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January 1, 1970

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

January 31, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The population with schizophrenia has a high rate of obesity and dies 25 years prematurely, most commonly because of cardiovascular disease.  Psychosocial weight control practices are effective in clinical trials, but rarely used in routine care.  These practices need to be tailored to the cognitive deficits found in the population with schizophrenia; to the capacity of the clinic; and to the preferences of the population.  This webinar presents a study that evaluated the implementation and effectiveness of a tailored in-person evidence-based weight management program delivered in four mental health clinics and including over 800 patients.  Results of the implementation of the weight intervention and the patient outcomes will be presented. Implementation of such a tailored weight management program in usual care clinics will be discussed including access to educational tools (for patients and clinicians) to help with uptake of this needed service.

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

  • Cite direct ways that mental health care for those with schizophrenia can be improved, and move toward implementation
  • Identify why and how weight interventions should be tailored for the population with schizophrenia
  • Discuss the role of data in quality improvement and apply these principles in practice

 

Click the learn more button below to find out more.

February 1, 2019

Free
Ends: February 1, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 8, 2019

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 14, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis (CBTp) is an evidence-based psychotherapeutic intervention for psychotic symptoms that has been studied in more than 50 randomized clinical trials and more than 20 meta-analyses and systematic reviews. The intervention is a recommended psychosocial intervention in national treatment guidelines for schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Nevertheless, CBTp has failed to become the standard of care for individuals with psychosis in the United States.

This webinar will provide clinicians and clinicians-in-training with a brief orientation to the application of cognitive behavioral therapy to psychotic symptoms and disorders, its evidence base, and the core principles and techniques of the intervention. Resources for providers to obtain additional education and/or training in CBTp will also be provided.This webinar will provide clinicians and clinicians-in-training with a brief orientation to the application of cognitive behavioral therapy to psychotic symptoms and disorders, its evidence base, and the core principles and techniques of the intervention. Resources for providers to obtain additional education and/or training in CBTp will also be provided.

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

  • Articulate the primary goals of a course of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis.
  • Describe the theoretical principles of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for psychosis.
  • List and describe the stages of CBTp treatment.

 

Register at SMIadviser.org/cbtbasics

February 15, 2019

On February 28, 2019, a series of requirements will go into effect as a result of FDA’s modification to the Clozapine Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program. Of note, is a requirement for health care professionals prescribing clozapine, as well as pharmacies dispensing clozapine, to be certified in the clozapine REMS program. This session will discuss these new requirements and address participant questions.

This event is not designated for AMA PRA Category 1 CreditTM.

 

Register at SMIadviser.org/REMS

February 19, 2019

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 22, 2019

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 28, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The provision of peer support in behavioral health services has been an effective adjunct service for more than 35 years. In the context of this presentation “peer or peers” is used to describe individuals with personal experience of mental health disorders and their treatment. As peer support has professionalized and grown to meet the increasing needs of the field, so has the substantial body of evidence that details the efficacy of peer support and the wide variety of roles that certified peer specialists can assume in behavioral health. This webinar details the history behind this relatively new professional designation and outlines certification requirements that include training, supervised experience, ongoing education, and strict codes for ethical behavior.

Register at SMIadviser.org/peerprofession

Free
Ends: March 2, 2019
Accredited Education Activity

The American Association of Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training’s Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium.

The underlying aim of this year’s meeting is “Teaching the 21st Century Learner” and creating a clinical learning environment where education or training is tailored to the individual learner within a participatory culture of fast and effective feedback. This allows students with different learning styles to find the best method for them and fosters an atmosphere of shared responsibility for learner outcomes. This is an essential part of training students and residents during the transition from medical school to residency to independent practice.

March 1, 2019

Free
Ends: December 31, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

March 2, 2019

The National Association of Counties (NACo) Legislative Conference brings together over 1,500 elected and appointed county officials to focus on federal policy issues that impact counties and our residents. Attendees have the opportunity to engage in second-to-none policy and educational sessions, interact with federal officials and participate in congressional briefings and meetings.

March 8, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Poor adherence to antipsychotics is a critical prognostic factor for patients with schizophrenia. Good illness insight, while helpful, is neither necessary nor sufficient for good antipsychotic adherence. Psychiatrists need to competently estimate the degree of adherence in order to devise appropriate interventions. A good adherence assessment inquires about attitude (towards drugs), barriers, and (actual) compliance behavior. “Drug attitude” can be viewed as a final common pathway that sums up a patient’s subjective risk-benefit assessment of a medication; it includes medication efficacy, particularly its ability to reduce perceived suffering. Adherence is unlikely if drug attitude is not good. Clinical adherence-enhancing interventions can be grouped into universal (for all patients), selected (for patients at high risk for non-adherence) or indicated interventions (for currently non-adherent patients). Among the various interventions, long-acting injectable antipsychotics are an underused first-line treatment for schizophrenia patients who require maintenance treatment.

This webinar will emphasize how to comprehensively assess adherence using the ABCs of adherence (i.e., drug attitude, barriers, and compliance behavior) and how to optimize adherence based on the reasons for non-adherence. The appropriate use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics will be highlighted.

Register at SMIadviser.org/adherence

March 14, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar examines peer support, a distinctly non-clinical role, which offers unique strengths that can supplement clinical environments. These specific strengths are part of what differentiates peer roles from clinical ones. Peers are able to build unique relationships with the people they serve because of their personal “lived” experience with mental health disorders. Consequently, peers are often able to activate self-management skills and a willingness in others to work more closely with clinical providers to make informed decisions about involvement in their treatment. The presentation provides concrete examples of effective ways of introducing peer support into clinical environments without compromising the core principles of “peerness” and non-clinical involvement.

Register at SMIadviser.org/peers-clinical

The AAPA Leadership and Advocacy Summit (LAS) provides a fantastic opportunity for PAs to network — with generous break times and a welcome reception, attendees will have ample time to meet old friends and emerging leaders, exchange ideas, and enjoy our nation’s capital.

March 18, 2019

We invite you to join us for the 2019 NABH Annual Meeting, where we will discuss some of the most important issues facing behavioral healthcare providers today, including the integration between behavioral healthcare and medical-surgical care, the nation’s opioid crisis, population health, telehealth, workforce, reimbursement, and more.

March 22, 2019

This webinar presents a public health, multilevel approach to addressing the epidemic of those with serious mental illnesses having higher rates of co-morbid medical problems, leading to reduced quality and length of life. It will address specific ways in which mental health clinicians can help improve the lives and lifespans of the individuals that they serve.

Register at SMIadviser.org/mortality

March 28, 2019

This webinar discusses dimensions of quality health care and explains evidence-based quality improvement methods and tools used to close quality gaps in care. There is considerable variation in the implementation and uptake of evidence-based practices in usual care clinics. Many patients do not receive evidence-based care, and this is especially true for the population with serious mental illness. A recent large-scale study using evidence-based quality improvement methods and tools to improve employment outcomes for those with serious mental illness will be described. Areas in need to quality improvement in the care of those with serious mental illness will be discussed with a focus on usual care clinics.

Register at SMIadviser.org/evbasedquality

April 5, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar focuses on social media, which is commonly used by billions of people around the world, including those with serious mental illnesses. While some evidence suggests that social media use may be associated with negative outcomes, like worsening mood and anxiety, other evidence claims it can help patients build stronger social networks and feel less isolated. This presentation will explore current evidence around social media and serious mental illness with the goal of providing practical tips to tell patients about use, warning signs of excessive use, and resources for helping patients who want to cut down their use. Positive use cases and support groups will also be covered.

Register at SMIadviser.org/socialmedia

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

April 7, 2019

Free
Ends: April 10, 2019
Accredited Education Activity

#CPNP2019 is Where Pharmacy and Psychiatry Meet

Join over 800 psychiatric pharmacy professionals at the only conference solely focused on psychiatric pharmacotherapy. A range of cutting-edge topics will be offered as well as recertification for Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacists (BCPPs).

  • 27 hours of ACPE-approved programming
  • 240+ posters of cutting-edge research
  • 7 Idea Exchange sessions to discuss current issues
  • 6 hours of dedicated networking time

April 11, 2019

Free
Ends: April 11, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

April 19, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar underscores the subtleties of shared decision making and the important circumstances that must be available for it to succeed. Practitioners using evidence-based approaches to mental health treatment, and the people they serve, face a very real problem of translating medical evidence into a course of action that is best for the person receiving treatment. Experience has shown that it may not be enough to simply provide individuals with information and offer them a choice. What seemed to be missing was individuals and providers conversing and working out solutions, together. This tandem approach activates a need and a desire in the individual to become fully-vested in treatment decisions, making it more likely that they’ll participate fully.

Presenter: Patrick Hendry, Mental Health America


Register at SMIadviser.org/sharedecisions

April 25, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will discuss the barriers to the use of clozapine and recommendations of a national workgroup seeking to overcome these barriers. Clozapine is a medication that exhibits unique efficacy and effective for those with serious mental illness. However, the risks of using clozapine, the monitoring required for its use, issues facing prescribers who may wish to employ it and a variety of administrative burdens have all proved to barriers to its more widespread use.

Presenters:

  • Deanna Kelly, PharmD, BCPP, University of Maryland, School of Medicine
  • Raymond Love, PharmD, BCPP, FASHP, University of Maryland, School of Pharmacy

 

Register at SMIadviser.org/clozapine-webinar

Free
Ends: April 25, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

May 3, 2019

This webinar will provide participants an opportunity to learn more about the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), the national’s largest grassroots mental health organization. NAMI is an association of hundreds of local affiliates, state organizations, and volunteers who work in communities across the United States to provide education and support to people affected by mental illness–the individual with the condition and the people who care about them. The services offered by NAMI are intended to complement the therapeutic services individuals receive from their treatment team. This webinar will provide an overview of the programs and services available through NAMI that can provide support to individuals and families as they cope with having mental illness in their life, and as they navigate the healthcare system to find the right services. It’s important for clinicians to know about all available resources so appropriate recommendations can be made to the individuals on their caseloads.

Presenter: Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, National Alliance on Mental Illness


Register at SMIadviser.org/meetnami

May 9, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will explore the latest evidence about SMI, physical activity, and digital technology with the goal of informing learners of the current evidence for what technology can and cannot yet do towards helping patients become more active. Increasing physical activity levels offers many mental health as well as physical health benefits for patients with SMI. With cardiovascular disease as the single highest cause of mortality in patients with schizophrenia between ages 45-74, it is even more imperative to help patients stay active and fit. Recent evidence also suggests some types of physical activity can help improve often challenging to treat cognitive symptoms associated with schizophrenia. But despite these benefits, engaging the SMI community in exercise has traditionally been difficult. The recent rise of fitness trackers and health apps offers one potential solution through presenting patients and clinicians with new tools and resources to increase physical activity. Topics covered will include when to suggest such as part of the treatment plan, what to expect in terms of patient engagement and response, how to safely monitor physical activity, and finally how to incorporate such into treatment plans.

Presenter: John Torous, MD, MBI, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School


Register at SMIadviser.org/wearables

May 12, 2019

Free
Ends: May 18, 2019

National Prevention Week is an annual health observance dedicated to increasing public awareness of, and action around, mental health and/or substance use disorders.

May 17, 2019

This webinar will provide a step-by-step guide to introducing peer support into provider service arrays as well as links to resources that will contribute to a successful transition. It is important that organizations that are not fully familiar with peer support and wish to introduce it into their services, orient their staff to maximize opportunities for success. Part of the process is to examine the culture of the organization. Is it oriented to a recovery or a medical approach? The introduction of peer support into a deeply entrenched medical model culture is problematic and requires important advance work with staff and policies. In order to achieve this goal it is necessary for senior leadership to communicate their commitment to the existing staff, and it is important to solicit the perspective of people in recovery, family members, and staff early in the process.

Presenter: Patrick Hendry, Mental Health America


Register at SMIadviser.org/introduce-peers

May 18, 2019

Free
Ends: May 22, 2019
Accredited Education Activity

APA’s Annual Meeting is the premier psychiatry event of the year. With 650+ educational sessions, 38 courses, 8 tracks, 40 APA PRA Category 1 Credits™ available, and 15,000+ attendees, there’s no better event to learn, discover and experience the best educational content in psychiatry for the maximum value.

May 31, 2019

This session examines health disparities among individuals with serious mental illnesses and factors that influence wellness, physical health management, and health literacy. Discussion will include: a review of factors influencing physical wellness in this population, identifying opportunities for screening, a description of successful, evidence-informed health interventions specifically designed for people with serious mental illness (e.g., WRAP, NEW-R, health navigators), and examination of strategies to implement and sustain these services within diverse mental health settings. Information from a community-based health study focusing on health literacy, health practices, and recovery also will be presented, and strategies to improve workforce competencies will be described.

Presenter: Lisa Razzano, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago


Register at SMIadviser.org/health-mgmt

June 13, 2019

Each year, MHA’s Annual Conference brings together affiliates, consumers, providers, family members and advocates from across the country to talk about important and emerging mental health issues. The 2019 Mental Health America Annual Conference, taking place in Washington, DC from June 13-15, 2019, is themed Dueling Diagnoses: Mental Health and Chronic Conditions in Children and Adults.

June 19, 2019

Join the nation’s largest gathering of mental health advocates as we share, learn and network around important mental health issues.

Launching at this year’s convention – NAMI’s new strategic plan! The convention’s theme, Our Movement, Our Moment captures the power and excitement of this moment as we mobilize the NAMI movement!”

June 20, 2019

Free
Ends: June 20, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

During this webinar, you’ll hear an overview of the diagnostic criteria for substance use disorders and risky alcohol use. Substance use disorders (SUDs) are a prevalent problem among individuals in the U.S. Approximately 10 percent of the U.S. population is in recovery from a SUD, including those of both drugs and alcohol. Even among those receiving treatment for any SUD, quality of life scores are low and relapse rates are high. Over 25 percent of adults reported engaging in binge drinking in the past month. Those with a serious mental illness are at increased risk for a co-occurring substance use disorder and binge drinking as well as significant negative consequences of this dual-diagnosis. Treatment of these individuals can be challenging. The presentation will also address motivational interviewing techniques, which are particularly efficacious at improving change rate and sustaining change. And, medication management and other treatment strategies for providers from psychiatric specialties and primary care will also be discussed.

Presenters: 

  • Donna Rolin, PhD, APRN, University of Texas at Austin
  • Amanda Simonton, RN, PMHNP-BC, CARMAhealth

Register at SMIadviser.org/substance-use

June 28, 2019

Free
Ends: June 28, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar introduces the concept of Psychiatric Advance Directives (PADS), which are legal documents that permit persons with mental illnesses to declare their preferences, instructions and consent for future mental health treatment, or appoint a surrogate decision maker in advance of an incapacitating psychiatric crisis. Twenty-seven states have enacted statutes supporting these directives since the 1990’s and implementation of these laws is a federal requirement for mental health facilities and clinics receiving federal funding. Despite this, education about PADs and resources to assist with implementation have been scarce. The presentation will also present information on their potential use and resources to aid in implementation.


Hosted in collaboration with the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network


Presenters:

  • Marvin Swartz, MD, Duke University
  • Bebe Smith, MSW, LCSW, Southern Regional AHEC

 

Register at SMIadviser.org/pads

 

July 1, 2019

Free
Ends: July 31, 2019
Free
Ends: December 31, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

July 11, 2019

Free
Ends: July 11, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Clinicians often have extensive experience treating individuals with chronic psychotic disorders but usually have very limited experience with treating individuals with first episode psychosis. This webinar will focus on how first episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorder are similar and also differ from the multi-episode versions of these disorders. Topics reviewed include the results of research studies of individuals with first episode schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and the clinical implications of the findings.

Presenter: Delbert G. Robinson, MD, Feintstein Institutes for Medical Research, Northwell Health

Register at SMIadviser.org/first-episode

July 16, 2019

A mental health crisis is a situation in which a person’s behavior puts them at risk of hurting themselves or others and/or prevents them from being able to care for themselves or function effectively in the community. This period of crisis can be stressful for the individual and their family members and/or caregivers but preparing for the possibility of a mental health crisis can help alleviate some of the uncertainty.

NAMI’s “Navigating a Mental Health Crisis” provides information and resources that help families and individuals living with mental illness, prepare for the possibility of a crisis. During this webinar, the presenters will discuss this crisis guide and how to prepare for a crisis. It will include information about what can contribute to a crisis, warning signs, strategies that can help de-escalate the situation, and how to engage with systems such as law enforcement and emergency healthcare services. The webinar will also discuss how to prepare for a crisis, including creating a portable treatment record or advanced medical directives, and how to use these tools during a crisis.

Topics and themes:
• Mental health crisis
• Signs and symptoms of crisis
• Portable treatment records and advance directives
• Support resources

Presenters:
Teri Brister, Ph.D., serves as the Director of Information & Support at NAMI. Dr. Brister is responsible for ensuring that all content created and disseminated by NAMI attains the highest possible standards of accuracy, relevance, value and academic rigor. She is the author of NAMI Basics and co-author of the NAMI Homefront program. Prior to joining NAMI in 2005, Dr. Brister worked for twenty years in the community mental health system in Mississippi, working in both clinical and administrative roles, including Assistant Executive Director in two different centers. Dr. Brister received her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration from Jackson State University, and her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in Counseling Psychology from the University of Southern Mississippi. She is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Mississippi.

Sue Abderholden has devoted her career to changing laws and attitudes that affect people with disabilities and their families. Since the fall of 2001, she has served as the executive director for NAMI Minnesota (National Alliance on Mental Illness) where she has grown the organization to be the largest provider of family and public education and support in the state and the state’s strongest advocacy organization. She has held leadership positions with Arc of Minnesota, U.S. Senator Paul D. Wellstone and PACER Center. Sue has a B.A. in political science from Macalester College and a master’s degree in public health administration from the University of Minnesota. Ms. Abderholden has received over 25 awards for her advocacy work including the 2018 Rona and Ken Purdy Award to End Discrimination from National NAMI, Excellence in Mental Health Advocacy and Policy Award from the International African Mental Health Providers, 2013 Gaylord Anderson Leadership Award from the U of M School of Public Health and the National Council for Behavioral Health 2013 Advocacy Leadership Award.

Free
Ends: July 16, 2022
Accredited Education Activity

July 19, 2019

Free
Ends: July 19, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Large numbers of patients with serious mental illness (SMI) are not adherent to medications and treatment modalities, not only impacting their overall symptoms management but their also impairing quality of life. Less than 50% of patients with SMI continue to take their medications and adhere to their plan of care after 6 months. Non-adherence increases the risk of hospitalization, decreases recovery efforts, and extends the time in which a person will spend in inpatient facilities. It is estimated that hospitalizations due to non-adherence costs more than $100 billion a year in the United States. It is not unusual for many people with chronic SMI who do seek help to drop out from continued treatment after one or two visits. An estimated 70% of such individual stop receiving treatment due to poor interactions with their providers or lack of understanding about the need for their treatment. It is important that patients with SMI are active participants in their care with providers and the community supports in a process called shared decision making. Engaging patients in their care not only boosts adherence but also improves patients’ overall outcomes. Strategies to improve adherence to medications and treatment plans for patients with SMI will be explored in this webinar, including long-acting injectable medications (when indicated), medication strategies, and adjunctive supports.

Presenters:

  • Donna Rolin, PhD, APRN, PMHCNS-BC, PMHNP-BC, University of Texas at Austin
  • Amber Hoberg, MSN,  APRN, PMHNP-BC, WellBridge Hospital

Register at SMIadviser.org/success

July 24, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Completing school or going back to school are common goals for people who might have dropped out or fell behind because of disruption caused by serious mental illness (SMI). Responding to the unique challenges of transition age youth and adults related to serious mental illness and education needs are best targeted through Supported Education.

This webinar will explore opportunities, challenges, and best practices in Supported Education for people with SMI. Researchers at the Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation and an Education Specialist at Mental Health America Los Angeles will share their experiences from research and practice about how supported education can support recovery and help ensure students with SMI can thrive.

During the webinar, individuals will learn:
• How supported education is best used to help people with serious mental illness.
• Guidance about supported education from research
• What supported education looks like in practice.
• Challenges and barriers to consider in supported education.
• Components of successful supported education practices or programs.

Speakers:
Dori Hutchinson, ScD, Director of Services and Associate Clinical Professor, Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Services, Boston University
Carey White, Education Specialist at Mental Health America Los Angeles

July 26, 2019

Free
Ends: July 26, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The effective psychiatric care of older adults, especially those with serious mental illness and dementia remains a predominant challenge in current health care. This webinar will discuss how technology could advance clinical care in this those with serious mental illness and dementia, and explores issues around device ownership and access. Focusing on digital phenotyping in older adults with SMI, the talk will discuss how the latest research findings can be interpreted and applied for these patients. Case examples will focus on diagnostic use of new digital health tools to differentiate serious mental illnesses from dementia, with real world clinical examples. Finally use cases of apps and virtual reality for this population will be discussed.

Presenter: Ipsit Vahia, MD, McLean Hospital and McLean Institute for Technology in Psychiatry

Register at SMIadviser.org/older-adults

July 29, 2019

People living with serious mental illness (SMI) are at higher risk of dying by suicide, yet there is little research about unique considerations or interventions for treating suicidal thoughts and behaviors in those diagnosed with SMI. A comprehensive, systematic approach to managing suicide risk for patients seen in health and behavioral health (HBH) organizations should include specific clinical decisions, tailored interventions, and enhanced engagement for patients with SMI. This webinar will provide an overview of the relationship between SMI and suicide, highlight some of the resources available to support health and behavioral healthcare organizations in their care for individuals with serious mental illness, as well as how to assist their loved ones.

By the end of this webinar, participants will be able to (1) describe the importance of addressing suicide risk for those with SMI in HBH organizations, (2) identify resources that are available to support suicide prevention and care for individuals with SMI and how to access these resources, and (3) list the benefits of taking a patient-centered approach to treating suicide risk and SMI that includes community, peer, family, and other supports.

Free
Ends: July 29, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

August 1, 2019

As Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) services for persons with First Episode Psychosis have expanded and matured, awareness of the challenges surrounding discharge planning and interest in step-down programming have grown substantially.  The webinar will address these issues by first providing an overview of the current findings regarding longer term outcomes for persons being discharged from FEP  programs, (Nev Jones); second a presentation of an important recent randomized trial evaluating alternative discharge strategies (2 year versus extended CSC services) (Ashok Malla); and finally discussion from two CSC programs regarding their experiences with a two year limit on FEP enrollment and the strategies that they have used to address concerns.  (Irene Hurford in Pennsylvania and Jill Dunstan in New York.

Presenters:

Nev Jones PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of South Florida, as well as an affiliate assistant professor in the Louis de la Parte Florida Mental Health Institute.

Ashok Malla MD is a professor and Tier 1 research chair in the Department of Psychiatry at McGill University with a cross appointment in the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Jill Dunstan LMHC is the program director for BestSelf Behavioral Health which is the OnTrackNY CSC program in Buffalo, NY.

Irene Hurford MD is an Assistant Professor of Clinical Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania, clinical director of the Psychosis Education, Assessment, Care, and Empowerment (PEACE) Program at Horizon House in Philadelphia, and Director of the Pennsylvania Early Intervention Center (PEIC).

Free
Ends: December 31, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

August 7, 2019

Free
Ends: August 8, 2019
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Please join SAMHSA’s Homeless and Housing Resource Network (HHRN) for a 2-day national online conversation about the most effective approaches to ending homelessness for individuals with serious mental illness and/or substance use disorders. This 2-day national online event is presented free of charge by HHRN.

No travel required – attend directly from your own internet-connected computer. Join us for the whole summit or drop in to only those sessions that most appeal to you.

The program includes 30+ national experts, policy makers, and providers who will engage you in a variety of plenaries, roundtable discussions, and concurrent sessions.

Continuing education credits are available at no cost to registrants.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and The Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), the designated local mental health and IDD authority for Harris County, are midway through a three phase implementation of their Clinician and Officer Remote Evaluation (CORE) program pilot. Their CORE program is a Telehealth Strategy of responding to mental health crisis calls utilizing a tablet and a HIPAA compliant technology platform to connect a law enforcement first responder in the community with a mental health clinician at the time of the 911 dispatch. This proposed webinar will highlight the experience and benefits of this collaborative effort between law enforcement and a large behavioral health system in utilizing technology to address the growing number of mental health calls in the nation’s fourth largest county.

This webinar will provide a discussion of the needs driving this innovative Telehealth approach, the goals of the project, and the recognized challenges and benefits of this strategy. This project has multi-stream funding model from Harris County Sheriff’s Office, The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Additionally, funding for evaluation to be completed by the University of Houston Downtown (UHD) and an implementation guide to be developed by HCSO, with input from UHD and The Harris Center, has been generously provided by Arnold Ventures.

Presenters:

Wayne Young, MBA, LPC, FACHE – Chief Executive Officer of The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD (The Harris Center).

Frank Webb, M.Ed., – Project Manager for the Harris County Sheriff’s Office Bureau of Mental Health and Jail Diversion where he oversees special projects.

August 8, 2019

Free
Ends: August 8, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will focus on practical aspects of prescribing clozapine, including initiation and titration, maintenance, management of side effects, and resources for the prescriber.  We will also discuss strategies for navigating clozapine-specific logistical challenges, such as how to streamline communication among the patient, prescriber, pharmacist, and laboratory.  Lastly, we will discuss how providers can increase their confidence and that of their patients with regards to treatment with clozapine.

Presenter: Yvonne Yang, MD, PhD, UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior

Register at SMIadviser.org/cloz-guide

August 14, 2019

Please join us for this SAMHSA sponsored webinar, developed under contract by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and presented by The Bazelon Center and the National Disability Rights Network.

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employment is a widely known and extensively studied evidence-based practice that helps people with serious mental illness get and keep jobs. Speakers will provide a brief overview of Supported Employment services; how to create a culture of recovery and employment within existing employment support systems; provide an overview of Thinking Skills for Work Program (a set of cognitive enhancement services that can improve outcomes for people who are not responding to traditional IPS); and strategies for successfully navigating the Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) process to achieve employment for individuals with serious mental illness.

Presenters:

  • Katherine Burson, Independent Consultant
  • Susan McGurk, PhD, Professor Occupational Therapy, Boston University
  • Cheryl Bates-Harris; Senior Disability Advocacy Specialist, National Disability Rights Network (NDRN)

August 16, 2019

Free
Ends: August 16, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Behavioral health is undergoing a significant change with a focus on measurement-based care which can assist in better delivering treatments. Community behavioral health practices can apply screening and follow-up plans with treatment targets and then use validated measurement tools, assess treatment response, and adjust treatment according to outcomes. Commonly used tools include the PHQ9 for depression and GAD7 for anxiety and in these settings it will be important to look beyond these tools. Measurement must be applied in a systematic fashion by the care team requiring re-thinking workflows. Data is entered into the registry for tracking and treatment is adjusted to reach preset clinical targets. Advancing this approach in community behavioral health settings is a central tool for enhancing and informing approaches to population health and improving and positioning the field for value-based payment initiatives. This webinar will review measurement-based care approaches for behavioral and physical health in the SMI population as well as review examples of registry tracking and using aggregate data.

 

Presenter: Lori Raney, MD, Health Management Associates

 

For complete details visit: SMIadviser.org/measure-care

August 20, 2019

The Safety Planning Intervention (also known as the Stanley-Brown Safety Plan; SPI; Stanley & Brown, 2012) is a widely used brief intervention and has been shown to reduce suicidal behaviors and to increase treatment engagement when coupled with brief follow-up phone contact (Stanley et al, JAMA Psychiatry, 2018). It is widely used by organizations implementing the Zero Suicide model as well as the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC).  The intent of SPI is to help individuals lower their imminent risk for suicidal behavior by employing a pre-determined set of potential coping strategies and a list of individuals or agencies whom they may contact.

In this webinar, Drs. Barbara Stanley and Gregory Brown will discuss the rationale for conducting a brief Safety Planning Intervention and how to set the stage for high quality safety planning, identify typical areas of safety planning that need improvement, and discuss how safety planning is implemented across care settings. Special issues and adaptations for doing safety planning in individuals with SMI will be discussed.

Presenters:

  • Barbara Stanley, Ph.D., Professor of Medical Psychology in the Department of Psychiatry at Columbia University and Director of the Suicide Prevention Training, Implementation and Evaluation (SP-TIE) program in the Center for Practice Innovations at New York State Psychiatric Institute.
  • Gregory K. Brown, Ph.D., Principal Investigator/Co-Investigator on research grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Defense.

August 22, 2019

Free
Ends: August 22, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will provide an overview of the importance of including the patient in all levels of the assessment and treatment process, along with their family of choice as well as suggestions on how to incorporate this approach into practice.  The presenters will share the background of the engagement movement and the role that education of the patient and family members about the illness and treatment options plays in active engagement in the treatment process, specifically the importance of shared decision making. Best practices in proactive engagement of the person and the family including methods used in coordinated specialty care programs across the country, as well as peer-led education and support programs will also be discussed.

 

Presenters:

  • Teri Brister, PhD, LPC, National Alliance on Mental Illness
  • Ken Duckworth, MD, National Alliance on Mental Illness

 

For complete details visit:  SMIadviser.org/engage

August 27, 2019

Please join us for this SAMHSA sponsored webinar developed under contract by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and presented by the National Council for Behavioral Health.

This webinar will explore how mental health and substance use treatment providers currently care for women with co-occurring first episode psychosis (FEP), serious mental illness (SMI), and substance use disorder (SUD); and, what questions remain in relation to treating this population of women with complex presentations. Also of note is the high prevalence of ACEs in women and the ways to address this in care. Specific observations from our treatment areas note that: (a) women are underrepresented (SAMHSA TEDS Report – April 3, 2014), (b) women leave treatment early, and (c) care environments can be experienced by some women as re-traumatizing. Understanding processes that contribute to gender biases within the contexts of access and treatment is essential. The speakers will identify specific knowledge gaps and potential areas for improvement from a research and clinical standpoint.

Presenters:

  • Kirsten Bolton, MSW, McLean OnTrack Program Director
  • Kelly Carlson, Professional Development Specialist and Research Associate at McLean Hospital
  • Carolyn Chance, RN, BSN, works in the Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorders unit at McLean Hospital

August 28, 2019

Please join us for this SAMHSA sponsored webinar, developed under contract by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors and presented by the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

To achieve and sustain mental health, individuals with serious mental illness need access to an array of treatment options and need to be actively engaged in their own treatment and recovery support plan. Person and family centered care puts consumers at the center of the planning process. This method involves a collaborative and strengths-based approach that relies on understanding the preferences and abilities of the individual seeking treatment and their support systems in order to tailor a personal plan for success.

During this webinar, participants will learn more about person and family centered care. Presenters will share tips for engaging individuals and their family members in the treatment planning process, and stories of success. They will also share resources for implementing and encouraging the practice of person and family centered care.

Topics and themes:

  • Mental health and recovery
  • Peers
  • Family and caregivers

Presenters:

  • Teri Brister, PhD, Director of Information & Support at NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
  • Ken Duckworth, M.D., NAMI Medical Director and Assistant Clinical Professor at Harvard University Medical School

August 29, 2019

Please join us for this SAMHSA sponsored webinar developed under contract by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors .

Recovery-Oriented Cognitive Therapy (CT-R) is a theoretically-driven, evidence-based approach that operationalizes recovery, resiliency, and empowerment for individuals who experience serious mental health challenges. Beck’s cognitive model guides the development of a positive and personal life-space — accessing and strengthening one’s best self, actively contributing and enjoying others, richly building aspirations to fill the future with hope and purpose — and provides insight into often complex challenges that get in the way of living a life of one’s choosing. Providers become powerful partners — meeting individuals where they are at, accessing adaptive modes of living, instilling daily living with purpose, and collaboratively developing resiliency in the face of life’s inevitable stress. CT-R assists in the successful integration of adaptive beliefs and confidence that enables individuals to thrive.

CT-R is readily teachable and has been successfully implemented across settings (hospital, residential, case management team, outpatient clinic, veterans’ administration) and formats (individual therapy, group therapy, team-based, milieu). The webinar will focus on the science supporting the model, the basic protocol, as well as successful implementation in mental health systems to promote culture change and continuity of care. The webinar will use examples from SAMHSA’s Transformation Transfer Initiative’s six projects in Georgia, Massachusetts, Montana, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont.

Presenters:

  • Paul M. Grant, Ph.D. – Research Assistant Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at the Aaron T. Beck Psychopathology Research Center
  • Ellen Inverso, Psy.D. – Director of Clinical Training and Education of the Beck Recovery Training Network at the Aaron T. Beck Psychopathology Research Center

August 30, 2019

Free
Ends: August 30, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

September 1, 2019

September is National Suicide Prevention Month. All month, mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members unite to promote suicide prevention awareness.

Free
Ends: September 30, 2019

Every September, SAMHSA sponsors Recovery Month to increase awareness and understanding of mental and substance use disorders and celebrate the people who recover.

September 3, 2019

Please join us for this SAMHSA sponsored webinar developed under contract and presented by the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD).

In this webinar we will continue our exploration of important issues related to successful transition from first episode programming.  In Part 1 of this series we identified concerns with the long term maintenance of the improved outcomes that are routinely found for clients served in FEP programs.  The longer term follow-up literature suggests that many of these gains may be lost over time.  We featured research that demonstrated the benefits of extending a program to 5 years and some step down or extension strategies that are being explored by two US FEP programs.  In Part 2 we’ll take another look at the follow-up literature, present some results from national evaluation of FEP programs regarding transition practices and consumer’s thoughts about leaving FEP programs. We will then lead a discussion of the many clinical, financing, research and policy issues that should be addressed in developing strategies to help assure long term benefits of FEP programming.

Presenters:

  • David Shern, Ph.D. Senior Public Health Advisor, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
  • Lisa Dixon, M.D. Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University and the New York State Psychiatric Institute
  • Steven Dettwyler, Ph.D. Public Health Analyst, Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration

September 6, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Telepsychiatry offers the ability to increase access to care for patients with SMI though remote, video, and virtual visits. Today it is increasingly easy to offer your patients telepsychiatry services, and this webinar will offer an introduction focusing on use cases for SMI. Topics covered will include the history and background of telepsychiatry, trainings available today, legal and reimbursement issues, technical considerations, as well as practice and clinical issues. Relevant research at the intersection of SMI and telepsychiatry will also be discussed as relevant to each of the topics.

 

Presenter: John Torous, MD, MBI, Harvard Medical School

September 8, 2019

Free
Ends: September 14, 2019

A time to share resources and stories, as well as promote suicide prevention awareness.

September 10, 2019

A time to remember those affected by suicide, to raise awareness, and to focus efforts on directing treatment to those who need it most.

September 11, 2019

The National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD) Annual Meeting will be held in conjunction with the 2019 International Initiative for Mental Health Leadership (IIMHL) and the International Initiative for Disability Leadership (IIDL) Leadership Exchange from September 11 – 14 in Washington D.C.

Visit https://www.nasmhpd.org/content/nasmhpd-annual-2019-meeting-iimhl-iidl-sponsorship for information on Sponsor or Exhibit Opportunities.

September 12, 2019

Do the words “evidence-based practice” make you squirm with confusion or irritation? When someone describes their psychiatric rehabilitation services as “evidence-based” are you embarrassed to ask why? This webinar will empower participants to become more confident consumers of evidence. We will demystify the terms evidence-based practice, evidence-based medicine, and look under the hood to see how services are declared evidence-based. We will use real-world examples to help you think critically about evidence and to become more comfortable asking questions. We will also explore how recovery concepts intersect with the principles of evidence-based medicine and promote choice.


Presenter:
Sandra Resnick, PhD, Yale University School of Medicine; Department of Veteran Affairs Northeast Program Evaluation Center (NEPEC), Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention

September 20, 2019

Free
Ends: September 20, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Many states utilize mobile crisis teams (MCTs), but the inclusion of peer support on teams is a relatively new addition. A MCT is committed to decreasing unnecessary incarceration as a result of a mental health crisis, decreasing unnecessary hospitalizations, providing safe, compassionate and effective responses to individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, increasing their participation with mental health providers by problem solving barriers, increasing knowledge of local resources, and increasing public safety. It is frequently difficult to engage individuals living with serious psychiatric conditions in treatment and perhaps even more so during a brief encounter with a MCT. Peer support specialists have proven to be highly effective in providing a sense of safety, respect, and personal agency for people experiencing a crisis in the community. This webinar will review MCT peer support engagement techniques and their outcomes that can result in lowered rates of hospitalization and/or incarceration.


Presenter:
Patrick Hendry, Mental Health America


For complete details visit: 
SMIadviser.org/crisisteam

September 25, 2019

Safe, stable, and affordable housing is increasingly recognized as a vital part of recovery. What role can substance use disorder treatment and recovery programs play in providing this essential need for their clients? Find out the basics of housing and how to get started in this 6-session virtual learning community beginning in August 2019! By the end of session 3, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the history of inequality in the housing system.
  • Discuss special considerations in supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, veterans, people with severe mental health issues, and older adults.
  • Determine key stakeholders to collaborate with in supportive housing for people experiencing homelessness, veterans, people with severe mental health issues, and older adults.

September 26, 2019

Free
Ends: September 26, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The Zero Suicide framework is an evidence-informed comprehensive set of practices and tools that aims to improve care and outcomes for all patients at risk of suicide within health and behavioral health care delivery systems. This webinar will provide an overview of the Zero Suicide framework and describe its core elements. This includes the key clinical, organizational, and continuous quality improvement components that comprise the Zero Suicide framework. Clinical components that are particularly relevant for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), such as special considerations for suicide risk identification and engagement in suicide prevention interventions will be discussed.


Presenters:

  • Adam Chu, MPH, Education Development Center
  • Kim Walton, MSN, APRN, Education Development Center


For complete details visit:
SMIadviser.org/zero-suicide

October 1, 2019

Free
Ends: December 31, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

October 2, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

A one-day, clinically focused pre-conference on innovative early psychosis care.

APA, NIMH, SAMHSA, and SMI Adviser are partnering with PEPPNET (Psychosis-Risk and Early Psychosis Program Network) to bring the second National Conference on Advancing Early Psychosis Care in the United States to IPS with the theme, “The Complexities of Real-World Care.”

This event will pull together a diverse group of speakers, including national experts in coordinated specialty care implementation comprised of:

  • clinical experts,
  • mental health policy leaders, and
  • people who themselves have experienced psychosis and recovery.

Keynote speakers, workshops and panel presentations will cover a wide range of topics and provide clinicians with quality tools that can be implemented in the care of individuals with clinical high risk (CHR) or early psychosis.

Free
Ends: October 5, 2019
Accredited Education Activity

Get jazzed for #PMHNCon this October 2-5! Set in the heart of the Birthplace of Jazz, the conference will deliver dynamic presentations and fun connecting with fellow psychiatric-mental health nurses.

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

October 3, 2019

Free
Ends: October 6, 2019
Accredited Education Activity

IPS highlights innovations in clinical services to better meet the needs of all populations–and vulnerable communities in particular–through an interactive program with engaging topics and session formats.

October 6, 2019

Free
Ends: October 12, 2019

October 9, 2019

Safe, stable, and affordable housing is increasingly recognized as a vital part of recovery. What role can substance use disorder treatment and recovery programs play in providing this essential need for their clients? Find out the basics of housing and how to get started in this 6-session virtual learning community beginning in August 2019! By the end of session 4, participants will be able to:

  • Identify at least three alternative housing types.
  • Compare the pros and cons of different alternative housing types.
  • Describe how alternative housing types benefit clients and the community.

October 10, 2019

While medications and psychotherapy are pillars of psychiatric care, they are being joined by modern neuromodulation therapies. These treatments use electrical, magnetic, or other kinds of energy to stimulate brain tissue. An important 21st century neuromodulation technique is transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). TMS uses strong, focal magnetic pulses to stimulate specific brain networks, to induce neuroplastic changes that lead to symptom relief, relying on the neuroscience principle that “neurons that fire together, wire together.” As a targeted brain treatment, it does not have the systemic side effects of medication, and most patients’ response is durable. The FDA has permitted its use for over a decade, yet it remains relatively underutilized. This webinar will review the mechanism of action of TMS, principles of administration, the evidence of efficacy and safety, how to select patients for TMS, and areas where research may soon lead to new and expanded clinical uses.


Presenter: Ian A. Cook, MD, Los Angeles TMS Institute Inc.

The Treatment Advocacy Center will be hosting the first ever National Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) Symposium on October 10-11 in Columbus, Ohio. The free event will be open to teams from communities throughout the country interested in developing a new program or improving one already in existence.

The symposium will:

  • Showcase model Assisted Outpatient Treatment (AOT) programs;
  • Highlight the core elements of effective programs;
  • Emphasize the importance of treatment engagement using the “black robe effect” and support and encouragement by the treatment team;
  • Offer a road map on how to implement an AOT program and improve and sustain existing programs; and
  • Provide an opportunity for judges, mental health professionals, attorneys, advocates, family members and individuals living with mental illness, to hear from and discuss concerns, challenges and successes with their counterparts.

World Mental Health Day is observed on 10 October every year, with the overall objective of raising awareness of mental health issues around the world and mobilizing efforts in support of mental health. The Day provides an opportunity for all stakeholders working on mental health issues to talk about their work, and what more needs to be done to make mental health care a reality for people worldwide.

October 14, 2019

Free
Ends: October 19, 2019
Accredited Education Activity

Online registration for the 66th Annual Meeting will open August 1, 2019 for AACAP members and August 8, 2019 for non-members. Be sure to register early to attend all your preferred events.

October 16, 2019

This webinar will discuss how healthcare organizations can ensure that awareness, adoption, and implementation of the National CLAS Standards incorporate this more inclusive definition of culture in order to better serve persons in the recovery community.

Objectives:

  • Define the CLAS standards, themes, and recommendations
  • Understand strategies for decreasing health disparities for people in recovery
  • Learn types of peer support and value of services delivered by peer-led experts
  • Explore key cultural and structural drivers of peer recovery (homelessness, poverty and other factors)

October 18, 2019

Persons with serious mental illness (SMI) have the potential to live full and successful lives. Yet, unfortunately there is the risk that some will end up with poor outcomes including involvement in the criminal justice system. In fact, persons with SMI are over-represented in the criminal justice system. Two primary models have been espoused to help decrease the population of people with SMI in the criminal justice system. The Sequential Intercept Model examines various points of potential interception as criminal justice system decisions are made, such as at arrest, at court, at incarceration and reentry. The Stepping Up framework asks leaders at a county level to join to make shifts that can reduce the numbers of people with SMI in jails. This webinar will review basics regarding the criminal justice system, provide basic data on the prevalence of people with SMI in the justice system, and offer an overview of models looking at reform to help individual patients and systems.

 

Presenter: Debra Pinals, MD, University of Michigan

October 23, 2019

Safe, stable, and affordable housing is increasingly recognized as a vital part of recovery. What role can substance use disorder treatment and recovery programs play in providing this essential need for their clients? Find out the basics of housing and how to get started in this 6-session virtual learning community beginning in August 2019! By the end of session 5, participants will be able to:

  • Understand the economic argument for housing as an intervention.
  • Describe landlord law and its relevance to housing development.
  • Identify the breadth of funding sources available for housing.

October 28, 2019

November 6, 2019

Safe, stable, and affordable housing is increasingly recognized as a vital part of recovery. What role can substance use disorder treatment and recovery programs play in providing this essential need for their clients? Find out the basics of housing and how to get started in this 6-session virtual learning community beginning in August 2019! By the end of session 6, participants will be able to:

  • Describe the importance of beginning with the end in mind in housing development.
  • Identify how the impact of housing development can be measured.
  • Evaluate the first steps your agency can take toward housing development.

November 21, 2019

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

December 5, 2019

Counties across the country have committed to creating data-driven, systems-level plans to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in their jails. As part of these efforts, many communities are focusing on the small number of people who frequently cycle in and out of emergency rooms, shelters, crisis services and the justice system, a population that disproportionately contributes to the high utilization of these resources. People who come into frequent contact with these systems have some of the highest mental health and substance abuse treatment needs and utilize significant county resources, often without positive outcomes due to a lack of collaboration between the various systems.

In Part 2 of a series on collecting and using data, Stepping Up and the Data-Driven Justice project will host a webinar that features counties that have implemented policies and practices that identify frequent utilizers of these systems and use this information to connect people with appropriate treatment and services.

 

December 13, 2019

Free
Ends: December 13, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar explores the benefits of peer support in combating loneliness and social exclusion, two factors that destroy health and happiness. Research has shown that the lack of “connectedness” to friends and community worsens psychiatric problems and leads to chronic illness and early mortality. Adults with mental health problems are one of the most excluded groups in society. People living with thought disorders, like schizophrenia, have the most difficulties in forming personal relationships of all disabilities. Social inclusion offers opportunities to re-engage with the community and form positive relationships. Mental Health America’s Social Self-Directed Care program and work compiled by the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion emphasize the value of peer support in assisting individuals with serious psychiatric disorders form social connections and personal relationships.


Presenter:
Patrick Hendry, Mental Health America


For complete details visit: 
SMIadviser.org/endexclusion

December 16, 2019

Free
Ends: December 16, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

December 19, 2019

Free
Ends: December 19, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

December 20, 2019

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Individuals with SMI who have been involved in the criminal justice system face numerous challenges including additional stigma. They may also exhibit behaviors that were adaptive in correctional settings, but become maladaptive in other settings. Many of these persons have histories of trauma and their exposure to criminal justice processes can be further traumatizing. Many will have antisocial personality features that the mental health treatment provider may feel ill-equipped to support and may even not enjoy the work of working with these individuals, which can lead to personal burn out and difficulty with compassion. This can be especially true for patients with histories of aggression or even violence. In addition, individuals with SMI in the criminal justice system often have co-occurring substance use disorders and medical conditions that compound their complexity. The criminal justice system utilizes a rubric called the Risk-Need-Responsivity paradigm to identify individual risk of criminal recidivism. Interventions such as specific cognitive behavioral strategies are often used in criminal justice contexts to address some of the criminogenic thinking associated with such recidivism. This framework has been applied to broad populations even while more research is needed to determine how these methods can best fit for persons with SMI. This webinar will review these various topics to assist mental health professionals in supporting their patients who have had criminal justice involvement.


Presenter: Debra Pinals, MD, University of Michigan

January 2, 2020

Free
Ends: January 2, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

January 10, 2020

Free
Ends: January 1, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Over 60% of people with serious mental illness express an interest in employment yet less than 20% are employed, and only 2% have access to effective employment services. The evidence-based approach to supported employment, also known as Individual Placement and Support (IPS), includes 27 randomized controlled trials demonstrating that two to three times more people gain employment with IPS support when compared to usual stepwise employment services. In addition, many people and especially young adults want further education or training to advance their work lives. This webinar includes a description of supported employment and supported education principles and practices, a brief overview of the research, and identification of the roles of mental health practitioners, employment and education specialists, Vocational Rehabilitation counselors, family members, employers and educators to support people’s work and school efforts.


Presenter: Deborah Becker, M.Ed, Westat


For complete details visit: 
SMIadviser.org/employ-edu

January 29, 2020

In this webinar we will review risk factors associated with higher risk for suicidal behaviors, with a particular focus on individuals with clinical high risk and early psychosis. We will also review the essentials components of a safety plan and review some treatment approaches that target suicidal behavior.​

Presenter: Shirley Yen, PhD

January 30, 2020

This webinar will discuss treatment considerations for transitional-age youth with intellectual/developmental disabilities and co-morbid SMI. It will review the common co-morbid medical conditions in this population that can influence the choice in therapeutic agent, as well as the current evidence and guidelines available to help support clinical decision-making..


Presenter: Rebecca McCloskey, PMHNP-BC, Boston Psychiatric Care

Free
Ends: February 1, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event
Free
Ends: February 1, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event
Free
Ends: February 1, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event
Free
Ends: February 1, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 7, 2020

Free
Ends: February 7, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Effective teamwork is the cornerstone of the development and promotion of interprofessional collaboration. When teams come together, their ability to work toward health and wellness for service participants, families, and communities are stronger than any individual efforts. In this webinar strategies to promote interprofessional collaboration and team work will be presented using lessons learned from Assertive Community Treatment in New York.


Presenter: Helle Thorning, PhD, Clinical Professor of Psychiatric Social Work (in Psychiatry) at Columbia University 


For complete details visit: 
SMIadviser.org/team

February 9, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 16, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 27, 2020

SAMHSA’s Bringing Recovery Supports to Scale Technical Assistance Center Strategy (BRSS TACS) invites you to join a conversation with experts about how organizations new to providing peer support services can effectively supervise and support peer support workers. All workers need supervision, and good supervision can play a key role in helping peers integrate successfully into new work settings.

Organizations unaccustomed to providing peer support services can improve services and employee satisfaction by implementing best practices for supervising and supporting peer workers. Our presenters will discuss how to apply practical supervision strategies that support peer workers’ professional development in different settings.

Join us for this free, interactive virtual event moderated by Lonnetta Albight, BRSS TACS Subject Matter Expert.

March 1, 2020

March 4, 2020

AADPRT invites you all to contemplate the motivation and process of being an educator. How does this role bring satisfaction (or does it)? How has it informed our personal trajectory and that of the learners? How have we leveraged teaching to help expand our purpose, that of future psychiatrists, and the field of mental health?

AADPRT invites you all to reflect on this year’s Annual Meeting theme: Reclaim Meaning through Teaching which takes place March 4-7, 2020 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, Texas.

Annual Meeting ~ Wednesday Afternoon, March 4 – Saturday, March 7

BRAIN Conference ~ Wednesday Morning, March 4

March 20, 2020

Free
SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will offer learners an overview of how to use telemental health and video visits in the changing landscape surrounding the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. As clinicians seek to quickly offer remote and video visits, it is important that they be aware of the legal, clinical, cultural, and practical aspects in using technology to deliver care. This webinar will cover topics including assessing which telemental health platform to use, licensure, issues around consent, online prescribing, billing and payments, and special situations.


Presenter: 
Patrick Yellowlees, MBBS, MD, Chief Wellness Officer, UC Davis Health; Alan Stoudemire Endowed Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, UC Davis.

March 24, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

March 26, 2020

Free
Ends: March 26, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

March 29, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

April 1, 2020

The American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the National Association for Behavioral Healthcare (NABH) will host a joint webinar discussion with experts working in inpatient, residential, and other non-ambulatory care settings about how they are assessing the current environment and developing new protocols to care for their patients during the COVID 19 crisis. Hear from experts about how to manage through different types of services, key messages to give to your team leaders, unique challenges for people with SMI, how to approach group therapy, and more. A recording will be made available after the event.


Panelists: 

  • Harsh Trivedi, MD, MBA, President and CEO, Sheppard Pratt Health Systems
  • Ryan Kimmel, MD, Chief of Inpatient Psychiatry, University of Washington Medical Center
  • Frank A. Ghinassi, Ph.D ABPP, CEO, Rutgers University Behavioral Health Care


For complete details visit: 
apapsy.ch/inpt-webinar

April 15, 2020

Free
Ends: April 15, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

April 30, 2020

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will introduce the role of peer specialists within the NYS specific CSC team, OnTrackNY. We will share briefly about the OnTrackNY model and it’s evolution to include the role of peer specialists to promote the goal of recovery for those labeled with First Episode Psychosis.

Peer Specialists bring to the teams their own lived experience of mental health services and their skill set complements the clinical, educational & psychiatric work being done by other team members. There are challenges and tensions inherent in the role of a peer specialist on a clinical team, which will be addressed in this discussion along with the suggestion of tactics that can support role clarity, task focused work and integration.

Presented by an OnTrackNY Peer Specialist & the trainer and support staff for Peer Specialists on OnTrackNY teams statewide, this webinar will share an inside perspective of the work of peer specialists and the training and support offered to them. Covering the role responsibilities, collaborative work and support schedule will give webinar participants the opportunity to understand the unique focus of peer specialist staff on CSC teams and how they can be best integrated into multidisciplinary teams.

Presenters: Abbaigeal Duke & Danny Sosa 

For complete details visit: smiadviser.org/peer-specialist

May 15, 2020

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Tobacco causes a staggering 50% of deaths in those who use it, yet there is evidence that behavioral health care professionals don’t do enough to intervene and provide treatment. Tobacco use rates, although declining in the general population, are still two to three times higher in individuals with a behavioral health condition (mental illness or addiction) and this group consumes at least a third of the tobacco sold in the United States. Tobacco use also negatively impacts recovery from other substances and leads to poorer health and mental health. This session will provide updates in treatment and review relevant issues related to poor outcomes including levels of nicotine dependence and lack of access to cessation treatments. It includes practical techniques for assessment as well as evidence based practices for counseling and pharmacotherapy. Techniques for working with lower motivated tobacco users are also reviewed.


Presenter:
Jill Williams, MD,  Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Rutgers University

May 28, 2020

This webinar describes the experience of peer workers and peer supervisors providing crisis services. It will cover the range of crisis services that peers are participating in from warmlines to crisis teams.

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 1, 2020

Free
Ends: June 1, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event
Free
Ends: June 1, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 3, 2020

Critical Time Intervention (CTI) is an intensive case management model delivered in a crisis setting during a critical transition. CTI was originally developed for people with serious mental illness who experience homelessness, with the goal of securing successful transitions to being housed. The crisis service model has also been used to promote successful transitions from hospitals and other institutions such as jails and prisons to community living. It focuses on community integration and continuity of care by ensuring that a person has enduring ties to their community and support systems during these critical periods to avoid the likelihood of a repeating crisis. In research trials of CTI, there was a significant decrease in recurrent homelessness up to nine months after the intervention ended.

In this webinar, Bebe Smith will discuss the building blocks of CTI, and describe several wide scale implementation projects, in North Carolina, New Hampshire and Canada.

Presenter: Bebe Smith, MSW, LCSW – Director of mental health at Southern Regional Area Health Education Center. She led a pilot of Critical Time Intervention (CTI) from 2012-2015. CTI was adopted for statewide expansion in 2014. She is a trainer in Family Psychoeducation and Critical Time Intervention.

June 7, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event
Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 12, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 14, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 15, 2020

Free
Ends: June 17, 2020
Accredited Education Activity

Experience the meeting of the profession virtually. Join more than 2,000 social workers, like-minded professionals, and social work thought leaders for four days of unparalleled opportunities for professional development, continuing education, networking, and thought-provoking conversations tackling the most pressing issues facing the social work profession across the world.

June 19, 2020

Free
Ends: June 19, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 21, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 23, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 25, 2020

June 26, 2020

Free
Ends: June 26, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Arizona has spent the past several decades developing a crisis system that is widely regarded as one of the most advanced in the nation. In this model, a robust continuum of services work together in concert to provide high-quality care in the least-restrictive setting that can safely meet the person’s needs while also ensuring fiscal sustainability and responsible stewardship of community resources. This presentation will describe key features of the Arizona model including:

  1. overview of the crisis continuum,
  2. governance, financing, and accountability,
  3. examples of collaboration with law enforcement and other community partners, and
  4. strategies for using data to drive continuous system improvement.


Presenter: Margie Balfour, MD, PhD, Connections Health Solutions


For complete details visit: 
SMIadviser.org/crisis

June 28, 2020

Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

July 13, 2020

Free
Ends: July 14, 2020

NAMI is grateful for your patience and support as the canceled in-person NAMICon has been transformed into a virtual event. No cost registration is now open for NAMICon 2020, a Virtual Event, taking place July 13–14.

July 15, 2020

Free
Ends: July 26, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

July 21, 2020

Successfully engaging young adults in treatment is among the many challenges confronted by Coordinated Specialty Care programs. Discontinuation of services or failure to fully participate in care can result from poor engagement and can result in compromised clinical and functional status.

Dr. Michelle R. Munson from New York University has systematically studied the engagement process among economically and socially marginalized young adults for over fifteen years using both qualitative and quantitative methods.  Based on her work and that of her colleagues, she has developed systematic engagement methodologies – including strategies that are youth-informed and centered, and have shown promise in empirical studies.

Dr. Munson embeds these engagement strategies in intervention programs she is testing in the public mental health system.  These programs include a strong mentoring relationship provided by an individual with lived experience and they include content to address issues of acceptance, motivation, stigma, hope, mental health literacy, and a need to maintain connection to others while receiving care.  Their approaches also include a foundational emphasis on building trust and promoting self-efficacy, and learning how to do this over time in partnership with professional mental health providers.

In this webinar, Dr. Munson will present the formative data that led to the young adult engagement program, and data collected during the development of the program. She will share initial insights that have been gleaned from a randomized clinical trial that is underway in New York.  She will be joined by Iruma Bello, Ph.D. and Aanchal Katyal, LMSW from first episode programs who will discuss the applicability of these approaches for engaging youth in Coordinated Specialty Care.

July 23, 2020

The percentage of individuals with mental health, substance use, or co-occurring disorders in prisons is significantly greater than is found in the general public. This results in a continuation of poor outcomes for the individuals and the system. Upon release they frequently lack access to services and are caught up in a cycle of re-incarceration and release. Outcomes that are focused on recovery and breaking this cycle require continuity of quality services in the transition back to the community. In this webinar we will discuss peer led reentry programs that begin within the institutions in release planning and preparation and then bridge the transition back to the community and continue to provide support that helps break the cycle of re-incarceration. We will discuss a highly successful program, R.E.A.L., provided by the Mental Health Association of Nebraska, and examine how peer outreach workers are able to assist individuals in becoming productive members of their communities.


Presenters:

  • Patrick Hendry, Mental Health America
  • Kasey Moyer, Mental Health Association of Nebraska
Free
Ends:
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

July 27, 2020

NASMHPD’s virtual 2020 commissioners meeting working to promote wellness, recovery, and resiliency for individuals with mental health conditions.

August 3, 2020

Free
Ends: September 7, 2020
Accredited Education Activity

Join the American Psychological Association online August 6-8 for:

  • Inspiring Main Stage events on psychology of racism and hate, human behavior and leadership in time of crisis, and the psychological toll of COVID-19.
  • Dynamic keynote sessions from thought leaders like Jonathan Haidt, Thema Bryant-Davis, Ramani Durvasala, and others.
  • Access to the latest scientific research.
  • Information on leading practices from across the field.
  • Connections and a global community.

Attendees will also receive up to 12 months of on-demand access* to hundreds of APA 2020 Virtual sessions, posters, and discussions. You won’t need to worry about missing a great session because of a packed schedule!

August 6, 2020

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Digital technologies, including apps, wearable sensors and social network platforms, offer unprecedented opportunities for health research and clinical care. However, this rapidly evolving landscape is outpacing regulatory structures for protecting research participants. Given the plethora of digital health tools and strategies, researchers are often challenged with deciding which tool is appropriate for their particular study. The presenter and colleagues with the Research Center for Optimal Digital Ethics (ReCODE Health) have developed support tools to aid researchers in ethical decision making. The Digital Health Checklist and Framework is now used by researchers to evaluate risks/benefits, access, usability, privacy and data management protocols. This presentation will describe how technologies are being leveraged to capture personal health data for research and draw attention to nuanced technical and ethical aspects that require careful consideration during the study design phase.


Presenter: Camille Nebeker, EdD, University of California, San Diego

August 15, 2020

Free
Ends: August 15, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

August 20, 2020

Free
Ends: August 20, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Sex and sexuality are very sensitive and private issues for most people, and even more so for those with mental illnesses. Sexuality is often overlooked in the SMI population and many medications used to treat these disorders impact sexual performance and satisfaction. This presentation will discuss the effects of specific medications in this area and potential solutions, both pharmacological and non-pharmacological.


Presenter: Satarria Dilks, DNP, APRN, McNeese State University


For complete details visit: 
SMIadviser.org/sexuality

September 1, 2020

Free
Ends: September 1, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

September 25, 2020

September 30, 2020

Free
Ends: October 4, 2020
Accredited Education Activity
Come together with nurses passionate about psychiatric-mental health & get reinvigorated.

Don’t miss #PMHNCon this September 30-October 4! In a convenient virtual format, the conference will deliver dynamic presentations and fun connecting with fellow psychiatric-mental health nurses. You’ll:

  • Learn in 100+ varied sessions presented by colleagues.
  • Connect with 1800+ psychiatric-mental health RNs and APRNs.
  • Earn Contact Hours – 100+ contact hours online during the conference and afterwards on-demand.

October 9, 2020

Free
Ends: October 9, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Underlying the goal of recovery for people with SMI, is the concept of self-determination. This is a process of taking back control of lives which have been overwhelmed by the debilitating nature of SMI and the loss of control resulting from reliance on a system that fosters dependence. Self-determination encompasses concepts such as free will, civil and human rights, freedom of choice, independence, self-direction, and individual responsibility. The challenge to the mental health system was to develop a philosophy that places the individual at the center of the system, and specific programs that deliver on it. Self-directed Care provides this, and enables individuals to assess their own needs, determine how and by whom these needs are met, and manage the funds to purchase the services. A support broker can help the individual develop their budget using their plan and a fiscal entity handles the payments. This webinar will take a comprehensive look at Self-Directed Care and its benefits for individuals with SMI.

 

Presenters:

  • Patrick Hendry, Mental Health America
  • David Sarchet, FloridaSDC
  • Megan Cobb, FloridaSDC


For complete details visit: 
SMIadviser.org/self-directed

November 12, 2020

APA and SMI Adviser are proud to present the Third National Conference on Advancing Early Psychosis Care in the United States: Addressing Inequities – Race, Culture, and COVID. This free, interdisciplinary virtual event takes place November 12-13, 2020.

The agenda includes 20 sessions focused on evidence-based care for individuals who are early in the course of a psychotic illness. This meeting provides continuing education credit and is designated for 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™, 1.0 CE credit for psychology per eligible session and 1.0 CE credit for social work per eligible session.

Sessions are scheduled each day between 11:45 am – 5:30 pm ET.

 

November 13, 2020

Free
Ends: November 13, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The webinar will cover the science of how cigarette smoking injures personal health, the epidemiology of smoking, what therapies can assist smokers to quit, and special issues regarding smokers with behavioral health conditions. It will also review what is known about the emerging issues of vaping and health and COVID-19 and smoking.

 

Presenter: Steven Schroeder, MD, Smoking Cessation Leadership Center, UCSF

For complete details visit: SMIadviser.org/smoking-cessation

November 30, 2020

Free
Ends: February 21, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Clozapine can be very rewarding to prescribe, since about half of patients with prior poor treatment response get substantially better with clozapine. This medication can result in major improvements in patients’ functioning and quality of life. This 12-week virtual learning collaborative is intended for clinicians who want to prescribe more clozapine or build a clozapine program that they will direct. Through the 12-week activity, participants will increase access to clozapine using the following steps: involve and gain support from members of a clozapine team, assess patient eligibility for clozapine, lead the care team for tracking of side effects and response and delivery of clozapine, ensure provision of education for patients or families, and routinely track panels of clozapine patients. By the end of the course, participants will have increased appropriate access to clozapine among their patient panel or the panels of clinicians who they supervise. And, they will have procedures in place that facilitate clozapine use on an ongoing basis, making clozapine as easy to prescribe as other psychotropic medications.

 

Instructors:

  • Robert O. Cotes, MD, Emory University
  • Jonathan Meyer, MD, University of California, San Diego

December 10, 2020

Free
Ends: December 13, 2020
Accredited Education Activity

January 28, 2021

Many individuals who develop a first episode of psychosis in their teens or early 20s experience a disruption in their education. Many still have scholarly and professional aspirations. While evidence-based interventions to assist these individuals in obtaining and maintaining employment are available, the development of formal educational support has lagged behind.   This webinar will focus on supported education, as it has evolved in the RAISE-ETP NAVIGATE program.  The challenges of four groups of students will be addressed—high schoolers, college students, graduate students, and those interested in obtaining a GED or technical training.  Relevant research will be reviewed, and overarching principles to guide interventions with students recovering from a recent experience of psychosis will be presented. Practical tips and resources will also be offered.

Attendees will have an opportunity to participate in Q&A.

Presenter: Dr. Shirley Glynn, PhD, UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences

For complete details visit: https://med.stanford.edu/peppnet/education/upcoming-webinars.html

January 29, 2021

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

A peer respite is a short-term voluntary program that provides community-based, non-clinical support to people experiencing a psychiatric/emotional crisis. Peer respites are staffed by peers 24 hours per day and operate in homelike environments. Stays can vary based on the needs of the individual; a typical day can consist of attending peer support groups, receiving one to one and/or group support, resource attainment based on the desired goals of the person, shared meals and activities or quite place to recoup from their current situation. The peer respite model operates as a cost-effective crisis diversion for individuals labeled as living with a mental health challenge and experiencing psychosocial stressors. As a crisis diversion model guest’s report that short term stays at a respite house prevent psychiatric emergency services, mental health urgent cares, hospital admissions, homelessness and/or jail.

 

Presenter: Guyton Colantuono, Project Return Peer Support Network

February 19, 2021

Free
Ends: February 19, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will provide an overview of techniques and skills that can be used when providing care to individuals with SMI involving treatment options that may be less familiar to the patient and family in order to facilitate engagement in treatment. The type of treatment options covered will include TMS, ECT, LAIs and Clozapine. While known to be effective in the treatment of SMI, these treatments can raise concerns for the patient and the family when they are initially introduced as options for the treatment plan. This webinar will highlight the importance of speaking openly and honestly with both the patient and the person they consider important in supporting their recovery to address those concerns in order to make the best treatment decisions.

 

Presenter: Ken Duckworth, MD, National Alliance on Mental Illness

For complete details visit: SMIadviser.org/treatment-conversations

February 25, 2021

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Until recently, the mental health field has lacked clearly defined categories of suicidal ideation and behavior. But, with impetus from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more systematic measurement processes are available (e.g., C-SSRS). These tools permit different users to work from a shared set of definitions and classification system. Gaps in providers’ knowledge, barriers of limited time for clinical visits, provider discomfort dealing with children’s mental/behavioral health problems, limited awareness of community resources, and the absence of a uniform, easily accessed process for assessment and documentation contribute to the need for additional training. Moreover, given the increased risk for suicide ideation and behavior in early psychosis population, target treatment on suicide risk management for this population is critical. Participants will develop the skills to administer and interpret an evidence-based risk assessment tool, the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). Further, participants will receive training in the Safety Plan Intervention (SPI), an evidence-based approach for managing suicide risk in an outpatient setting. The Safety Planning Intervention (SPI) supports collaboration between the clinician and person with suicidal thoughts to determine cognitive and behavioral strategies to use during suicidal crises. The SPI results in development of a one-page document to use when a suicidal crisis is emerging and can be revised repeatedly over the course of care.

Presenter: Tara Niendam, PhD, University of California, Davis

For complete details visit: www.smiadviser.org/suicide-assessment

March 1, 2021

Free
Ends: March 31, 2021

Social Work Month in March is a time to celebrate the great profession of social work. March is Social Work Month, a time to celebrate the social work profession and all its positive contributions to mental health. SMI Adviser is proud to offer continuing education credits for social workers. Check out available courses in our Education Catalog www.SMIadviser.org/education.

 

March 15, 2021

Free
Ends: March 15, 2024
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event
Free
Ends: March 15, 2024
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event
Free
Ends: March 15, 2024
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

April 5, 2021

Free
Ends: June 27, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The goal of this course is to develop a stepbystep plan for bringing peer support into an existing behavioral health agency or practice, in a manner that enhances services.  This 12-week learning collaborative is intended to help you develop a step-by-step plan for bringing peer support into an existing behavioral health agency or practice, in a manner that enhances services.  

Speakers: Patrick Hendry; Dawniell Zavala; Andrea Cook

April 12, 2021

Free
Ends: July 4, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week virtual learning collaborative will introduce participants to telehealth with a focus on starting out, especially around the context of how to continue use assuming face-to-face visits may soon be more feasible.

Speakers: John Torous, MD; Sherin Khan, LCSW

Free
Ends: July 4, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week virtual learning collaborative will focus on increasing use of LAIs to serve the needs of patients with serious mental illness.  LAIs are associated with decreased risks of relapse, improvements in symptoms, functioning, and patient satisfaction.   

Speaker: Rob Cotes, MD

Free
Ends: July 4, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Addresses how to measure and maintain quality in peer services through the development and implementation of quality improvement standards. Each participant will design a behavioral health project using peer support services and develop fidelity and outcome measures for the peer support component.   

Speakers: Patrick Hendry; Lisa-Sun Gresham; Eric Henriquez

Free
Ends: July 4, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative will serve as a virtual community for participants to gain knowledge of evidence-based monitoring parameters for efficacy and side effects for patients with serious mental illness (SMI) prescribed clozapine. 

Speakers: Rob Cotes, MD; Joseph Ventura, PhD

Free
Ends: July 4, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

To increase appropriate use of clozapine, this 12-week virtual learning collaborative will focus on increasing use of clozapine to serve the needs of patients with serious mental illnessClozapine can be very rewarding to prescribe, since about half of patients with prior poor treatment response get substantially better with clozapine. This medication can result in major improvements in patients’ functioning and quality of life.  

Speaker: Rob Cotes, MD

Free
Ends: July 4, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative will help SMI clinicians use telehealth in more safely and efficiently and improve care outcomes through offering new aspects of remote monitoring and interventions. 

Speaker: John Torous, MD; Sherin Khan, LCSW

April 26, 2021

Free
Ends: April 26, 2024
Accredited Education Activity

This presentation features summary analyses of several recent articles on OUD treatment from the Addiction Medicine research literature. Using an abbreviated “journal club” format, the presentation reviews each paper, examining context, methods and results, interpretation of scientific findings, and implications for clinical practice.

May 3, 2021

Free
Ends: May 5, 2021

This is more than just a virtual conference – it’s the largest event in mental health and addictions care and a platform for possibilities. What can you expect? As a NatCon21 registrant, you will:

  • Get exclusive access to thought leaders, visionaries and influencers– speakers who will challenge your thinking and boost your knowledge base.
  • Discover how to improve the quality of your practice, strengthen your service delivery and elevate your team to compete in the changing health care world.
  • Have a front-row seat to the future of our field by exploring the latest technologies, discovering trends and learning about new innovations.
  • Network with mental health and addiction treatment providers, physicians, advocates and insurers, among other pioneers who are shaping health care.
  • Elevate your voice with thousands of professionals from across the country, while exploring new ways to make a mark during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 5, 2021

The Clozapine & LAI Virtual Forum features a new peer-to-peer discussion each month! Drop in and be part of an interactive dialogue between psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, and other prescribing clinicians. It is informal — just join our Zoom call and share your challenges and questions on the month’s trending topic around either clozapine or LAIs.

Topic: Interpreting Plasma Levels for Patients on LAIs

Discussion Facilitators: Robert Cotes, MD, SMI Adviser Physician Expert; Donna Rolin, PhD, APRN, SMI Adviser Nursing Expert; Oliver Freudenreich, MD, SMI Adviser LAI Expert

May 6, 2021

Free
Accredited Education Activity

The course is designed to train frontline clinicians and their teams on skills for suicide risk assessment, evidence-based interventions, referral and transition when needed, and how to change the culture of addressing suicide risk across the clinician’s practice. By participating in the course learners will be able to review evidence-based data which will be supported by approaches and application methods.

May 13, 2021

Approximately 37% of the U.S. population and 42% of veterans own a firearm. With recent mass shootings at schools and workplaces, important questions have been raised about how to curb these seemingly senseless shootings. In contrast to beliefs that persons with SMI play a significant role in gun violence, individuals with SMI account for less than 5% of all violence in the United States and only very small proportion of violence committed with a firearm. Persons with SMI are more likely to commit suicide with a gun as opposed to committing a homicide. In this webinar, the instructors review the relevant literature on firearms and mental illness as well as how to appropriately screen persons with SMI for a potential firearm-related risk of harm to them self or someone else. Important elements of care related to gun risk assessments in persons with SMI are highlighted. Specific information is provided about risk-based gun removal laws and in requests by patients to have their right to have firearms returned once removed.

Presenters: Deb Pinals, MD; Charles Scott, MD

For complete details visit: https://education.smiadviser.org/diweb/catalog/item?id=6510045

May 25, 2021

Free
Ends: May 25, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Depression is common among the elderly but is often underdiagnosed and undertreated. At the same time, there is an inappropriate use of antidepressants within the same elderly population. Inappropriate prescribing of antidepressants can increase the risk for poor outcomes offsetting any benefit to their use. Unfortunately, clinical trials of the use of antidepressants in the elderly are underrepresented with confusing outcomes on the long-term effects. The emergence and/or treatment of dementia associated with elders’ antidepressant treatment is central to providing care. This program examines the myths, traditional practices, and evidence on the use of all antidepressants prescribed to the elderly. This program reviews the evidence drawn from systematic reviews and the evidence-based practice standards. Included is a review of dosing, adverse events, and preventative best practices on the use of all antidepressants being given to those over age 65.

Presenter: Michael Rice, PhD, APRN, FAAN

For complete details visit: https://education.smiadviser.org/diweb/catalog/item?id=6513209

May 27, 2021

This webinar will explore the early psychosis literature, lived experience, and professional observation of the diversity of hallucinatory experiences in early psychosis work. We will look at qualities to hallucinations as they relate to non-psychotic and psychotic experiences and ultimately diagnostic labels with treatment recommendations.

Presenter: Ryan Melton, PhD

For complete details visit: https://med.stanford.edu/peppnet/education/upcoming-webinars.html

June 1, 2021

Free
Ends: June 1, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

There is growing interest in the role of inflammation in psychiatric disorders. Trials of anti-inflammatory treatments have yielded mixed results at best. Growing research implicates inflammatory cytokines as not only being increased in patients with severe mental illness, but suggest that they directly impact specific areas and circuits within the brain. More specifically, inflammation appears to be associated with alterations in signaling from circuits involving the basal ganglia and ventromedial prefrontal cortex. Decreased connectivity in these circuits is associated with specific symptoms, namely anhedonia and psychomotor slowing, which are known to be present in many psychiatric illnesses. Moreover, increasing data implicates interactions between inflammation and metabolic disturbances on these circuits and subsequent symptoms This poses important opportunities for the field to consider novel mechanisms and treatments that may target both inflammatory and/or metabolic pathways.

Presenter: David Goldsmith, MD

For complete details visit: https://education.smiadviser.org/diweb/catalog/item?id=6482431

Free
Ends: June 1, 2024
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 3, 2021

This presentation will provide an in-depth exposition on issues of sociomilitary culture and experiential reflection within the context of the mental health of service members and veterans, as narrated through a historical and contemporary lens, with perspectives on treatments and the mental health implications of a post-COVID military.

Presenter: Sherman Gillums JR

For complete details visit: https://education.smiadviser.org/diweb/catalog/item?id=6613050

June 10, 2021

Free
Ends: June 13, 2021
Accredited Education Activity

The APNA Clinical Psychopharmacology Institute (CPI) delivers psychopharmacology updates to professionals looking to provide the best possible care to their patients. CPI prioritizes the integration of psychopharmacology and neuroscience into clinical practice. It offers the scientific base for treatment decisions and addresses the context of care within the nurse/consumer/family relationship.

June 11, 2021

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Measurement-based care (MBC) is a clinical strategy involving regular symptom measurement and assessment, and using those finding to inform clinical decision-making. MBC is effective and commonly used in treatment of individuals with major depression, though less is known about use of MBC in treatment of individuals with bipolar disorder. This webinar will review MBC principles, specific measures for potential use in bipolar disorder care, and strategies for MBC in bipolar disorder.

Presenter: Joseph Cerimele, MD, MPH

For complete details visit: https://education.smiadviser.org/diweb/catalog/item?id=6597872

June 16, 2021

The webinar will introduce EPINET, discuss how the EPINET learning health care model was developed, and show how it can improve care and the lives of individuals with early psychosis. The audience will learn about the Core Assessment Battery (CAB), which provides a standard set of client-level assessment measures that will be collected by over 100 early psychosis clinics nationally. Presenters will discuss the benefits of collecting CAB data, such as the enhanced ability to set up quality improvement initiatives and methods to benchmark local clinic outcome data with national norms on domains such as demographics of client populations, symptoms, recovery, and more. Finally, presenters will describe opportunities for non-EPINET clinics to partner with EPINET in CAB data collection efforts.

Presenter: Tara Niendam, PhD; Howard Goldman, MD; Abram Rosenblatt, PhD; Monica Calkins, PhD

For complete details visit: https://med.stanford.edu/peppnet/education/upcoming-webinars.html

June 17, 2021

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This presentation will provide an overview of treatment-resistant depression, with a focus on management strategies including transcranial magnetic stimulation, electroconvulsive therapy, and esketamine. Strategies for implementing these interventions into clinical practice will be discussed, with a focus on best practices to assure optimum outcomes for patients impacted by refractory depressive symptoms.

Presenter: Brayden Kameg, DNP, PMHNP-BC

For complete details visit: https://education.smiadviser.org/diweb/catalog/item?id=6599763

June 18, 2021

Free
Ends: June 18, 2024
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Many clinicians are frequently exposed to and empathically engage with the firsthand accounts of others’ traumatic experiences (Kiley at al., 2018). A clinician’s indirect exposure to trauma can result in emotional responses and symptoms that parallel PTSD (Kanno & Giddings, 2017). Possible reactions to a survivor’s recounting of trauma will be identified along with signs of compassion fatigue, specifically in those working with SMI and other vulnerable populations.  Resilience can buffer the impact of compassion fatigue in clinicians and one of the psychological factors associated with cultivating resilience is mindfulness (Harker et al., 2016). Self-care strategies can also mitigate the impact of the secondary trauma (Owens-King, 2019). Tools and resources at the individual and organizational level for addressing compassion fatigue will be reviewed including EAP and other evidence based tools that can translate to working with clients.

Presenter: Jasmine Watkins, LCPC, AIM  Clinics

For complete details visit: https://education.smiadviser.org/diweb/catalog/item/eid/S3214301

Free
Ends: June 18, 2024
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Positive Living is a manualized intervention aimed at increasing the experience of positive emotions for people with schizophrenia. This presentation will provide an overview of the intervention and how it has been adapted from positive psychotherapy. We will discuss the goals of the group, provide a description and example of the activities included in Positive Living, and discuss the logistics of delivering the intervention. Results will be presented from a small pilot study aimed at exploring the implementation of the group in a clinical setting. There will also be updates about a virtual adaptation of the Positive Living intervention aimed at improving the well-being of family members in an early psychosis program.

Presenter: Piper Meyer-Kalos, PhD, Recovery After Initial Schizophrenia Episode (RAISE) project

For complete details visit: https://education.smiadviser.org/diweb/catalog/item?id=6444592

June 21, 2021

Free
Ends: July 21, 2021
Accredited Education Activity

June 22, 2021

Free
Ends: June 24, 2021
Accredited Education Activity

Join NASW for another year of exceptional virtual education. More than 2,000 social workers, like-minded professionals, and social work thought leaders attend the NASW National Conference for unparalleled opportunities in professional development, continuing education, networking, and thought-provoking conversations tackling the most pressing issues facing the social work profession across the world.

For complete details visit: https://naswvirtual.socialworkers.org/nasw-national2021

June 25, 2021

Free
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Since it’s inception over 80 years ago, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) has been the gold standard of treatment for catatonia, psychotic depression, and treatment resistant depression, as well as a non-pharmacologic option for other psychiatric illnesses and syndromes. This presentation will be an evidence-based review of all aspects of ECT, including the history, indications, efficacy, side effects, procedural details and advances, maintenance treatment, myths surrounding treatment, and possible mechanisms of actions. By the end of this webinar, you should understand when referral for ECT is appropriate and be up to date on the recent advances in this life-saving treatment. 

Presenter: John B. Roseman, MD

For complete details visit: https://education.smiadviser.org/diweb/catalog/item?id=6670997

July 9, 2021

Free
Ends: July 9, 2024
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Few, if any, evidence based practices have been intentional about incorporating cultural competence into the model. When culture is unaddressed, therapeutic walls instead of therapeutic bridges can be built, leading to tension in the clinical relationship. This can render the evidence-based practice ineffective. Topics covered in this skill-building presentation include: the 10 things that culturally competent counselors do; building trust in the cross cultural helping relationship; and integrating cultural competence into evidence based practices with individuals with co-occurring disorders.

 

Presenter: Mark Sanders, LCSW, CADC, On The Mark Consulting

For complete details visit: SMIadviser.org/cultural-competency

July 15, 2021

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Clozapine is the only medication approved by the US FDA for treatment-resistant schizophrenia and remains highly underutilized for many reasons, including its unique side effect profile and required hematologic monitoring. This presentation will help build prescriber knowledge and confidence by taking a deep dive into clozapine’s pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics. Clozapine’s mechanism of action is not fully understood, but its receptor binding affinity differentiates it from other antipsychotics and may provide insights into the complex etiology of schizophrenia. We will review the proposed mechanism of clozapine side effects including neutropenia, myocarditis, sedation, orthostatic hypotension, constipation, and sialorrhea will discuss evidence-based management strategies.  Clozapine has the potential to cause clinically relevant drug-drug interactions, which will be highlighted.  Finally, we will discuss the value of obtaining clozapine levels and how to interpret them.

Speaker: Rob Cotes, MD

July 23, 2021

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Bipolar Disorder has the highest rates of Alcohol and Other Substance Use Disorders among all the entities that constitute the Severe Mental Illness category. Different epidemiological studies have shown a lifetime prevalence of between 30 to even more than 50% of Alcohol Use Disorder in the Bipolar Spectrum category. It is still unclear the reasons for such an alarming comorbidity but different studies emphasize the adverse outcomes of this association with an increase in suicide attempts, low adherence to treatment, poorer functioning, more severe health problems and effects in the trajectory of the Bipolar Disorder. Despite the existence of FDA-approved pharmacological interventions and evidence based psychotherapeutic modalities for Alcohol Use Disorder, only a minority of this population gets any treatment.

Presenter: Javier Ballester-Gonzalez, MD

July 27, 2021

Free
Ends: July 28, 2021
Accredited Education Activity

NAMI is pleased to present NAMICon 2021, our annual national convention, virtually July 27-28, 2021. Anyone interested in and impacted by mental health should attend this event dedicated to uplifting, empowering and informing communities with resources, research, support and programming.

For complete details visit: https://www.nami.org/Get-Involved/Attend-the-NAMI-National-Convention

July 29, 2021

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

As persons with SMI live longer, they will likely face unique challenges of aging, including changes in social networks, finances, and cognition. Simultaneously, the population of aging adults grows increasingly diverse – racially, ethnically, linguistically, faith-wise, and regarding sexual orientation and identity. Hence, it is key that providers across the spectrum understand the role of aging, family, and diversity for persons living with SMI. This webinar will identify unique challenges of aging across diverse populations, discuss potential cognitive changes in aging, and strategize with audience members to provide culturally competent and aging-friendly care to persons with SMI. 

Presenter: Crystal M. Glover, PhD, Rush University Medical Center

August 6, 2021

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity

This webinar will present the American Association for Community Psychiatry’s Self-Assessment for Modification of Anti-Racism Tool (SMART). SMART was specifically designed to help behavioral health services organizations design and implement data driven quality improvement activities to address the impact of structural racism inside their organization. It addresses key areas such as organizational culture, hiring and recruitment, service delivery, community impact, and data/evaluation. Participants will learn about how the tool was developed, receive instructions on how to use it, and will be able to immediately use the tool to begin to address racism in their own organizations. In response to a reinvigorated national dialogue around structural racism, the American Association for Community Psychiatry (AACP) aimed to create a tool or roadmap that would support community mental health providers in addressing issues of disparity and inequity. The Self-Assessment for Modification of Anti-Racism Tool (SMART) is a quality improvement tool that aims to guide community health providers through a stepwise, concrete quality improvement process. SMART extends beyond issues of cultural competency and linguistic appropriateness to address structural issues of specific relevance to community mental health based on existing literature. In this webinar, we will review the development and content of SMART, and will guide attendees through the process of implementing this new tool in community mental health settings.

The live broadcast will take place on August 6, 2021at 3:00-4:00pm ET.

August 10, 2021

Understanding African American Female Mental Health

This webinar focuses on equipping behavioral health professionals with statistical and treatment considerations focusing on empowering the mental health and wellbeing of African American females.

Free
Ends: August 10, 2024

This webinar focuses on equipping behavioral health professionals with statistical and treatment considerations focusing on empowering the mental health and wellbeing of African American females. We will highlight unique experiences, circumstances and stress factors that impact the mental health of African American females, and best practices to treatment and resources. This activity additionally focuses on stigma, trauma and COVID-19 considerations that impact the mental health and wellbeing of African American females. Through this activity participants will have an understanding of cultural and gender considerations on African American female mental health and how to navigate these considerations through resources and therapeutic relationships.

August 12, 2021

Free
Ends: August 14, 2021
Accredited Education Activity

APA 2021 will bring together leaders in psychology and beyond for a three-day, immersive digital experience.

August 13, 2021

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are characterized by significant impairments in functioning, which impacts quality of life and impedes independent living and employment. Smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) offers a highly valid strategy to assess daily functioning, and functional determinants (e.g., cognition, symptoms), among people with severe mental illness (SMI). Self-reports of symptoms and functioning in this population are known to be prone to bias, and questions have been raised regarding whether EMA, a real-time self-report assessment technique, can bypass traditional self-report bias. Dr. Moore will present findings from a large, diverse, multi-site EMA study of introspective accuracy, bias, and everyday functioning in people with SMI. Inter- and intra-individual variability in introspective accuracy, symptoms and mobile cognitive testing performance in each diagnostic construct, as well as design considerations for future work, will be explored. 

Presenter: Raeanne C. Moore, PhD, University of California San Diego

August 18, 2021

Digital Mental Health Interventions for Suicide Prevention among Young Adults

Over the last two decades, suicide-related deaths in the U.S. have generally increased each year, and young adults (those ages 18-25) are especially vulnerable. Young adults are the age group with the greatest prevalence of suicidal ideation as well as past-year suicide attempts.

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST

Over the last two decades, suicide-related deaths in the U.S. have generally increased each year, and young adults (those ages 18-25) are especially vulnerable. Young adults are the age group with the greatest prevalence of suicidal ideation as well as past-year suicide attempts. Suicide-specific interventions such as safety planning, cognitive behavior therapy for suicide prevention (CBT-SP), and among others, the collaborative assessment and management of suicide (CAMS) can be effective at reducing suicidal ideation, behavior and hospitalization. However, many young adults are not interested in, or cannot access, traditional forms of treatment, which limits the number who will receive in-person suicide care. Digital mental health interventions can be used to reach and engage individuals who are unable to, or uninterested in, receiving traditional in-person mental health services. Fortunately, young adults appear to be interested in using self-directed digital technologies to help manage their mental health symptoms and thus, digital mental health interventions may help close the treatment gap. This presentation will review the safety, acceptability, and emerging efficacy and effectiveness of existing digital mental health interventions for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Additionally, this presentation will review the dissemination and implementation of these tools in different settings across the country.

August 19, 2021

Using Peer Support to Empower Self-Management and Participation in Treatment for Individuals Who are Difficult to Engage

This webinar will discuss peer support approaches for engaging individuals who have lost trust in, or are fearful of, the formal system of care, and methods for building self-management skills. 

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Peer support is built around the principles of self-determination and empowerment. When a system of care becomes too prescriptive or negates an individuals right to self-determination it can create a chasm between the person and the system. At its best, some subset of people experiencing mental health problems will find their way through such a system and will eventually become empowered to participate fully in their own treatment. At its worst, people are traumatized and alienated by the very system they might wish to trust during a crisis. When trust is lost, many people withdraw from services and do not participate even when services are forced upon them. Peer support addresses this inequity on many levels. Because of their own experiences, peer support workers understand the importance of trust and participating in ones own care. They offer honesty and transparency to individuals who are otherwise reluctant to engage. They are listeners, advocates, navigators and mentors. This webinar will discuss peer support approaches for engaging individuals who have lost trust in, or are fearful of, the formal system of care, and methods for building self-management skills. 

August 23, 2021

Free
Ends: November 14, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative focuses on training the clinician to use the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Role Functioning Scale (RFS) as structured assessment tools to improve the quality of care for patients with serious mental illness. Clinicians will gain the expertise needed to administer the BPRS to assess symptoms by rating actual BPRS patient interviews and discussing their ratings in comparison to the “gold standard” consensus ratings. Participants will learn to use the RFS to assess daily functioning and use both symptom ratings and assessments of functioning as part of an evidence-based treatment approach for improving patient outcomes. Special attention will be placed on how to conduct these assessments remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, this course will help clinicians to develop and implement a Measurement-Based Care (MBC) model that can be incorporated into an agency’s clinical flow through the use of a data tracking systembe useful to multiple clinical disciplines, and help improve short-term and long-term patient outcomes. Course content will be provided that addresses the importance of equity and diversity in conducting symptom and functional assessments and in the delivery of MBC. Research will be presented regarding racial disparities in symptom severity, assessment of functioning, and treatment outcomesBy the end of this course, enrolled clinicians will have learned how to use two structured assessments in treatment planning and how to address barriers to the routine use of these objective measurements in a MBC approach to improve mental health care decisions.

Speaker: Joseph Ventura, PhD

Free
Ends: November 14, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week virtual learning collaborative is designed to give participants advanced skills and knowledge to develop and implement comprehensive psychiatric mental health nursing assessments in a variety of health care and community settings.  Content will include a review of psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms along with comorbid medical conditions and complications of patients with serious mental illnesses. Discussion of assessment and monitoring strategies for medical and psychiatric diagnoses will enhance the understanding and skills of participants.  The applied skills and knowledge obtained in this course will provide a basis for establishing effective care that will identify and address a variety of health care problems and risks encountered in patients with serious mental illnesses and support patients in recovery.  

Speaker: Donna Rolin, PhD, APRN

Free
Ends: November 14, 2021
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative will serve as a virtual community for participants to gain knowledge of evidence-based models of care and receive support and feedback on how to implement those models to effectively improve physical outcomes in patients with Serious Mental Illnesses (SMI).    

Speaker: Ben Druss, MD

August 27, 2021

IPS Supported Employment: Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Implementation and Outcomes, and Implications for the Post-COVID Era

This webinar will begin with a review of the IPS approach - including its principles, practices, and importance- and discuss its implementation across New York State over the course of the past decade. The focus will then shift to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IPS implementation, examining data including employment outcomes and fidelity.

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm EST
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The Individual Placement and Support (IPS) approach to supported employment for adults diagnosed with serious mental illness has existed for over three decades and is considered the gold standard evidence-based practice. This webinar will begin with a review of the IPS approach – including its principles, practices, and importance- and discuss its implementation across New York State over the course of the past decade. The focus will then shift to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on IPS implementation, examining data including employment outcomes and fidelity. Survey results provided by 88 NYS implementation sites will be shared, focusing on adaptations and innovations reported. Participants will also review information reported by the IPS WORKS international learning community, focusing on changes made with IPS implementation by its member sites. This will lead to a discussion about the lasting impact of these adaptations on IPS implementation in the post-pandemic era.

August 31, 2021

Digital Mental Health Interventions for Suicide Prevention among Young Adults

This presentation will review the safety, acceptability, and emerging efficacy and effectiveness of existing digital mental health interventions for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Additionally, this presentation will review the dissemination and implementation of these tools in different settings across the country.

Free
Ends: August 31, 2024
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Over the last two decades, suicide-related deaths in the U.S. have generally increased each year, and young adults (those ages 18-25) are especially vulnerable. Young adults are the age group with the greatest prevalence of suicidal ideation as well as past-year suicide attempts. Suicide-specific interventions such as safety planning, cognitive behavior therapy for suicide prevention (CBT-SP), and among others, the collaborative assessment and management of suicide (CAMS) can be effective at reducing suicidal ideation, behavior and hospitalization. However, many young adults are not interested in, or cannot access, traditional forms of treatment, which limits the number who will receive in-person suicide care. Digital mental health interventions can be used to reach and engage individuals who are unable to, or uninterested in, receiving traditional in-person mental health services. Fortunately, young adults appear to be interested in using self-directed digital technologies to help manage their mental health symptoms and thus, digital mental health interventions may help close the treatment gap. This presentation will review the safety, acceptability, and emerging efficacy and effectiveness of existing digital mental health interventions for suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Additionally, this presentation will review the dissemination and implementation of these tools in different settings across the country.

September 2, 2021

Reimagining Crisis Response: 988 and a Crisis Standard of Care

In this webinar, learn about the current status of 988 implementation, how 988 fits into a larger mental health crisis system, and ongoing efforts to make sure 988 is more than a number.

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm EST
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Many communities lack a robust mental health crisis infrastructure, resulting in people in psychiatric crisis cycling in and out of jails and prisons, emergency departments, and homelessness. The impending 2022 implementation of 988, a nationwide number for mental health and suicidal crises, provides a unique opportunity to reimagine our nation’s crisis response system. In this webinar, learn about the current status of 988 implementation, how 988 fits into a larger mental health crisis system, and ongoing efforts to make sure 988 is more than a number. Hear how NAMI and other mental health organizations are working with policymakers at the federal, state, and local level to amplify the need for a crisis standard of care, and what is needed to make it a reality.

September 10, 2021

Culturally-Informed Psychopharmacology for Patients with Mood Disorders

This presentation will illustrate how stories from clinical practice have called attention to the importance of bridging medication adherence and prescribing disparities, enabling a culturally sensitive practice-based psychopharmacology foundation for patients with mood disorders.

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This presentation will illustrate how stories from clinical practice have called attention to the importance of bridging medication adherence and prescribing disparities, enabling a culturally sensitive practice-based psychopharmacology foundation for patients with mood disorders.

The diversity of our communities is increasing dramatically. Unfortunately, culturally sensitive practice has lagged behind the escalating pace of population diversity, contributing to mental health disparities. Clinicians are uniquely positioned to address sociocultural considerations when prescribing to diverse populations in their care, promising potential for bridging disparities.

By approaching the concept of “brave spaces” as a practice that can guide the development of shared decision and trust, opportunities emerge for clinicians on the front lines witnessing medication prescribing and adherence challenges to provide guidance by considering sociocultural factors. Brave spaces also allow clinicians to bring voice to patients’ sociocultural concerns.

September 16, 2021

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, clinicians, counselors, peers, and other staff who work in mental health settings are in an optimal position to treat co-occurring opioid use and mental health disorders. People with mood and anxiety disorders are twice as likely to use opioid medications as people without mental health problems and are more than three times as likely to use them nonmedically. Clients with co-occurring disorders are far more likely to receive mental health care than substance use treatment. Substantial evidence documents the impact of untreated opioid use disorder (OUD) on clients’ mental health, functioning, and quality of life. This webinar will review the principles of identifying and treating OUD for clients served by within mental health settings specifically including the use of medications for opioid use disorder. The presenter will also review the treatment planning, documentation, privacy regulation, and billing implications.

September 24, 2021

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Interested in how new applications of technology could support work with serious mental illness (SMI)? For the past three decades, Extended Reality (XR), which includes virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), has been used to treat a variety of behavioral and mental health conditions. The recent technological advances in immersive technology brought about by mobile and gaming devices are offering more access to XR and potential uses. For example, XR can be used to deliver telehealth, enhance learning and psychotherapy, or change implicit biases/stigma. Embodied VR is a newer form of XR that is being explored and uses avatar body transfer experiences. It may offer many uses in behavioral health such as role-playing opportunities for skills acquisition or help with many problems including maladaptive body image/satisfaction, social skills deficits, avoidance behaviors, chronic pain, and somatic symptoms. Join Dr. Kim Bullock, Stanford Professor, neuropsychiatrist, and clinical XR researcher, for this webinar on the theory, evidence, application, challenges, and potential applications of XR for treating SMI. 

September 29, 2021

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Clozapine is the only medication approved by the FDA for treatment resistant schizophrenia, and is widely underutilized in the US (Olfson et al. 2016). One serious possible side effect of clozapine is severe neutropenia, which is defined as an absolute neutrophil count of <500/µL.  A recent meta-analysis found the incidence of clozapine-induced severe neutropenia was 0.9%, with 1/7700 people exposed to clozapine dying from severe neutropenia (Myles et al. 2018).  To help manage the risk of neutropenia, clozapine has a Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) mandated by the FDA.  Currently there are 61 available REMS programs (U.S. Food and Drug Administration), and changes or updates to REMS systems can have important implications.  For example, after the FDA approved a new benign ethnic neutropenia treatment algorithm (Clozapine REMS 2014), a study found that patients with schizophrenia on clozapine would be less likely to need treatment interruption after the new guidelines were released (Sultan et al. 2017).  Effective November 15, 2021, a new clozapine REMS system will replace the existing system.  The new system will require all prescribers and pharmacists to re-certify, and additionally, all patients must be re-enrolled.  Failure to re-enroll or re-certify may lead to clozapine interruption, which could result in significant consequences and negative outcomes for individuals stabilized on clozapine.  This webinar will provide an update on clozapine-induced neutropenia, an overview of the changes coming to clozapine REMS (from the prescriber and pharmacist perspectives), and will discuss strategies for how prescribers may navigate these changes successfully.  The presenters will also have an open discussion with participants to listen to their concerns and brainstorm potential solutions on the new program. 

September 30, 2021

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This intermediate session focuses on identification and implementation of evidence-based mental health services for individuals who describe themselves as gender non-binary, transgender, or with other gender fluid identities. This session will include case presentations and describe treatment planning for clients in this vulnerable population, including considerations related to implementing services and models that are culturally mindful and promote community engagement. Information also will highlight coordinated care related to social determinants of physical and mental health, including the impact of stigma, poverty, healthcare access, and exposure to trauma. 

October 8, 2021

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Psychiatric Advance Directives (PADs) are a legal method for persons at risk of loss of decisional capacity during a behavioral health crisis to plan in advance and direct care during such a crisis. PADs permit persons while in a competent state to consent or refuse future treatment and appoint a proxy decision maker to speak for the incapacitated person to reinforce those preferences during a crisis. Over half of US states have passed PAD legislation, but in the remaining states such advance or planning can be written into a general health care advance care planning process. Implementation of PADs has been slow for a variety of reasons, including: their legal complexity, the lack of available resources to help draft them, and lack of implementation efforts by health systems. In addition, many physicians have concerns about their legal standing and/or fail to activate them by identifying incapacity in their patients. This webinar will discuss implementation of PADs and legal barriers to their use. 

October 14, 2021

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11:00 am
Ends: October 15, 2021, 6:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity

The Mental Health Services Conference is where psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians connect, find practical advice, and get inspired to influence systems-level change on behalf of their patients.

Offering 12 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ and presented by the American Psychiatric Association, this year’s conference will be held virtually October 14-15 on the theme “Sociopolitical Determinants: Practice, Policy and Implementation.”

The Mental Health Services Conference highlights educational programs and innovations in clinical services designed to ensure equal access to high-quality mental health care for all people regardless of race/ethnicity, age, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, or geographical background.

October 21, 2021

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Ends: October 22, 2021

Register today to attend the N.A.P.S. – Uniting the Peer Workforce 2021 Annual Conference! This two-day virtual event features networking, breakout sessions, and the N.A.P.S. annual meeting. Certificates of Completion will be offered for attendance.

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

October 29, 2021

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

November 3, 2021

Offering 7.5 hours of ACPE and BCPP recertification credit , Summit 2021 will help participants to:

  1. Identify the prevalence of co-occurring mental illness with substance use disorders (SUDs).
  2. Illustrate the impact of SUDs on the prognosis and treatment course of psychiatric disorders.
  3. Evaluate the literature describing the management of co-occurring psychiatric and substance use disorders.
  4. Design pharmacotherapeutic plans for patients with a psychiatric disorder and co-occurring SUD.
  5. Employ tools and resources to assess and monitor a patient when creating a pharmacotherapy plan for co-occurring substance use and mental illness.
College of Psychiatric and Neurologic Pharmacists

November 4, 2021

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

November 12, 2021

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

November 18, 2021

December 3, 2021

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

December 9, 2021

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

January 14, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Individuals with serious mental illness are over-represented in criminal legal contexts. In particular, their prevalence rates in jails and prisons are higher than the general population. Practitioners working to treat individuals with serious mental illness may have patients who are incarcerated. Yet the practitioners may not know the availability and challenges of mental health services within these correctional settings. Jails and prisons are environments where safety considerations are primary, yet there is case law and evolving standards that are pushing improved mental health services, including access to medications and certain therapies. At the same time, constraints within correctional environments and the challenges of the populations served may limit access to a full continuum of psychiatric care. Data is alarming regarding suicide rates in these facilities, which has risen despite advances in mental health service standards in corrections. For individuals with serious mental illness there may be opportunities for coordinating care between mental health service providers within correctional settings and community-based providers. This webinar will provide an overview of mental health services within correctional systems and the importance of linkages with community providers.

 

January 17, 2022

Free
Ends: July 8, 2023
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

January 18, 2022

Free
Ends: April 10, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week virtual learning collaborative is designed to give participants advanced skills and knowledge to develop and implement comprehensive psychiatric mental health nursing assessments in a variety of health care and community settings. Content will include a review of psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms along with comorbid medical conditions and complications of patients with serious mental illnesses. Discussion of assessment and monitoring strategies for medical and psychiatric diagnoses will enhance the understanding and skills of participants. The applied skills and knowledge obtained in this course will provide a basis for establishing effective care that will identify and address a variety of health care problems and risks encountered in patients with serious mental illnesses and support patients in recovery.

January 28, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 3, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 7, 2022

This free town hall-style event is for all professions in mental health. It offers guidance to help you provide the best possible care to people who have both serious mental illness (SMI) and COVID and are located in inpatient and residential settings.

This topic has a high level of interest across professions. The event features a 30-minute interactive discussion that follows a 30-minute presentation on these topics:

  • Effective models to handle COVID-positive individuals who need inpatient mental health care
  • The impact of isolation on individuals who are in in the hospital and experiencing a mental health crisis
  • Workforce stress that mental health clinicians experience when working in COVID isolation with individuals who have inpatient mental health needs

This event is the first in a two-part series. The next event takes place in March 2022.

February 17, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

February 25, 2022

March 3, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

March 9, 2022

Free
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This free webinar will focus on successful models and protocols for treating patients who have both serious mental illness (SMI) and COVID in inpatient and residential settings. This training is suitable for all mental health professionals, particularly hospital and clinic administrators. The event features a 45-minute panel discussion, followed by 15 minutes of audience Q&A.  

The discussion will address: 

  • How has the workforce been rearranged to support the models, and in turn what support is provided to sustain the workforce?  
  • What are considerations for treating symptomatic vs. asymptomatic patients? 
  • What are best practices for handling patients in day treatment programs?  
  • What protocols or models have not been successful, and why?  

March 10, 2022

Click Learn More to view fees
11:30 am EST
Ends: March 11, 2022, 5:00 pm EST
Accredited Education Activity

Drawing from current research and evidence-based practices, The Fourth National Conference on Advancing Early Psychosis Care in the United States: Harnessing Resiliency in a Changing World, will focus on important areas in early psychosis care. In partnership with Stanford Center for Continuing Medical Education, Psychosis-Risk and Early Psychosis Program Network (PEPPNET), the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), the National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) and the NASMHPD Research Institute, Inc. (NRI), this virtual event will offer a wide variety of topics related to early psychosis care designed for the full mental health care team.

Conference themes include, technology, and adaptations and innovations in early psychosis care; administrative considerations, e.g., financing, fidelity, and workforce development; the voice of lived experience and peer specialists; and diversity, equity and inclusion. The conference will offer two half-days of keynote speakers, single presenters and well as panelists, in four tracks.

March 11, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

March 17, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

March 31, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Leveraging mobile-first technologies and adopting a consumer mentality approach to healthcare will be the deciding factor in creating health interventions this century. Recent advances in digital health have yielded novel means to manage and treat medical conditions across multiple health specialties. Widespread adoption of technology in daily lives coupled with health analytics will also yield new pathways to develop mental health insights based on behavior and actions from real-world evidence. This, in turn, will spur creative methods of treatment across both traditional biopharma and novel startups in disease treatment innovation. Such examples currently under development include smart combination medications, digital biomarkers, and digital therapeutics. This presentation will evaluate the current adoption and utilization of such devices and technology and identify other technologies currently under investigation. 

April 8, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Nutritional psychiatry is the use of healthy whole foods and nutrients, using evidence-based research, to improve and support mental well-being. Nutritional psychiatry is a nascent field that emerged in the last decade alongside the understanding of the gut microbiome in relation to how food and nutrients can impact mental health. Physicians who studied prior to around 2006 may not have learned much about the microbiome, yet this field of research has burgeoned to the point that it is astounding. The premise of nutritional psychiatry is that a sound diet can help treat and prevent a wide range of psychological and cognitive health issues from ADHD to anxiety, depression, brain fog, and others. Nutritional Psychiatry complements other treatments like medications and different forms of therapy, and is a lowhanging fruit given that eating is something we all do every single day. 

April 14, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

April 22, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

April 28, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

May 6, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

May 12, 2022

May 21, 2022

Click Learn More to view fees
Ends: May 25, 2022
Accredited Education Activity
Click Learn More to view fees
Ends: May 25, 2022
Accredited Education Activity

APA is gathering in-person for the first time since 2019, in the birthplace of jazz, New Orleans!

Our attendees’ safety is fundamental, as is flexibility for those who need it. APA is offering both the in-person experience in New Orleans and an online option connecting you from your home to the foremost scientific program in psychiatry. Whichever way you prefer to attend, it’s a chance to reconnect with your peers and reinvigorate your practice.

With 300+ educational sessions and courses covering 50+ topics, APA’s Annual Meeting in New Orleans is the best place to connect with colleagues, get the latest in scientific advances, and meet your certification and licensure requirements. This year’s meeting features a deep and timely discussion of the social determinants of mental health: the factors outside our offices and within our patients’ communities that influence the mind, from COVID, to inequity, to education, and much more.

There’s also a new Clinical Updates Track with practical pearls of wisdom; a Research Track hosted by NIDA, with sessions also from NIAAA and SAMHSA; and a special Technology Track to help you stay up to date on the major changes to clinical practice brought about by the pandemic.

June 3, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Peer support specialists are a critical part of the behavioral health workforce, but they remain an underutilized and misunderstood profession within mental health care. The implementation of peer support services can seem challenging to many professionals. We will review the challenges associated with hiring peer support specialists and the successful integration of peers into mental health teams. 

June 7, 2022

Click Learn More to view fees
Ends: June 10, 2022
Accredited Education Activity

This year, in addition to the in-person Annual Meeting in New Orleans, APA is hosting an online-only Annual Meeting experience from June 7-10, 2022. Connect to the strongest scientific program in psychiatry from the comfort of your own home or office. Experience high-quality content, interactive peer networking and the opportunity for Q&A with leading experts.

Attendees will gather virtually Tuesday-Thursday 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. ET, and Friday 11:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m. to access 100+ select sessions for up to 16.5 CME. Online-only registrants will also receive access to a complimentary limited On Demand product, which will include the top 20 recorded sessions from the in-person meeting experience in New Orleans, offering an additional 20 CME.

The virtual option is best for those who want access to educational content and peer connections, but with the flexibility of a remote experience. The full program for the online experience will be announced soon and registration for the online event will open on March 1, 2022.

June 9, 2022

While significant research exists demonstrating the benefit of spirituality in mental health treatment and the value placed on spirituality by mental health consumers, many services, supports, and treatment environments lack any meaningful inclusion of spirituality. The exclusion may be due to historical roots dating back to Freud’s writings framing religion/spirituality as a sign of neurosis or due to a lack of understanding about the complex ways people connect with spirituality within contemporary society and mental health contexts. 

This webinar will discuss the benefits of spirituality in mental health recovery. It will also provide learners with strategies and skills to discuss spirituality with mental health consumers. A spiritual health framework tool will be discussed to support implementation of the learning in the professional environment. 

June 14, 2022

Only $10 for students and peers, $15 for NAMI members and $25 for non-members.
Ends: June 16, 2022
Accredited Education Activity

As one of the largest community gatherings of mental health advocates in the U.S., NAMICon provides an incredible opportunity to bring awareness, resources and solutions to a wider audience of people affected by mental health conditions — both nationally and globally.

The pandemic and global events of the past two years have had a profound effect on everyone’s mental health — individuals, youth, families, communities of color and frontline professionals. It’s more important than ever for us to join Together for Mental Health, a timely and appropriate theme for our 2022 convention.

National Alliance on Mental Illness

June 15, 2022

During this information exchange, NASMHPD’s Peer Recovery team will share their personal stories and expertise and facilitate a discussion on the workforce issues facing local and state mental health treatment providers. Attendees can expect to hear from Recovery SME’s on the peer workforce barriers and solutions in the age of crisis services, service expansion, and the 988 rollout across all states and territories. A guided Q and A will maximize learning and interaction amongst attendees and expand State to State sharing.

Amy Brinkley served for (5) five years as the Director of Recovery Support Services in the state of Indiana working to expand peer/recovery support services across the state with the Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction. She most recently served for 2 years as the Chairperson for NASMHPD’s Division of Recovery Support Services advocating for the professionalization of recovery supports across the country and currently Amy serves as NASMHPD’s (National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors) Recovery Support Systems Coordinator. Amy has been author on several APA articles related to peer support through her work on the APA Policy Advisory Board and continues to serve in this capacity today.

Justin is an international consultant, advocate, and peer specialist based out of Miami, FL. He has presented and trained mental health facilities and other organizations on trauma informed practices and used his life experiences to discuss workforce issues and connecting community providers to better serve individuals in need. Previously before his role with NASMHPD, Justin worked as a Jail Diversion Peer Liaison for the 11th Judicial Criminal Mental Health Project for 14 years. He has worked as a Certified Recovery Peer Specialist in Florida since 2008 and has local and national experience.

June 16, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) is a life saving treatment that has proved vital to combat the current opioid epidemic. During this webinar we will explore the available MOUD options and how to utilize them in an outpatient setting. We will also understand the correlation between opioid use disorder and co-occurring severe mental illnesses. 

June 22, 2022

Click Learn More to view fees
Ends: June 25, 2022
Accredited Education Activity

Join more than 2,000 social workers, like-minded professionals, and social work thought leaders at NASW’s 2022 National Conference. Take advantage of unparalleled opportunities in professional development, continuing education, and networking. Engage in thought-provoking conversations tackling the most pressing issues facing the social work profession across the world.

  • Experience the latest education and insights from leaders in the social work field
  • Earn CE Credit toward licensure
  • Engage with peers in the profession
  • Explore cutting-edge products, programs, and services in the Exhibit Hall
National Association of Social Workers

June 23, 2022

The MHTTC Building Health Equity & Cultural Responsiveness Working Group (BHE+CRWG) provides guidance and identifies, adapts, and develops resources to support all MHTTCs and their constituents in enhancing their awareness, knowledge, and expertise to address cultural and linguistic capacity to achieve equity. Currently, the BHE+CRWG is focusing its efforts on bringing awareness to the mental health needs of asylum seekers and refugee populations. Recognizing and appropriately responding to mental health needs among asylum seekers and refugees poses a challenge because of differences in language, culture, as well as specific stressors and trauma associated with migration and resettlement. In addition to the need for culturally responsive approaches, we also lack the workforce capacity to adequately support these populations. These exponential effects challenge leaders trying to mitigate mental health conditions within our newfound community members.

Through our upcoming 2-part panel series, Supporting the Mental Health of Refugee and Asylee Communitieswe aim to:

  • Raise awareness about relevant mental health needs of asylum seekers and refugee populations through highlighting their voices and stories.
  • Share best practices and strategies with providers and organizations using contextual and system-level perspectives.
  • Differentiate between a cultural knowledge-base and culturally responsive approaches.
Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

June 24, 2022

The MHTTC Building Health Equity & Cultural Responsiveness Working Group (BHE+CRWG) provides guidance and identifies, adapts, and develops resources to support all MHTTCs and their constituents in enhancing their awareness, knowledge, and expertise to address cultural and linguistic capacity to achieve equity. Currently, the BHE+CRWG is focusing its efforts on bringing awareness to the mental health needs of asylum seekers and refugee populations. Recognizing and appropriately responding to mental health needs among asylum seekers and refugees poses a challenge because of differences in language, culture, as well as specific stressors and trauma associated with migration and resettlement. In addition to the need for culturally responsive approaches, we also lack the workforce capacity to adequately support these populations. These exponential effects challenge leaders trying to mitigate mental health conditions within our newfound community members.

Through our upcoming 2-part panel series, Supporting the Mental Health of Refugee and Asylee Communitieswe aim to:

  • Raise awareness about relevant mental health needs of asylum seekers and refugee populations through highlighting their voices and stories.
  • Share best practices and strategies with providers and organizations using contextual and system-level perspectives.
  • Differentiate between a cultural knowledge-base and culturally responsive approaches.

During this session, participants will explore four levels of racism: interpersonal racism, internalized racism, institutional, and systemic racism in Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). Participants will discuss historical trauma, biases, and systemic inequities as contributing factors to intergenerational trauma, racial stress and trauma, and community trauma. Healing-centered strategies to address racial stress and trauma and community trauma will be emphasized.

Participants will be able to:

  1. Describe the four types of racism;
  2. Discuss the impacts of racial stress and trauma; and
  3. Identify healing-centered strategies to mitigate racial stress and trauma and promote anti-racism.

Presenters:

  • Selena Webster-Bass, MPH, DMin, Founder/CEO, Voices Institute, LLC
  • Rachel Gaiter, MBA, MS, PhD (c)

July 1, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The nationwide rollout of 988, a new three-digit number to call when individuals are in a mental health crisis, has the potential dramatically improve access to crisis care.  Crisis care includes components such as a 24/7 call center, crisis mobile response teams, and crisis receiving and stabilizing services.  For some individuals in crisis, medication can be a helpful part of the treatment plan.  In this town hall conversation between two prescribers and two individuals with lived experience, we will discuss the current state and future directions of medication in crisis care.  We will address, from multiple perspectives, topics like how a clinician may optimally discuss the potential risks and benefits of medication while recognizing there are two experts in the room, where psychiatric advanced directives and wellness recovery action plans fit into crisis care, and how organizations may utilize the Self Modification of Anti-Racism Tool (SMART) to become intentionally anti-racist.

July 7, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Chronic pain is a very common condition affecting up to 20% of adult population. Studies indicate that chronic pain often co-occurs with psychiatric illnesses, including depression, anxiety , and SMI.  Data also indicate that this co-occurrence leads to a number of worsened outcomes. This webinar will use a de-identified case to illustrate the relevant topic. The webinar will first introduce the case. It will then go into some of the data showing co-morbidity, as well as outcomes related to co-morbid pain and mental illnesses. Next, the webinar will explore bio-psychosocial models that may explain this co-occurrence.  Finally, the webinar will lay out an approach to appropriate diagnosis and management of the patient with co-occurring chronic pain and SMI. The management recommendations will begin with psychosocial, will then go into pharmacological, and end with exploratory ideas. Throughout this content, webinar will emphasize effective communication strategies with the patient. The webinar will return to the de-identified case periodically to better illustrate these concepts. 

July 18, 2022

Free
Ends: October 9, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week virtual learning collaborative is designed to give participants advanced skills and knowledge to develop and implement comprehensive psychiatric mental health nursing assessments in a variety of health care and community settings. Content will include a review of psychiatric diagnoses and symptoms along with comorbid medical conditions and complications of patients with serious mental illnesses. Discussion of assessment and monitoring strategies for medical and psychiatric diagnoses will enhance the understanding and skills of participants. The applied skills and knowledge obtained in this course will provide a basis for establishing effective care that will identify and address a variety of health care problems and risks encountered in patients with serious mental illnesses and support patients in recovery.

July 29, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar’s goal is to discuss care of transgender and gender-non-conforming and nonbinary clients in the course of psychiatry, diagnostic criteria for gender dysphoria, multidisciplinary care of these clients according to WPATH guidelines. 

August 4, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This presentation will review the evidence for the strong relationships between metabolic and mental disorders, premature mortality in people with mental disorders, and the use of the ketogenic diet as a treatment for neurological and psychiatric conditions.  

August 12, 2022

Acculturative stress will be introduced and explained within the context of mental health within the Latin/x community. Having meaningful measures of acculturation and incorporation of them within clinical assessments is explored and reviewed to assist with treatment planning. 

August 18, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will provide an overview of Serious Mental Illness (SMI) and implications for working affirmatively with transgender and nonbinary clients who have SMI. Background and prevalence of SMI diagnoses among transgender and nonbinary populations will be discussed, including relationships between the experience of gender dysphoria and other mental health symptoms. Common problems and harmful practices will be addressed, along with a case study with suggestions to improve practitioners’ support for TNB clients. The protective role that gender affirmation and gender euphoric experiences can have on behavioral health and long-term well-being will also be explored. 

August 26, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Being a psychiatrist and providing care for individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) in rural settings has many challenges. In addition to lack of some more robust services (such as coordinated specialty care) and travel distance to care, other challenges exist for a psychiatrist in working in these settings. There may be challenges such as feeling isolated from peers, sparse opportunities for educational events, difficulty with access to REM pharmacies for clozapine or other medications and lack of anonymity in the community to name a few.  

This presentation will be provided by a psychiatrist who has worked in rural settings over her 30-year career starting with the Indian Health Service in remote area on the Navajo Reservation and then in rural Colorado as the Medical Director of a community mental health center. She will share her experiences, how they pushed the borders of her comfort zone at times, and how she overcame some of the challenges of working in these settings.  

The presentation will look at ways to provide educational opportunities utilizing technology advances such as eConsult and Project ECHO (Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes) which includes an educational component, opportunities for case presentations and the development of a telementoring community of colleagues. 

September 1, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Self-management is now recognized as an important part of bipolar disorder (BD) care in all major treatment guidelines, however, numerous barriers exist to accessing psychosocial services that can offer self-management information and support. Smartphone applications (apps) can enhance access to and delivery of self-management interventions. While a number of promising research-led app development projects have been initiated, they are not yet widely available. Interested users are therefore required to select from the >10,000 mental health apps available in the public app marketplace, which have noted limitations in terms of their credibility, efficacy, and privacy. Clinicians may play an important role in safeguarding individuals with BD from inappropriate apps. To support healthcare providers in identifying and evaluating apps to support self-management in BD, this webinar will review core components of BD self-management, the current state of apps for BD, and practical resources/strategies to navigate the public app marketplace. 

September 9, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

In this program, participants will learn how person-in-environment and social justice issues intersect with and help inform our work with suicide. Person in environment will be described as the context in which each case is embedded. Context includes the many interrelated eco-bio-psych-social-spiritual factors that every case contains.  

We will also look at how social justice issues are related with suicidal ideation and actions. For example, research shows how the current pandemic disproportionately impacts vulnerable populations and can lead to increased anxiety and depression. The facilitator will emphasize practical case examples to illustrate these main ideas. Opportunities for questions, dialogue, and concrete and practice case examples will be offered.  

September 12, 2022

While trauma-informed care has been a goal of healthcare systems, many services, supports, and treatment environments still lack essential components that would truly make them trauma-informed. This 12-week curriculum will provide an in-depth exploration of SAMHSA’s six principles to trauma-informed care and do so primarily from the voices and experiences of those who have received services within the system. Clinicians and non-clinicians will explore the six principles of trauma-informed to better implement these concepts into their practice. The majority of the content in this course was developed or was heavily informed by individuals who are current or former users of mental health services and/or trauma survivors. 

Together, we will be re-imaging what practice and service delivery could and should look like. By the end of this course, you will be able to understand the six principles of trauma-informed care from the lens of those who have received services within the system, be able to describe the unique characteristics of trauma-informed care related to individuals living with a serious mental condition and be able to apply the six principles of trauma-informed care to your discipline and practice. Each article or video includes reflection questions or reflection activities to help you explore deeper the concepts introduced and to better be able to implement these ideas into your practice.  

Free
Ends: November 11, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative will help SMI clinicians use telehealth more safely and efficiently and improve care outcomes by offering new aspects of remote monitoring and interventions. We will also cover new and evolving regulations around telehealth and how to ensure your practice is complaint with local, state, and federal laws. 

Free
Ends: December 11, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative will introduce you to the concept of digital health navigators. You will learn what a digital health navigator is, how this role can help people with serious mental illness, and even how you can become one yourself. As technology becomes a larger part of mental health care today, roles like the digital navigator can help ensure equitable access, ease of use, and meaningful uptake of innovation. 

Whether you are going to become a digital health navigator, a clinician interested in hiring a digital health navigator, or an administrator looking to support the role in your system, this is the right learning collaborative for you.  

Free
Ends: December 11, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative will serve as a virtual community for participants to gain knowledge of evidence-based principles for prescribing clozapine for patients with serious mental illness (SMI). Clozapine can be very rewarding to prescribe, since about half of patients with prior poor treatment response get substantially better with clozapine. This medication can result in major improvements in patients’ functioning and quality of life.  

Free
Ends: December 11, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative will serve as a virtual community for participants to gain knowledge and skills in implementing the collaborative care model for their patients with serious mental illnesses.    

Participants will learn practical skills for implementing collaborative care in their patients with SMI.  These will include:   

  1. How to implement measurement-based care to improve care for your patients with serious mental illness. 
  2. Developing a registry to follow a panel of patients over time. 
  3. Choosing the best outcome measures to track improvement in major depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and whole-person health. 
  4. Optimizing care management to improve access and coordination of care for populations with SMI 
  5. Building a business case and understanding new reimbursement models for supporting collaborative care in SMI. 
Free
Ends: December 11, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative focuses on training the clinician to use the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Role Functioning Scale (RFS) as structured assessment tools to improve the quality of care for patients with serious mental illness. Clinicians will gain the expertise needed to administer the BPRS to assess symptoms by rating BPRS interviews of individuals with SMI and discussing their ratings in comparison to a set of “gold standard” consensus ratings. Participants will learn to use the RFS to assess daily functioning and use both symptom ratings and assessments of functioning as part of an evidence-based treatment approach for improving patient outcomes. Special attention will be placed on how to conduct these assessments remotely as part of a telehealth approach to managed care. This course will help clinicians to develop and implement a Measurement-Based Care (MBC) model that can be incorporated into an agency’s clinical flow through the use of a symptom and functional assessment data tracking system, be useful to multiple clinical disciplines, and help improve short-term and long-term clinical outcomes. Course content will be provided that addresses the importance of equity and diversity in conducting symptom and functional assessments and in the delivery of MBC. Research will be presented that addresses racial disparities in symptom severity, assessment of functioning, and treatment outcomes. By the end of this course, enrolled clinicians will have learned how to use two structured assessments in treatment planning and how to address barriers to the routine use of these objective measurements in a Management-based Care (MBC) approach to improve mental health care decisions.

Free
Ends: December 11, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This 12-week learning collaborative provides an in-depth overview of Motivational Interviewing, a brief person-centered evidence-based practice for strengthening an individual’s motivation for and commitment to change. Motivational Interviewing is frequently associated with substance use, but can be applied to any behavior change such as increasing medication adherence, building independent living skills, reducing self-harm, and managing physical health issues. Motivational Interviewing is a helpful counseling strategy for people with serious mental illness and skills can be applied regardless of how brief or infrequent the encounters are. 

Clinicians will learn to the foundation of motivational interviewing, what the four processes are, and how to apply motivational interviewing skills to practice with patients. Clinicians will learn about ambivalence and how it impacts behavior change and then both learn and practice skills to navigate this ambivalence to build commitment towards change.  

This learning collaborative will focus on practicing motivational interviewing micro-skills including open-ended questions, affirmations, reflections, and summarizations and provide opportunities to practice skills based on common scenarios for clinicians who work with people who have serious mental illness. Clinical issues, challenges, and recommendations for motivational interviewing to address common frustrations for clinicians will be reviewed.  

Participants will be able to demonstrate specific motivational interviewing skills in patient encounters at the end of the 12-week learning collaborative. 

September 15, 2022

Free
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

September 23, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will provide a general overview of the various ways in which the social environment impacts mental health among individuals with serious mental illnesses including psychotic disorders.

September 26, 2022

Free
Ends: December 25, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Serious mental illness affects just over 5% of adults in the United States (NSDUH, 2019), and includes diagnoses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and severe major depressive disorder.  This 12-week virtual learning collaborative is designed for clinicians of any discipline who are new to working with individuals with SMI or experienced clinicians who are looking for update of evidence-based approaches.  Topics include the recovery model, an overview of the public sector health care system, engagement strategies, motivational interviewing, evidence-based psychosocial and psychopharmacological interventions for SMI, crisis intervention, applications of technology, and clinician self-care. 

Free
Ends: December 18, 2022
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

To increase appropriate use of long-acting injectables (LAI), this 12-week virtual learning collaborative will focus on increasing use of LAIs to serve the needs of patients with serious mental illness.  LAIs are associated with decreased risks of relapse, improvements in symptoms, functioning, and patient satisfaction.   

This collaborative is intended for clinicians who want to optimize LAI use for their patients. Through the 12-week activity, participants will increase access to LAIs using the following steps:  improving knowledge about the various formulations of LAIs, their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, considering patient eligibility for LAIs, developing an effective strategy for having a conversation about LAIs, monitoring for side effects of LAIs and manage them if they occur, and successfully treating breakthrough symptoms for people taking LAIs.  

By the end of the learning collaborative, participants will increase their knowledge about LAIs, and may more effectively discuss with their patients the risks and benefits of these medications.   

September 29, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Peer support is recognized internationally as an essential mental health service for people learning to cope with or manage symptoms of a mental health condition and/or substance use disorder. These individualized or group-based support services are provided by a peer (“peer support specialist”) whom has a lived experience of a mental health condition and/or substance use disorder. Along with the influx of digital mental health services changing the way traditional providers deliver psychiatric care, peer support specialists (PSS) are using technology to deliver peer support services across the globe. This webinar series will explore the various platforms and contexts in which PSS are using technology to deliver these services. It will also feature developments in the scientific literature on digital peer support services. 

October 6, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

As of July 16, 2022, people experiencing a mental health, substance use or suicide crisis can call or text 988 or chat with the Lifeline at 988lifeline.org and be connected to trained crisis counselors in the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline network. These crisis counselors are trained to help anyone experiencing a mental health crisis or emotional distress. This is a great step forward to help people more easily access help during a crisis — but the work is just beginning. Currently, the system we need to have in place to respond to people in crisis who call 988 is only available in some communities — and often at insufficient levels to meet the demand. This presentation will provide an update on the transition to 988, an overview of an ideal crisis response system and what actions still need to happen so we can ensure that all people in crisis can receive an appropriate response. 

October 13, 2022

Cost announced at a later date
8:00 am
Ends: October 14, 2022, 6:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Presented in collaboration with SMI Adviser and the American Psychiatric Association Foundation, the 2022 Mental Health Services Conference will bring psychiatrists and other mental health clinicians together to connect and collaborate to find practical advice to influence systems-level change on behalf of their patients. This multidisciplinary event will empower all mental health service providers with practical tools and innovations to shape the future of community collaboration. Held in-person in Washington, D.C., at the Capital Hilton Hotel on October 13-14, 2022, the conference will provide up to 18 continuing education credits for physicians, psychologists, social workers, and nurses.

American Psychiatric Association

October 19, 2022

Navigating the transition to adulthood with a serious mental health diagnosis is challenging. Both social and vocational role development is often disrupted and compromised, especially for those with residential, child welfare, and juvenile justice histories. Most of these vulnerable young people (and their caregivers and providers) tend to focus on high school completion. This leads to graduating with limited, if any prevocational or entry level employment experiences. Although some respond well to evidence-based Supported Employment, many do not due to a lack of: entry level job skills, workplace cultural capital, emotional self-regulation, self-efficacy and confidence that they can succeed at work. Learn how a community mental health provider developed an educational internship experience to enhance evidence-based Supported Employment that is now part of a federally-funded research trial. Access Career & Occupational Readiness Experience manual and materials online. 

October 27, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The development of the Level of Care Utilization System for Psychiatric and Addiction Services (LOCUS) by the American Association of Community Psychiatrists will be described. LOCUS and its derivatives were developed to address some of the weaknesses of proprietary and often self-serving medical necessity criteria, and to provide an objective standard for service intensity decisions. The LOCUS Family of Tools (LFTs) provide a flexible and user-friendly approach to developing service intensity recommendations for persons with either or both psychiatric disorders and addictions. LOCUS provides a quantifiable, dimensional assessment of need and describes a service continuum that includes both clinical and supportive elements in the service array. The simple structure of LOCUS allows for easy conversion of assessment scores to level of care recommendations and provides a framework for progress documentation and treatment planning in which a service user can participate. It reduces the impact of clinician bias regarding treatment recommendations. Developments in the dissemination and ancillary uses of the tools will be described along with discussion of value management. 

November 4, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Overweight and obesity in persons living with serious mental illness are highly prevalent and a leading cause of preventable death through their effects on other cardiovascular disease risk factors and cardiovascular disease. Some psychotropic medications contribute to weight gain. However, evidence-based interventions exist and have shown that persons living with serious mental illness can successfully lose weight. Simple messaging and repetition of key lifestyle behavior challenges (e.g., saying no to sugar drinks and junk food, eating more vegetables, and exercising dally) are helpful strategies.  Monitoring these behaviors and setting short-term behavioral goals can increase accountability and success. 

November 10, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) indications for clozapine use include treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) and reducing suicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Although approximately one-fourth of people with schizophrenia experience TRS (defined as the failure of two antipsychotic trials at an adequate dose and duration), clozapine is only prescribed to 4% of people with schizophrenia in the US.

Barriers for clozapine’s more widespread use can be divided into patient, prescriber, and administrative barriers. Administrative barriers include challenges with clozapine REMS, coordination issues from inpatient to outpatient settings, difficulties with reimbursement, and a lack of specialized clinics. Studies have highlighted the importance of developing clozapine clinics, which could expand access and include experienced clinicians that would effectively manage adverse events. A recent survey from SMI Adviser that included 32 clozapine clinics found there was significant variation in the staffing models and services offered. Over half of clozapine clinics surveyed included psychiatrists, pharmacists, nurses, psychiatric nurse practitioners, and case managers. The median caseload of patients on clozapine in the clinics was 45.

In this webinar, we will first present an overview of the barriers of clozapine use in the US, summarize possible advantages of organizing services into clozapine clinics, and discuss the current literature what is known about these clinics. The webinar will then move to a panel discussion of three system leaders to discuss how their programs are organized, successes, challenges, and future directions. Finally, we will explore what wider solutions may increase clozapine utilization across individual states.

November 18, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Individuals living with serious mental illness face a complex transition when discharging from a psychiatric hospitalization back into the community. While focus is often put on their discharge date and having an appointment scheduled with an outside mental health provider, not as much attention may be given to barriers that inhibit follow through with aftercare services. As providers, it is our duty to be diligent in ensuring that the individual is part of discharge planning and identifying potential barriers to participating in services. Interventions tailored to rapport building, shared decision making and acknowledging challenges individuals living with serious mental illness may face is critical in decreasing the likelihood of re-hospitalization. 

December 1, 2022

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Social media (SM) and the Internet have forever transformed human connection, communication, and interaction, and have emerged as powerful, yet controversial, sources of both substantial challenges and exciting opportunities to healthy emotional development. This is especially true for adolescents and young adults, who are among the highest utilizers of online resources and at the greatest risk for the emergence of a schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD).   

Despite the established benefit of early intervention (EI) for youth with SSD, and the implementation of evidence-based EI programs throughout the US, several challenges persist including lengthy duration of untreated illness, poor engagement with services, high rates of relapse, and persistent social isolation and withdrawal. There is mounting evidence to suggest that these challenges can be addressed through online resources. However, despite enormous promise, online services have a number of problems yet to be solved.  

This webinar aims to explore the complex relationship between SM, the Internet and early psychosis intervention and to cultivate a unified approach to researching and implementing these ubiquitous resources into clinical care . The technological ecosystem, and available literature, surrounding SM types, online platform affordances, adoption norms and their impact on health is rapidly evolving. Clearly defining the risks and benefits of SM use and Internet activity in youth with SSD would revolutionize our ability to effectively support them, as well as their allies, throughout the course of illness development and treatment. 

December 9, 2022

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The number of older adults in the US is rapidly growing as the Baby Boomer generation ages. As many as 5% of these older Americans live with a serious mental illness (SMI), placing them at higher risk for co-morbidities such as dementia, substance abuse, and other lifespan-shortening concerns. Social isolation is also commonly experienced among older adults, may be magnified for those with SMI, and has been further exacerbated by COVID19. Support services to mitigate these risks are vastly under-developed, leaving older adults with SMI with limited access to care. The Certified Older Adults Peer Specialists (COAPS) program was developed to address this need by training Certified Peer Specialists as older adult behavioral health specialists and wellness coaches. More than 300 COAPS have been trained across 6 states and a range of care contexts to support older adults in recovery through crisis management, developing community roles and natural supports, advocacy, self-help and self improvement, and navigating healthcare and social service agencies. COAPS work as part of the healthcare workforce to support and advocate for older adults experiencing or recovering from SMI or substance use disorders, broadening ease of access to healthcare and social services. In addition, most COAPS are themselves older adults in recovery, which provides opportunities for further engagement in the workforce. 

December 15, 2022

Courts play an integral role in ensuring that individuals with a mental illness and/or substance use disorder who are justice involved receive the most appropriate care that leads to recovery.  The presenters from Georgia have found that Incorporating Peer Supporters (individuals who have lived experience of both behavioral health and justice involvement) into the court system has been an important step in helping the court understand and support recovery and increase diversion.  This webinar will feature State Court Judge Charles Auslander, III from the State Court of Athens-Clarke County, Georgia; Laura McCoy, FPM, DUI Treatment Court Case Manager with the Western Judicial Circuit in Georgia; and Tony Sanchez, Director of Partnerships at Faces and Voices of Recovery.  The presenters will discuss the value of including Peers in the judicial system to promote recovery and help break the cycle of arrests; how judges can advocate for incorporating Peers into the judicial process; how providers and behavioral health treatment teams, including Peers, Social Workers, Nurses, and others, can best approach the judicial system to form partnerships of care; all while underlying that each system (the Judicial and Behavioral Health Systems) share the same values and goals even though they may speak different languages. 

January 13, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Since 2016 Certified Peer Specialists with lived experience in carceral systems have been trained and employed as Forensic Peer Mentors (FPM). Supported by the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities and the Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, the FPMs serve returning citizens who have behavioral health conditions – substance use and/or mental health – in accountability courts, prisons, jails, reentry facilities, day reporting centers and recovery community organizations. This session overviews the development of the FPM curriculum and ongoing workforce development initiatives including the monthly learning community. Our emphasis is on celebrating prosocial living and progressive recovery including the collaborative contributions of Community Supervision Officers and other allies. 

January 19, 2023

Free
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Persons with serious mental illness are over-represented in the criminal legal system and face criminal charges more commonly than the general population, often for low level offenses. In addition, they are at risk for victimization from crime yet often are not seen as credible witnesses or their accounts may not be taken at face value.  When they come to a setting for care and treatment, a multidisciplinary team is often made available to support them. Among team members are nurses, a critical workforce that spends time interacting with these individuals and provides nurturing, offer medications, education, support and care, while giving input on observations to the individual and the rest of the treatment team that help guide the treatment planning for the well-being of the individual. Yet, nursing in forensic contexts is all too often not discussed. In this webinar, the presenters will review aspects of forensic nursing, the patient population that is typically seen in correctional and healthcare settings and provide important information to help make the work more fruitful and rewarding. 

January 27, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The decision to start or continue psychiatric medications during pregnancy requires careful consideration of the risks for both the mother and her fetus and should be guided by available safety data, as well as the psychiatric history of the mother. For many women with severe mental illness (SMI), pharmacologic treatment during pregnancy will be necessary. During this session, Dr. Smith will review general clinical approaches to psychiatric medication use during pregnancy, with an emphasis on medication use in the SMI population. She will examine current safety data for antidepressants, mood stabilizers and second-generation antipsychotics and review reliable reproductive safety resources. Lastly, she will discuss the expected physiologic changes in pregnancy that can impact psychiatric medication pharmacokinetics and clinical examples around management of these changes. 

February 2, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

A crisis is a short-term, extremely distressing situation with the potential to lead to negative outcomes (Linehan, 2014). Mental health crises create a strong urge to act, often in unhelpful ways, and an individual may be at risk of hurting themselves or others and/or experiencing decreased functioning (Brister, 2018). Different stimuli result in crises for different people with culture playing a strong role in how meaning is attributed to a stressor, how a crisis is interpreted, and how individuals and communities express reactions to crises (Gopalkrishnan, 2018). Possible stressors, including those that may be linked to traumatic experiences, will be identified along with signs of a mental health crisis and trauma informed approaches for de-escalation. Components of culturally competent crisis response including acknowledgment and acceptance of cultural differences to facilitate immediate trust and rapport will be reviewed (Hernandez et al., 2015). 

February 10, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This lecture will describe aspects of the art and science of psychopharmacology, with special emphasis on correcting common misconceptions. It will be explained that medications can be used in one of two ways, either symptomatically or disease modifying. Symptomatic agents are like aspirin for a headache or Tylenol for a fever; they improve symptoms short term but do not alter the long-term course of the illness. Almost all psychiatric medications, including antidepressants and antipsychotics, are symptomatic, and have no effect on the long-term diseases that underlie many psychiatric presentations. Disease modifying drugs improve the long-term course of illness, affect the pathogenesis of a disease (not just the biology of its symptoms) and, if very effective, reduce mortality. Only lithium among all psychiatric medications has these effects.   This fact will be explored in the context of the general philosophy of clinical medicine derived from Hippocrates, which has nothing to do with the false concept of “First do no harm”, but rather is based on the view that symptom-oriented treatment is to be discouraged in favor of disease-oriented treatment. Implications of these observations for the use of psychiatric medications in clinical practice will be explored, with special emphasis on the disease-modifying effects of lithium. 

February 23, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will provide updated clinically-orientated information on a clozapine adverse drug reaction that is often under-recognized and poorly managed – gastrointestinal hypomotility. A series of aligned pharmacovigilance, psychopharmacological and gastroenterological studies using translational techniques (e.g., spatiotemporal mapping and wireless motility capsules) will be described and summarized. Radiopaque marker and wireless motility capsule studies show gastroparesis and delayed colonic transit are more common than not in people taking clozapine, with over three-quarters developing gastrointestinal hypomotility. Strategies for recognizing and managing clozapine induced gastrointestinal hypomotility are described. Prophylactic laxatives are recommended with clozapine use. The risks with clozapine use can be recognized and managed effectively. Key strategies for prevention, identification and management will be presented. 

March 3, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

All too often, individuals with serious mental illness are arrested. When they face criminal charges, it is not uncommon that their competence to stand trial may be raised. The idea that defendants must be competent to face their criminal charges is rooted in Constitutional Rights and supported by landmark legal cases. If these defendants are found incompetent to stand trial (IST), they may be ordered for “competence restoration.”  Across the United States today, defendants found IST are waiting for restoration services-often in jails– and yet there is frequently a misunderstanding about the purpose of restoration. This webinar will review the basics related to criminal processes pertaining to competence to stand trial and competence restoration. It will cover some of the case law and some of the current system dynamics at play across the country leading to waits for services. It will also give providers a better sense of what it means when individuals they are treating are in the competency and forensic system. 

March 9, 2023

Free
3:00 pm
Ends: March 3, 2023, 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Among individuals with substance use disorders, comorbidity with other psychiatric disorders is common and often noted as the rule rather than the exception. According to the 2019 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, among adults aged 18 or older, the percentage with co-occurring serious mental illness (SMI) and substance use disorder was 1.4% (3.6 million people). 

Standard care providing integrated treatment for comorbid diagnoses simultaneously has been shown to be effective. Digital interventions have the potential to provide a cost-effective platform for greater accessibility to integrated treatments. While many digital platforms and mobile apps have been developed for independent psychiatric disorders, co-occurring illness has largely been neglected.  

This presentation will focus on the landscape of digital interventions for co-occurring substance use and psychiatric disorders, in particular those for individuals with SMI. An example will be presented to describe the feasibility of providing gender-specific care to address substance use problems in young adult women receiving mental health treatment. 

March 17, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will establish the value of Peer Specialists in crisis services, demonstrate specific examples of how Peer Specialists can provide high-quality crisis care, and describe some operational pathways that will allow the inclusion of Peer Specialists into crisis services. 

March 23, 2023

People with SMI are about 3 times more likely than the general public to be involved with the criminal legal system. Untreated, symptomatic mental illness is a contributor to this problem. The Sequential Intercept Model provides a framework to spur the development of interventions designed to prevent justice involvement altogether, ideally by way of an effective, criminologically informed treatment system. Such a system includes an Assisted Outpatient Treatment program. AOT is a tool that civil courts and mental health systems employ collaboratively to address non-adherence to treatment. AOT aims to motivate individuals with SMI to engage in treatment and ensure the MH system serves its most vulnerable clients. This webinar will focus on how using AOT can impact The Ultimate Intercept- Best clinical practices in the community and Intercept II- Initial Detention and Initial Hearings, including how AOT can be used to reduce the need for hospital-based competency restoration.  

March 31, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This training will provide an introduction to ethical considerations in mental health with attention to serious mental illness (SMI). Topics include how to recognize ethical dilemmas including slippery slopes, gray areas, dual relationships, and multicultural considerations. Participants will also consider boundary issues and how to apply shared decision making to increase the involvement of the people with mental health conditions in their own care. 

April 13, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Adults with psychiatric disabilities are highly vulnerable to weight gain and obesity. Being overweight or obese contributes to physical and psychological health issues and create barriers to meaningful and productive community participation. Concerns related to obesity and resulting comorbidities have led to the development of lifestyle interventions, but many interventions are complex and difficult to implement in real world mental health programs. Nutrition and Exercise for Wellness and Recovery (NEW-R) is an eight-week manualized intervention that can be delivered by peer and non-peer providers in community settings. It is a strengths-based program that teaches strategies for developing healthy habits and navigating an environment that promotes unhealthy behaviors. This webinar will describe the NEW-R program and available resources for its implementation. Additionally, results of a recent randomized controlled trial of NEW-R will be presented. The results of the study indicate that NEW-R can be helpful in initiating healthy lifestyle behaviors and improving competence towards making life changes. It may be most effective when administered in a supportive setting.

April 20, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will describe how vocational staff at a peer-run agency were trained to deliver supported employment services with high fidelity to the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model. IPS services were supplemented with work-specific health promotion support delivered by peer employment specialists using a new manual called Physical Wellness for Work. With training and supervision, peer providers of IPS achieved good fidelity to the model. Recipients of IPS plus health promotion services achieved significantly higher rates of competitive employment and longer job tenure compared to those receiving peer-delivered generic supported employment. Combining IPS and employment-focused physical wellness support and mentoring services may address the specific needs of people with serious mental illness seeking to establish careers, making the peer specialist workforce a potentially valuable source of labor for delivery of IPS services.

May 3, 2023

Free
1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar is hosted in collaboration with the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health Disparities in Aging.

Social roles are broadly defined as the parts that we play within society. Roles can be relational—like daughter, partner, or friend—others more clearly communicate status, activity, or identity—like manager, worker, or teacher. Roles are also linked to different levels of acceptance or status within our communities. Our opportunities to hold various roles changes as we age and our circumstances change and we often gain and lose social roles over time. Role losses and gains can impact individual mental health, life satisfaction, and access to resources.  Presenters describe how the concept of valued social roles can shape our work with older adults coping with serious mental illness.  We focus on how people providing health care and assistance to older adults with mental illness can best partner with them to address the impact of social role losses and gains and work together to help these adults enact desired and valued social roles. 

May 10, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm

Millions of Americans face the reality of living with a mental illness. That is why in May, hundreds of organizations across the country are raising awareness about mental health.

The SAMHSA-funded national MHTTC Network provides free resources and technical assistance on mental health prevention, treatment, and recovery.

Join the RACE to learn about:

  • How to access free training and technical assistance (TTA), and readily available products and resources
  • Prime examples of TTA and resources that promote mental health awareness and literacy

Attendees will be given the choice to participate in a breakout room of their choice from the topics listed below.

  1. Mental Health Awareness and Literacy
  2. Culturally Responsive and Equitable Services
  3. School Mental Health

In each breakout room, presenters will provide case examples of specific training and resources developed by our Network in addition to a 10-minute Q&A segment for attendees to engage with speakers and to take part in sharing information.

Please note: Space is limited, register today!

For any questions, please contact Felicia Benson at fbenson@stanford.edu.

May 18, 2023

Free
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Specialized intervention provided in the early course of psychosis can significantly improve long-term outcomes. However, too few individuals with early psychosis access these programs, and many experience long treatment delays. A longer duration of untreated psychosis is associated with reduced benefit from treatment. There is a need for innovative, low-barrier strategies to facilitate help-seeking among individuals with early psychosis. Mobile health (mHealth) interventions may be one promising approach. mHealth interventions delivered within the context of existing clinical care have demonstrated promising results, but few have attempted to use this approach to bridge young adults at risk to treatment. In this webinar, Dr. Buck will discuss use trends in digital technologies among youth, mHealth for psychosis, and the user-centered development of two novel mHealth approaches to help-seeking and self-management support for young adults at risk for psychosis and their families.

May 20, 2023

See registration page for cost
Ends: May 24, 2023
Accredited Education Activity

With 600+ educational sessions, 50+ topics and 20+ paid courses, APA’s 2023 Annual Meeting is the best place to connect with colleagues, learn the latest in effective clinical practice and research advancements, and earn up to 43 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™.

This year we’re back in the “Golden Gate City,” at San Francisco’s Moscone Center, for five days of in-person learning. Join us in-person for engaging sessions, a bustling exhibit hall, unmatched networking, and a first-rate city.

Can’t travel? Join virtually from the comfort of your home or office to take part in select sessions from our exceptional scientific program—more details on the simultaneous virtual event coming soon.

June 1, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The use of antidepressants has been subject to considerable controversy and debate both inside and outside the psychiatric profession. This has led to a situation where not only a substantial portion of lay people and patients but also many psychiatric clinicians are skeptical about their efficacy and safety. The publication of the “serotonin hypothesis” umbrella review in Molecular Psychiatry in 2022 and its coverage in international media has accelerated these debates, and has raised questions about the relationship between the so-called “chemical imbalance” hypothesis and the mechanisms of therapeutic benefit. Critics have argued that the perceived benefit is only because of the placebo effect and “emotional blunting” produced by the medications. On the safety side, there is greater awareness now regarding the risk of complicated and protracted withdrawal and serious adverse effects such as permanent sexual dysfunction. This webinar aims to explore the controversies surrounding the efficacy, safety, and mechanisms of antidepressant medications, with the goal of dispelling misconceptions about antidepressants while acknowledging the ways in which traditional understanding of their use has fallen short. The implications for the use of antidepressants in clinical practice will also be discussed.

June 8, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The aging population with schizophrenia may still experience symptoms as they age in addition to the increased risk for psychosis they have due to age-related deterioration of cortical areas and neurochemical changes, comorbid physical illnesses, social isolation, sensory deficits, and polypharmacy.  This webinar will evaluate current literature to review the current utilization of long-acting injectable antipsychotic medications in this population.  Review and management of potential adverse effects in the aging population who utilize long-acting injectable antipsychotic medications will be presented.  Clinical pearls on the development of an administration and treatment plan for long-acting injectable antipsychotic medications use in an aging population will be reviewed for incorporation in practice.

June 9, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Understand why agitation is such an important concept (in terms of being an emergency medical condition as well as its role in patient suffering) and investigate proper framing and engagement for interacting with those suffering from agitation.  This will include an overview of de-escalation principles as well as psychological first aid and trauma centered processing. The next portion of the webinar will then focus on the psychopharmacologic treatment of agitation.  We will cover not only the usual suspects (antipsychotics, anxiolytics, and sedatives) but also more recent offerings to the field (ketamine, anesthetics, and unique delivery systems). The webinar will then conclude with practical approaches to not only using these methods but also for gaining momentum within one’s organization as to this culture shift. At this point, we can then conclude with how the proper treatment of agitation (both proactive and reactive) leads to improvements in both our patients and the staff who care for them with dedication and empathy.

June 15, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

People with SMI are treated across settings, including settings with forensic populations or those with people with criminal-legal overlap. As such, multidisciplinary teams work to support these individuals across the entire psychiatric care continuum from crisis services, to courts, to jails, prisons and forensic hospitals and community programs. These individuals have histories of criminal-legal involvement that is either early in their illness course or longstanding, some will have histories of problematic violent or sexual behavior, and many will have co-occurring conditions such as substance use disorders or cognitive and intellectual disability disorders. Among the multidisciplinary staff that plays a significant role in assisting them is the discipline of social workers, and forensic social work is itself an evolving field.  In this webinar, the presenters will describe their professional forensic experiences and discuss the field of forensic social work to help provide additional information to foster best practices for individuals with SMI in the criminal-legal system. 

June 16, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will provide mental health professionals with the information, skills, and approaches necessary to provide culturally competent mental health treatment. The hour is divided into three different sections, each section exploring a distinctive aspect of cultural competence in mental health treatment. First participants will be introduced to the importance of cultural competence in mental health treatment. Next participants will focus on assessing cultural factors in mental health treatment and assessment. The third section will focus on providing culturally competent treatment in mental health 

June 23, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Social justice and increasing multicultural competence has experienced increasing popularity in the counseling field. Although there is value in traditional theory, clinicians may be at risk in using counseling techniques under a white lens, which can harm black clients seeking therapeutic services. Learners will explore the historical impacts of implicit bias, ethical codes and decolonizing research that supports unpacking clinician implicit bias and identify tools that elicit clinician self-awareness and enhance the therapeutic relationship. 

June 29, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The passage of the Community Mental Health Act in 1963 and the ensuing deinstitutionalization movement marked the start of an era focused on the integration of persons with serious mental illness (SMI) in community settings through the acquisition of integrated, income-based housing and participation in community-based treatment. Efforts to promote involvement in mainstream community activities among this population were limited. Persons with SMI often experienced profound social isolation within their communities. In recent years, a growing body of literature has emerged demonstrating that full community participation is associated with positive health outcomes and improved quality of life for individuals with SMI. At the same time, robust research findings on the negative influence of loneliness on overall health became widely recognized. Meaningful community participation has since been identified by SAMHSA as an essential dimension of life in recovery from SMI.  

This session will provide an overview on how to promote community inclusion for persons with SMI from a variety of perspectives. We will discuss an innovative peer delivered intervention promotes community participation among individuals with SMI who have traditionally been underserved and under-represented in an urban setting as well as a new initiative to professionally recognize the work of peers who have lived experience in the criminal legal system.  

July 7, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Gain a deeper insight into the different challenges and risk factors that impact undocumented immigrants.  Differences based on various immigration statuses and reasons for migration that impact SMI will be highlighted.  The presentation will also discuss acculturation and its effects on SMI. 

July 20, 2023

Please join the MHTTC NetworkSAMHSA and Abt Associates for an upcoming learning opportunity highlighting SAMHSA’s new Advisory, Identification and Management of Mental Health Symptoms and Conditions Associated with Long COVID.

This webinar will provide a high-level overview of Long COVID (as described in the Advisory), followed by a panel discussion among individuals involved in Long COVID research and treatment.

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

There are over 10,000 mental health and wellness apps on the market. Apps offer the opportunity to increase access to mental health care. However, with many apps to choose from and an app landscape that is largely unregulated, it can be difficult to incorporate this technology into clinical practice. The purpose of this webinar is to discuss app evaluation, raise awareness of considerations involved in implementing mental health apps into clinical care, and provide an example of how apps can be used effectively in the clinical space. I will discuss the current regulatory environment for health apps, how to evaluate apps, and implement them into clinical practice. Mental health apps have the potential to increase access to care if they are clinically effective, easy to use, and protect patient privacy. Learning how to find, evaluate, and implement quality apps into practice for patients with serious mental illness is key in harnessing this technology for the benefit of your patients. 

July 28, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will provide an overview of hoarding disorder, behavior associated with hoarding, and co-occurring disorders common amongst those who hoard. Additionally, the webinar will cover assessment tools and interventions effective in the management of hoarding disorder and hoarding behavior. It is important for mental health professionals to identify and treat hoarding behavior among adults with serious mental illnesses, as it can significantly impact their quality of life and overall functioning. 

August 4, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will unpack and discuss research-based predictors of disengagement in psychosis services, with focal attention on predictors tied to race/ethnicity, socioeconomics and culture. For example, discordance in cultural explanatory frameworks between providers and service users, and the impact of prior experiences of racialized disparities in access and treatment.  The webinar will then segue to practical strategies for (re)building trust and promoting client-centered engagement in services. 

August 10, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Review the indications, dosing, preparation, administration, monitoring and documentation of long-acting injectable antipsychotic agents. It will compare the differences between each agent in terms of frequency of dosing, need for oral overlap, administration sites, needle sizes required, and differences in storage and preparation.  This program will also discuss the differences between the available long-acting injectable dosage forms of a single agent. This program will compare aripiprazole monohydrate versus aripiprazole lauroxil. The risk, evaluation, and mitigation strategy (REMS) program for olanzapine pamoate will be discussed. Case scenarios of potential medication errors will be discussed.  A focus of the webinar will be prevention of potential medication errors and administration errors in your daily practice.  

August 25, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar aims to shed light on the often overlooked yet crucial aspect of mental health during the perinatal period. It will offer an exploration of the various serious mental illnesses that can arise during this vulnerable phase, along with identifying the significant risk factors that may contribute to their development. Evidence-based approaches to treatment will be presented, emphasizing the importance of early intervention and support systems. Whether attendees are healthcare professionals, caregivers, or people interested in perinatal mental health, this webinar promises valuable insights to better understand and address this pressing issue. 

September 8, 2023

Insomnia is common in schizophrenia. Insomnia has been associated with suicidal ideation and behavior, as well as greater severity of psychopathology, in schizophrenia. This presentation assesses the evidence regarding these associations, and discusses the use of pupillometry as a novel marker of suicide risk in patients with psychiatric disorders. 

September 14, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Review all long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic medications available, including recently approved agents. We will discuss all clinical considerations for choosing the most appropriate LAI for each individual patient. 

September 22, 2023

Free
2:00 pm to 3:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This talk will describe a general approach to designing a treatment strategy for psychiatric illness during and after pregnancy.  We will go into detail regarding the literature on the safety of psychiatric medications during pregnancy and lactation as well as the literature on the risks of untreated psychiatric illness during pregnancy and lactation including risks to the pregnant woman, the pregnancy, the fetus and the newborn infant. We will focus on the literature surrounding the safety of antidepressant use during pregnancy as an example of “confounding by indication.” The talk will conclude with a discussion of the new positive allosteric modulators of the GABA-A Receptor medications that are FDA approved for treatment of postpartum depression. 

September 28, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Individuals with SMI who are arrested and incarcerated are also those same individuals who will likely be released. At times they may stop at a forensic hospital for issues related to competence to stand trial. Regardless, what is clear is that each of the places where they may travel may have a different view of their needs, their symptoms and diagnoses. All too often medications are stopped, re-started or changed across settings. People and supports are disconnected. And the individuals themselves may start in care but then have a high risk of non-retention in services. Continuity of care across settings is therefore something that can be a critical help for individuals who may have difficulty navigating systems and staying focused on their own recovery. This webinar will provide information about data on the risks of dropping out of care and some strategies that can be utilized to maximize continuity of care across settings. 

October 6, 2023

Free
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Digital mental health technologies hold promise for improving care and access to mental health services. While privacy and safety are known to be areas of concern for digital mental health technologies, there has been less attention to how these ethical issues impact equity and access in digital mental health. This presentation will address key issues of privacy, safety and equity in the design and use of digital mental health, drawing from qualitative interviews with mental health professionals, consumers and digital mental health developers. 

October 12, 2023

Free
8:00 am
Ends: October 14, 2023, 6:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity

The Mental Health Services Conference brings together the whole team caring for those with mental illness, including psychiatrists, nurse practitioners, primary care physicians, social workers, and more, to collaborate on practical advice to influence systems-level change for their patients.

American Psychiatric Association

October 20, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:30 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will provided the latest information on lithium, focusing on new insights into the use of lithium during pregnancy and breastfeeding, and lithium’s renal related risks. Important points of emphasis will include the modest effects of lithium on renal function when dosed once daily and 12h outpatient levels are maintained in recommended range of 0.60 – 0.80 mEq/l, and never > 1.00 mEq/l. Attendees will also learn about the importance of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC), how lithium enters ENaC on distal tubule prinicipal cells and induces polyuria, and why this is the harbinger of renal related adverse effects. Importantly, attendees will be provided modern methods for polyuria monitoring (e.g. Early Morning Urine Osmolality) and its treatment with amiloride, and occasionally adjunctive acetazolamide. As use of VPA has fallen out of favor in the use and has been banned in women of reproductive potential in Western Europe and the UK, clinicians must become adept at using lithium for patients with a history of mania. 

October 27, 2023

Free
12:30 pm to 1:30 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Serious mental illness (SMI) leads to health and life inequities and health and life inequities worsens SMIs.  This special webinar will focus on exploring the interrelationship between SMI and the social determinants of health and well-being.  Using tools like the WIN Measures and Pathways to Population Health Equity, this webinar will help you to build an intersectional strategy to integrate an understanding of social needs for your patients–and to build systems that care of social needs and mental health needs together. 

November 3, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Pharmacogenomics continues to be a growing area within the practice of psychiatry, with increasing research, testing availability, and guidance on utilization.   This presentation will provide an up to date review of the current state of evidence on the use of pharmacogenomic testing in psychiatry, including a brief review of pharmacogenomics to level the playing field in the remaining discussion, a contrast of current available testing- commercial versus research, discussion of current utilization of testing in clinical practice- what do the guidelines, clinical trials, and package inserts recommend, and finally how to consider implementation of pharmacogenomics in practice- what should a provider consider prior to ordering and how to interpret the results after receiving them.  Resources will be provided on evidence and interpretation. 

November 14, 2023

Free
4:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

There is a nationwide crisis of individuals suffering behavioral emergencies, who now average one in seven cases seen in US hospital emergency departments (EDs) — where patients become stuck ‘boarding’, untreated, for long hours, even days, in EDs, waiting for an elusive inpatient psychiatric bed. Fortunately, a cost-effective, patient-centric, safe and efficient solution has been developed, the EmPATH unit (Emergency Psychiatric Assessment, Treatment and Healing unit). EmPATH units, an extension of the ED, typically stabilize and discharge 75% of patients within 24 hours who traditionally would have been held for admission to inpatient care.  In EmPATH, the need for coercive measures like physical restraints and forcible injections are minimal, and patient satisfaction is very high, while recidivism is decreased. The physician who pioneered these units will present a precise description of EmPATH, its amazing peer-reviewed outcomes, and how these programs can be implemented in any size or shape hospital, whether urban or rural, academic or community. 

November 16, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Research has consistently documented that experiencing gender-based violence (GBV) increases a person’s risk for developing a range of mental health conditions. Research has also documented high rates of GBV, [e.g., childhood sexual abuse (CSA), sexual assault (SA), and intimate partner violence (IPV)] among people living with psychiatric disabilities. At the same time, people experiencing GBV, particularly in the context of a disabling psychiatric condition, face unique risks that need to be factored into treatment and services. This webinar will provide an overview of research on the intersection of GBV, mental health, and psychiatric disability; tools for recognizing and responding to GBV-related risks; a review of relevant treatment modalities; and strategies for addressing trauma and GBV in clinical practice. 

November 17, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Research shows that including service users in the design and delivery of mental health services can improve quality of care and help catalyze positive systems-level cultural change.  While the involvement of service users in clinical services is gaining momentum in the USA in the form of peer support, service user (peer) involvement in the design and delivery of psychiatric training programs and other mental health professional training programs is rare. 

In this session, you will learn about the rationale for involving services users as educators in mental health professional training and provide an example: the Peer Advisor program of the Public Psychiatry Fellowship at Columbia/New York State Psychiatric Institute.  Speakers include the program directors, a peer who has been involved for many years in the program, and a psychiatrist who experienced this model as a trainee.  

Our experiences suggest that re-positioning service users as educators of the next generation of mental health service providers can help us teach and learn how clinicians can truly partner with service users, leading to a professional workforce that can deliver safer, more effective, patient-centered care. 

November 30, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Person-centered care (PCC) has become a fundamental aspect of modern mental health care, emphasizing the importance of tailoring treatment and support to individual needs and preferences. The field of psychiatry often faces high rates of disengagement from psychiatric services and treatment, particularly among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI), highlighting a critical need for improvement in PCC. This webinar is dedicated to exploring the role of Shared Decision Making (SDM) as a powerful tool to enhance person-centered care in psychiatric settings. SDM is a health communication model that focuses on fostering collaborative interactions and effective communication between clinicians and individuals with lived experience of SMI, and sometimes their family members. The primary objective of SDM is to involve individuals with SMI in decisions related to their treatment and recovery processes, ensuring that their preferences, values, and goals are considered. In this webinar, Dr. Zisman-Ilani will provide background on SDM, and review the challenges, achievements, and opportunities related to SDM in mental health. 

December 14, 2023

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The focus of the webinar will be curriculum and training programs for peers in mobile crisis teams. The goal is to help other programs across the country better understand how to incorporate peers into mobile crisis response.  Lastly, the webinar will highlight the multitude of benefits of including peers in mobile crisis response. 

December 15, 2023

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Individuals with SMI often have co-occurring substance use disorders, including co-occurring stimulant use disorder. This can create confusion when people present for care, as their psychotic symptoms may be related to their recent substance use, or their underlying mental illness, or a combination of both. Very often treatment for co-occurring conditions is not as easily accessible, and practitioners need to have a better understanding of the impacts of stimulant use on individuals with mental illness and how best to treat these issues simultaneously. Furthermore, when an individual is using one substance, they may also be using other substances, which can also make treatment and diagnosis challenging. People with SMI and co-occurring substance use disorders can present with other confounding issues including aggression or behavior associated with criminal conduct. They may be seen in forensic, carceral and emergency department settings as their care is often disrupted across multiple systems. This webinar will provide information about serious mental illness and co-occurring stimulant use disorder and its impact on clinical presentations and ways to address these issues. 

December 21, 2023

This presentation hopes to provide clarity on the effects of cannabis on Major Depressive Disorder. The talk starts with a brief overview of the endogenous cannabinoid system to explore its functions. We then explore how whole cannabis – with THC, CBD, terpenes, and flavonoids – has different effects than purified THC, CBD, or both combined (THC:CBD).  

Finally, we review the literature on the effects of whole cannabis, THC, or CBD on patients with Major Depressive Disorder.  

Afterwards, the listener will be better able to counsel their patients with MDD who use cannabis. They will also be able to critically consume future literature on whole cannabis, THC, and CBD and determine its applicability to their patients. 

January 11, 2024

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Clinician-rated symptom scales are the current standard for outcome measures in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders (SSD) research. There has been growing interest in the development of self-report measures for people with SSD to support measurement-based care and inclusive research. We developed the Inspire Self Report Scale (ISRS), which measures the current magnitude of well-being, mood symptoms, psychosis, negative symptoms and cognition using 10 questions on a Likert or Visual analogue scale (VAS). We then investigated the correlation and concordance between patient self-report and clinician ratings on the ISRS during a clinical encounter. When ratings were discordant, we sought to identify whether the participant’s or psychiatrist’s rating was more accurate. The results indicated a moderately strong statistically significant correlation between participant and clinician ratings. When the results were discordant, the participant ratings were assessed to be more accurate than the clinician rating over 70% of the time. Clinicians reported that discussion of ratings on the ISRS gave them greater understanding of the participant’s experience. The ISRS has distinct utility compared to existing scales due to the measurement of present symptom severity, capturing multiple clinical domains, and time efficiency and ease of use. Thus, it may be useful in clinical and research settings. 

January 17, 2024

Join SMI Adviser Clinical Expert Team Members along with APA staff for an overview of the FDA’s Clozapine REMS program, highlighting current research and data from providers and patients, and sharing how APA has been advocating for change.

Learning Objectives

  • History, overview, and myths versus facts about the new REMS
  • Some of the current issues with REMS bringing in the prescriber data and NAMI data
  • Highlight updates from FDA, including three studies that are in progress
  • The wide world of things we could advocate for (from no REMS to changing to an “educational REMS”)

January 26, 2024

Peer support has shown modest yet consistent positive effects on recovery outcomes for serious mental illness (SMI). While substance use is relatively common in SMI populations, there is relatively little clinical research for peer support on alcohol and substance use disorder (SUD) outcomes in these populations. At a time when recovery support is increasingly sought through online forums (e.g., social media communities, chat rooms), special considerations are needed for the use of these resources in SUD recovery for people affected by SMI. While support via online forums can be beneficial for individuals who are seeking recovery from SUDs, for certain individuals with SMI, these dynamics may be detrimental (e.g., physical isolation and media addiction, misinformation contributing to reality distortions, perceived rejection aggravating personality disorder symptoms). This presentation provides considerations for the use of online forums for SUD recovery in SMI populations. 

February 1, 2024

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Outpatient civil commitment orders are used internationally (Community Treatment Orders) and here in the US (Assisted Outpatient Treatment). CTOs and AOT have similar goals- patient and public safety. International research has been equivocal about the effectiveness of outpatient orders. This webinar will explore the evidence available to show that outpatient civil commitment is associated with improved adherence to treatment, reduced mortality and violence risk. Dr. Segal will also explain why outcome measures of prevention of hospitalization or total hospital days may not be the best indicators of program success. Patient’s rights advocates have been promoting restrictions to OCC by requiring a determination of lack of capacity to institute an order. The impact of this change will be discussed.  

February 9, 2024

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Behavioral health programs and providers recognize the importance of using strengths-based wellness programs in their work with people who face mental health substance use, medical and trauma related challenges, but do not know where to start. This session will introduce a variety of user friendly publicly available accessible wellness tools based on the 8 dimensions of wellness.  The session will also outline tools to measure wellness as part of a program evaluation, and how to use wellness tools to promote provider wellness self-care. 

February 15, 2024

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The Zero Suicide framework is an evidence-informed comprehensive set of practices and tools that aims to improve care and outcomes for patients at risk of suicide within health and behavioral health care delivery systems. It represents a commitment to patient safety, the most fundamental responsibility of health care, and to the safety and support of health system staff who do the demanding work of treating and supporting suicidal patients. Implementing a bundle of evidence-based interventions together is a challenging mission, but one that leads to health systems transformations that can achieve the bold goal of zero suicides.  

This session will provide an overview of the Zero Suicide framework and describe its core elements. This includes the key clinical, organizational, and continuous quality improvement components that comprise the Zero Suicide framework. 

February 23, 2024

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

People with SMI are disproportionately arrested and detained in carceral settings and face civil and criminal legal processes that can impact care. Clinicians, family members, and others supporting their recovery often have limited knowledge and experience navigating complicated clinical and legal worlds in a way that leads to productive outcomes that do not compromise public and personal interests. This webinar will review some of the common areas of intersecting issues- arrest decisions, what bail and detention laws mean, how courts may process cases, what diversion may include and what this might all mean for individuals with SMI. The idea of cross-fertilization and collaboration between systems will be emphasized, while learning more about how systems may prioritize different missions. Participants will gain greater familiarity with these issues to help people with SMI and their support systems. 

March 1, 2024

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

Social determinants of health (SDOH) are the factors and conditions that influence health outcomes, such where people are born, grow, work, live, and age as well as the wider set of forces and systems shaping the conditions of daily life. This webinar will review the intersection of SDOH, psychiatric disorders, medication related outcomes, and the role of pharmacists. 

March 15, 2024

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

When working with clients, everyone has a unique path in their recovery journey. The focus of this webinar is on helping service providers support clients in every stage of change, regardless of whether they are interested in traditional mental health treatment. This approach will help service providers better partner with clients and reduce discord that often occurs when clients are not interested in traditional treatment. In addition, these strategies will help service providers better engage with clients who are high utilizers of crisis-focused services (ex: hospitals, shelters, settings within the criminal legal system), but who often do not engage with mental health programming. 

During the webinar we will explore the definition of harm reduction as an approach, and then apply this approach to common challenges experienced when working with clients. Together we will develop thoughtful open ended questions, explore possible interventions, and craft creative solutions. Ultimately, the focus is to support service providers develop additional options to offer clients to reduce the harms related to their mental health symptoms. 

March 21, 2024

Free
3:00 pm to 4:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

The need to hire and retain top talent across all disciplines to provide quality care is at an ultimate high. This webinar will identify specific strategies that will offer support to individual providers, identify agency wide approaches that will promote wellness, retention, and encourage understanding of healthy communication styles amongst team members.  The webinar will review onboarding practices, day-to-day structure implementation that promotes clear direction, and off-boarding strategies. 

April 12, 2024

Free
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Accredited Education Activity, SMI Adviser Event

This webinar will discuss community inclusion in terms of the opportunities that people with serious mental illnesses have to participate in the community like everyone else, including work, school, dating, parenting, engagement in faith communities, leisure and recreation, volunteering, friendships, etc. Evidence indicating that inclusion is critical for physical, cognitive, and mental health and wellness will then be presented along with strategies that clinicians could use to promote inclusion.

May 4, 2024

Free
Ends: May 8, 2024
Accredited Education Activity

Join us in New York City, May 4-8, 2024! Register for the in-person meeting by February 6 for our best, early rates. Registration for the virtual meeting opens in February 2024.

American Psychiatric Association

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