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Do you know a consumer/peer leader who has been a leader in educating the public about   behavioral health (mental health and/or addiction issues)? If so, please help the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) recognize his/her accomplishments by nominating him/her for a 2011 Voice Award. This year, SAMHSA is putting special emphasis on the impact of trauma and the significant effects   it can have on individuals, families and friends, communities, and our Nation. Consideration is being given to consumer/peer leaders who have successfully advocated for the rights of trauma survivors and promoted the importance of trauma-informed care. Each year, the Voice Awards honor consumer/peer leaders whose exemplary leadership and  advocacy plays a vital role in raising both awareness and understanding of behavioral health problems. Specifically, these individuals have made outstanding contributions in all of the following areas:  Led efforts to promote the social inclusion of individuals with trauma histories and behavioral health problems;  Personally demonstrated that recovery is real and possible; and Made a positive impact on their community, workplace, or school. To nominate an eligible consumer/peer leader(s), visit the Voice Awards Web site at www.voiceawards.samhsa.gov. ALL NOMINATIONS MUST BE SUBMITTED BY FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2011. Nominations are open to anyone and are free. There is no limit to the number of nominations an individual can submit. Self-nominations are welcome. The 2011 Voice Awards ceremony will take place on Wednesday, August 24 at Paramount Studios   in Hollywood, CA. Please consult the Voice Awards Web site for event updates and instructions on how to submit a nomination(s).

I have a confession to make. Until about a year ago, I had no idea what SAMHSA was. I had never even heard of it. My son has struggled with serious behavioral issues for more than nine years, which we now know are caused by his bipolar disorder. We were working with a small army of social workers, counselors, school personnel, psychiatrists, therapists—and I was well-versed in a small textbook of acronyms like IEP, SMI, ADHD, ODD, ADA, etc. But not one time was SAMHSA or any of its programs ever mentioned to me as a resource.

Since 2007, SAMHSA has promoted the improved wellness of people with behavioral health problems by engaging, educating, and training providers, consumers, and policy makers. SAMHSA partnered with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Women’s Health (FDA/OWH) to disseminate wellness messages and motivate individuals and community organizations to take action through a Pledge for Wellness. Already, more than 3,000 national and community organizations are taking action for wellness.

To assist people with disabilities, consumers, survivors, family members, advocates, and health care/mental health providers to better understand the rights of people with disabilities, the challenges posed by the assertion of these rights, and the protections offered under the law, the SAMHSA ADS Center invites you to a free training teleconference titled “Building an Inclusive Society.”

Comfort rooms. Humor. Daily interactions. A new training DVD from SAMHSA describes positive alternatives to seclusion and restraint practices.

Click here to register for this event What: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), almost 60 percent of American adults say they endured abuse and other difficult family situations as children, otherwise known as adverse childhood experiences. Those experiences can have long-term health consequences. The annual financial burden to society of childhood abuse and trauma is $103 billion, according to a 2007 Federal Economic Impact Study. The costs include annual direct costs such as hospitalization, mental health care, child welfare service, and law enforcement, as well as indirect costs such as special education, juvenile delinquency, mental health and health care, adult criminal justice system, and lost productivity. The SAMHSA 10x10 Wellness Campaign invites you to a free training teleconference titled, “The Impact of Trauma on Wellness: Implications for Comprehensive Systems Change.” This teleconference will educate diverse stakeholders about comprehensive systems change, including preventing harm and inadvertent retraumatization and ensuring that services and supports are welcoming, engaging, and culturally attuned. The goal is to help facilitate the healing process among people who have experienced trauma so that they can become fully engaged in their communities. When: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 1:00 - 2:30p.m. Mountain Presenters: Cathy Cave, Senior Program Associate, Advocates for Human Potential Roger Fallot, Ph.D., Director of Research and Evaluation, Community Connections Ann Jennings, Ph. D., Founder and Executive Director, The Anna Institute

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

This six-part webinar series, Girls Matter, provides research, best practice and critical thinking on the topics that professionals working with girls and young women must know. Each session addresses a key area of what matters to adolescent girls today—including challenges, opportunities, and strategies for supporting girls. SAMHSA has created this webinar series to: Increase the behavioral health workforce’s understanding of the needs and concerns of adolescent girls (primarily ages 12-18) Bring visibility and attention to the specific behavioral health concerns of adolescent girls

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Facts, diagnosis, treatment, questions and answers, data and statistics, research, screening tools, training and education resources, and free materials for consumers and health professionals. Includes materials in Spanish and Russian. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic & Prevention Network Screening, diagnostic, surveillance, intervention, prevention, and training tools for health professionals, social service providers, and researchers. Includes diagnostic software, instructions on using a four-digit diagnostic code, and photographs to use in diagnosis. Medline Plus: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Information for consumers including overviews, news, research tools, reference material, and links to additional information sources. National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) An online information packet, electronic newsletters, public service announcements, a national and state-by-state resource directory, a list of NOFAS state affiliates, and tools for educators, including a school-based FASD education and prevention curriculum http://www.nofas.org/about/K-12Curriculum.htm> developed in partnership with CDC. PubMed Over 18 million citations and abstracts from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles indexed by the National Library of Medicine back to the 1950s, with links to full text articles when available. Search tips: Enter the term “fetal alcohol syndrome” or the term “fetal alcohol spectrum” in the Search box. Click the Limits tab, and choose the box for Humans and the box for English (or other desired language). Limit the search by date to retrieve only more recent items. SAMHSA Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence Downloadable fact sheets and brochures, links to state resources and legislations, model programs, a publications database, and training courses. University of Wisconsin, Madison: Pregnancy and Alcohol Information on alcohol and pregnancy and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, including fact sheets, self-help guides, research findings, and answers to frequently asked questions. Expert advice offered via e-mail or toll-free information line (800) 752-3157.

Building an Inclusive Society ·        Mental Health in the Military: The Path to Resilience and Recovery

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

Click here to Register - Registration will close at 5:00 p.m. ET 6/ 21/2011 What: The SAMHSA ADS Center invites you to a free training teleconference to learn how consumers/survivors of mental health and substance use conditions are working together with private and public officials to make socially inclusive systems across many dimensions of community life—housing, employment, education, arts and culture, transportation, civic and entrepreneurial leadership, health and recreation. Speakers will provide strategies for building diverse collaborations to map community assets and discover individual capacities that benefit communities and the delivery of social services. As a participant in this teleconference, you will see that social inclusion is achievable and learn how YOU can be part of the change. When: Thursday, June 23, 2011 at 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. Mountain Time

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.

Application deadline: April 9, 2010 The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS), through a contract with Westover Consultants, Inc. (Westover), and AFYA, Inc. (AFYA), is providing financial support to consumers of mental health services who wish to participate in the Annual Conference sponsored by National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).  The purpose of this scholarship is to foster the transformation of mental health care to focus on recovery.  Please Note:  To be eligible for this scholarship, a completed application must be received by U.S. Mail, postmarked on or before the deadline of April 9, 2010.  NO FAXED OR E-MAILED SUBISSIONS WILL BE ACCEPTED.

Tools For Success: Working With Youth With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) in the Juvenile Justice System About This Program This program is designed for you to learn at your own pace. You may view each module sequentially, or in any order you wish. Click on the Modules tab at the top of the screen; double click on the module you wish to view. Move from screen to screen using the forward and back arrows at the bottom of the screen. To view the notes, click on the notes icon at the bottom of each slide. There is a Quiz consisting of 10 questions at the end of each module. At the end of the quiz, you may print out a Certificate of Completion for your files. Provide your name and email address on the sign-in screen for the customized Certificate. If you choose not to provide this information, you can download and print a Certificate of Completion after completing the course which you can then fill in with your name. Audio feature has to be manually turned on in Internet Explorer 8 and earlier Web browsers.