The Great Lakes MHTTC, based at the UW-Madison Center for Health Enhancement Systems Studies, is focused on delivering evidence-based mental health training and technical assistance to behavioral health providers in our six-state region (Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio). Working in partnership with local provider associations, we strive to offer high quality, skills-based learning opportunities for a broad audience. Our area of focus is process improvement based on the NIATx model and delivered through locally sponsored Change Leader Academies (CLAs).

Process improvement can be defined as “changing the way that work is performed so it is more efficient and effective.” Initially geared toward manufacturing, process improvement is now widely recognized as a powerful tool for making positive change in any setting. Behavioral health organizations use process improvement to:

• Identify and address problems in their work processes
• Speed up and sustain the adoption of evidence-based practices
• Reduce barriers to access to and retention in treatment

The NIATx model of process improvement was designed specifically for the behavioral health field. NIATx began in 2003 as a demonstration project supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration (SAMHSA). Originally, “NIATx” was the acronym for The Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment. Today, it is known simply as NIATx to reflect the model's expansion into other areas. The team that developed the model, led by Dr. David H. Gustafson at the UW-Madison, knew that people seeking behavioral health services face multiple barriers to treatment. In response, the team developed a simple model of process improvement that organizations can use to make their services easy to access, easy to use, and engaging rather than forbidding. 

 

The aim of the South Southwest MHTTC is to build the capacity of the mental health workforce, organizations, and systems to deliver culturally sensitive, effective, evidence-based promotion, prevention, treatment, and recovery supports to improve the quality of life of individuals who experience mental health disorders. Our area of focus is Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH). This field has grown out of the recognition that early childhood is the opportune time to promote cognitive, social, and emotional health and prevent or intervene early in mental health challenges. IECMH has been defined as "the developing capacity of the child from birth to 5 years of age to form close and secure adult and peer relationships; experience, manage, and express a full range of emotions; and explore the environment and learn - all in the context of family, community, and culture." Early childhood is a critical time for brain development, setting the stage for cognitive, social, and emotional development throughout childhood. The development of infants and young children is intertwined thoroughly with the quality of the caregiving relationships in their lives. There are a variety of well-known risk factors that can negatively impact these relationships and ultimately children’s social and emotional development, including prematurity and low birth weight, genetic disorders, exposure to substances, and exposure to violence, abuse, or chronic stress and adversity. Many mental health professionals lack exposure to IECMH or training in the unique competencies needed to identify mental health problems in young children; assess the biological, environmental, and developmental factors at play; develop and implement a service plan that incorporates evidence-based treatment approaches; or collaborate with early childhood systems. While research has shown the effectiveness of addressing mental health challenges early, many families will not receive any intervention until mental health problems worsen.

The South Southwest is working to develop several tools and resources to support professionals working with young children. These include online learning modules to support licensed mental health providers wanting to learn and expand their skills for working with young children and their families, support of early childhood caregivers in the use of evidence-based screening tools to identify social emotional challenges, and a learning collaborative to launch the inclusion of the Incredible Years parenting program within public mental health systems.
 

• In collaboration with the South Southwest ATTC, we are hosting a webinar with peer providers, supervisors, and organization leaders to gather final feedback on an Organizational Peer Workforce Retention Assessment. The assessment tool was developed based on focus groups, interviews, and review of the literature. This webinar will be used to introduce and recruit organizational participation in assessment administration and provision of tailored technical assistance on organizational change that supports retention of the peer workforce based on the assessment. The final products will be an assessment tool and strategies that organizations may use to retain this important workforce.
• We partnered with the Oklahoma Suicide Prevention Council to facilitate a planning retreat. The retreat provided members an opportunity to learn about fellow members’ suicide prevention efforts and resources, examine ways to strengthen their collective impact, and identify new approaches that individual members can take to contribute to the shared goals.
• This summer, we are hosting a webinar series on Partnering with Schools for community mental health providers. The series provides community mental health organizations with information about school mental health frameworks and different ways to partner with schools to support student mental health. The series will highlight best practices in crisis services, wraparound, telehealth and school-based clinics.

 

• Review commonly used evidence-based assessment instruments to evaluate sexual and social history, depression and anxiety, substance use disorder, trauma, intimate partner violence, self-harm risk, and other mental health concerns.
• Explore best practices in engaging clients to conduct routine behavioral health screenings and assessments respectfully and effectively.
• Operationalize a cultural humility framework in connecting with and serving clients from a broad diversity of populations. 
• Examine the principles and practices of trauma-informed care in an assessment context.

Contact us at networkoffice@mhttcnetwork.org
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