Recent News

This Practical Guide presents strategies and best practices for expanding the community-based behavioral health workforce through increased use of Community-initiated care (CIC) and behavioral health support specialists (BHSS). This strategy has demonstrated promise in addressing behavioral health disparities in underserved communities.

For National Rural Health Day, SAMHSA celebrates the unique strengths of rural communities. SAMHSA empowers rural resilience by providing resources and tools that address behavioral health; supporting rural communities' ability to mitigate, adapt, and recover from stressors; promoting behavioral health equity; and building and retaining a diverse, robust, and resilient behavioral health workforce.

SAMHSA’s Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) has released the DAWN Network Watch. When drug names are identified in DAWN’s substance-related emergency department visit data, they are checked against DAWN’s drug database (Drug Reference Vocabulary). Any drug name or street name not currently listed in the database is added. This Network Watch presents drug street names […]

Invitation to Change Family Support Group Project What is the Invitation to Change (ITC) Approach? The Invitation to Change model was developed by CMC: Foundation for Change and focuses on building communication skills, improving family relationships and self-care for families. Support groups can be facilitated by paid or volunteer community members, peer support specialists or clinicians. The […]

The University of Texas Addiction Research Institute is pleased to share that we have beenrefunded by the Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration for another five yearfunding cycle (September 2024 – September 2029) for the Region 6 South Southwest AddictionTechnology Transfer Center. We are honored to continue our 32 year role developing andstrengthening the specialized […]

We recognize that the holidays are a difficult time for many. In 2023, Mid-America developed a holiday toolkit: How to Thrive During the Holiday Season. It includes tips for people in recovery and for those who support people in recovery, harm reduction techniques for those who want to cut back during the holidays, self-care ideas, […]

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced the launch of the Behavioral Health Workforce Career Navigator, designed to help current and aspiring behavioral health professionals identify state requirements for a range of behavioral health careers. This tool is designed for […]

I was reminded of the importance of increasing recovery capital when I attended the Illinois Certification Board's Annual Fall SUD Conference on October 29, 2024, and witnessed Kashena McDonald receive the Illinois Certification Board's distinguished Professional of the Year Award. Kashena coordinates the Certified Associate Addictions Professional Program (CAAP) for incarcerated individuals housed at Southwestern Correctional Center […]

November highlights both National Homelessness Awareness Month and National Homeless Youth Awareness Month. In recognition of these observances, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) has unveiled a new Homelessness Awareness Month Toolkit. This resource is designed to enhance efforts supporting adults, children, and families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, […]

March 18–20, 2025 Four Seasons Hotel | Baltimore, MD Register now to attend the second annual Joint Meeting on Youth Prevention, Treatment, and Recovery! This conference brings together all relevant stakeholders, constituencies, and interested parties from around the country to address the number one public health issue facing young people today: alcohol and other drugs. […]

Invitation to Participate The Mountain Plains Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC), funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is conducting a survey to help identify and prioritize training and technical assistance (TTA) topics, strategies, delivery methods, and resource development for HHS Region 8 (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah and Wyoming).  […]

Join us for an inspiring virtual webinar to learn about the new initiative, 988 Call for the Culture: HBCU National Initiative with Two Opportunities to Participate! This webinar will focus on raising awareness of the new, three-digit Suicide and Crisis Lifeline that is dedicated to promoting suicide prevention, mental wellness, and resilience among HBCU students, […]

To our community partners, we are reaching out to share a youth participatory action project for Indigenous youth, which will inform the development of a youth-created event, designed by and for Indigenous youth. Throughout the fall, The YouthScan Project (a program of YouthRoots) in partnership with SAMHSA Region 8 & 9, will be facilitating virtual […]

The Dissemination and Implementation Toolkit is a resource for anyone who is interested in implementing a change in their work. With this collection of resources, we aim to provide educational information on the implementation process and connect you with additional resources and information to help you be successful in the implementation of best practices for […]

The staff at the University of North Dakota and University of Nevada, Reno are excited to share that SAMHSA has renewed funding for the Mountain Plains ATTC for an additional five years! Starting September 30th, this new grant cycle will enable us to further strengthen the specialized behavioral health and primary care workforce, ensuring high-quality […]

The Clinical Supervision Foundations online course has been revised. This updated version of the course offers certificate of completion, 14 hours of NAADAC continuing education, and 13.5 hours of NASW continuing education. This 14-hour, self-paced course is designed to introduce the terms, topics, and resources essential to clinical supervision. Revised Edition, September 2024.  (This course can […]

The opioid-use epidemic in the U.S. has been associated with a significant increase in the prevalence of pregnant persons with opioid use disorder (OUD).  Opioid-related overdose is now a leading cause of death in pregnant and postpartum individuals. Medications for OUD (MOUD) are effective in preventing opioid-related overdoses in pregnant and postpartum individuals (PP), as […]

This post discusses Principle 6: Cultural, Historical, & Gender Issues of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. Trauma-informed care (TIC) is an essential approach that acknowledges the pervasive impact of trauma. It includes an understanding of past and current trauma and an awareness of its impact across settings, services, and populations. People that […]

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), announced $240 million in awards to launch and expand mental health and substance use disorder services in more than 400 community health centers across the country that care for more than 10 million people. Health centers […]

This post discusses Principle 5: Empowerment, Voice, & Choice of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. The consequences of substance use disorders (SUD) and trauma can leave clients feeling disempowered. SUD and trauma can impact clients’ feelings of choice. Empowerment and choice are one of SAMHSA's six guiding principles of trauma-informed care. This […]

This post discusses Principle 4: Collaboration & Mutuality of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. Collaboration and mutuality are one of SAMHSA's six key principles of trauma-informed care (TIC). Organizations that emphasize collaboration and mutuality as part of a TIC approach practice shared decision-making, view clients as experts of their own lives, and […]

September is Recovery Month! Recovery Month began in 1989 and was developed to promote new evidence-based practices in recovery. The New England ATTC has been a sponsor of recovery rallies in the region for over 25 years. This year, we are celebrating Recovery Month with several recovery rallies throughout the region! These rallies feature several […]

Each person who enters recovery is as unique as their story. This month, in honor of Recovery Month, we are featuring a special edition of Essential Conversations, recorded in 2023, which highlights powerful recovery stories from individuals in diverse populations. Through their experiences, they share what they believe providers need to know to offer better […]

This post discusses Principle 3: Peer Support of SAMHSA's six key principles of a trauma-informed approach. Trauma-informed care (TIC) systems focus on reducing and avoiding re-traumatization, particularly for clients with substance use disorder (SUD). Peer support is one of SAMHSA's six key principles of trauma-informed care. This post outlines strategies for implementing peer support specialists […]