Archived Events

This webinar was held from 1:00-2:00pm ET on March 6, 2024. This session highlighted a new scale to mea­sure heal­ing in peo­ple who have been harmed by com­mu­ni­ty vio­lence, expand­ing ways to bet­ter under­stand and respond to young adult sur­vivors of trauma. Atten­dees learned how this inno­v­a­tive tool and com­pan­ion dis­cus­sion guide can help sur­vivor-serv­ing orga­ni­za­tions bet­ter under­stand the mech­a­nisms that pro­mote heal­ing from vio­lence, and why this is so important.

This online learning session was presented by Stephanie Colvin-Roy, Training and Organization Development Associate at the Center for Schools and Communities. This session was held from 10:00-11:00am ET on Wednesday, March 13, 2024. This workshop introduced SEL skills and highlighted strategies that can be implemented specifically for the OST environment. Participants identified SEL competencies and curriculum important for SEL skill development, identified SEL strategies that can be implemented in the OST environment, and learned specific components of effective SEL practices in OST.

Recording: This webinar was recorded with the intention of being posted along with captions.

The National Prevention Science Coalition to Improve Lives (NPSC) is a large professional organization composed of scientists, educators, practitioners and clinicians, policy makers, foundation representatives, and affiliated organizations. Coalition members share a common goal of applying validated scientific findings to wide-scale effective implementation of practices and policies to improve the lives of children, adolescents, their families and communities. 

This virtual briefing was held on Wednesday, March 27, 2024 from 2:00-3:30pm ET and convened internationally recognized experts on state-level systems to deliver this briefing on youth-focused prevention programs in communities. Co-Sponsors included the Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center at Penn State University and the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

The Positive Change Virtual Conference is an annual event designed to offer practical tools, as well as inspiration and encouragement, to those working in helping professions where addiction & mental health disorders are present.

This year’s theme was Bridging the Gaps: Building Integrated Systems of Care. Our communities continue to both recover from the pandemic and to face increases in resulting addiction and mental health issues. Professionals are rising to the occasion but do experience barriers to helping their students and clients. Conference sessions helped bridge the gaps between the need for services & capacity, and between the mental health & addiction fields.

The three Tracks included: Mental Health, Prevention, and Addiction Treatment & Recovery.

This year’s event was three hours per day over two days, for a total of six (6) possible credit hours. Credits* offered:

• Act 48 for Educators
• Social Work

This online learning session was presented by Colleen Patterson, ICPS and RaTC Internal Trainer. This session was held from 10:00-11:00am ET on Wednesday, April 3, 2024. This workshop introduced how a safe, nurturing relationship with a sturdy, regulated adult is the most important factor in a child’s ability to learn how to understand and regulate their own bodies and emotions. A trauma-informed framework was featured to equip learners to be effective coregulators, foster meaningful connections and safe environments, and allow children to flourish into socially and emotionally resilient humans.

Recording: This webinar was recorded with the intention of being posted along with captions.

This three-part webinar series explored the research, practices, and policy conditions that promote SEL and academic integration. Through 60-minute thought leadership conversations, they aimed to share expertise that can strengthen your work, encourage new approaches, and leave you curious to learn more.

The recommendation was to register for the entire three-part series. By registering, you would receive the recordings and follow-up resources straight to your inbox.

• Part 1 of 3: April 16th - Introduction to SEL and academic integration
• Part 2 of 3: May 23rd - School and classroom strategies that integrate SEL and academic learning 
• Part 3 of 3: June 20th - Beyond the classroom strategies

National Prevention Week is a public education platform showcasing the work of communities and organizations across the country that are preventing substance use and promoting positive mental health.

The 2024 National Prevention Week took place from May 12-18. Learn more about how you can get involved throughout the year and register for various events taking place. You can help amplify the power of prevention leading up to National Prevention Week each year and beyond by sharing your #MyPreventionStory on social media, downloading our planning toolkit, and spreading the word about National Prevention Week.

Prevention happens every day, not just during the second week of May. As such, National Prevention Week is shifting to celebrate and promote your year-round prevention initiatives. SAMHSA created a new, ongoing virtual series to showcase, elevate, and celebrate the important prevention ideas, events, news, and activities that impact communities across the country. Throughout the year, the series will spotlight prevention organizations that are creating positive social impact, fostering collaboration, and effectively responding to the changing substance use landscape. Ultimately, enhancing the health and well-being of our communities.

The Commonwealth Prevention Alliance inspired celebrations across Pennsylvania during this week! These events were days filled with recognition, camaraderie, and the elevation of excellence as it marked the culmination of the PA Prevention Awards—a prestigious recognition initiative spotlighting our peers who are leading impactful change in prevention and positive mental health promotion.

The Pennsylvania Department of Education Office for Safe Schools, in collaboration with valued partners, sponsored a FREE day-and-a-half school safety learning opportunity. This School Safety Conference was held at the Bayfront Convention Center in Erie, PA on May 14th and 15th, 2024. The conference allowed opportunities to build and maintain self-care practices, enhance school climate, build staff resiliency, learn from past school safety incidents, and explore how to create safe learning environments with intentionality.

NSEL Conferences bring together diverse perspectives to work collaboratively to foster safe and supportive environments that support academic and meaningful engagement for all students.

The 2024 conference included the following topics:

• Responsible Decision-Making
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness
• Strengthening Relationship Skills

This three-part webinar series explored the research, practices, and policy conditions that promote SEL and academic integration. Through 60-minute thought leadership conversations, they aimed to share expertise that can strengthen work, encourage new approaches, and leave folks curious to learn more.

• April 16: Introduction to SEL and academic integration (Part 1 of 3)
• May 23: School and classroom strategies that integrate SEL and academic learning (Part 2 of 3)
• June 20: Beyond the classroom strategies (Part 3 of 3)

The 2024 Pennsylvania Afterschool Advocacy Day was held on June 5th, 2024.

Date and Time: Thursday, June 6, 2024  10:00 am to 11:00 am ET

Description: Youth social, emotional and mental well-being have become critical to ensuring positive educational experiences and outcomes in contemporary educational settings. While students’ needs have increased in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, funding and initiatives intended to support their social, emotional and mental well-being remain flat or decline across Pennsylvania. In this interactive session, participants learned about several policy-focused initiatives implemented by other states to address student social, emotional and mental well-being, and engage in conversations to identify and advance policy priorities across Pennsylvania.

Presenter: Ross Whiting, Ph.D., Co-Lead, SEL4PA, President, Dogwood Consulting, Inc.

Recording: This webinar was recorded and posted with captions.

Using various studies including NSDUH, Monitoring the Future, and PA Youth Survey, this virtual workshop via Zoom looked at the current state of gambling and problem gambling—for youth and adults—both locally and nationally. Participants examined the trends in gambling as well as looked to the future. This is an area where the landscape is constantly shifting and it’s helpful to know what is coming so that those of us in the helping professions can plan accordingly!

Trainer: Josh Mountz, MEd

Questions: Josh Mountz at jmountz@compassmark.org

For more than 30 years, the Commonwealth Prevention Alliance (CPA) has been hosting their annual conference for prevention professionals across Pennsylvania. This event always features a dynamic line-up of speakers, keynotes, workshops, and power sessions designed to support critical prevention activities across the state. This conference shines a spotlight on the rapidly evolving nature of our work and provides access to leading-edge research, state-of-the-art tools, and new approaches to communications and messaging.

The 34th Annual CPA Conference was held from June 12-14 at the Hilton Harrisburg. 

SAP training is a comprehensive training which results in certification for both the elementary and secondary level SAP program. SAP is the leading program of support in Pennsylvania for students K-12 and their families in school and community.

This virtual event was held over three days:

June 18 from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
June 19 from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm
June 20 from 8:00 am – 3:00 pm

This training prepared new team members to support students experiencing barriers to academic success through identification of observable behaviors and the implementation of strengths based supports.

Credits:
Eligible for 21 ACT 48 credits upon standards-based competency completion.
Eligible for 21 NASW-PA credits upon standards-based competency completion.

Questions:
Contact Deb McCoy, Director of Education & Training, at dmccoy@compassmark.org

Academic recovery is a top priority and will require a deep understanding of how students learn and progress. Research tells us that students’ social, emotional, and cognitive development are deeply intertwined and key to academic learning and success. So how can we effectively integrate social and emotional learning (SEL) with academic content to best support learning and thriving?

This three-part webinar series explored the research, practices, and policy conditions that promote SEL and academic integration. Through 60-minute thought leadership conversations, we aimed to share expertise that can strengthen work, encourage new approaches, and left participants curious to learn more.

• April 16: Introduction to SEL and academic integration (Part 1 of 3)
• May 23: School and classroom strategies that integrate SEL and academic learning (Part 2 of 3)
• June 20: Beyond the classroom strategies (Part 3 of 3)

The Forum on Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders hosted a public workshop to address workforce needs and challenges experienced across the behavioral health continuum. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine planning committee designed an agenda for the two day workshop that allowed for exploration of strategies to promote health equity, discussion on ways to improve infrastructure, examination of current funding streams, and much more!

On July 16, 2024, Penn State News featured an article highlighting the Evidence2Success framework and the Q&A session with the Penn State Research Professor, Sarah Chilenski, who is leading the research and development of the Action Guides to support these efforts across communities. Click the link below to access the article and to learn more about Evidence2Success.

On July 22, 2024, a report was issued by the federal government with recommendations for online health and safety for children and youth. This report is featured on SAMSHA's website and points out how digital technology use by children and youth can certainly be a benefit of young people but also can cause significant risks to physical, mental health, bullying, online harassment, and additional negative impacts on overall health. You can explore the resources provided to parents/caregivers, recommendations, and additional resources by reviewing the article in it's entirety.