DMH UCLA Public Mental Health Partnership

Presented by Chelsea Simms, LCSW, MSW. Outreach and Engagement (O&E) is a key phase of treatment across Full Service Partnership (FSP) and Homeless Outreach Mobile Engagement (HOME) teams within Los Angeles County. During this time, it is crucial to begin building a solid therapeutic relationship with clients. We will discuss techniques to reinforce this relationship, including shared decision making and other collaborative strategies. This training will also facilitate a space for reflection on engagement practices from both a clinical and practical lens. Utilizing evidence-based practices from trauma informed care to motivational interviewing, this brief training aims to strengthen providers' skillsets overall. Time will be taken to engage in dialogue and role play for the unique challenges that O&E can present providers and the teams they work within across multiple systems of care.

Presented by Chelsea Simms, LCSW, MSW and Larry Fernandez, LCSW, MSW. Mental illness and co-occurring disorders can influence the length of time in establishing a trusting therapeutic relationship. Assertive engagement involves the use of interpersonal skills and inventiveness to engage clients and interest them in subsequent care. It entails taking multidisciplinary services directly to the people in encampments, streets, sidewalks, alleyways, schools, and other public spaces, followed by the provision of ongoing support. This training will cover assertive engagement strategies that are most helpful with adult clients with mental illnesses that may include co-occurring substance use disorders. Strategies will include evidence-informed modalities (motivational interviewing, harm reduction, strengths-based), informal/creative approaches, as well as opportunities for learners to apply these strategies using case vignettes. The intended audience for this training is field-based community mental health providers and outreach workers.

Presented by Sam Tsemberis, PhD and Ana Stefancic, PhD. This training will describe the concept of program fidelity, how the principles and practices of Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs are operationalized to measure FSP model fidelity, and how to use fidelity assessments as part of quality improvement. We use narratives and vignettes to illustrate how to apply FSP fidelity principles and practices in real-world programs to enhance service delivery for individuals experiencing mental illness as well as homelessness, substance use, and/or physical health challenges.

This training serves as a follow-up to the previous training, Working with Justice-Involved Clients: Part 1, which took place on May 17, 2023. This training will more closely examine how the justice system interacts with individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). Participants will review statistics regarding individuals with SMI in the justice system and the best practices for discussing mental health in the courtroom setting. This training will highlight important practice points for clinicians, such as strategies for coordinating and advocating on behalf of clients in the justice system, as well as ethical considerations. Recorded on June 7, 2023.

This is an overview of the criminal justice system, including alternatives to incarceration for clients with serious mental illness (SMI), and a discussion of the roles and responsibilities of the clinician while working with clients. The training will include information related to the Los Angeles County jail and court systems, practice points related to working with clients with SMI, navigating the case and the courtroom, and discussion of some of the related ethical considerations and the impact on the clinician's work. This training is tailored for community mental health providers working in field-based settings in Los Angeles County. Recorded on May 17, 2023.

This presentation will outline key principles in field-based psychiatric services through a model developed by the HOME Team. Psychiatrists will learn how to adapt traditional psychiatric services for service delivery in the field and gain a better understanding of the DMH innovations available to support field-based psychiatry. The presentation will outline how to utilize a team-based approach in supporting community reintegration and the role of a psychiatrist in critical psychosocial interventions, including housing support. Internal and external DMH clinical resources will also be shared to enhance collaboration and care-coordination efforts. This training is tailored for community mental health providers working in field-based settings in Los Angeles County.

Presented by Elizabeth Mackey, LMSW and Chelsea Simms, LCSW, MSW. This training focuses on expanding the practice, knowledge, and skills of social workers, case managers, peers, psychologists, and psychiatrists who work in Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs in Los Angeles County. The training builds on the prior FSP Training Collaborative series topics (recovery-oriented and trauma informed care) to provide education on harm reduction principles and practice.

• Part 2: Begins with a review of the stages of change model and motivational interviewing (MI) as critical for continued engagement and goal setting with clients around substance use. 

Presented by Elizabeth Mackey, LMSW and Chelsea Simms, LCSW, MSW. This training focuses on expanding the practice, knowledge, and skills of social workers, case managers, peers, psychologists, and psychiatrists who work in Full Service Partnership (FSP) programs in Los Angeles County. The training builds on the prior FSP Training Collaborative series topics (recovery-oriented and trauma informed care) to provide education on harm reduction principles and practice.

• Part 1: Defines harm reduction and describes its historical, cultural, and political context in the HIV/AIDS crisis and the evolution of the criminalization of drugs in the United States, with a particular emphasis on the War on Drugs’ role in exacerbating systemic racism and stigma. 

Effective care coordination is essential for supporting positive outcomes in clients with complex medical and mental health needs. This is especially true for child and adolescent clients involved with multiple agencies or systems. This training will examine the best practices for engaging in professional collaboration on behalf of youth clients. Participants will explore theoretical approaches to care coordination and case management activities, review the various systems with which youth clients may be involved (e.g., schools, the juvenile justice system, DCFS, etc.), discuss care coordination techniques to use within these systems, and finally, troubleshoot barriers to successful collaboration. Staff of all roles on mental health or outreach teams that engage in any case management or therapeutic activities with youth clients are encouraged to listen.

Numerous studies have highlighted a concerning surge in the mental health challenges facing youth in recent years. As part of this growing concern, rates of suicide risk and completed suicides in children and adolescents have also increased. As of 2020, suicide was the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-14 and the third leading cause of death for youth ages 15-24 (CDC, 2020). It is vital that providers working with children and adolescents are equipped with tools for assessing and preventing suicide. In this 2-hour training, participants will learn the current scope of youth suicide in the United States through statistical analysis. Participants will learn tools for identifying warning signs and risk factors for suicidal ideation. Participants will be introduced to multiple age-appropriate tools for assessing suicide risk and ways to leverage protective factors and preventative interventions. Finally, participants will learn de-escalation strategies to minimize traumatic stress while conducting risk assessments. This training is open to all providers and clinicians who work with youth of all age groups.