Products and Resources Catalog

In this Issue:   The 10 "Do's and Don't's" of Successful Legislative Advocacy Happy New Year! Epi Corner: The Ins and Outs of Advocating for Policy Change What's Happening Around the Region? All New Training Events, Online Training, and a Data Video Series What's New at SAMHSA?

Join the Implementation Science work group for a webinar that addresses a common overarching question in prevention: "how can an evidence-based intervention  (EBI) be delivered with fidelity to its scientific components, while also responding effectively to changing real-word conditions?” Mindful of the public health adage, “one size doesn’t fit all,” how can intervention delivery staff respond effectively to these conflicting demands? This session will summarize major challenges and their resolution as illustrated by the “Fidelity-Adaptation Dilemma.” A general prevention science goal is to effectively disseminate, adopt, implement, improve, and sustain relevant EBIs to benefit residents from a local community. Strategies for addressing this dilemma across diverse real-world settings will be discussed. This webinar is designed to compliment the Implementation Science Work Group's four-module course on selecting evidence-based programs and interventions, available on HealthEKnowledge.  It is recommended that participants are familiar with the contents of that course prior to attending this webinar, but not required.   Slides: Download

Grant Writing Series 2024 – From Basics to Application Part 2: Getting Your Grant Started Dan Webb, PhD January 16, 2024, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION In this session, participants will learn how to read a grant announcement and create a plan for responding to a request for proposals (RFP). LEARNING OBJECTIVES Learn how to determine eligibility for grant funding Explore best practices for building a grant writing team Tips and tricks for making the grant writing process smooth PRESENTERS Dan Webb, PhD, is co-owner of Catalyst Research, LLC and Catalyst Insight, LLC. Dan has over eighteen years of experience writing and evaluating local, state, and national grants. In addition, he has over ten years of experience in business/organizational intelligence and analytics. His experience includes evaluation and research in education (elementary through post-secondary), youth substance use prevention, health and medicine, and housing and urban development. Dan holds a PhD in Sociology from the University at Buffalo.  

  The Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP), in partnership with ACF, developed a youth facing/youth developed digital platform resource.   Help young men develop good mental health practices. Share the latest resource from We Think Twice™, designed to encourage self-awareness and offer a set of tools for managing mental health. Please adapt the background information and social media posts to connect this mental health resource with those who need it.  

The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The January 2024 issue features the third installment of the Counselor's Corner blog series: Integrating Spirituality and Counseling with African American Clients, information on the Opioid Response Network's 2022-2023 regional summits, and a call for applications for the upcoming HEART (Healing Ethno And Racial Trauma) Training for Behavioral Health Providers Serving Hispanic & Latinx Communities intensive training series. As always, you will also find links to all upcoming events and trainings hosted by the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC!   Make sure you're subscribed to our email contact list so you never miss a month of The Great Lakes Current newsletter, and thank you for reading!

        Prevention in Pictures: Using Prevention Graphic Novels to Facilitate Conversations with Youth Sarah Johnson, MA, PS-C, and Scott Gagnon, MPP, PS-C January 10, 2024, 1:00pm-2:00pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION Join us to learn about a unique prevention tool: Graphic Medicine. Graphic Medicine are evidence-based ways of accessibly communicating health information. In the Air is a graphic medicine built to foster conversations with and among young people around vaping, choices about substance use, and social factors. This graphic novel-styled story of five teens going through high school incorporates the behavioral science of substance misuse prevention with the stories, interests, and ideas of members of the Tobacco Free Rhode Island Youth Ambassadors. The novel has questions to help guide the discussion, a strong research base, and roots in risk and protective factors. During this session, participants will become familiar with the resource, how to use it to facilitate conversations with young people, and how to use the accompanying facilitator guide. Participants will learn how to request copies and learn about an upcoming resource in the same style that addresses youth problem gambling. The audience will have an opportunity to ask questions and explore how this and future products can work to support their prevention work. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Learn what a graphic medicine is and how you can use this format in prevention efforts with young people. Understand the process of creating a graphic medicine through a prevention lens with cultural responsiveness and youth voice as driving factors. Learn about an upcoming resource being designed with this format specifically to foster conversations around youth gambling prevention. Practice facilitating conversations with the tool. PRESENTERS Scott Gagnon, MPP, PS-C New England PTTC Director - Associate Executive Director, AdCare Educational Institute of Maine, Inc.     Sarah Johnson, MA, PS-C Training and Technical Assistance Coordinator, AdCare Educational Institute of Maine, Inc.        

How can we prevent substance misuse unless we understand what places kids at greater risk of misusing drugs? During this webinar, we will explore the risk factors that place youth at greater risk of substance misuse, as identified by the Social Development Research Group through systematic reviews of the research literature. Time will be spent exploring each risk factor to ensure that preventionists understand the meaning of each factor in order to address them effectively. This training will build on the information shared during the Building Protective Factors Using the Social Development Strategy (Dec. 2023) webinar.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to: Describe the importance of focusing on both increasing protective factors and decreasing risk factors List the criteria used to identify factors that place youth at greater risk of substance misuse Understand the nuances that exist for each risk factor Put the risk factor framework into action in their communities   PRESENTATION RESOURCES Printable presentation slides Printable version of the participant workbook  Flipbook version of the participant workbook                   PRESENTER Kris Gabrielsen, MPH, CPS  Kris Gabrielsen is the co-director of the Great Lakes Prevention Technology Transfer Center. She has worked in the substance misuse prevention field for over 30 years. Kris was the Associate Director of the Western Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT), co-authored the first Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training curriculum, and co-authored the textbook, Substance Abuse Prevention: The Intersection of Science and Practice. As a consultant, she has worked with states and communities across the nation to bridge the gap between research and practice, assisting prevention professionals in maximizing their effectiveness.    

Mountain Plains PTTC is pleased to offer a new infographic based on new research on risk and protective factors for the three most commonly used substances among adolescents.

In this Issue:   Advocacy is Not a Spectator Sport Additional Resources: Preparing to Meet Your Legislator Epi Corner: Xylazine: An Emerging Threat What's Happening Around the Region Job Announcements What's New at SAMHSA Wrapping up 2023

  Webinar Description SBIRT (Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment) is a preventive public health approach used to identify and intervene with persons whose pattern of use put them at risk for, or who are experiencing, substance-related health and other psychosocial problems, such as HIV and HCV, or exacerbated mental health issues. Prevention with Latinx communities includes a culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and inclusive framework conducive to screening and early intervention. The content will inform on how taking a few minutes to conduct a person-centered brief intervention can help motivate reduction of substance use with Hispanic, Latino and Latinx communities. The approach further identifies those with high potential for a substance use disorder and opportunities for accessing culturally relevant resources.     Presenter Information Diana Padilla, MCPC, CARC, CASAC-T, is a Research Project Manager at New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center. She is a senior staff trainer for the Northeast & Caribbean Addiction Transfer Technology Center Network (NeC-ATTC), and a member of the ASAP-NYCB Trainer Registry. As a cultural agent, Ms. Padilla promotes an equity lens in trainings for engaging diverse communities in need, aligning with evidence and strength-based strategies within behavioral health, addiction, prevention, and recovery supports fields and professional capacities.     Additional Documents PowerPoint Flyer

  Webinar Description This interactive four-hour workshop reviewed how mitigating factors such as stress, discrimination, microaggressions and societal attributions influence racial stigma and differential prevention services. The intersecting challenges of social drivers of health and development of racial trauma in communities of color will also be explored. The content will offer bias reducing strategies that help mitigate stigma and benefits of integrating culturally responsive care to help attain and retain highest levels of person-centered care for people of color and other marginalized communities.     Presenter Information Diana Padilla, MCPC, CARC, CASAC-T, is a Research Project Manager at New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University Medical Center. She is a senior staff trainer for the Northeast & Caribbean Addiction Transfer Technology Center Network (NeC-ATTC), and a member of the ASAP-NYCB Trainer Registry. As a cultural agent, Ms. Padilla promotes an equity lens in trainings for engaging diverse communities in need, aligning with evidence and strength-based strategies within behavioral health, addiction, prevention, and recovery supports fields and professional capacities.     Additional Documents PowerPoint Flyer  

  In this 90-minute interactive webinar, participants will learn how the principles, tools, and approaches to continuous quality improvement (CQI) can optimize their prevention work. Additionally, we will discuss how to incorporate the key tools of CQI – including the Plan, Do, Study, Act cycle from NIATx – into all phases of your prevention work to ensure your programs are efficient, effective, and stay on track. The application of CQI throughout the SPF process with a focus on the implementation phase will also be explored.   Access webinar materials: Download and printable presentation slides Download and printable improvement worksheet  Download and printable Prevention and CQI Job Aid   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Define Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) Describe how CQI applies to the Strategic Prevention Framework Apply CQI tools to evidence-based programs with consideration of fidelity   PRESENTER:  Erin Ficker, MPAff, CSPS  Erin Ficker serves as a prevention manager for the Great Lakes PTTC. For more than 16 years, Erin has worked in substance abuse prevention supporting communities to use evidence-based strategies and data-driven processes in substance abuse prevention planning and implementation.  She works with community level prevention practitioners and schools in the development, implementation, evaluation, and sustainability of prevention interventions.    

  Logic Models and the Theory of Change, Part 2 November 28, 2023   Description During this 90-minute skill-building session, participants will receive a recap from part one of the series and then dive into the importance of clearly understanding how the logic model is dependent on a clear and articulate theory of change. Using real-world examples from the Pacific Southwest PTTC region, participants will learn to determine if a logic model effectively incorporates a theory of change into its design. Then, during breakout sessions, the participants will be able to use their own program’s logic model or utilize an example provided, to develop their own 90-second “elevator speech” related to the theory of change.    Objectives By the end of this session, participants will be able to:  Explore where the theory of change is embedded into a logic model. Compare different logic model's use of a theory of change. Articulate a theory of change.   Learning Session Recording and Slides Logic Models and the Theory of Change, Part 2 Recording Logic Models and the Theory of Change, Part 2 Slide Deck (PDF)   Presenter Kyle Barrington, Ph.D., serves as the Principal Investigator on multiple projects related to substance abuse misuse, substance abuse treatment, and suicide prevention. For the past 23 years, as the Principal Investigator for Zajonc Corporation, he has served as a subject matter expert and supported the development of training on topics ranging from implementing evidence-based programs, using evidence-based programs to reduce risk-taking behaviors on college campuses, sustaining effective practices, and evaluating environmental strategies. In addition, he has utilized research results to help secure over $650 million in funding for rural and low-income communities.    Questions Contact Britany Wiele ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this learning session.

The Great Lakes Current is the e-newsletter of the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC.   The December 2023 issue shares recorded content on wound care and xylazine, social media basics for preventionists, an infographic on providing behavioral healthcare to people living with HIV, and SAMHSA's tips for supporting your mental health through the holidays. As always, you will also find links to all upcoming events and trainings hosted by the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC!   Make sure you're subscribed to our email contact list, so you never miss a month of The Great Lakes Current newsletter and thank you for reading!

  To prevent substance misuse among our youth, we must enhance protective factors and reduce risk factors. Join this webinar to learn how to build protective factors in the youth in a straight-forward, easy to implement way using the Social Development Strategy.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to: Name the elements of the Social Development Strategy Describe how the elements of the Social Development Strategy interact to create protective factors List a minimum of three ways that the Social Development Strategy can be incorporated into daily interactions and prevention strategies with youth   PRESENTATION RESOURCES Printable presentation slides SDS Assessment Tool Printable version of the participant workbook Flipbook version of the participant workbook    

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 Leading Community Change Handout (Prosper & Partners) Discussion Prompts for Leading Community Change Worksheet (Prosper & Partners)   Session 2: Contagious Leadership! If there is such a thing? Join us for an engaging webinar addressing burnout and high turnover in the prevention field. Prevention leaders face the challenge of attracting and retaining talented professionals in a competitive job market, where expectations are ever-changing. This interactive webinar covered the transformational leadership model and how it can improve team morale and personnel retention. Participants had the opportunity to discuss a case study, which allowed them to actively apply the leadership model and explore its potential applicability within their own work context.   Learning Objectives: Explore the challenges of retaining prevention professionals Define transformative leadership  Brainstorm strategies to motivate and engage prevention professionals   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.  

    Logic Models and the Theory of Change, Part 1 November 7, 2023   Webinar Description During this one-hour webinar, participants will develop a better understanding of why logic models are essential to those in the field of substance abuse prevention/substance misuse prevention or intervention. Participants will leave the first part of this training with an understanding of the essential components of a logic model, how logic models can help make the prevention specialist's job easier and more sustainable, and the role that the theory of change plays in creating a usable logic model.     Objectives By the end of this session, participants will be able to:  Identify the benefits of using logic models. Define the key components of a logic model. Describe why a theory of change should be embedded into the logic model.   Learning Session Recording and Slides Logic Models and the Theory of Change, Part 1 Recording Logic Models and the Theory of Change, Part 1 Slide Deck (PDF)   Presenter   Kyle Barrington, Ph.D., serves as the Principal Investigator on multiple projects related to substance abuse misuse, substance abuse treatment, and suicide prevention. For the past 23 years, as the Principal Investigator for Zajonc Corporation, he has served as a subject matter expert and supported the development of training on topics ranging from implementing evidence-based programs, using evidence-based programs to reduce risk-taking behaviors on college campuses, sustaining effective practices, and evaluating environmental strategies. In addition, he has utilized research results to help secure over $650 million in funding for rural and low-income communities.    Questions Contact Britany Wiele ([email protected]) if you have additional questions about the content related to this learning session.

In this Issue:   The Power of Community Advocacy Additional Policy and Advocacy Resources Epi Corner: Using "Big Data" and other Digital Methodologies to Monitor Substance use Disorders (SUDs) What's Happening Around the Region

This 4 hour course is intended to provide Community Health workers with an understanding of substance use prevention and the role of Community Health Workers in substance use prevention. Training Objectives: 1. Understand the foundations of substance use prevention utilizing the Strategic Prevention Framework (SPF). 2. Identify a minimum of 3 shared Risk and Protective factors for substance use and mental health prevention. 3. Identify a minimum of 2 strategies for substance use prevention that I can implement in my work as a community health worker. Certificate of Completion Available

Webinar Description This 1.5 hour interactive session looked at cultivating community support for prevention coalitions and explored how to transform local leaders to prevention champions. Managing a coalition effectively is an art. It requires excellent communication skills and the ability to build both individual and organizational prevention capacity. It also involves establishing and maintaining close working relationships with community members and collaborating with them to select and implement community and culturally appropriate substance misuse prevention interventions. In a post-Covid world, the ways in which we work and communicate have shifted in meaningful ways, but the fundamental principles informing that work remain the same.   Learning Objectives:   • Identify key components of a coalition that has established community support  • Identify strategies to build coalition members’ leadership capacity   • Explain the process of developing a personal plan to avoid burnout as a coalition leader   Presenter Information Charlotte Carlton brings over 30 years of experience leading and implementing substance use prevention programs at the community, state, regional, and national levels. She is currently working with multiple Education Development Center (EDC) teams to provide support for prevention efforts in Health & Human Services Regions 1 and 2. Previously, she served as the Director of the Southeast Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies (CAPT) and as a Senior Program Director for the Pacific Institute of Research and Evaluation (PIRE). She has done extensive research on the subject of program sustainability, most recently applying that research to the sustainability of community coalitions. She is the co-recipient of the 2002 Science to Practice award presented by the Society for Prevention Research and the 2001 Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the prevention field from the National Prevention Network.   Additional Documents PowerPoint  Flyer Handout (Tips for Engagement)

  Is your organization as welcoming and responsive to the LGBTQ+ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer) population as it could be? How can we facilitate more affirming and effective prevention services for members of the LGBTQ+ community? In this webinar, we will explore some of the ways we can increase positive outcomes with LGBTQ+ individuals, from outward-facing initial points of contact with our organizations to long-term internal actions toward increased representation and leadership.  We will also hear from a panel of LGBTQ+-identified young adults about their experiences with prevention providers and their thoughts for the field moving forward.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After the training, participants will be able to: Review their own workplace practices with an eye to where processes could be made more welcoming and affirming Implement workplace practices that have been shown to increase positive behavioral health outcomes for LGBTQ+ individuals Integrate the perspectives of individual LGBTQ+-identified young adults into their prevention work   PRESENTER: Marissa Carlson, MS, CPS Marissa is the Executive Director of the NH Teen Institute, a leadership development nonprofit working with middle & high school students from around NH & New England in a variety of areas including substance misuse prevention, peer mentoring, and creating positive school & community climate.   As part of her role at TI, she oversees and facilitates training for youth participants, youth & adult volunteer program staff, and outside behavioral health and education professionals.  She is a trainer for multiple workshops developed through SAMHSA systems, and is a member of the advisory council of the New England Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC).  In addition, she is the President of the Prevention Certification Board of NH, the NH Prevention delegate to the IC&RC, and serves as the chairperson of the Prevention Specialist credentialing committee.  Outside of her prevention work, Marissa is a founding member of Mill City Productions, a theatre company in Western Massachusetts.  She graduated from Pomona College with a BA in Psychology, received an MS in Nonprofit Management from Bay Path University, and has been a Certified Prevention Specialist since 2011.    

One of the most common struggles for prevention coalitions and organizations is finding adequate and sustained funding to continue effective interventions. This resource guide aims to support communities, coalitions, and jurisdictions in diversifying funding to implement evidence-based programs and policies and sustain the effective outcomes they provide. Download Diversifying Prevention Funding PDF  

This 4 hour self-paced course was created through the National PTTC Implementation Science (IS) Work Group which exists to promote the effective selection and implementation of evidence-based interventions for prevention professionals and stakeholders, in order to provide services with fidelity that are culturally intelligent and result in positive outcomes. Specific to this course is a step wise process for selecting prevention programming and interventions utilizing prevention science. The first module describes the application of prevention science. The second module discusses environmental strategies. The third module discusses behavioral strategies. The forth module covers conceptual and practical fit that aligns the intervention to the community/local issue. Certificate of Completion Available

Welcome to Prevention Science Foundation: Shared Risk and Protective Factors. This course is a 7 hour, self-paced course for working in the field of prevention and healthy youth development. Learners will watch videos, read information from the surgeon general, and reflect on their learning using journaling techniques. Participants will apply and test their knowledge through quizzes following each module. The goal of this course is to help participants understand prevention science. Join Kevin Haggerty, the Director of the Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center (PTTC), and John Briney, Research Scientist and Data Manager, for a deeper dive into risk and protective factors for healthy youth development – what they are, why they’re important, and how to measure them at the community level. Certificate of Completion Available