Office of Technical Assistance

NASMHPD’s Office of Technical Assistance incorporates five departments, all funded through the Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS) at the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). These departments include:

• The National Technical Assistance Center for State Mental Health Planning (NTAC)
• National Coordinating Center for the Prevention of Violence, Trauma, and Seclusion and Restraint
• Transformation Initiative for the Non-TSIG State & Territories (NTSIG)
• National Center for Trauma Informed Care (NCTIC) with ABT
• Center for Peer Networking (CPN)

The NASMHPD Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) works primarily with the U.S. State and Territorial Mental Health Commissioners/Directors and the Public State Mental Health Agencies (SMHA) and their providers and stakeholders. Their main objective is to develop, implement, and track programs and policies that will assist these entities in the Transformation of the public mental health system in a manner that meets the goals set forth by the U.S Surgeon General, the New Freedom Commission, and the Institute of Medicine. The majority of these activities are funded through the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Office of Technical Assistance also assists other countries, including New Zealand, Scotland, Australia, Canada and Amsterdam in work focused on preventing violence and coercion in mental health settings, and in the implementation of trauma informed care. The above-mentioned countries are funding this work, utilizing the faculty of the National Center for the Prevention of Violence and Trauma.

NASMHPD’s Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) is also occasionally asked to provide technical assistance or training to non-profit and/or private mental health providers that serve the public sector. These requests are handled on a case-by-case basis and are funded by the requesting agency, as federal monetary resources cannot support these projects, unless specifically approved. In the past these projects have included training events on preventing violence and seclusion and restraint use/implementing trauma informed care for a large, public, multi-hospital system in New York City, the national Devereux Corporation that serves publicly funded child and adolescent treatment services, and is the largest, county-funded, mental health inpatient provider in California.

NASMHPD’s Office of Technical Assistance (OTA) evaluates all requests against current funding availability and viability, and requires the State Commissioner/Director’s approval for such services. As such, all projects require a letter of request from the State Commissioner of Mental Health. States’ requests receive priority and other work is done only after states’ requests are fulfilled, and only when the additional requests meet the OTA’s mission and the goals of NASMHPD, CMHS, and SAMHSA.