Welcome to the PBHUC Learning Community!
Below you will find materials from our past Learning Community meetings. Click on the + on the righthand side of each date to expand and see notes, slides, and other resources from each meeting.
PBHUC Learning Community Resources
Available Webinars, Trainings, and Resources
Webinars and Trainings Around Substance Use and Misuse
A-CRA trainings: Please reach out to Vanna (vanna.souksavath@mass.gov) for more information.
You can also find other BSAS training events (both virtual and in-person) on the AdCare website here.
iDecide trainings: iDECIDE (Drug Education Curriculum: Intervention, Diversion, and Empowerment) was developed to provide schools with a science-based intervention for students caught violating school substance use policy (e.g., using at school or at school sanctioned events or reporting to school intoxicated). iDECIDE is an alternative to punitive responses to student substance use.Facilitators will be required to attend a free, one-day training and participate in fidelity checks to maintain their certification. If you have questions regarding how to become an iDECIDE facilitator, please feel free to reach out to our team at iDECIDE@mgh.harvard.edu.
Webinar on "Accessing Emergency Behavioral Health Services in the Community"
A training from Boston Children's Hospital on the Behavioral Health Help Line and CBHCs on accessing behavioral health resources and discussing FAQs. You can watch it here.
The BIRCh Center has an online resource library which different toolkits, protocols, and handouts. Below are some examples of their resources:
- Hospital to School Transition Protocol
- School-Mobile Crisis Intervention Collaboration Toolkit
- Partnership Agreements for School-Based Telebehavioral Health Services
- Zones of Regulation for Families Handout
- 10 Ways to Build Resiliency in Middle School Handout
Here is a direct link to the School-Mobile Crisis Intervention Collaboration Toolkit. It is meant to foster collaboration between schools, MCI teams, and caregivers.
The Behavioral Health Workforce Training Clearinghouse: A free training resource for CBHC, BHHL, MHC, and CBHI providers.
Thriving Minds: Building Comprehensive School Mental Health Systems
For many young people, the isolation, uncertainty, and trauma of the past few years have bred anxiety and depression, with potentially long-lasting effects on their success in school and beyond. Schools must respond to this need by providing thoughtful and effective mental health supports.
Thriving Minds is here to help. Through this initiative—a partnership between the Rennie Center, the Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium, and bryt—we offer learning opportunities and guidance in building comprehensive mental health systems that allow schools to support all students, now and in the future.
Our team has experience training and coaching teams on a wide range of core mental health concepts, from building an effective student support team to promoting trauma-sensitive classroom practices to utilizing evidence-based counseling practices and monitoring students’ progress. We are particularly focused on building a thoughtful, sustainable approach to providing mental health services—that is, how are schools using their existing staff, teams, and data systems to connect students with the support they need to succeed?
Thriving Minds has worked with districts and schools to provide on-site and virtual trainings, ongoing coaching for leadership teams, and in-depth needs assessment processes. Join our mailing list if you’d like to hear about future opportunities, or feel free to reach out to info@renniecenter.org if you’re interested in learning more about Thriving Minds and the services we offer and see their website for their professional learning community.
APRIL 2026 TRAININGS:
The Brookline Center Learning Collaborative is hosting a free virtual session on: "When and How to Seek Mental Health Support for Your Child or Teen" on April 16th from 5:30-7:00 PM ET, Dr. Marcus Cherry from Boston Children's Hospital will cover important topics, including:
- Identifying typical developmental changes versus signs of concern
- Common mental health challenges in children and adolescents
- Recognizing when professional support may benefit a child
- Steps caregivers can take to get their child the help they need
Use this registration link and a downloadable calendar invitation to sign up.
MAY 2026 TRAININGS:
Student needs are more complex and diverse than ever, and no single program can be the answer. At The Brookline Center, we believe in building a comprehensive ecosystem of support that can meet any challenge. But how do you know which services we offer that could be the right fit for your unique school community?
Join us for an engaging 1-hour virtual session on May 4th from 1-2pm designed to introduce you to The Brookline Center's full toolkit of services for K-12 students. Hosted by the bryt and School-Based Telebehavioral Health teams, this is your opportunity to connect directly with the experts behind our most impactful programs.
Register Now and Discover Our Programs and Services
This is not your typical webinar. We'll start with a brief welcome and overview, then you'll get to choose your own adventure. The session will break out into different "solution rooms," each focused on a specific mental and behavioral health support of the Brookline Center that fosters well-being for school-aged youth. You will have the chance to visit at least three different rooms to:
- Hear a quick, practical overview of what each service does.
- Get your specific questions answered in a small-group setting.
- Discover new and innovative ways to support your students.
Whether you're looking for intensive interventions, preventative strategies, or direct clinical care, you will leave this session with a clear sense of how you can partner with the Brookline center to take the next right step for student well being in your district, school, or community.
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The Brookline Center School-Based Telebehavioral Health Pilot Learning Collaborative is excited to sponsor and host this valuable and highly interactive training session designed to explore the unique challenges that autistic children may face in both educational and home environments, including emotional regulation, communication differences, sensory sensitivities, and social development. This is a must-attend event for any Massachusetts-based staff supporting youth with behavioral health needs!
🌟 Topic: Massachusetts Educator Workshop on Mental and Behavioral Health of Children with Autism
🗓 Date: May 12, 2026
⏰ Time: 3:30-5:00 PM ET
🎤 Facilitator: Margaret L. Conley, LICSW, Clinical Director of MLC Consulting LLC
📍 Location: Virtual
📌 IMPORTANT NOTES:
✅ Continuing Education Credit (CE): DESE & ASWB, you must:
- Attend the entire training
- Score 80% or higher on the post-training quiz
🎥 Missed a session? No worries! Our Learning Collaborative website offers on-demand recordings of previous trainings, accessible anytime. 💡 Don’t miss this opportunity to sharpen your skills, earn CE credits, and support youth more effectively. See you there!
MA School-Based TBH Project Team is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82025273237
Meeting agenda
https://docs.zoom.us/agenda/doc/a55bfc47-7851-467e-a15c-8e3124e4c555
Meeting ID: 820 2527 3237
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JUNE 2026 TRAININGS:
The Brookline Center School-Based Telebehavioral Health Pilot Learning Collaborative is excited to sponsor and host this valuable and highly interactive training session on:
Effective Communication, Boundaries and De-Escalation
How Do I Attend?
📍 Location: PSF Community Center, 640 Washington St, Brighton, MA 02135
📅 Date: June 9, 2026⏰ Time: 9am - 4pm EST (Lunch is included!)
📝 Registration: REGISTER HERE!
What You'll Learn:
- Understand Stress & the Brain
Learn how stress impacts communication—and how to access skills under pressure.
- Clarify Boundaries
Differentiate personal vs. organizational boundaries in trauma-informed workplaces.
- Practice De-Escalation Skills
Use empathy and problem-solving to defuse conflict and volatile situations.
The BIRCh Center is offering PREPaRE School Crisis Trainings during the 2025–26 school year, with multiple offerings already scheduled across the state. These trainings are grant funded and available at no cost to participants. This is available to all public school employees in Massachusetts as well as school partners.
PREPaRE Workshop 1 is a 1-day training focused on comprehensive school safety planning, crisis prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery. It is appropriate for a wide range of school personnel and provides 7 hours of NASP-approved CPD.
PREPaRE Workshop 2 is a 2-day training designed for staff who serve as crisis intervention specialists and focuses on mental health crisis intervention and recovery following acute traumatic events. It provides 13 hours of NASP-approved CPD.
👉 Registration details and dates are available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11PXP2Y8iTgOl_2x7wFjPQsnMQooGiRk-ma5zJCTUCXo/edit?usp=sharing
Haitian Mental Health Network
The Haitian Mental Health (HMH) Network is a volunteer-led, non-profit organization that is dedicated to promoting greater awareness and understanding of mental illness and mental wellness in the Haitian community, facilitating community conversations on mental health, and celebrating culturally and spiritually-based practices that foster community well-being.
The Haitian Mental Health (HMH) Network maintains a Directory of agencies and providers serving Massachusetts residents. The directory can be found here.
The Trauma and Community Resilience Center at Boston Children’s Hospital presents: Best Practices Series for Working with Refugee and Immigrant Youth and Families
What: Three stand-alone virtual sessions between April and June 2026
Who: Those who support immigrant and refugee youth, including frontline providers, agency leaders and administrators, caregivers, and community members
The series is FREE, available via ZOOM, and will be recorded.
Session I: How Children and Youth Respond in Times of Prolonged Uncertainty
Tuesday, April 7, 2026 @ 12:00–1:30 PM ET (90 min)
Please register in advance for this meeting by clicking this link: REGISTER
Session II: Caring for Community: Managing One’s Own Distress When Helping Others
Tuesday, May 12th, 2026 @ 12:00–1:30 PM ET (90 min)
Please register in advance for this meeting by clicking this link: REGISTER
Session III: Responding Together: Collective Action, Community Resilience, and
Psychological Safety
Tuesday, June 16th, 2026 @ 12:00–1:30 PM ET (90 min)
Please register in advance for this meeting by clicking this link: REGISTER
Funding Opportunities
Trauma-Informed Strategies to Address and Prevent Hate and Bias from DPH
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) Bureau of Community Health and Prevention is seeking applications for Trauma-Informed Strategies to Address and Prevent Hate and Bias. This grant focuses on reducing the prevalence of hate and bias and improving the mental health and wellbeing of those who are targeted by hate and bias. Funding is intended to support the development of a training and technical assistance program or refinement of existing program that supports practitioners – defined as mental health clinicians, counselors, and non-clinical providers that actively engage impacted communities – in implementing a multi-tiered response to hate and bias, including:
- universal and/or primary prevention strategies that prevent hate and bias within the communities they serve
- secondary prevention strategies that effectively engage people who have exhibited hate and/or bias through behaviors or warning signs of supremacist ideology or recruitment
- trauma-informed, healing-centered strategies that effectively support people who are targeted by hate and bias
This procurement is open to any organization that is a nonprofit or municipal organization with the ability to deliver the training program to a broad geographic area. Preference will be given to organizations that demonstrate sound prevention and early intervention strategies for those at greatest risk of experiencing or perpetrating hate crimes or bias incidents. Attachment D includes Massachusetts data on reported hate crimes, experiences of discrimination, and bullying. These data suggest that hate and bias impact people of all ages in Massachusetts and that youth and young adults are often victims and perpetrators.
DPH anticipates awarding 1 contract of up to $250,000 for FY26. Awarded funds must be spent by June 30, 2026. Application deadline was October 29, 2025.
Request For Application (RFA) for a Grant for Behavioral Health Promotion and Prevention
OBHPP is issuing this Request For Applications to solicit Grant proposals from Community-Based Organizations across the Commonwealth to develop, implement and evaluate new behavioral health promotion or prevention programs, or expand existing behavioral health promotion or prevention programs, aligned with OBHPP’s mission and vision. These include primary/universal prevention programs, secondary/selective prevention programs aimed at addressing early inventions for at-risk groups, and programs that promote population-wide well-being.
Application deadline is November 17, 2025.
Roadmap for MassHealth’s 2028-2032 1115 Demonstration Extension
MassHealth is beginning to develop a request to extend its 1115 Demonstration, which currently ends in 2027. This Roadmap provides an update on progress from MassHealth's most recent 1115 Demonstrations, and a preview of goals and an anticipated timeline for the next 1115 Demonstration.
2028-2032 1115 Demonstration Roadmap: PDF
Opportunities to Engage:
MassHealth will host two virtual public meetings to review the Roadmap.
Monday, November 10th 12:30-2:00
Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/99995278080?pwd=7w9o9GcgddtfVgqA4ZzCdbqg7EEWtZ.1
Meeting ID: 999 9527 8080
Passcode: 527535
Monday, November 17th 2:00-3:30
Meeting Link: https://zoom.us/j/99976570822?pwd=g9qD0iZu4EE9fOt6cVLKDJt7WnP0Va.1
Meeting ID: 999 7657 0822
Passcode: 231709
For feedback, input, or questions regarding the Roadmap, or to request technical assistance for public meetings, please reach out to 1115WaiverComments@mass.gov. Please note, MassHealth will hold a formal public comment period on the draft extension request in summer 2026.
Sample Communication Documents
Here are example documents that grantees have been using to communicate what about the program to members of the school community:
Example Pamphlet from Riverside
Many of these documents have been translated into Spanish and Portuguese so if you would like to see a copy of those, please email Lina.
Learning Community 10/13/22 - Kick Off Meeting
Learning Community 11/3/22 - Evaluation Discussion
Learning Community 11/17/22 - Skaneateles School Discussion
Learning Community 12/1/22 - BRYT Model Discussion
Learning Community 12/15/22 - Implementation Discussion
Learning Community 2/16/23 - Universal Screenings
Learning Community 5/18/23 - Grant-Funded Staff Implementation Successes and Challenges
Learning Community 10/5/23 - Discuss of Current Project Status
Learning Community 11/16/23 - In-Person Meeting
Using Human Centered Design to Drive Innovation in Complex Systems:
Learning Community 12/6/23 - Services Provided and Demographic Data Briefing
Learning Community 1/18/24 - Substance Use and Its Impacts of Mental Health
Resources from the Office of Youth and Young Adult Services (OYYAS) in the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) at the Department of Mental Health
One Pager about the Adolescent Reinforcement Approach (A-CRA)
Guide on When to Refer Students to A-CRA
Flier for Learn to Cope, A Peer-Led Support Network for Families Dealing with Addiction and Recovery
List of OYYAS's School-Based Services and Current List of Schools Using These Services
Learning Community 2/15/24 - Sustainability
Learning Community 3/21/24 - Summer Plans and Trauma
Learning Community 6/20/24 - Family Survey and Summer Plans
Learning Community 9/12/24 - Summer Catch-Up
Learning Community 10/24/24 - Sustainability
Learning Community 12/12/24 - Interim Evaluation Findings
Presentation from Susan Foster on Interim Evaluation Findings
Please note that these slides are not intended for external distribution.
Learning Community 2/13/25 - Group Session Discussion
Learning Community 3/20/25 - Chronic Absenteeism
Learning Community 4/17/25 - Sustainability
Learning Community 5/22/25 - Sustainability
Sample Staff Testimonial Questionnaire
*Reminder to add is a way for people to identify what role they have in the school by asking "What is your role in the school?"
Learning Community 6/5/25 - "Supporting Children & Families who are Grieving: Tools and Resources for Community Behavioral Health Centers"
Learning Community 9/25/25 - Summer Plans and Data Discussion
Learning Community 10/30/25 - Primary Care Plus and Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program Presentation
Learning Community 11/13/25 - In-Person Meeting
Resources on Supporting the Mental Health of Immigrant Students and Families:
Supporting Your Child in Times of Uncertainty: Immigrant Caregiver Resources for Teens
Supporting Your Child in Times of Uncertainty: Immigrant Caregiver Resources for Early Childhood
Coping in Times of Uncertainty: A Resource for Immigrant Youth
Learning Community - 3/12/26 - The Border is Here: Trauma-Informed Strategies to Support Immigrant Students and Families
Immigration Enforcement: Impact on Schools (MA AG)
The Fear Is Everywhere (UCLA IDEA)
Immigrant and Refugee Children (United We Dream)
The Border Is Here: Immigration Terminology (IECMH)
Participant Resource Folder (IECMH)