Community Education and              Professional Development

The goal of the Youth Mental Health Coalition (YMHC) is to normalize mental health concerns among young people in the Greater Springfield area.  To break the mental health stigma, we must first educate - community residents, educators, healthcare providers, faith leaders, youth-serving organizations, etc. - on how to identify mental health needs, provide tools and resources to use when addressing behavioral health, and address the implications of cultural and social injustices on the mental health and well-being of the Black, Brown, and Indigenous People of Color in the Springfield community.  

The YMHC is able to offer all trainings listed below for FREE thanks to funding from the Department of Public Health Office of Problem Gambling.  To continue offering these trainings to the community free of charge, we ask training participants to complete a short 5-minute satisfaction survey at the end of each training.  We kindly ask that you are responsive to the trainer and staff from the Public Health Institute of Western MA that ask you to complete a survey.

We sincerely thank you in advance!

The Springfield Youth Mental Health Coalition

List of Training Topics

Either click one of the links below or scroll through the page to see available training opportunities.   

NOTE:  Trainings with "***" are appropriate for youth in grades 9 - 12; Trainings with (SP) are offered in Spanish

For More Information or To Request Training

For more information, please contact Tiffany Rufino, Youth Mental Health Coalition Manager.

Schedule a training!

Please note: This training menu was gathered by members of the Youth Mental Health Coalition Advisory Board. These trainings were selected based on information provided by the trainers.  When you schedule a training you will have the opportunity to discuss the training in detail with the training organization.  


Accessing Resources

  • Accessing Department of Mental Health Services: Learn about eligibility criteria, applying for services, what happens once services are approved, and what services are available.
  • Accessing Department of Developmental Services: Learn about eligibility criteria, applying for services, what happens once services are approved, and what services are available.
  • Navigating the Behavioral Health System: Learn about eligibility criteria, applying for services, what happens once services are approved, and what services are available.
  • Understanding When and How to Access Crisis Services: Learn from BHN how, when, and why to reach out to Crisis Support.

    Duration: 1 hour (each session)   Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network

Mental Health

  • An Overview of Youth Mental Health: This training teaches attendees how to identify and support mental health needs for children and adolescents. Training covers anxiety, depression, ADHD, and PTSD.  Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network
  • Addressing Youth Fears and Anxieties as the World “Reopens”: This training teaches attendees how to talk to children and adolescents about transitions and anxiety around global pandemic.  Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network

mental health and Social & Racial Justice

  • Implicit Bias: This training will educate both the individual and the organization about Implicit Bias as it relates to race. There is a clear emphasis of how not recognizing theses biases supports Racial and Ethnic Disparities (RED) in both the individual and organizational structure. This training aids in the removal of shame and the reduction of white fragility when discussing race, and allows for a more expansive diagnosis when dealing with racism at the organization level. The implicit Bias approach uses the Person, Role and System Model, and introduces the participants to the Accountability Map. This training shows the participants that implicit bias is both predictive and preventative. This training concludes by aiding individuals and organizations with key strategies to engage when dealing with its own biases.  Facilitated by African Diaspora Mental Health Association
  • Navigating the COVID-19 Crisis while Maintaining your Mental Health: This workshop is designed to give participants an opportunity to learn basic information about how one's mental health, specifically African Americans, can be negatively impacted during the global COVID-19 pandemic. It aims to identify coping skills and provide resources to improve individuals’ overall sense of personal wellbeing during this time of crisis.
    Duration: 1.5hrs.   Facilitated by Tools for Success, LLC 
  • Navigating Microaggressions & Implicit Bias In Helping Professions (SP):  This session will define implicit bias and microaggressions. We will answer how unchecked bias can lead us to commit microaggressions in our everyday lives. There will be engaging videos, scenarios and other methods of learning to help deepen the understanding of these terms as well as gain strategies on intervention methods. 
    Duration: 2hrs.   Facilitated by Wellness for the Culture
  • Teaching Self Care via Self Compassion to Marginalized populations (SP):  A Therapeutic Technique to utilize with Clients that experience racial trauma, micro aggression, implicit or explicit bias. This training will educate clinicians on how historically, racial trauma has affected marginalized communities of color in the area of self care and self compassion. The training will also teach a framework that will allow the client to improve socio economic status as well as self esteem. This framework utilizes social justice/ DE&I and CBT frameworks. 
    Duration: 2hrs.   Facilitated by Wellness for the Culture
  • The Urgency of Allyship (SP): This presentation will address the importance of allyship, why we can no longer be bystanders in the face of injustice, and the tools needed in order to be a consciously aware leader. Participants will feel empowered to make changes immediately and take steps that can turn into effective change and meaningful movements in their communities. Learn how to listen, how to ask questions and how to stand up to your own discomfort and fear in order to better your community. How to use your platform, no matter how big or small, to make small changes that turn into big improvements.  For Professional Leadership Only. 
    Duration: Full or Half Day   Facilitated by Wellness for the Culture
  • Wellness for the Culture X the Culture (SP): This educational program enhances and creates cultural equity in Mental Health Services. This program equips counselors with all they need to create safe spaces of healing for marginalized black and brown populations. 
    Duration: 1.5hrs.  Facilitated by Wellness for the Culture
  • What causes mental health disparities amongst people of color? (SP): This training provides a view into how the following contributes to  one's mental wellness: and mental illness: socioeconomics, stigmas/biases/prejudices, understanding Race, lack of knowledge, education, clinical professional needed, cultural competence, systemic racism.
    Duration: 1.5 hrs.   Facilitated by Wellness for the Culture

mental health & Violence

  • Healthy/Unhealthy Relationships and the Impact of Domestic Violence on Children: This training educates individuals on what to look for and normalize just how common domestic violence is in our communities. This training seeks to help close the gap and make all individuals more trauma-informed. 
    Duration: 2hrs.   Facilitated by Tool for Success Counseling, LLC
  • Gun violence and Mental Health: Learn to be a relentless force in disrupting poverty,
    incarceration, and racism by engaging young adults, police, and systems at the center of urban violence in relation to addressing trauma, finding hope, and driving change. 
    Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network

rESILIENCY

  • I Said What I Said, I Wrote What I Meant***: This workshop offers an introduction to poetry and spoken word as a tool and outlet to support emotional wellbeing. It also offers a chance to deepen emotional intelligence and awareness through the act of writing.   
    Duration: 2hrs.   Facilitated by Tools for Success, LLC
  • Ways to Build Mental Health Resiliency in Youth: In this training, attendees will learn techniques and ways to build mental health resiliency. 
    Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network

Specific Diagnoses

  • ADHD: Learn about symptoms, presentation, diagnosing, and medications.
  • Anxiety: Learn about symptoms, presentation, diagnosing, and medications.
  • Depression: Learn about symptoms, presentation, diagnosing, and medications.
  • PTSD: Learn about symptoms, presentation, diagnosing, and medications.

    Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network

Substance Use Disorders

  • Basics: Learn the basics about co-morbidities, mental health and Substance Use Disorder, and resources.
  • Advanced: Learn about the cycle of Substance Use Disorder and how co-morbidity with mental Health impacts substance use.

    Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network

Training for Youth (Grades 9-12)

  • I Said What I Said, I Wrote What I Meant***: This workshop offers an introduction to poetry and spoken word as a tool and outlet to support emotional wellbeing. It also offers a chance to deepen emotional intelligence and awareness through the act of writing.   
    Duration: 2hrs.   Facilitated by Tools for Success, LLC

trauma-informed 

  • Intergenerational Trauma: In this training, attendees will learn evidence about how many current mental health issues and needs can reside in the traumas of our parents, grandparents, and even great-grandparents and how we can build off the work of experts in neuroscience and posttraumatic stress.  Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network
  • Trauma-Informed Care: This training is designed to help organizational staff and care teams learn and implement the core principles of a trauma-informed approach to improve client engagement and outcomes, reduce health disparities as well as increase staff wellness and reduce burnout. Teams can learn trauma-informed and inclusive strategies to help clients recover and heal from trauma and build resilience among their clients and staff.  Facilitated by Baystate Health Family Advocacy Center
  • Impact of Trauma/Toxic Stress Across Settings: This training explores the consequences that exposure to trauma and adversities in childhood have on the lives of youth and families.  It is intended for both professional and community audiences and provides helpful strategies to utilize, tips for engagement, and ways to build and support resilience when working with and interacting with youth.  Facilitated by Batstate Health Family Advocacy Center
  • Vicarious Trauma and Secondary Traumatic Stress: Professionals working with others who have experienced events such as violence, abuse, disasters, and/or any other traumatic events may be at risk for emotional distress and experiencing changes in how they view the world as a result from this indirect exposure to trauma.  This training is designed to help professionals identify and increase their awareness of vicarious trauma and secondary traumatic stress and offer suggestions for ways to address and prevent its impact.  Facilitated by Batstate Health Family Advocacy Center
  • Core Concepts of childhood Trauma (CCCT): The CCCT is a case-based, small-group curriculum designed by the National Child Traumatic Stress Network to deepen learners’ understanding of childhood trauma from the child’s perspective, and to strengthen learners’ clinical reasoning and decision-making skills. CCCT is designed to be used with different disciplines at multiple levels of training. The training is conducted by Nationally Certified Trainers, provides a foundational knowledge about the 12 Core Concepts of Childhood Trauma. Learners will be applying these concepts to a case vignette, enhancing their clinical reasoning skills and analyzing facts from a case study stimulating analytical thinking and case conceptualization, through a problem-based type of learning.  Facilitated by Baystate Health Family Advocacy Center
  • Child Sexual Exploitation and Trafficking Training (CSET):  Recognizing and understand the dynamics of child sex trafficking from a single system response to a full multidisciplinary team (MDT) response is crucial. By focusing on the fundamentals of exploitation, this training raises awareness of human trafficking and improves identification and referrals to services across varied disciplines. Topics include: Child Trafficking Awareness, Mandated Reporting and Multidisciplinary Response in CSET, Engagement and Connection to Resources, Clinical Consideration for CSET Victims and Health and Trauma Impact of CSET.  Facilitated by Baystate Health Family Advocacy Center
  • Traumatic Grief: This training reviews the impact and common themes of traumatic grief among survivors. Further, specific symptoms related to traumatic loss will be explored and specific intervention strategies and ways professionals can support children and adults who have experienced traumatic grief will be shared. Clinical techniques to address traumatic loss and impact of COVID-19 can also be incorporated.  Facilitated by Baystate Health Family Advocacy Center

Working With Youth

  • Not Taking It Personally: Learn about cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), positive self-talk and other coping skills to help manage your own emotions in the classroom. Learn coping skills and debriefing techniques for self-care.
  • Trauma and Learning: How trauma impacts the brain and learning. Learn verbal de-escalation skills to help settle emotions and get back to learning quicker.
  • Verbal De-escalation Training- How to Avoid Power Struggles: Learn verbal de-escalation strategies and how to avoid power struggles in order to decrease the amount of hands-on restraints and behavioral outbursts.

Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network

Youth Development

  • Normal Child Development- Is My Kid "Bad?": Learn about Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Mood Dysregulation Disorder and how to get desired behaviors from your child.
  • Positive Discipline: Learn about positive vs negative consequences and how you can use positive discipline to get the desired behavioral result.
  • Verbal De-escalation Training- How to Avoid Power Struggles: Learn what is a power struggle and how to avoid a power struggle. Skills to learn and practice de-escalation techniques.

Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network

OTHER

  • Autism and Neurodiversity: Learn about Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), signs and symptoms, how early intervention can help, how to access resources, and understanding differences in learning style and emotional expression.  Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network
  • Psychiatric Medication 101 for Parents: Learn about psychiatric medications, uses, and side effects.  Facilitated by the Behavioral Health Network
  • Foundations for OutReach through Experiential Child Advocacy Studies Training (FORECAST): FORECAST is a unique educational experience that’s designed to help current and future child-serving professionals make better decisions in situations involving childhood trauma. Our interactive training simulates real-world scenarios and can better prepare participants for the complex challenges of trauma-informed care. Nationally Certified FORECAST facilitators provide simultaneous training to community professionals in Problem-Based Learning Simulations (PBL-S) to develop the workforce’s Trauma Informed Experiential Reasoning Skills (TIERS). The Trauma-Informed Experiential Reasoning Skills (TIERS) outline aspirational competencies for multidisciplinary team members across many professional sectors. Facilitated by Baystate Health Family Advocacy Center

 

Schedule a training!