriendo Puertas/ Opening Doors slide deck *This presentation and the information contained in it is proprietary information of Daisy Castañeda and Abriendo Puertas/Opening Doors and may not be adapted, modified, or disseminated without the prior written permission of Daisy Castañeda. For more information, contact Daisy Castañeda ([email protected]). This presentation is intended to be used by prevention professionals for learning purposes only. This presentation is not 508 compliant.   Additional Resources Abriendo Puertas/ Opening Doors Brochure -Spanish (PDF) Abriendo Puertas/ Opening Doors Brochure -English (PDF) Abriendo Puertas/ Opening Doors Program and Session Overview (PDF) Abriendo Puertas/ Opening Doors Implementation Plan Template (PDF) Abriendo Puertas/ Opening Doors Implementation Process (PDF) Abriendo Puertas/ Opening Doors Testimonials Abriendo Puertas/ Opening Doors Evaluation   Presenter Daisy Castañeda, MS., serves as the National Director of Training and is located at the national office. She is responsible for the design, planning, and implementation of AP/OD Program Acquisition Institutes which include in-person and virtual Institutes. She helps support AP/OD’s partnerships and community relationships by supporting special projects. Daisy is a native Angeleno and a first-generation college graduate. She holds a B.A. in Political Science with a focus on Public Administration and a master’s degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in leadership. Questions? Contact Kathy Gardner ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this webinar.

Using Logic Models in Prevention Part 2: Developing and Using Logic Models Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip February 23, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will build from part one of this series. It will first explain in more detail the process of creating a logic model and provide a practice exercise for participants to begin building their own logic models. The webinar will also walk through how to use a completed logic model, including the steps for turning a logic model into an implementation plan and evaluation plan. Lastly, the webinar will discuss other uses of logic models, such as being shared with funders and community partners. The webinar will provide a small group discussion opportunity for participants to share their experiences with logic models, barriers and challenges encountered when developing logic models, and success strategies. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Explain the process for developing a logic model Begin planning the development of their own logic models Understand how to incorporate logic models into implementation and evaluation plans Describe the other uses of logic models for prevention professionals PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPP is a Senior Policy Analyst with Carnevale Associates. Josh has extensive experience in substance use prevention; researching, writing, and presenting on best practice and knowledge development publications, briefs, and reference guides; and developing and providing T/TA to numerous organizations. He developed numerous SAMHSA Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies’ (CAPT) products on strategies to prevent opioid misuse and overdose, risk and protective factors for substance use, youth substance use prevention strategies, youth substance use trends, emerging substance use trends, the potential regulations surrounding marijuana legalization, as well as numerous other topics. Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip holds a Masters of Science in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology from Swansea University and a Postgraduate Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Edinburgh. She offers significant professional experience in the fields of public policy development and analysis, criminal justice research, data collection and analysis, program development, and performance management.  

Using Logic Models in Prevention Part 1: What Are Logic Models? Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip February 21, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will provide an introduction of the importance of strategic planning and how and why logic models are a key tool of planning. It will first summarize the five steps of the Strategic Prevention Framework, SAMHSA’s strategic planning process for prevention, and explain how strategic planning improves the likelihood of positive prevention outcomes. Next, the webinar will explain what logic models are and how they support strategic planning efforts. It will walk through the components of a logic model and describe the steps to creating one. The webinar will also include a group practice exercise for identifying and assembling the components of a logic model. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Explain the core elements of strategic planning Describe how a logic model supports strategic planning Understand what information is needed to develop a logic model Illustrate the relationships between the components of a logic model PRESENTERS Josh Esrick, MPP is a Senior Policy Analyst with Carnevale Associates. Josh has extensive experience in substance use prevention; researching, writing, and presenting on best practice and knowledge development publications, briefs, and reference guides; and developing and providing T/TA to numerous organizations. He developed numerous SAMHSA Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies’ (CAPT) products on strategies to prevent opioid misuse and overdose, risk and protective factors for substance use, youth substance use prevention strategies, youth substance use trends, emerging substance use trends, the potential regulations surrounding marijuana legalization, as well as numerous other topics. Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip holds a Masters of Science in Abnormal and Clinical Psychology from Swansea University and a Postgraduate Degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Edinburgh. She offers significant professional experience in the fields of public policy development and analysis, criminal justice research, data collection and analysis, program development, and performance management.  

Evidence Based Practices: From Understanding Basics to Selecting the Right Fit with Fidelity and Sustainability. This three-part series on working with evidence based practices in your community is now available on HealtheKnowledge.org. Whether you are new to the prevention field, or really seeking to build your knowledge, this series will help your community select effective interventions with conceptual and practical fit.   Segment Titles Identify & Select EvidenceBased Practices: An Overview Evidence Based Practices for the Local Community Implementation with Fidelity and Sustainability  

This product was developed as a handout to be shared with people unfamiliar with the substance use prevention field. It is intended to be an informational tool, summarizing what prevention is and why it is important. The product describes the prevention framework and the core principles that guide prevention efforts. It also provides key facts illustrating the scope of substance use issues in the United States and the value of prevention. It also describes the many forms that prevention can take.

Webinar: Working to Promote Protection by Supporting LGBTQ+ Teens in Foster Care December 8, 2022   Webinar Description Youth in foster care face unique risk and protective factors related to substance misuse. LGTBQ+ youth in foster care need explicit support and acceptance; however, few caseworkers and caregivers receive specialized training. To address this, the Connecting: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) eLearning was developed. During this webinar, participants will learn about the importance of gender-affirming care for adolescence. They will also learn about the free online resource for caregivers and social workers offered by the State of Washington Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence.   Webinar Recording and Slides Working to Promote Protection by Supporting LGBTQ+ Teens in Foster Care Recording Working to Promote Protection by Supporting LGBTQ+ Teens in Foster Care Slides (PDF)   Additional Resources Connecting: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity & Expression (SOGIE): A Guide for Foster Families Connecting: Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression Training for Caregivers and Kinship Providers (eLearning) by The Alliance for Professional Development Training, and Caregiver Excellence:   Presenters Susan Barkan, PhD, Director of Research, Partners for our Children. Dr. Barkan is a Principal Research Scientist and Director of Research at Partners for Our Children. Her work involves developing and evaluating programs and policies to improve the lives of children and families in the child welfare system. Susan is the principal investigator of Strive, a curriculum-based program designed to facilitate quality visits between parents and their children in foster care. She is a co-investigator of Connecting, a program for teens and their foster or relative caregivers aimed at preventing teens’ initiation of risky behaviors. Connecting has also developed a new module addressing the unique needs of LGBTQ2S teens in foster care. The module is available in the Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence training catalogue for caregivers. Throughout Susan’s career, she has focused on the social determinants of health and the elimination of inequities in health and wellness. She served on the Washington State Racial Disproportionality Advisory Committee until the committee ended in 2018. Susan earned a Ph.D. in epidemiology from Yale University and a B.A. in psychology and biology from Antioch College. She completed a National Institute of Mental Health-funded postdoctoral fellowship in Family Violence at The Children's Hospital in Boston, MA, where she also held a faculty appointment in pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. She holds affiliate faculty appointments within the University of Washington Schools of Public Health and Social Work. Kym Ahrens MD, MPH, University of Washington Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Ahrens is an Associate Professor of General Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Seattle Children's Hospital and the University of Washington School of Medicine. She also serves as Medical Director for the Washington State Department of Children, Youth, and Families Juvenile Rehabilitation System (DCYF JR. She conducts research to identify needs and improve outcomes for youth exposed to early adversity including systems-involved and gender-diverse youth.  Kevin P. Haggerty, M.S.W., Ph.D Dr. Haggerty is a professor emeritus at the University of Washington School of Social Work. He is the former director of the Social Development Research Group where he specialized in the delivery of prevention programs at the community, school and family level. For over three decades, he has focused on developing innovative ways to organize the scientific knowledge base for prevention so that parents, communities and schools can better identify, assess, and prioritize customized approaches that meet their needs. He has served as principal investigator on a variety of intervention-focused federally funded grants. An expert on substance abuse and delinquency prevention, Dr. Haggerty speaks, conducts trainings, and writes extensively on this field. He is a former board member and Fellow of the Society for Prevention Research and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Social Work and Social Welfare and is a prevention science reviewer for periodicals such as Prevention Science.   Questions? Contact Clarissa Lam Yuen ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this webinar.

Recording: Supporting Grandfamilies as Caregivers in the Opioid Crisis   DESCRIPTION: It is estimated that 2.6 million children are raised by grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, other extended family, and close family friends who step forward to care for them when parents are unable. With the rise in heroin and other opioid use, more relatives are raising children because the parents have died, are incarcerated, are using drugs, are in treatment or are otherwise unable to take care of their children. We understand that these children experience physical and cognitive health challenges as their caregiver’s face hurdles with housing, school enrollment, health, and legal issues as they struggle with their own grief.  This webinar will present evidence-based interventions designed to strengthen the resilience of these children along with tested approaches for supporting grandparents in this role.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Participants in this webinar will be able to: Identify the trends around children being raised by grandparents because of the opioid crisis Explain how children and grandfamilies are impacted by the opioid epidemic, including as they navigate these relationships Identify strategies for building skills and support systems for grandparents that are assuming the responsibility of caring for vulnerable grandchildren   PRESENTER: Chuck Klevgaard, BSW, CSPS Chuck Klevgaard is a nationally recognized expert in substance misuse prevention, public health, and school-based health. Drawing on his experience in collective impact and prevention-focused partnerships, he builds the capacity of states, tribes, schools, communities, and cities to use evidence-based substance misuse prevention and intervention strategies. He specializes in behavioral health support; training and technical assistance; and evidence-based alcohol, opioid, and substance misuse programs and policies. Nationwide, he provides trainings to prevent opioid overdose, including working with first responders to administer naloxone. As a consultant to Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center, Klevgaard provides training and technical assistance to substance misuse prevention entities within the Great Lakes region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, and Ohio. Klevgaard, a Certified Senior Prevention Specialist through the Illinois Certification Board, Inc., holds a BSW from Minnesota State University Moorhead.

Our guests are Kate Kelley, Director of Community Programming with the Alliance of Southwest Missouri and Crystal Dalmasso, Prevention Specialist & Training Consultant with a TTA provider in Kansas called DCCCA.  In this episode we discuss SAMHSA’s recent Core Competencies training pilot. Visit the SAMHSA Evidence Based Practices Resource Center at: https://www.samhsa.gov/resource-search/ebp

This crosswalk identifies tasks commonly associated with each step of SAMHSA’s Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF) and aligns them with sustainability milestones and practitioner skills needed to meet these milestones. This can be used to determine capacity building needs within communities/counties implementing the SPF process.