This workshop provides an overview of personality disorders, with a particular focus on the “Cluster B” group: Antisocial, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic. Combining the latest research, practical experience, and humor to help participants assess personality disorders and differential diagnosis, apply motivational techniques and improve skills in maintaining appropriate boundaries for effective treatment and self-care.

 

This workshop will provide attendees with information regarding this evidence based practice for treating persons with co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorders. Epidemiology, program components and outcome measurements will be outlined as well as how the model complements recovery and consumer choice. The workshop will also offer candid observations on the challenges and rewards of striving to implement IDDT in existing programs and service delivery systems.

 

Homelessness is not only a loss of housing but also a loss of connection to other people. Highlights of the importance of creating a community that offers critical emotional support to people in recovery from mental health and substance abuse problems as well as homelessness will be discussed. The Oaks program operated by Boley Centers, Inc. will be described by panel members who are also clients, showing engagement strategies that helped to create a welcoming community of mutual support. Presenters will show how “random acts of kindness” helped participants to discover their ability to help others who are homeless rebuild trust and hope.

 

In today’s marketplace obstacles and opportunities for service delivery are boundless. Learn how to develop strategic planning goals for grant requests and improve project management skills for grant application development. Collaborative grant proposals would help to improve strategic planning, project management, integration of technology services, and organizational effectiveness in a marketplace facing competitive pressures. Learn about what strategic business changes are accomplished through grant funding and how collaborative partnerships can win points in a grant.

 

The Certified Recovery Peer Specialist grandfather period will expire three weeks after the conference. Many of our providers, consumer organizations and other stakeholders have taken an active role in developing the most successful peer specialists program in the nation. This panel discussion and format will provide examples, case studies, training materials and curriculum, and help attendees understand the many solutions this new certification can offer.

 

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.    Concurrent Breakouts – B

 

To demonstrate how a self-directed care program operates alongside a traditional mental health care system; this workshop will explain the underlying principles of self-determination and self-directed care. The workshop will present the fundamental design and structure of a functioning SDC model as well as share a participant’s point of view and the available supports and services that are available.

 

The complex issues associated with victims of domestic violence who are accused of child abuse victimization will be examined in this 2-hour workshop. Participants will be able to identify specific behaviors and mental health diagnoses associated with domestic violence victimization. In addition, the dynamics of domestic violence victimization will be explored along with best practices models for dealing with multiple issues associated with domestic violence and child abuse.

Recognizing practitioner bias when assessing persons from other cultures and the effect of cultural differences on the accuracy of the assessment. Crucial, is the development of questions and story lines that help to describe the specific patterns of their own culture. Participants will be given a cross cultural interview questionnaire and rehabilitation planning guide to develop interview skills. This workshop will explore processes that will help to integrate psychiatric, health and cultural issues in their planning in order to assure a wholistic approach to recovery.

 

Skilled and seasoned therapists, at times, seem to lose their ability to be effective when in the home environment and faced with the multi-problems families can face. Family Centered Treatment was developed by the Institute for Family Centered Services; this model of treatment will address many of the challenges that are faced by this intensive work environment. 

 

The Gold Standard – Excellence in Service: To institute a service excellence strategy in the inpatient world in order to “bolster employees’ service-giving spirit and pride in the organization and also secure the organization’s image and economic position” in the highly competitive field of health care today. Participants will become aware of potential deficits to consider for system transformation initiatives and learn suggestions for improving these deficits as well as strategies for staff accountability and measuring success.

This invitation only workshop is designed to review and validate draft test items for possible inclusion on the CMHP written exam.

 

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.    Concurrent Breakouts – C

Behaviors, including sexual behaviors, self injury and continued substance use, all impede the recovery process. This workshop will help participants to understand the rationale for addressing these behaviors in the treatment process. Strategies to engage consumers in examining their beliefs about sexuality and tools to address sexual dysfunction will be discussed. Participants will gain a broader understanding of self-injurious behaviors and their relationship to addiction and mental illness. 

 

Research has shown the need to create school-based programs that encourage affiliation and membership for emotionally and psychiatrically impaired adolescents.  The workshop will highlight the Lou Panci Educational Center where the emphasis is on acquiring problem solving skills. This program is designed to improve students’ social and assertion skills, anger control methods, development of coping skills, stress management techniques, and interpersonal skills aimed at being more effective in their relationships. Presenters will describe the results of this study to show the efficacy of this treatment intervention with this particular population.

 

This workshop will offer ways to assist jail inmates with their co-occurring disorder needs. The last decade has seen a surge in both the number and proportion of incarcerated women in the United States. Project Success uses evidence-based curricula to deliver gender-specific substance abuse treatment to female inmates. Participants of this workshop will learn how to develop community partnerships to reach this underserved population as well as understand the importance of comprehensive aftercare and reintegration services. This workshop will also discuss how to use existing substance abuse and mental health resources for discharge planning and community support.

 

The MDTMP offers community agencies a number of opportunities to collaborate on quality improvement projects. This presentation will review the important changes in medication treatment guidelines and the revised quality edits being used to identify potential targets for quality improvement in FY 2008-09. Presenters will describe the structure and content of agency specific reports that can be accessed in the context of pilot initiative that will allow for organization and physician specific comparisons of performance with meaningful peer groups. The presentation will then review the experience and preliminary outcomes of e-prescribing pilot initiatives that occurred in several community mental health agencies during 2007-08. Finally, presenters will describe opportunities to participate in measurement based care pilot initiatives.

 

Changing deep-rooted organizational culture and practices can be a daunting task to improve the quality of consumer services. Miami Behavioral Health Center has been doing so by serving the Hispanic community since 1977. Providing both mental health and substance abuse treatment services, the restrictions in funding as well as agency historical perceptions, the integration of mental health services with substance abuse treatment proved to be difficult. This presentation will help participants to understand how to improve quality of services for consumers through process improvement initiatives and identify barriers to and facilitate enduring change.

 

 

Tuesday, September 9

9:45 p.m. - 11:45 p.m. Concurrent Breakouts – D

 

This workshop will address the meaningful and relevant components of using artistic techniques as an adjunct to therapy with mental health consumers. Innovative “how-to” methods will be discussed that best engage and address consumer needs. Additionally, the practical application of these techniques will be discussed to foster social cohesion, personal expression, and promising practices in a therapeutic context.  

 

BSFTTM is a short term, structured, problem-focused, and practical approach to the treatment of conduct problems, associations with antisocial peers, early drug use and the accompanying maladaptive family relations. Evidence and research will be presented to participants of this workshop to demonstrate the difference between process and content and the impact of social context on symptomatology.  

 

Clinicians struggle with treatment planning every day for a wide variety of reasons. No individuals can erase every barrier: that would take the combined efforts of all parts of the mental health delivery system. However, each individual clinician does have a great deal of power to move the mission of recovery and resiliency and it begins with the development of a treatment plan that is based on the ‘voice’ of the consumer. The greatest tool the clinician possesses is actually quite simple- just ask…

 

This panel presentation will address the development and implementation of the Criminal Justice Mental Health and Substance Abuse (CJMHSA) Reinvestment Act of 2007 and the establishment of the CJMHSA Technical Assistance Center at USF-Florida Mental Health Institute in collaboration with Partners in Crisis, Inc. and Florida’s counties/state agencies/local stakeholders that are planning and implementing best practices in jail diversion. The sequential Intercept Mapping Model and the use of best and emerging practices in the development of an array of community-based treatment options for jail diversion, training of best practices with special focus on developing Crisis Intervention Teams, and a useable “cross-systems” data collaborative model will be presented.

Demonstrating ways you can stay safer in all situations, avoid being abused, and increase the chance of defusing a threatening situation. This workshop will fortify you with the tools necessary to overcome volatile situations. Learn how to recognize the early warning signs, when to stay and when to leave. Come learn how to develop an emergency protocol and strategies to stay safe during community visits.

 

This 2-hour workshop is designed to provide an overview of each of FCB’s mental health related certification programs: the Certified Mental Health Professional (CMHP, the Certified Behavioral Health Technician (CBHT), and the Certified Recovery Peer Specialist (CRPS).

 

1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.    Concurrent Breakouts – E

 

Based on the needs for continuity of care which supports long term recovery, a collaborative effort by Lakeside Behavioral Healthcare, Circuit 9 Substance Abuse and Mental Health Program Office, and North East Florida State Hospital, has identified and implemented effective interventions at the Short Residential Treatment Unit at LBHC.   This workshop will focus on the Medication Management, Basic Communication and Substance Abuse modules of “Skills Training Modules” of psychosocial rehabilitation used at NEFSH.   Collaborative efforts will be presented in a “how-to” manner including the process of the collaboration, the needs assessment process, and a review of the services available to consumers receiving services in the SRT and NEFSH. 

Circuit 1, “lessons learned” will be presented in this workshop focusing on the advancement of evidence-based infant mental health interventions. Participants will gain valuable knowledge in developing strategies related to this service. The Access Behavioral Health Infant Mental Health Strategic Plan discussed will shows a comprehensive system of care that effectively identifies and focuses on the need of families with children ages birth to five.

 

 

The results of an 8 month long project collecting stories of survival and recovery from mental illness and proposing ways to incorporate the “common threads,” identified by the story tellers, into a recovery oriented public mental health care system. The workshop will explore ideas identified as beneficial to the transformation of the Florida public mental health care system and ways to build a recovery oriented system of care.

 

This workshop emphasizes the importance of clinicians utilizing empirically validated interventions for the treatment of schizophrenia and provides instructions in the application of each treatment approach. Participants will become familiar with conceptual models and techniques associated with evidence-based interventions.

 

Preparing for a successful audit, clinical or financial, is very difficult. Learn the intricacies of organizational and environmental assessments as well as the SWOT Analysis, Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Threats of a solid strategic plan. Be introduced to the Balanced Scorecard Concepts, and understand the elements of it and hear about four different perspectives and how together they are more likely to fare in an audit.

 

This 4-hour workshop is designed for individuals preparing to sit for FCB’s 100-item, multiple-choice Behavioral Health Technician Exam. All workshop attendees will receive a free copy of the Behavioral Health Technician Examination Study guide and will leave the session with a clear understanding of the knowledge base expected of Certified

 

3:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.    Concurrent Breakouts – F

This workshop will demonstrate how to identify community need and the necessary stakeholders to implement a successful jail diversion program. A program overview as well as an in-depth discussion of the program components: pre-booking and Crisis Intervention Team Training, post booking and continuing care, program evaluation and research will be presented. Presenters will also review how to develop and implement program components of a successful jail diversion program.

 

Research has shown that children and adolescents are misdiagnosed with mental health disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Bi-polar Disorder, and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Within the foster care system are some of the highest consumers of mental health services and thus more susceptible to inaccurate diagnosis. This workshop will offer participants the opportunity to learn to identify the factors that contribute to misdiagnosis, as well as the implications of misdiagnosis of children in the foster care system. 

 

The risk of losing critical health care coverage often outweighs the positive reasons for a person with a disability to make the decision to go to the work. People facing these choices know they must have health care coverage or they will not be able to maintain their health or obtain the support needed to continue working. This workshop will explore the framework of federal and state supports for work including Social Security Work Incentives and the new federal Ticket to Work. Participants will learn about health care initiatives that can allow individuals with mental illnesses to retain critical health care coverage while working.

Trauma-informed care is a comprehensive approach that includes prevention, supports trauma-specific intervention, infuses knowledge and behaviors into all aspects of organizational operation, and includes identification of agency resources and assets to support the needed organizational cultural shifts to successfully implement trauma-informed care. This workshop will include an overview of the literature on the behavioral and physical health effects of trauma, particularly complex trauma. Discussions will be presented surrounding results of a Florida study on trauma-informed care in out-of-home mental health treatment settings in comparison to a review of the literature on evidence-based and promising practices in trauma-informed care. This combination, its use and interactive exercises based on the self-assessment tool will also be presented.

 

This workshop will give you “hands on” tools for managing your direct care staff in programs that operate 24/7. Presenters will demonstrate how to lower the high cost of using outside staff and/or overtime. Participants will discover how to have cost efficient optimum staffing without jeopardizing consumer or staff safety through the use of workforce management.

 

Wednesday, September 10

10:00 a.m. - Noon        Concurrent Breakouts – G

 

Schizophrenia is a debilitating illness with severe implications such as neurological deterioration, co-morbid illness progression, and repeated relapse, which can be devastating and costly. It requires early and effective intervention for optimal outcomes throughout the course of illness. This workshop will focus on the clinical and biological reasons for treating as early as possible to promote adherence, delay relapse and hospitalization, and achieve optimal outcomes. Participants will be able to recognize the importance of early and effective treatment during the course of the illness, optimize clinical outcomes by effectively implementing the strategy paradigm of early, effective, and comprehensive treatment and define evidence-based medicine and identify key issues that help determine the validity of study results in order to better understand the benefit/risk assessment of treatments.

 

 

Suggested innovations and best practices resulting from the Bridging Information Gaps in Services for Kids and Youth (BIG SKY) will be presented by panel members. The study was designed to address how and why some children receive psychotropic medications and/or intensive psychosocial services that are not consistent with the best practices with in the mental health field. The best practice guidelines will be discussed first by age group, followed by recommendations for increasing placement stability. Finally, system and policy issues that impact recommendations will be reviewed.

 

This self assessment / planning tool was designed to help mental health service provider agencies establish a baseline of performance in recovery-oriented services implementation and to suggest options for enhancing service delivery. In this workshop common barriers and remedies for overcoming barriers in implementing recovery-oriented services will be described as well as how the tool can be used by service provider agencies to enhance the implementation of recovery–oriented services.

 

With increased attention being paid to veteran populations and societal prohibitions against discussion of ‘private’ traumatic experiences diminishing; more individuals are coming to treatment reporting their prolonged and repeated histories of exposure to violent events. This workshop will focus on the definition of what may constitute a ‘traumatic event’ and how this exposure can turn into a symptom experience. Screening and assessment measures will be reviewed for their applicability as well as mental illness symptomatology and the role of traumatic experience in the development and exacerbation of disorders. 

 

Lawsuits against mental health care providers for professional malpractice fall within a predictable pattern of high-risk areas. The specifics of the allegations in the claims also repeat from case to case. It is important to the process of providing quality care and good risk management to be aware of what will most likely to result in injury and legal exposure. This workshop will discuss a wide variety of specific actions you can take to reduce the risk of lawsuits while at the same time adding to the quality of care.

 

The Florida Certification Board will be administering the Behavioral Health Technician Written Exam on the last day of the conference. This is a private session, only open to those individuals who have an approved CBHT Application Portfolio on file with the FCB. Conference participants eligible to sit for the exam will not be charged the $40 exam fee; non-conference participants will be responsible for the testing fee. All participants for this session must register for the exam through the Florida Certification Board. Please contact us at 850-222-6314 for exam registration information.