This 2-day Learning Collaborative will bring together key leaders in Skagit County, WA in Region 10 to explore strategies to rethink behavioral health to reduce stigma. Offered in partnership with the Northwest MHTTC, Northwest PTTC, and Skagit County Public Health.
People in Skagit County who struggle with mental health or substance use disorders often confront stigma that prevents them from accessing appropriate treatment. The stigma is held in place by a range of systemic factors, including a lack of cross-discipline understanding and collaboration. In July, we will be convening a Leadership Collaborative to learn more about stigma, discuss effective strategies and take action at a system level.
The learning collaborative will convene July 11th and 12th (9 AM – 4:00 PM PST both days) at McIntyre Hall Conference and Performing Arts Center in Mount Vernon, WA, and will focus on deepening collaboration across disciplines, exploring the best evidence about stigma, and understanding the conditions that make it possible to transform entrenched systems. Our time together will culminate with the identification of 1-2 stigma reduction initiatives that will be supported by the Technology Transfer Centers.
Skagit County was selected as the Pacific Northwest’s initial location for the Learning Collaborative due to the county’s leadership in advancing thriving for all community members, without exceptions. That includes initiatives from North Sound Accountable Community of Health, the Population Health Trust, and the county’s unprecedented North Star Project.
Learning Objectives
Denna Vandersloot is the Co-Director of the Northwest ATTC. She has over 20 years of experience as a clinician, researcher, trainer, and system change specialist in the field of addictions. Her areas of expertise include: Motivational Interviewing, Screening Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment, Co-occurring Disorder Treatment, NIATx, and Recovery Oriented System of Care. She is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) and a nationally registered SBIRT trainer.
Christina Clayton is the Co-Director of the Northwest MHTTC and has been working in the behavioral health field since 1993 working with people and programs addressing severe mental health issues, substance use, co-occurring issues, chronic homelessness, integrated care, outreach, physical health, trauma and diversity/equity/inclusion topics. Christina has education and licenses/credentials in clinical social work, mental health and substance use. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor and Field Instructor for the University of Washington School of Social Work (MSW ’97).
Kevin Haggerty specializes in prevention programs at the community, school and family level. He is the Director of the Social Development Research Group. Dr. Haggerty serves as the Project PI/ Director for the Northwest PTTC. He is a Professor at the University of Washington (UW) School of Social Work. For more than 30 years, he has focused on developing innovative ways to organize the scientific knowledge base for prevention so that parents, communities and schools can better identify, assess and prioritize customized approaches that meet their needs. He has an extensive research background in the intersection of biological and environmental risks for drug abuse in emerging adults and is an expert on substance abuse and delinquency prevention. Additionally, Dr. Haggerty is an investigator of the Community Youth Development Study, which tests the effectiveness of the Communities That Care program.
Michelle Frye-Spray is the Project Co-Director/Coordinator at the Northwest PTTC. She leverages her knowledge of prevention science with over 25 years of prevention-related experiences to design and deliver engaging and impactful training and technical assistance. Her skills include coaching prevention practitioners to integrate prevention science into practices and interventions worth sustaining. is a Project Manager at the University of Reno, CASAT. Michelle has delivered prevention services in primary to post-secondary educational settings, facilitated the development of coalitions in rural/frontier communities, and trained state, local and tribal prevention practitioners in prevention science. Michelle is Workforce Development Project Manager at the University of Reno, CASAT where she manages the Northwest Prevention Technology Transfer Center services.
Louise Parker is the Special Projects Advisor for the Northwest PTTC. Her research focuses on the delivery of evidence-based prevention programs in real-world settings. Dr. Parker is particularly interested in the cultural adaptation of interventions to increase reach and relevance for diverse communities. Her work in the prevention field is broad, with her most recent research activities focusing on childhood obesity prevention through the creation and implementation of family interventions in community settings. This research has advanced the prevention field’s understanding of effective research-practitioner and interdisciplinary partnerships Dr. Parker is also the developer and trainer for a cultural competency program called Navigating Difference, and has used this expertise to inform the successful recruitment and retention of culturally diverse families in community-based prevention programs.
Chris Kelleher is a Portland, Oregon, consultant who works at the intersection of strategy, management, and language. He has held positions with Kaiser Permanente, Oregon Health and Science University, and the University of North Carolina. His client engagements focus on achieving meaningful progress by increasing coherence in thought and action. A frequent collaborator with ReThink Health, he is dedicated to developing cases and practices that drive equitable system change.