Past Events

Webinar Overview The “all hands on deck” call to address the opioid crisis has challenged our efforts to implement primary prevention that complement other efforts to address the crisis across the spectrum of behavioral health care services.  This interactive webinar will explore ways to expand prevention to move our work more upstream, beyond preventing deaths from opioid overdoses to preventing the misuse that leads to those overdoses. This webinar will include an overview of 2018 NSDUH data, risk and protective factors associated with opioid misuse and overdose, as well as a range of promising and evidence-based strategies to consider as part of creating a comprehensive plan to move the work of prevention upstream. The webinar will also explore community mobilization strategies and ways to build additional partnerships.   Presenters Kevin P. Haggerty, MSW, PhD, Professor, UW School of Social Work, Director, Social Development Research Group Dr. Haggerty specializes in prevention programs at the community, school and family level. For more than 30 years, 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 an extensive research background in the intersection of biological and environmental risks for drug abuse in emerging adults and is an expert on substance abuse and delinquency prevention. Additionally, Dr. Haggerty is an investigator of the Community Youth Development Study, which tests the effectiveness of the Communities That Care program. Michelle Frye-Spray, MS, CPS Northwest PTTC Coordinator Ms. Frye-Spray is a Project Manager at the University of Reno, Nevada’s CASAT.  Michelle leverages her passion for upstream prevention with over 25 years of prevention-related experiences working with schools, communities, states, tribal organizations, and jurisdictions. Her skills include training design and facilitation, community capacity-building, and navigating culturally complex communities and systems to oversee the delivery of prevention services that are culturally appropriate and audience-specific.  Alyssa O’Hair, MPH, MA, CPS, Pacific Southwest PTTC Project Director Ms. O’Hair is a Senior Manager, Workforce Development at the Center for the Application of Substance Abuse Technologies at the University of Nevada, Reno. With over 10 years of experience providing training and technical assistance, she currently serves as the project director for the Pacific Southwest PTTC, which aims to build the skills of the substance abuse prevention workforce.  Ms. O’Hair has extensive subject matter expertise in public health approaches to prevention; community needs assessments; data-driven decision-making; and evaluation design and methodology.     Date and Time Thursday, October 31, 2019 04:00 pm - 05:30 pm   Mountain 03:00 pm - 04:30 pm   Pacific/Arizona 02:00 pm – 03:30 pm  Alaska 12:00 pm - 01:30 pm   Hawaii 11:00 am - 12:30 pm   American Samoa Friday, November 1, 2019 10:00 am - 11:30 am   Republic of the Marshall Islands 09:00 am - 10:30 am   Pohnpei and Kosrae 08:00 am - 09:30 am   Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Chuuk, and Yap 07:00 am - 08:30 am   Republic of Palau

The second meeting of the Higher Education Topical Workgroup. This is a closed event. You can learn more about our upcoming training and technical assistance events on the Great Lakes PTTC website under upcoming events. If no events are taking place near you, please contact your state project manager  to inquire about further training opportunities in your region.

Faith institutions have the potential to touch a broader range of the community than other sectors because they reach people of all ages, economic levels and ethnicities. This webinar will present a strong, clear rationale for the role of faith leaders in working across the continuum of care, including substance use prevention. Drew Brooks is the Executive Director of Faith Partners, a non-profit organization providing leadership, administration, and training for a congregational addiction team ministry model. He has been active in church all his life and provided leadership in a number of ministries. Drew has worked in the prevention, treatment, and public health fields for more than 36 years with Hazelden, Johnson Institute, and other organizations, including providing training and consultation to faith communities, schools, and community organizations across the country. He recently served as co-chair of the Austin Recovery-Oriented Systems of Care (ROSC) Initiative, member of the Texas Recovery Initiative (TRI), and a member of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) 12-person team to assist the State of Texas in designing and implementing recovery-oriented supports, services, and systems.   Ben Spooner has contributed to technical assistance (TA) efforts in communities across  the nation, including work with multiple American Indian tribes. He has served as a TA provider for the Massachusetts TA system since 2012. Prior to this,his most recent work was with the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Training and Technical Assistance Center and with the Tribal Youth Program Training and Technical Assistance Center providing TA on youth substance use and violence prevention.    This webinar is part one of a two-part series. Be sure to join us for Part 2!  Engaging the Faith Community in Substance Use Prevention, Part 2 November 5, 2019  10:00 - 11:30 AM Register  

DESCRIPTION: The goal is to train Native American and Alaska Native substance abuse prevention practitioners and those working in Native American and Alaska Native communities in related disciplines to develop the knowledge and skills needed address substance use prevention and provide effective prevention services to their communities using the strategic prevention framework. This training requires completion of an online portion (5 hours) prior to attending the four-day face-to-face training. CLICK HERE FOR PDF

Stopping opioid misuse requires a multi-channel effort and collaborating with new partners. This session will provide an overview of factors known to elevate individuals’ risk for opioid overdose, introduce strategies shown to lower that risk, and outline opportunities to engage new partners in developing a comprehensive approach. Open to Registrants for this Conference, 2019 Missouri & Illinois Behavioral Health Conference, October 22– 25, 2019  

  REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!!! The New England PTTC announces the next installment in the Prevention in Action Webinar series.  Each webinar within this series will feature a success story in prevention in New England.  This is an opportunity to share across the New England states those successful prevention initiatives being implemented across the region. It's a chance to learn about a strategy or initiative you may be interested in implementing in your state or community.   Each webinar presentation takes participants through the steps taken to put the particular initiative into action.  At the conclusion of each presentation, webinar participants will have an opportunity to ask questions of the presenter and get tips on how they could replicate in their own state or community.     This month's webinar...   Expanding and Improving Access to Safe Drug Disposal Options in Vermont Vermont is taking a multi-faceted approach to addressing and preventing opioid addiction that involves multiple state agencies and community providers and partners. One of these approaches has been the development and evaluation of a comprehensive statewide drug disposal system designed to promote safe disposal and reduce the supply of prescription drugs available for diversion, misuse, and abuse. This webinar will provide a description of 1) Vermont’s statewide drug disposal system and efforts to make drug disposal options available to residents statewide and 2) the planned activities for and initial findings from an evaluation of the system.  

Join Chuck Klevgaard and David Clossen to learn more about the Great Lakes and Mid America Prevention and Technology Transfer Centers (PTTC). The  PTTC's are funded by SAMHSA to provide free training and technical assistance. Attend this workshop to learn more about the free training resources that you can access through the Great Lakes and Mid America PTTC! Open to Registrants for the 2019 Missouri & Illinois Behavioral Health Conference October 22, 2019—October 25, 2019

The Annual Minnesota Prevention Program Sharing conference provides learning, networking and skill-building opportunities to enhance alcohol, tobacco, and other drug misuse (ATOD) prevention efforts. By sharing effective prevention strategies and programs, presenters and participants learn from one another in this exemplary, two-day learning community. The Great Lakes PTTC will be exhibiting at this conference.

Program Description: There is an alarming rise in the number of American teens and adults who are trying vaping. It is reversing the hard-fought declines achieved in the use nicotine. Vaping may pose serious and avoidable effects on health and brain development and the potential for addiction in youth. This Project ECHO will bring expert faculty together with groups from across New England who are focusing their efforts on substance use prevention to share knowledge and strategies to further their efforts to reduce vaping and its associated harms through case-based learning. This Project ECHO® on reducing vaping is first of a series of ECHO Projects to be initiated by the NEPTTC. Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is an evidence-based distance learning method developed by researchers at the University of New Mexico. The 9-month program begins in October 2019 with monthly sessions between October and May.   Learning Objectives: Speed the dissemination and adoption of prevention evidence-based protocols, guidelines and practices. Share prevention efforts that are occurring across the communities in New England. Build prevention capacity across communities/states. Promote the ability to collect and analyze data.  

The Great Lakes PTTC and Illinois Association for Behavioral Health are sponsoring this one-day statewide conference. Learn from and network with Operation Snowball/prevention peers from around the state of Illinois! Operation Snowball offers ideas, resources and strategies for adult leaders to take back to their communities to sustain and grow prevention activities. Who should attend: This event is open to adults who are coordinators, adult group co-facilitators, volunteers and supporters of their "Snow" program. It is open to CGTI Adult Mentors and CGTI volunteers who are 18 and older, as well as adults delivering prevention grants (Youth Advisory Committees and Goodman Prevention Grants). All are welcome! There is a $60 fee to cover lunch and materials for the event.  

On April 5,2018,U.S. Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams released a public health advisory urging Americans to carry naloxone, a potentially lifesaving medication that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose within minutes. Attend this 90-minute training to learn about naloxone and how to administer it. The Minnesota Department of Health encourages Minnesotans to have naloxone on hand for themselves, family members or anyone else at risk of an opioid overdose. A limited number of free Naloxone kits will be available to take home at the end of the session. Anyone in Minnesota may get naloxone at a pharmacy without a prescription. When: Two training dates available! Thursday, October 10, 2019, 1:00–2:30 p.m. or Thursday, December 5, 2019, 1:00–2:30 p.m. Cost: Free, No registration required Who Should Attend: Community members, first responders, and providers interested in overdose prevention are invited to attend. If you are concerned that you, a loved one, or someone in your community is at risk for overdosing on heroin or prescription pain medication, this training is for you. Learning Objectives: What naloxone (Narcan) is How it works How to recognize the signs of an opioid overdose When to give naloxone to a person who has overdosed For more information, contact Kris Kelly: [email protected] Phone: 612-986-4906 Download Event Flyer

Title: Methamphetamine Prevention Strategies Course Description: Methamphetamine is a highly addictive, easy-to-manufacture stimulant that has negative impact on individuals, families, and communities – especially rural communities. There are many lessons learned from others who have addressed methamphetamine in their communities. This course will highlight responses to environmental health, drug exposed children, access to substance use treatment and the establishment of successful prevention programs that include environmental strategies, model laws and interagency collaboration. Objectives: Increase knowledge of prevention initiatives to intervene early Increase understanding of evidence based programs and best practice initiatives to address the problems associated with methamphetamine Learn to establish model laws and interagency collaborations to abate methamphetamine

Title: Strategies to Effectively Select and Implement Evidence Based Prevention Programs Course Description: This course will discuss the steps necessary to identify and successfully implement an Evidence Based Prevention Program (EBPP).  It will provide guidance in the selection of prevention programs that have shown to be effective with strong conceptual and practical fit.  The course will discuss the concept of maintaining fidelity ensuring adaptations are carefully planned and executed. Objectives: Increase knowledge of the benefits in strategic planning to identify and implement EBPPs Increase understanding of strong conceptual fit and practical fit Discuss adaptations and how to ensure program fidelity

This free, six-session workshop (two sessions of 2 full and 2 half days each) will introduce concepts and fundamental skills involved in using Motivational interviewing (MI) in your unique setting.  Through lecture, videos, role-plays, introspection, small and large group activities, participants will have the opportunity to demonstrate and practice the course content. Everyone will be primed to begin using MI and to continue learning with additional workshops, peer support, individualized feedback and coaching and/or other practice opportunities. When: October 8-9 & December 3-4, 8:30am- 4:00pm October 10 & December 5, 8:30am- 11:30am *Attendance at all sessions is required Cost: Free! Where: Maplewood Fire Station #2 1955 Clarence Street Maplewood, MN, 55109 Who Should Attend: This workshop is for any helping professional who works directly with other people who are reluctant to change their attitudes, behaviors and/or thoughts. In other words, everyone! What might learning MI do for you?  Increase confidence in using MI, an evidence-based approach Use autonomy choice to support patients and balance program requirements Use an approach that will result in less discordance Increase successful outcomes by engaging patients in their own change process and empowering them to make decisions that fit for them For more information, contact Kris Kelly Email:  [email protected] Phone: 612-986-4906 

The second part of this training, Cross-Cultural Communications Principles: The Global Dynamics of Interaction, will introduce Change Leaders to the forces at work in cultural communications and emphasize via case studies and group exercises the value behind knowing how to communicate cross-culturally with clients and staff. Once we have the Cultural Foundations, shared systems such as symbols, beliefs, attitudes, values, expectations, and norms of behavior become tools rather than barriers. Knowing how to navigate these systems is crucial to success in the diverse world we live in today. These guidelines and principles will help Change Leaders navigate the world in their clinical practice at home or in any multicultural environment around the globe.

In Ohio, as in many other states, the increase in the immigrant populations has highlighted the need for a culturally-informed workforce. The first part of this two-day intensive training, titled Cultural Foundations, Elements Needed for Treating Diverse Populations, will address elements of culture that affect access and retention in substance use and mental health services. This event is provided as a collaborative effort between the Great Lakes ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC, the National Hispanic and Latino ATTC, MHTTC, and PTTC, The Prevention Action Alliance, the Ohio Latino Affairs Commission, and the Ohio Mental Health and Addiction Services.   This is a closed event. However, you can learn more about our upcoming training and technical events on the Great Lakes ATTC website under Upcoming Events. If no upcoming events are taking place near you, please contact your nearest state project manager to inquire about future training opportunities in your region.

Program Description: There is an alarming rise in the number of American teens and adults who are trying vaping. It is reversing the hard-fought declines achieved in the use nicotine. Vaping may pose serious and avoidable effects on health and brain development and the potential for addiction in youth. This Project ECHO will bring expert faculty together with groups from across New England who are focusing their efforts on substance use prevention to share knowledge and strategies to further their efforts to reduce vaping and its associated harms through case-based learning. This Project ECHO® on reducing vaping is first of a series of ECHO Projects to be initiated by the NEPTTC. Project ECHO® (Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes) is an evidence-based distance learning method developed by researchers at the University of New Mexico. The 9-month program begins in October 2019 with monthly sessions between October and May.   Learning Objectives: Speed the dissemination and adoption of prevention evidence-based protocols, guidelines and practices. Share prevention efforts that are occurring across the communities in New England. Build prevention capacity across communities/states. Promote the ability to collect and analyze data.  

Those working with young children have long known the importance of early experiences and relationships in healthy child development. Newer terms such as toxic stress and ACES are used when describing these not-so-new ideas, and are particularly important when working with families impacted by substance abuse.  During this online training, learners will expand their current knowledge about early development to include up-to-date science that is accessible and useful in daily real-life interactions. Using a case-based approach, participants will apply new knowledge to familiar scenarios to enhance their engagement with high-risk young children and families. Certificate of Completion Available  

This course provides a useful context for professionals new to substance abuse prevention and mental health promotion or in related fields. Regardless of the settings where you work, this information will help to prepare you to prevent substance abuse and promote wellness. To obtain a registration key and participate in this course, please contact your local PTTC Regional Center.         

  Join us for this free New England PTTC webinar, that will help refresh your prevention presentations and wow your audiences! Presenters:  Jamie Comstock and Robin Carr, Info Inspired Training Description Hey, the 90s called … they want their slide deck AND presentation back! Coalitions use presentations as a primary strategy to disseminate information, build skills, ignite calls to action and influence change. However most of us never receive any formal training in presentation design – despite all we expect them to do for us. Consequently, our presentations are as dated as dial-up Internet. In this session, you’ll learn a framework based in brain science to develop and deliver exceptional presentations – every time – using the tools and resources you already have. Get ready to transform your audience with modern and powerful presentations. Learning Objectives At the end of this session participants will be able to: ●  Apply a four step process to create brain­friendly presentations ●  List the most common presenter mistakes and understand how to prevent them and understand how to prevent them ●  Increase audience engagement and participation   Target Audience Nonprofit and public sector professionals, substance use prevention professionals, behavioral health professionals, public health professionals and others tasked with delivering presentations

This 1-hour self-paced webinar, Informing Prevention: Effectively Engaging Adolescents in Interventions (Part 2 of 6), is for any health, oral health, and behavioral health student or professional. During this webinar, you will learn the rates of adolescent engagement in prevention programs. You will learn what prevents adolescents from engaging in prevention programs. Lastly, you will learn and be able to describe strategies that can be implemented to increase engagement in adolescent prevention programs. Developed by the Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center (Mountain Plains PTTC). 1.0 Hours Continuing Education Credit Available  

This 1-hour self-paced webinar, Informing Prevention: Understanding Adolescent Development (Part 1 of 6), is for any health, oral health, and behavioral health student or professional. During this webinar you will learn how technology can assist in school-based prevention efforts. You will learn which technologies are best for certain elements of prevention and in what ways school-based and community providers can promote technology-based prevention efforts. Developed by the Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center (Mountain Plains PTTC). 1.0 Hours Continuing Education Credit Available  

During this webinar you will understand the complexity of adolescent brain development. You will understand adolescent vulnerabilities to substance-use. Additionally, you will increase your knowledge of strategies for preventing adolescent substance-use disorder. Developed by the Mountain Plains Prevention Technology Transfer Center (Mountain Plains PTTC). 1.0 Hours Continuing Education Credit Available