Products and Resources Catalog

Use this simple chart & its key questions to map out, track and achieve your own professional development goals. For additional information, view the associated training here. 

Webinar Description The National Culturally and Linguistically Appropriate Services (CLAS) Standards provide a framework to assist organizations to work more effectively and resourcefully with diverse populations. This interactive training will instruct on how to implement the National CLAS Standards within behavioral health care settings to build organizational capacity and provide culturally informed and linguistically conducive services that enhance recovery and wellness pathways, integrate strategies to reduce racial and ethnic disparities and advance behavioral health equity and inclusion for both communities and the professionals that provide care.   Presenter 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 Resources  Flyer  PowerPoint  Handout - CLAS Standards Handout - CLAS Checklist  Handout - CLAS Cultural Competence Self Assessment   

Recording - Policy and Prevention: How COVID Changed Alcohol Policy   DESCRIPTION: This 90-minute webinar will focus on the changing landscape of alcohol policies since the beginning of the COVID pandemic. The webinar will discuss the policy changes, the impact of COVID on excessive drinking behaviors, and the data available to understand these shifts. Additionally, the webinar will explore how and why these policies harm communities and youth. The presenter will discuss how to reverse or change COVID era policies and working with community members to bring about change.   LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Review alcohol landscape pre-COVID Discuss the rapid policy changes during COVID asking for participant examples Share data showing impact of COVID on excessive drinking and alcohol-related mortality Explain the 3-Tier System and proposals that are breaking that system down   This is a 3-part webinar series. Register now for the upcoming session or listen to the recordings using the links below. June 15, RECORDING: Policy and Prevention: Understanding Effective Alcohol Policy Strategies June 22, RECORDING: How COVID Changed Alcohol Policy June 29, RECORDING: Demystifying Alcohol Policy Strategies: Planning and Implementation   PRESENTER: Maureen Busalacchi Maureen Busalacchi, is currently the Director of the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project (WisAPP) at the Medical College of Wisconsin Comprehensive Injury Center. She has had decades of experience in public health policy and systems change as she ran Smoke-Free Wisconsin and lead successful smoke-free air and tobacco tax campaigns. She also chaired the State Council on Alcohol and Other Drugs (SCAODA) ad-hoc committee which rolled out the report on how to reduce excessive drinking in Wisconsin earlier this year. She currently is co-chair of Wisconsin Public Health Association (WPHA) Public Affairs Committee. Maureen is a frequent presenter at state and national conferences on advocacy, systems change and public health issues.  Recently, she served at the Advancing a Healthier Endowment at MCW as a program manager advising in policy and systems change applicants and over 45 grantees. She served as an advisor to the Healthy Wisconsin Leadership Institute and WI Initiative to Promote Healthy Lifestyles (WIPHL), and a mentor for the Wisconsin Women’s Policy Institute. She has served on a city council and president of her children’s PTO and neighborhood association. She lives in Madison with her husband, daughters, dogs, and a large bird.

  Use the attached fillable PDF to help develop your "why" and think of ways you can share it.     

  This Coffee Chat will explore how, based on an understanding of the etiology of substance use and other risky behaviors, community-based coalitions can build prevention service systems that can have far-reaching impacts. Effective coalitions are key to having these ‘population-based’ outcomes as they know and represent their broader communities, and have the potential of being more skilled at influencing the allocation of prevention resources, community policies & practices, inter-organizational relationships and community awareness, knowledge, and values

This Coffee Chat will explore practical tools and approaches for engaging your coalition in systems thinking and engaging in community-level change. By using a risk and protective factor lens, participants will explore opportunities to engage diverse sectors within their community to impact population-wide changes to reduce substance misuse. Participants will leave with sample tools they can use with their coalition to encourage thinking at a systems-level - as well as plenty of resources to support ongoing skill building within their coalition.

  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

Supplemental Resources: Presentation Slides   This presentation describes trauma's impact on communities and compelling reasons a community, and its prevention workforce, needs to become trauma informed and resilient focused. In sharing success stories from Northeast Tennessee in work she helped to pioneer, Becky also discussed practical steps communities can take to reduce the effects of toxic stress and childhood adversity and promote resilience.   Learning Objectives: Define trauma Describe trauma's impact on communities Explain the significance of the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study Provide attendees with steps to build community resilience   About the Presenter: Becky Haas is an international advocate and trainer on using a trauma informed approach, the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study and Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) study. She is a pioneer in creating trauma informed communities.  The work she led while working for the Johnson City Police Department in Northeast Tennessee was recognized by SAMHSA in 2018 as a model for other cities to follow.  In 2019 she co-authored the "Building a Trauma Informed System of Care" toolkit for the TN Department of Children's services detailing a blueprint for creating community resilience.  This toolkit has been recommended as a “practical tool” in John's Hopkins, Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action.  Becky is the author of several sector specific professional development trainings with two receiving statewide accreditation in Tennessee as evidence-based training.  Among the diverse sectors of professionals, she has trained, she is uniquely distinguished for her work training police officers and others in the justice system to understand trauma.  In March of 2022, she was honored to receive the Friends of Children award from the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth for her work as a local, state, and national leader in implementation and support of trauma informed services and communities. Becky has a deep understanding of the importance for every professional sector to have intimate knowledge of healthy early childhood development and the potential for early adversity to disrupt that healthy development.  She is a founding member of the East Tennessee State University Ballad Health Strong Brain Institute and serves as a member of the CTIPP National Trauma Campaign strategy team and as a Strategic Partner for the Pathways to Resilience Program.   

The Northeast and Caribbean Spring 2023 Newsletter is here. This issue highlights Professional Development for Prevention Professionals and our upcoming trainings. 

Amy Ronshausen is the Executive Director of both Drug Free America Foundation and Save Our Society from Drugs. Both of these national nonprofit organizations work to defeat drug legalization attempts, promote sound drug policies, and prevent drug use, abuse and addiction. Amy is passionate about reducing illegal drug use and drug prevention, coordinating grassroots advocacy campaigns, prevention summits, analyze and track state and federal drug policy legislation, and training prevention professionals at local and national conferences. www.dfaf.org (drug free America foundation)  www.saveoursociety.org (save our society from drugs) https://onechoiceprevention.org/ (One Choice) https://www.listenfirstproject.org/ (Listen First Project) https://learnaboutsam.org/ (Smart Approaches to Marijuana) https://onechancetogrowup.org/ (One Chance to Grow Up) The funder of this project, along with all other products of the Mid-America PTTC is the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Although funded by SAMHSA, the content of this recording does not necessarily reflect the views of SAMHSA. Did you know nearly 700 publications and digital products are available online at https://store.samhsa.gov Learn about the real risks for people who use marijuana, especially youth and young adults, and women who are pregnant or nursing. SAMHSA has online resources available at www.samhsa.gov/marijuana 

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.          

Webinar Description This event detailed successful processes for prevention professionals to communicate our prevention messages to the intended audiences and best approaches for using common communication vehicles. Learning Objectives Included: · Review communications goals in prevention · Review best practices to create and share messages that build community support for prevention initiatives · Identify strategic practices to apply in using communications tools to support prevention · Reinvigorate communications messages using a positive prevention frame   Presenter Information Kimberly Elliott is the communications director for Education Development Center's U.S. Division. She is a highly skilled nonprofit leader with 20 years of experience. Kim has been involved with all aspects of crafting meaningful and impactful messaging campaigns. She is a strategic storyteller, a book author, a highly successful grant writer, and is dedicated to helping prevention workforce professionals move our work forward by harnessing the power of words.  Ivy Jones Turner, MPA, CPS is an expert in behavioral and mental health promotion and prevention, is an experienced program leader, technical assistance (TA) specialist, applied researcher, and evaluator. Her expertise includes building the capacity of schools and organizations to research, implement, evaluate, and sustain interventions to prevent substance misuse, suicide, youth violence, and bullying, and to promote social-emotional and mental health. Ivy holds an MA in Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government and is a certified specialist in prevention and conflict mediation in Massachusetts.   Additional Documents  PowerPoint  Flyer  Supplemental Resource

Stigma and Substance Use Disorder Prevention Part 2 Josh Esrick, MPP, and Demetrie Garner, CPRS May 11, 2023, 10:00am-11:30am EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will review strategies for addressing and preventing stigma against people at risk for substance misuse, substance use disorders, and consequences of substance use. It will discuss strategies at multiple levels: 1) peers and individuals; 2) within prevention organizations; 3) among collaborative partners and across the behavioral health continuum; 4) throughout the community at-large; and 5) in society as a whole. Each of these strategy levels will be examined from the perspectives of both academic research and lived experiences. Additionally, the webinar will include a facilitated small group exercise on identifying potential strategies for addressing stigma. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Describe strategies for overcoming stigma when working with clients who use substances Identify strategies to avoid stigma within prevention organizations Recognize how prevention can work with collaborative partners and across the behavioral health continuum to address stigma Assess opportunities to address stigma in the community and across society 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.     Demetrie Garner, CPRS, as a Peer Recovery Specialist, has been presented with the unique opportunity of working in the largest Emergency Department in the state of Maryland. This has given him the vantage point to encounter minority disparities. A lack of health communication targeted to African-Americans and other minorities help further this disparity. As a Peer Recovery Specialist, the visible cracks of systemic inadequacies in health care and its access garners attention and policy changes in patients with substance use disorders. Having the experience in active addiction abusing opiates, cocaine, and alcohol for 26 years with countless relapses fostered the experience needed to help others in active addiction. Finding recovery over the last 2 and 1/2 years while working in the recovery field has given Demetrie a unique perspective in recidivism and retention throughout the process of recovery. With the help of the God of his understanding (Jesus Christ), Narcotics Anonymous, and healthy relationships, the pathway of a daily reprieve from active addiction is now possible. Continuous work through pastoral licensed counseling has unlocked the acceptance of childhood molestation and recovery from trauma. After 21 years since Demetrie decided to drop out of high school in the 11th grade, education seemed to become more important to obtain. If he wants to help individuals who look like himself and suffer from trauma and active addiction, then higher education has to be pursued. While at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, currently a sophomore, Demetrie’s interest in studies is in the social science of public health. Future involvement with research is being pursued with patients that have wait times in emergency rooms with substance use disorders. Previous research this past semester has examined minorities  hesitancy to receive Covid vaccinations. Demetrie is currently a Pre-McNair Scholar with ambitions to attend UMBC School of Public Policy M.P.P Program Spring of 2022.  

Youth and Opioid Usage Nikita Danthi May 10, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will address the importance of education of opioid effects among high school students. We will examine how this lack of awareness of youth is impacted by systemic issues, and can cause misuse of the drug. This webinar will also discuss the effects and statistics of opioid use, as well as strategies for minimizing these inconsistencies faced by different communities. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Discuss the importance of addressing opioid usage and review the disproportionate impact of lack of education. Explain key considerations for serving people who are most impacted (the diverse communities). Understand the need for more education and awareness among high school students. Explain why early education is important and how it can lead to prevention. Review the challenges and opportunities the opioid epidemic has caused. PRESENTERS Nikita Danthi is an intern at the PTTC, and has been interning since January. She is a Psychology and Public Health dual degree on the population health track. She is also pursuing a Sociology minor, and will be graduating in May 2023.  

  Webinar Description During this webinar, participants explored the steps in data-driven public health planning processes to guide prevention efforts and examine the role and importance of goal- and objective-setting within such a process. We examined the differences between goals and objectives and described how to develop clear goals and SMART objectives, working through examples of each to improve them. Also considered were barriers to setting and pursuing goals and objectives in prevention planning efforts and the real-world benefits and challenges of committing to this type of process.   Presenter Information 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. Jess Goldberg is a Training and Technical Assistance Specialist with Education Development Center. For over a decade, Jess has specialized in building capacity to improve behavioral health at the national, state, regional and local levels. Her areas of expertise include preventing youth substance use; promoting cross-sector collaborations; addressing health disparities; strategic planning, logic model development, and sustainability planning.  Jess is a Certified Prevention Specialty and holds an MSW and an MPH from Boston University.   Additional Documents PowerPoint  Flyer   

Stigma and Substance Use Disorder Prevention Part 1 Josh Esrick, MPP, and Demetrie Garner, CPRS May 9, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will provide a broad overview of stigma and the importance of addressing it through what the research says and what is known through lived experience. The webinar will define stigma and explain how it can manifest in various substance use prevention settings and on the road to recovery. It will address the similarities and differences between public, self, and institutional-stigma and the role of both intentional and inadvertent stigma. The webinar will also discuss how stigma impacts substance use prevention outcomes and people’s ability to recovery. Additionally, it will explain why prevention professionals, other stakeholders, and the community-at-large need to address stigma. The webinar will also include a facilitated small group discussion opportunity for participants to share their experiences finding and addressing stigma. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Define stigma conceptually and from a recovered person’s perspective Identify the various forms of stigma and their effects on our ability to recover Recognize the impact of stigma on prevention outcomes Describe stigma’s ongoing impact on the road to recovery 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.     Demetrie Garner, CPRS, as a Peer Recovery Specialist, has been presented with the unique opportunity of working in the largest Emergency Department in the state of Maryland. This has given him the vantage point to encounter minority disparities. A lack of health communication targeted to African-Americans and other minorities help further this disparity. As a Peer Recovery Specialist, the visible cracks of systemic inadequacies in health care and its access garners attention and policy changes in patients with substance use disorders. Having the experience in active addiction abusing opiates, cocaine, and alcohol for 26 years with countless relapses fostered the experience needed to help others in active addiction. Finding recovery over the last 2 and 1/2 years while working in the recovery field has given Demetrie a unique perspective in recidivism and retention throughout the process of recovery. With the help of the God of his understanding (Jesus Christ), Narcotics Anonymous, and healthy relationships, the pathway of a daily reprieve from active addiction is now possible. Continuous work through pastoral licensed counseling has unlocked the acceptance of childhood molestation and recovery from trauma. After 21 years since Demetrie decided to drop out of high school in the 11th grade, education seemed to become more important to obtain. If he wants to help individuals who look like himself and suffer from trauma and active addiction, then higher education has to be pursued. While at the University of Maryland at Baltimore County, currently a sophomore, Demetrie’s interest in studies is in the social science of public health. Future involvement with research is being pursued with patients that have wait times in emergency rooms with substance use disorders. Previous research this past semester has examined minorities  hesitancy to receive Covid vaccinations. Demetrie is currently a Pre-McNair Scholar with ambitions to attend UMBC School of Public Policy M.P.P Program Spring of 2022.  

Webinar Description This webinar is intended to provide the latest information available on Xylazine, including associated effects on the body and long-term impacts on opioid users, and to review current organizational strategies to help prevent exacerbated and related harm.   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  Handout - Wound Care Information   Fact Sheet - Xylazine in the Drug Supply   

Use of the veterinary drug xylazine is having a profound impact on the health of those who use illicit substances across the United States. Originally developed by the pharmaceutical company Bayer in 1962 as a large animal sedative containing a muscle relaxant with analgesic properties, xylazine was never intended for human consumption and therefore identified as a non-classified drug by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), requiring only a veterinarian’s prescription. In humans, xylazine acts on the central nervous system and may cause drowsiness, slowed breathing, decreased heart rate, lowered blood pressure, and even amnesia. So when did this veterinary drug enter into the street drug supply chain, and how did it get there?

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.

Preventing Underage Alcohol Use (April 2023 Series) Part 1: Identifying and Understanding the Data Josh Esrick, MPP, and Emily Patton, MSc, PgDip April 25, 2023, 1:00pm-2:30pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION This webinar will provide a broad overview of the current state of underage drinking and related prevention efforts. It will begin with a review of the most common data sources on underage alcohol consumption and discuss opportunities to improve and expand data collection. The webinar will then summarize the most recent data on alcohol use prevalence and patterns, as well as the consequences of use. It will also describe the research on risk and protective factors for use, including what is known about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Lastly, it will provide information on how the social determinants of health play a role in underage alcohol use rates. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Describe underage alcohol data sources and available opportunities to expand data collection Explain the scope of underage alcohol use and consequences Identify risk and protective factors relevant to underage alcohol use Recognize the effect of the social determinants of health on 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.

 

In this Issue:   National Alcohol Awareness Month Resources for the Prevention Professional National Women's Health Week, May 14-20 How to Find Help Epi Corner: Substance Use Disorders in People with Disabilities What's Happening Around the Region? Webinar: Substance Misuse Among Students with Disabilities, A 2-part series, April 26 and May 18 Free Online Courses through HealtheKnowledge SAMHSA's National Prevention Week, May 7-13

Webinar Description This interactive training used cultural lens to explore the intersects of grief and trauma and other impacting factors prevalent among communities of color, including immigrants and refugees, and how it can underscore substance use. Content reviewed how culturally conducive, trauma informed approaches are appropriate for rapport building, screening and care interactions with racial and ethnic communities struggling with substance use associated with grief, trauma, and stress.    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

Liberation Approaches in LGBTQ Behavioral Health and The Crossroads of Racial and Sexual/Gender Identity Randall Leonard, LCSW-C, and Kate Bishop, MSSA April 5, 2023, 1:00pm-3:00pm EST COURSE DESCRIPTION A Liberation-focused practice seeks to meet marginalized people where they are, within their cultural, historical, and community contexts, and to support clients in healing from the impacts of white supremacy, homophobia, gender binary rigidity, and other systems of dominance and oppression. We know that substance over-use is a common tool used by marginalized community members to find relief from the continual soul-scraping of living with degrading experiences, microaggressions, exploitation, intergenerational trauma, and colonial legacies. Effective liberation prevention and treatment approaches are those that pull back from individual choices and focus on the underlying systems that create intolerable conditions for living. These frameworks engage structural and institutional analysis, including a critical look at the ways behavioral health care systems may act as a tool to reinforce systemic inequity, and offer community-nested, strengths-based, empowerment-focused healing approaches. LEARNING OBJECTIVES Locate substance use as an adaptive tool for managing minority stress. Apply a liberation framework to creative outreach strategies and prevention messaging. Examine the role of behavioral health providers and systems in maintaining oppressive care structures and apply new models to substance use treatment. Develop a liberation framework analysis of current treatment options available to BIPOC LGBTQ people. PRESENTERS Randall Leonard, LCSW-C, is a licensed clinical social worker who has specialized in the care of LGBTQ individuals for four years. They currently serve as a Staff Therapist at the Center for LGBTQ Health Equity, a Center of Excellence of Chase Brexton Health Care, providing individual therapy as well as assessments for gender-affirming surgery. They also facilitate “Identity Talk”, a group for trans and gender-diverse people of color to process intersectionality between culture and gender. Before joining the Chase Brexton team, Randall served survivors of intimate partner violence at Family and Children’s Services, where they provided individual therapy and a weekly support group. In addition, they worked as a Behavioral Specialist in the Emergency Department of Union Memorial Hospital. They started their social work career working with people with severe and persistent mental illness at Sheppard Pratt Health Systems. Randall holds a Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland School of Social Work with a concentration in clinical behavioral health. Kate Bishop, MSSA, Education Coordinator at the LGBT Health Resource Center of Chase Brexton, is a seasoned professional development trainer with expertise in working with LGBTQ populations, sexual and reproductive health care, adolescent development, intimate partner violence, and sexual trauma. She is certified as a trainer through GLSEN (Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network) as well as SAGE (Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders). Before joining the Chase Brexton team, she developed the capacity building program at the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s STAR TRACK Adolescent HIV program, providing cultural responsiveness trainings for agencies that serve sexual minority youth of color. Ms. Bishop holds a Bachelor of Arts in Gender Studies from Hiram College and a Masters in Social Work from Case Western Reserve University.