Linda M. Callejas, PhD, Research Assistant Professor, Department of Child & Family Studies, University of Southern Florida

Selena Webster-Bass, MPH, CEO/Lead Innovator, Voices Institute, LLC

The term implicit bias is widely used today in a variety of contexts to explain situations that lead to unintentional discriminatory outcomes. With regard to healthcare, implicit bias is used to explain the ways in which attitudes about diverse populations can result in disproportionately poor health and social outcomes for these groups, such as increased representation in more restrictive/coercive settings, disparities in access and quality of care, and reduced life expectancy. Implicit bias as a concept has many challenges that can limit efforts to more widely address unequal treatment of certain groups in our society and promote behavioral health equity. This workshop presents a critical view of the implicit bias concept and reviews recent research on the concept, the ways in which it has been operationalized, and how it has shaped organizational practices and the training of behavioral health professionals. Presenters challenge participants to consider the social aspects of bias and the implications for behavioral healthcare organizations serving young people and their families. Strategies for addressing broader social contexts and conditions are be also discussed as examples of addressing bias and discrimination in communities.

Jessie Watrous, MPA, Director, Evidence-Based Programs, The Institute for Innovation & Implementation, University of Maryland, Baltimore, School of Social Work

Robert Franks, PhD, President & CEO, Judge Baker Children’s Center, Harvard University

Suzanne Kerns, PhD, Research Associate Professor & Executive Director, Graduate School of Social Work’s Center for Effective Interventions, University of Denver

In this workshop you will learn about best practices to develop an evidence-based service array to better meet the needs of youth and families and improve outcomes. Presenters offer a framework for understanding evidence-based practices (EBPs) in today’s context and share strategies and tools to identify and address gaps in your existing service array and select EBPs that fit your system, community or agency. Specifically, presenters address the following topics: 1) assessing population strengths and needs; 2): identifying gaps in services and setting priorities to fill gaps; 3) selecting an EBP that “fits” and differentiating similar EBPs; 4) leveraging public funding to support priorities and develop your array of EBPs , 5) developing an infrastructure to support quality implementation of EBPs at scale; and 6) supporting “front-line” practice change to maximize use of EBPs. This session kicks off a webinar series on EBPs where each of these topics will be explored in depth.

Christopher Bellonci, MD, FAACAP, Vice President of Policy and Practice, Chief Medical Officer, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School, Judge Baker Children’s Center

Kim Batche-McKenzie, LMSW, Director, Division of Mental Health Services to Children and Families, Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Administration, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Mary Ludke, Innovative Services Section Manager, Division of Mental Health Services to Children and Families, Michigan Department of Health and Human Services

Laurel Omland, Director, Child, Adolescent and Family Division, Vermont Department of Mental Health

Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, there has been a 44% decrease in mental health services for children insured through Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Reports to child welfare reporting hotlines were down as much as 50% and have still not returned to baseline numbers. And a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) survey of 18-24 years olds revealed that more than 25% had seriously considered suicide in the preceding 30 days. How do we support resiliency in the face of a pandemic? How do we ensure that our responses systematically address the inequities that the pandemic has revealed? How do we prevent the grief that so many children and families have been exposed to from depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)? This engaging workshop will frame the challenges and offer solutions with concrete, practical, and trauma-informed approaches to the unprecedented challenges of our times.

Eric Bruns, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine

System- and organizational-level factors have been shown to have a clear influence on the quality of implementation of healthcare innovations. In response, entities such as the National Technical Assistance Network for Children's Behavioral Health (TA Network) and the National Wraparound Implementation Center (NWIC) are increasingly emphasizing data collection and feedback on system- and program-level implementation in their work to transform systems of care and improve the quality of behavioral health care provided to youth and families. In this workshop, the presenter will highlight specific measures and strategies used for service models such as wraparound care coordination and intensive in-home behavioral health treatment (IIBHT) services. Presenters will detail a range of relevant measures that can be used or adapted. In addition, they will highlight specific examples of how the measures and measurement foci can inform multiple critical elements of the behavioral health service implementation process at the state, system, and program levels, including coaching system and organizational leaders, continual quality assurance, evaluation of process and impact, and generalizable research.

Kimberly Estep, MA, Division Director for Implementation and Workforce Development, Clinical Instructor, and Director, National Wraparound Implementation Center, The Institute for Innovation and Implementation, University of Maryland, School of Social Work

Sara Strader, MS, Director, The Texas Center, The Institute for Innovation and Implementation, University of Maryland, School of Social Work

Implementing high-quality, fidelity Wraparound requires more than just coaching and training. It also requires a hospitable environment with both state system-level supports and a supportive organization. This workshop will focus on two tools that can be used to guide Wraparound implementation -- the Wraparound Implementation Standards - Program (WISP) and the Wraparound Implementation Standards - System (WISS). These tools operationalize the Wraparound Implementation Practice and Quality Standards and provide a practical method to address the state system and organizational level strategies needed for effective implementation. Presenters will orient participants to the WISS and the WISP and describe how the tools can be used throughout the implementation process to assess where the implementation is on track and what gaps may need to be addressed.

Kelly Hyde, PhD, LPCC, FidelityEHR

Mary Curry, PhD, LCSW, FidelityEHR

Jake Mickley, BS, CEO, Hanford Technology

Technology innovations are fast becoming a part of the behavioral health (BH) landscape. Future advances in BH technology have the potential to facilitate the role of BH within the overall health care system and to help foster improvement in practice fidelity, whole client health, staff retention and operations. This workshop will focus on a brief history of technology adoption and use in healthcare, and specifically within BH. Three innovative technologies will be explored: 1) artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) (prescriptive and predictive analytics), 2) Blockchain for protected health information (PHI) access and exchange, and 3) Internet of Things (IOT) (wearables, apps, virtual reality). Relevant applied examples of each of these technologies will be provided, and a summary of the benefits and challenges in using these technologies will be explored. Presenters will provide a process for participants to identify their BH organization’s "big needs" and consider how these innovative technologies could potentially provide solutions.

Sharon Hoover, PhD, Director, National Center for School Mental Health, University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine

Samantha Reaves, PhD, Director, National Center for School Mental Health, University of Maryland Baltimore School of Medicine

This workshop will focus on comprehensive school mental health systems and strategies for integrating school mental health services with systems of care. Presenters will define the core features of school mental health systems, review the value and impact of effective school mental health services, and provide an overview of the current state of the school mental health field. Specific strategies will be provided for fostering the widescale adoption of comprehensive school mental health systems, including implementation strategies at the system and service delivery levels. States and communities that have made significant progress in implementing school mental health systems will be highlighted. Resources including a free online system for assessing school mental health quality improvement and a guidance document on school mental health will be made available to participants.

Stuart Yael Gordon, JD, Retired, Former Senior Director of Policy and Communications, National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors

Eric Tadehara, LCSW, MPA, Assistant Director of Children’s Behavioral Health, Utah Division of Substance Abuse and Mental Health

Kristin Savicki, PhD, Child Clinical Systems Team Office of Behavioral Health, Louisiana Department of Health

This workshop will outline the history of telehealth services and how they are currently being implemented and expanded to meet the needs of youth and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Presenters will provide an overview of the restrictions on telehealth services that existed prior to the pandemic and will describe the flexibilities that have been made available to states and providers under sec. 1135 Public Health Emergency (PHE) during the COVID-related PHE and how they have impacted access to behavioral health services. Presenters will also discuss which of these flexibilities have been adopted for use following the PHE until the end of 2021, which have been adopted on a permanent basis, and what additional flexibilities advocates within the behavioral health community are seeking to see adopted permanently. Examples of how telehealth services are being used to reach youth and families during the COVID-19 pandemic will be shared to demonstrate how these services can be applied in other states and communities.

Kate Sweeney Wasserman, MSW, LCSW-C, Director, Parent, Infant, Early Childhood (PIEC) Program, The Institute for Innovation and Implementation, University of Maryland School of Social Work

Amanda Costello, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Delaware

Ashley Fehringer, MPH, Training Specialist, Parent, Infant and Early Childhood (PIEC) Program, The Institute for Innovation and Implementation, University of Maryland School of Social Work

This workshop will focus on implementing evidence-based practices (EBPs) for early childhood with high fidelity. Fidelity is the faithfulness with which a program or practice is implemented and is critical for maximizing the likelihood of replicating the outcomes found in evaluation and research. Significant efforts to train, certify, and support clinicians is needed to ensure that EBPs are implemented and provided with high fidelity to the models. This requires intensive didactic and skills acquisition training that includes both performance and competency-based components. Presenters will share strategies for the initial training for certification of EBP providers, including didactic instruction, supervision, monitoring, video observation, feedback, and support. In addition, strategies will be provided for post-certification training to increase and sustain fidelity to the model without the direct support of expert trainers. Three specific EBPs provided in community-based settings for young children and their families will be highlighted to illustrate strategies for high-fidelity implementation to ensure that children and families receive the best possible outcomes -- Parent Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) SEFEL Pyramid Model (SEFEL) and Attachment Biobehavioral Catchup (ABC).

Alice Topaloff, Operations Coordinator, Youth MOVE National

Kippi Clausen, Founder & CEO, Unfolding Directions

Zyshaun Jackson, Joint Initiatives for Youth and Families

This workshop will introduce participants to a validated assessment for measuring the extent to which youth and young adults are meaningfully involved in advising and decision-making in agencies -- the Youth Voice at the Agency Level (Y-VAL). The Y-VAL provides a framework of key indicators for youth/young adult voice in program design at the agency and system level, and measures areas including overall vision, commitment to and support of youth participation, workforce development to ensure meaningful participation, participation in program development and policies, participation in evaluation and quality assurance, and leading initiatives and projects. This assessment can be used for research. program evaluation, and strategic planning. It serves to educate stakeholders about best practices for youth involvement, while also allowing them to assess the extent to which they have implemented these practices. Presenters will showcase an example of how the tool was implemented in several agencies in Colorado and how the results were used to move forward with a statewide strategic planning process, with a view towards demonstrating how participants may use the Y-VAL in their organizations.

Gwendolyn White, MSW, Training and Technical Assistance Consultant, National Training and Technical Assistance Center for Child, Youth, and Family Mental Health

Johanna Bergan, Executive Director, Youth MOVE National

Maryann Davis, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry (Psychology), Director of the Implementation Science and Practice Advances Research Center (iSPARC), and Director of the Transitions to Adulthood Center for Research (Transitions ACR) University of Mass Medical School

Youth and young adults with serious mental health conditions experience some of the poorest outcomes among young people with disabilities. Better outcomes are achieved, sustained, and able to be replicated when there are changes in both individual practice and in the policies that guide these practices. Changes in services and practices, along with changes in policies and system structures, are an optimal place to start when working to improve the lives of youth and young adults with mental health challenges. Recommendations for critical policy change for young adults were developed 15 years ago, and these policy tenets remain important and valuable guideposts for this work. It is also necessary to infuse the current context into practice and policy change efforts. Exploration of policy change examples in each of the key areas will be explored, with the infusion of new progress in telehealth, increased access to youth peer supports, and increased urgency to develop equitable systems that repair past disparities. In this workshop, participants will be invited to think about updates to policy change recommendations and to reconsider policy as an important change tool.

Charlene Taylor, PhD, Senior Researcher, Evident Change

Jovan Goodman, APSW, Program Specialist, Evident Change

Inequities in human service systems have been recognized as a complex and entrenched problem for organizations providing services and supports for youth and families. While there is a general sense that marginalized populations may have poor experiences, targeted analysis of data comparing the experience of specific populations to other populations or to the population as a whole should occur within organizations serving those populations. However, organizations are often not prepared or adequately supported to use data to improve practice. Supported by the Kresge Foundation, Evident Change developed and piloted the Data for Equity (D4E) model. This workshop will describe the D4E model, review the data analytics, discuss the usefulness of the data driven strategies, and identify key considerations associated with using data and data analytics to inform continuous quality improvement for enhancing equity within human service systems. Presenters will provide strategies for participants to apply lessons learned from the D4E pilot to develop practical strategies for their own agency or organization.

Eric Bruns, PhD, Clinical Psychologist and Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine

Kimberly Arnold, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow , Penn Center for Mental Health, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine

Larissa Gaias, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts-Lowell

This workshop will focus on how to apply implementation science to increase effectiveness of youth and family mental health services and to reduce racial/ethnic disparities in mental health service access and outcomes. Presenters will review implementation determinants at multiple levels and will provide strategies for targeting each of these levels. Examples of levels to be reviewed include: 1) clinicians, care coordinators, and peer support workers charged with implementing mental health interventions and strategies (individual level); 2) organizational-level strategies, including leadership enhancement strategies (inner setting); 3) district/state policy and funding context (outer setting); and 4) the design of mental health interventions (the innovation level). The team will go on to describe a process for adapting implementation strategies to include an explicit focus on equity, including concrete examples from the school mental health arena of how implementation strategies can be paired with evidence based practices in youth mental health to increase equity. The overarching goal will be to provide an overview of actionable strategies for ensuring implementation success; improving the social, emotional, and behavioral wellness of youth and their families; and addressing equity issues in youth mental health service delivery.

Jennifer Flowers, MBA, CEO/Founder, Accreditation Guru, Inc.

Ruby Goyal-Carkeek, MBA, Senior Vice President, Alliance for Strong Families & Communities and Council on Accreditation

Leslie Ellis-Lang, MSEd, LMFT, Managing Director of Child and Youth Services, CARF International

Colette Bukowski, MA, Associate Director of Business Development - Behavioral Healthcare, The Joint Commission

Under the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), congregate care providers must determine how they can best serve children and families. This workshop will provide an overview of the requirements of FFPSA for Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTPs) and will describe the opportunity for change that can allow current residential service providers to achieve their mission. The panel includes representatives from the three original accrediting bodies approved by HHS to accredit QRTPs (CARF, COA and The Joint Commission). Discussions will focus on the progress made by states that were early implementors of FFPSA and how providers have navigated the road to accreditation on the way to becoming a QRTP. Panelists will share data about the organizations that sought accreditation in 2019/2020 vs. the previous two-year period. What were their successes? Where did organizations struggle? Were there differences between states? What data are they analyzing when looking toward the future? In response to COVID-19, the accrediting bodies and agencies have had to shift priorities and navigate a new environment. The panel will address the impact of the pandemic on completing accreditation, reasons for postponement/cancellations of surveys, the use of virtual surveys and current status. Future challenges and opportunities in implementing the QRTP accreditation component of FFPSA will also be discussed, as well as its influence on child welfare and other children’s services.