Group items tagged

You can download the flyer for more information here!What:Attend all four days if possible, especially if you plan to provide wraparound facilitation or caregiver peer to peer support services through the PRTF Waiver.  A light breakfast and afternoon snacks will be offered each day.  Lunch on your own. For room reservations at the state rate contact reservations directly at the hotel at (406)656-3900 and request the block of rooms being held for Wraparound 101 Basic Training by the Children’s Mental Health Bureau, AT LEAST 2 weeks prior to the sessions.When:Part One:  March 28-29th, 2012      9am-4pm both daysPart Two:  April 25-26th, 2012        9am-4pm both days Helena Peer to Peer Training w/ Susan Boehrer:April 9th and 10thLocation: TBA Billings Peer to Peer Training w/ Susan Boehrer:April 12th and 13thLocation: TBA Where:Residence Inn by Marriot/Billings (Meeting Room)956 S. 25th Street WestBillings, MT 59102Contact: Kelsey AntcliffPhone: (406) 444-5978 Email: Kantcliff@mt.gov Nancy Whitbeck-Nicholson Email: NWhitbeck-Nicholson@mt.gov and provide your name, agency, email and phone number. Registration closes March 21st; space is limited. No cost for the training. For questions about the PRTF Waiver, contact Laura Taffs at ltaffs@mt.gov or (406)444-1460.

Click here to download the flyer for this event (PDF) What: Wraparound 101 Training is an additional requirement for those wishing to provide caregiver peer-to-peer services in the PRTF waiver. When: September 27-28, 2011 9:00am - 4:00pm Mountain Where: Best Western Premier Great Northern Hotel Helena 835 Great Northern Boulevard Helena, MT 59601 Trainer:  Susan Boehrer To register or if you have questions:   Contact Nancy Whitbeck-Nicholson at NWhitbeck-Nicholson@mt.gov or (406) 444-4545 and provide your name, agency, email and phone number. Register early as space is limited. No cost for the training. For questions about the training: Contact Kandis Franklin at kfranklin@mt.gov or (406) 444-6018.

SAMHSA ADS Center invites you to a free training teleconference entitled “Peer Support and Peer Providers: Redefining Mental Health Recovery”. This training teleconference will help current and past recipients of mental health services, U.S. service members and their families, health providers, advocacy organizations, family and peer support leaders, and the general public explore the questions above.

Freeland High School plans a new class this semester to provide peer support to students with autism. The pilot LINK course, inspired by Freeland Elementary School’s successful Peers Actively Learning Social Skills program, will include three students and their peer “links” who receive class credit for participation, Special Education Supervisor Erin Senkowski said. if(typeof oTNCMS_Ad.setRelative == 'function'){ oTNCMS_Ad.setRelative(); } oTNCMS_Ad.show(); “This came to be at the high school because we have a very good program at the elementary and as students moved up (we needed to continue),” Senkowski said. “We find kids learn social skills best from their peers.”

MOSSAIC: Mentorship, Organization, and Social Support for Autism Inclusion on Campus MOSSAIC is support for people transitioning to the U of M who have autism spectrum disorder, Asperger syndrome, or other social/organizational challenges.  This program is offered by the RiteCare Speech, Language and Hearing Clinic.   MOSSAIC provides: Weekly time with experienced peers (U of M juniors or seniors) to address your individualized needs such as: Walk through your class schedule Organization of materials & time Self-advocacy & when to disclose Campus safety Shared living space Understanding academic expectations Problem solving opportunities Evening seminars to support student needs & provide social opportunities.  If interested, please contact:  Jennifer Closson at 406-243-5261 or jennifer.closson@mso.umt.edu  Bethany Rigles at 406-243-2208 or bethany.rigles@mso.umt.edu

Click here to Register Online What: This year, the New Community Opportunities Project at ILRU is offering three webinars on the role of the CIL in facilitating and advancing successful youth transition. In the first event, "Youth Taking Charge of Their Own Transition: The Role of CILs," our presenter will provide participants with strategies on how CILs can use existing services they provide for all populations to support youth in transition.  Upon completion of this webinar, participants will have knowledge and resources which will enable them to: Describe tools and strategies for self-assessment of student's needs, interests, and preferences. Assist the student with developing an Independent Living Plan that enables the youth to describe and take charge of their transition process. Through peer mentoring, support students to gain the independent living and advocacy skills necessary for them to achieve their goals. Identify other resources available to youth and young adults that can support them in achieving their goals.  When: April 20, 2011 1:00-2:30pm Mountain Target Audience: Executive directors and staff of centers for independent living involved in the youth transition process. Registration Fee: $75.00 per site. Fee does not apply per participant; registrants are encouraged to gather as many individuals as desired to participate in this webinar. ALL CILs are encouraged to participate in this important training.

Click here to Register Online What: This year, the New Community Opportunities Project at ILRU is offering three webinars on the role of the CIL in facilitating and advancing successful youth transition. In the first event, "Youth Taking Charge of Their Own Transition: The Role of CILs," our presenter will provide participants with strategies on how CILs can use existing services they provide for all populations to support youth in transition.  Upon completion of this webinar, participants will have knowledge and resources which will enable them to: Describe tools and strategies for self-assessment of student's needs, interests, and preferences. Assist the student with developing an Independent Living Plan that enables the youth to describe and take charge of their transition process. Through peer mentoring, support students to gain the independent living and advocacy skills necessary for them to achieve their goals. Identify other resources available to youth and young adults that can support them in achieving their goals.  Target Audience: Executive directors and staff of centers for independent living involved in the youth transition process. Registration Fee: $75.00 per site. Fee does not apply per participant; registrants are encouraged to gather as many individuals as desired to participate in this webinar. ALL CILs are encouraged to participate in this important training.

You can download the registration form and information here!What:Easter Seals-Goodwill Children's Services brings you "Just 4 Siblings", where siblings can meet & talk with peers who have a brother or sister with special needs. Kids will be provided with fun activities, along with a supportive place to share, and fun games!Admission is $10.00 and lunch will be provided.When: Saturday, March 24, 201210:00 am - 3:00 pmWhere:800 Kensington AvenueSuite 100Missoula, MTContact:Audrey Pierce-SeeleyPhone: (406) 850-2977              orAbbey HoodPhone: (406) 217-8768

What: Teenagers with social challenges often lack a safe, accepting context where they can be themselves and develop relationships with their peers, which can place them at risk for a multitude of emotional challenges and can negatively impact their quality of life and self-esteem. MT CAAN is organizing a Teen Social Network to provide a context for any interested local teenagers, both those who are struggling socially (for whatever reason), and for their peers who want to connect with and support them, as healthy communities ideally do. The teen members will determine the direction of the group, meeting times, places, and activities as it evolves. It has been our experience that these diverse social networks benefit those who are doing fine socially as much as those who are struggling at whatever level. It's positive for everybody. All involved learn and grow. When: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 6 - 8 p.m. Mountain Where: Atonement Lutheran Church (Space Courtesy of the YMCA) 2205 34th Street • Missoula, MT  59801 Pizza and beverages will be served. Those with dietary restrictions or special preferences are welcome to bring their own snacks and beverages. Contact: If you have questions, contact us via e-mail or call 406-360-8673.

Just six treatment sessions designed to help moms of kids with developmental disabilities manage their stress can go a long way toward reducing depression and anxiety, researchers say. Parents of children with developmental disabilities often experience greater stress than moms and dads of typically-developing kids. Nonetheless, most interventions target the needs of their children with disabilities exclusively. Now, researchers say more attention ought to be paid to the unique needs of these parents. In a trial of two treatment programs, Elisabeth Dykens of the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development and her colleagues found that weekly sessions with trained peer mentors could help moms conquer their stress and, in turn, interact more constructively with their children with disabilities.

Training will be held in three locations: Bozeman – August 9-10 Western Montana Drop In Center 695 Farmhouse Lane Helena – August 12-13 Lewis and Clark Library, Large Conference Room 120 S. Last Chance Gulch Billings – September 9-10 Location to be announced  The Leadership training will be offered by the National Consumer Support Technical Assistance Center (NCSTAC) and funded through a grant from Center for Mental Health Services and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.  Topics to be covered are: Steps to Recovery Self-Advocacy Meeting Management Serving on Boards and Committees Creative Leadership – Using your strengths Systems Advocacy

Click here to download flyer (PDF) What: Basic Training in High-Fidelity Wraparound Facilitation Where: Red Lion Hotel Kalispell 20 North Main Street Kalispell, MT 59901 Room Reservations:  1-800-RED-LION; ask for Wraparound Training rates. When: Part One:  Aug. 8th & 9th, 2011  9am-4pm both days Part Two:  Aug. 29th & 30th, 2011  9am-4pm both days Attend all four days if possible, especially if you plan to provide wraparound facilitation or caregiver peer to peer support services through the PRTF Waiver. *Note-all sessions held at the Red Lion Hotel 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The secret to boosting the language skills of preschoolers with disabilities may be to put them in classrooms with typically developing peers, a new study finds.Researchers found that the average language skills of a child’s classmates in the fall significantly predicted the child’s language skills in the spring – especially for children with disabilities.The results support inclusion policies in schools that aim to have students with disabilities in the same classrooms alongside their typically developing peers, said Laura Justice, co-author of the study and professor of teaching and learning at The Ohio State University.

Click here to register for this event What: Identifying intervention strategies and applications for persons with complex communication needs remains a challenge. Multimodal approaches to AAC intervention within naturalistic environments provide significant opportunities for cultivating intentionality and supporting language acquisition. This series of webinars will aid in gaining insight into utilization of symbols for teaching and shaping behaviors that function as meaningful and appropriate communication. Participants will learn strategies for employing symbols and technology to support the four main purposes of communication: expressing wants and needs, developing social closeness, exchanging information and fulfilling social routines. Course 1 - June 21, 2011 - Unleash the Power of Augmentative and Alternative Communication Your AAC users are not talking with their peers, use few communicative functions and are unmotivated to communicate. What can be done to nourish functional, generative communication? This course will address using a variety of technologies and strategies to stimulate use of meaningful and appropriate communication. Learner Outcomes: The participant will be able to identify the meaning of functional communication and the requisites for communication. The participant will be able to describe six strategies for supporting the development of communication skills using single message devices. The participant will be able to explain 12 ways to utilize sequencers to encourage functional communication in a variety of settings. When: Webinar begins at 10:00am Mountain time. Session sign in begins 15 minutes prior. This session requires you to call in to access the audio. Certificate of Attendance will be available at completion.

Click here to register for this event What: Social inclusion occurs when individuals and entire communities of people have access to rights, opportunities, and resources that are usually available to members of American society. People with mental health and substance use problems are more  likely to fully recover and rebuild their lives when they have access not only to care and services, but also to social, economic, educational, recreational, and cultural opportunities that most citizens take for granted.  A socially inclusive society also provides opportunities for individuals in recovery to contribute to their communities as peers, employees, parents, residents, students, volunteers, teachers, and active citizens. Social inclusion provides a policy framework to make this vision a reality.  The SAMHSA ADS Center invites you to a FREE teleconference training to learn about three innovative community programs that are improving lives, changing communities, and transforming systems through social inclusion practices. The training will highlight the promising practices of the 2010 Campaign for Social Inclusion Award recipients, including:  SC SHARE’s Dream Team, which is reaching thousands of young people throughout South Carolina through partnerships with key government, faith, and community leaders. The Dream Team uses lived experience to show that there is hope; that a full, productive life can be the expectation; and that recovery is possible.  Heartland Consumer Network’s Poetry for Personal Power, which is changing lives and influencing educational systems by bringing open mic spoken poetry competitions to colleges throughout Missouri. This program is offering young people with mental health and substance use problems the chance to use personal experience and creativity to inspire others.     Advocacy Unlimited, Inc., which developed a 30-minute documentary titled Shining Stars – Young Adults in Recovery to give a voice to young people with mental health and substance use problems who teach about what recovery looks like and the important role all of us play in supporting each other. This program will be featured during a public viewing of the documentary in June at the State Legislative Office Building in Connecticut.    These SAMHSA-supported community-based efforts will demonstrate how social inclusion programs improve lives, communities, and systems. Participants will also learn how they can apply for the 2011 Campaign for Social Inclusion Awards and become a pioneer for building a socially inclusive America.   Date and Time Monday, May 9, 2011 1 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. Mountain

What: People diagnosed with mental health problems have significantly shorter life spans and are more likely   to have serious but preventable health conditions—including obesity, diabetes, and hypertension—compared to people who do not have mental health problems. Traditionally, the mental health field has focused primarily on a person’s psychiatric stabilization rather than taking a broader, holistic approach that looks at the wellness of the whole person—mind, body, and spirit. Recent preventive and holistic approaches along with complementary and alternative  medicines (CAMs) have shown success in improving the overall health of individuals with mental health problems which contributes to their ability to live a more full and satisfying life in the community. The SAMHSA 10x10 Wellness Campaign invites you to a free training teleconference titled “Prevention and Holistic Approaches to Wellness: A Fresh Perspective on Mental Health Recovery.” This teleconference will educate diverse stakeholders about both peer-delivered and community mental health provider-delivered alternatives to wellness that focus on building resiliency and supporting individuals to establish healthier lifestyles. It also will address how to create educational campaigns and outreach to disseminate information about complementary and alternative healing practices in the context of rigorous science.   When: Tuesday, December 7, 2010 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. Mountain