National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) for
State Mental Health Agencies

Description

The National Technical Assistance Center (NTAC) for State Mental Health Agencies  (SMHAs) is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) to support the provision of high-quality training and technical assistance (T/TA) to representatives from the state mental health system and other designated stakeholders in order to implement, improve, and expand mental health services and supports in communities across the nation, while simultaneously advancing critical SAMHSA goals and priorities.  The two forms of T/TA available under NTAC are described below:

State On-Site Training and Technical Assistance (T/TA)

On-site T/TA is provided to states to aid their efforts to plan, implement, and expand quality services within the public mental health system.  Within the parameters of available resources, such T/TA may be provided in a variety of formats, such as:  conferences; policy review and recommendations; strategic planning; and staff training.  A range of topics have been covered, including, for example:  financing; implementing evidence-based program models; improving treatment environments to be more conducive to recovery; training and certification of peer specialists; recommendations for facilitating compliance with Olmstead requirements; expanding person-centered treatment protocols; cross system collaboration; prevention-based practices; and leadership development, to name a few.

How to Request State On-Site T/TA: 

The T/TA being requested should be: consistent with the overall goals of the State’s mental health plan; and in alignment with recovery/resiliency-oriented care

Formal requests for T/TA must be made by the Commissioner/Director of the State/Territory Mental Health Agency.  Please direct all requests or inquiries to Pat Shea, who can be reached at 703-682-5191 or pat.shea@nasmhpd.org

Knowledge Transfer

There is a tremendous opportunity for knowledge development and application via the sharing of information by and between providers, policy makers, consumers, family members, advocates, and employees of SMHAs and related service systems.   To that end, NTAC supports presentations that are given at local, state, regional, or national conferences on topics of relevance to promoting resilience and recovery for persons with or at risk for mental health problems.

How to Request Support for a Knowledge Transfer Presentation: 

Entities interested in accessing this support should submit a request to pat.shea@nasmhpd.org providing the following information:  the name, date, location, and goals of the conference; the title and learning objectives of the workshop/plenary for which support is sought; and the name, affiliation, and expertise of the presenter(s).