Shapiro Administration Opens New Behavioral Health Crisis Center in Harrisburg
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Drexel University BHE Webinar: “A Legal Primer for Mental Health Professionals” on January 30
David DeMatteo, JD, PhD, ABPP (Forensic), will present “A Legal Primer for Mental Health Professionals,” a live webinar that is a part of the Behavioral Health Education’s (BHE) Speaker Series, on Thursday, January 30, 2025, from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET. Attendees can earn 2 CE hours for $18. Register for the webinar here.
Mental health professionals often work with justice-involved individuals, yet most mental health professionals do not have any formal legal training. As a result, it can be intimidating for some mental health professionals to interact with the legal system. This talk will provide an overview of the legal terms, principles, cases, and rules most often encountered by mental health professionals who work with justice-involved individuals.
After providing an overview of the U.S. legal system, this talk will examine several relevant legal concepts, including admissibility standards for expert evidence, the legal foundation of expert testimony, fact witnesses versus expert witnesses, discovery, reliance on inadmissible evidence (e.g., hearsay), responding to subpoenas, protecting confidentiality and test security, and ethics/professionalism.
Having knowledge of the legal system and relevant laws can lead to several benefits for mental health professionals, including increased competence in (a) providing services to justice-involved individuals, (b) offering consultation to the legal system and (c) communicating with legal professionals (attorneys, judges).
About David DeMatteo, JD, PhD, ABPP (Forensic):
David DeMatteo, JD, PhD, ABPP (Forensic), is a professor of psychology and professor of law at Drexel University, and director of Drexel’s JD/PhD program in Law and Clinical Psychology. He has published more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, more than 50 book chapters and 12 books in his areas of interest, which include mental health law, psychopathic personality, forensic mental health assessment and diversion of justice-involved individuals. He is a former president of the American Psychology-Law Society and the American Board of Forensic Psychology. He consults with city agencies, state agencies, policymakers, correctional facilities and law enforcement. Dr. DeMatteo is a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania, where he provides forensic mental health assessments and consultation, and he is board certified in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has testified as an expert witness in several state and federal courts. He is chair of the Committee to Revise the American Psychological Association’s Specialty Guidelines for Forensic Psychology, and he is the editor-in-chief of Law and Human Behavior.
Reminder for Neurodiversity ROCKS: Building Inclusive Workspaces for All Brains
RCPA Announces Our 2025 Annual Conference Call for Proposals!
The 2025 RCPA Annual Conference Striving to Thrive will be held September 9 – 12 at the Hershey Lodge for a statewide audience. The Conference Committee is seeking workshop proposals in every area for possible inclusion, particularly those that assist providers in developing and maintaining high-quality, stable, and effective treatments, services, and agencies in an industry where change is constant. The committee looks for presentations that:
- Provide guidance on building a culture of a committed workforce, including recruitment and employee development as well as effective remote workforce strategies;
- Inspire ideas for organizations to be leaders in their field;
- Highlight new policy, research, and treatment initiatives, such as the use of artificial intelligence and use of technology in service provision;
- Provide specific skills and information related to individual and organizational leadership development and enhancement;
- Discuss advanced ethics practices and suicide prevention;
- Address system changes that affect business practices, including integrated care strategies, value-based purchasing, performance-based contracting, acquisitions and mergers, and alternative payment models; and
- Discuss organization strategies to adapt to performance-based contracting.
The committee welcomes any proposal that addresses these and other topics essential to rehabilitation, mental health, substance use disorder, children’s health, aging, physical disabilities, and intellectual/developmental disabilities & autism.
Members are encouraged to consider submitting, and we highly encourage you to forward this opportunity to those who are exceptionally good speakers and have state-of-the-art information to share.
The Call for Proposals (featuring a complete listing of focus tracks) and accompanying Guidelines for Developing Educational Objectives detail requirements for submissions. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 14, 2025, at 5:00 pm. Proposals must be submitted electronically on the form provided; confirmation of receipt will be sent. Proposals submitted after the deadline may not be considered.
If the proposal is accepted, individuals must be prepared to present on any day of the conference. Workshops are 90 or 180 minutes in length. At the time of acceptance, presenters will be required to confirm the ability to submit workshop handouts electronically two weeks prior to the conference. Individuals unable to meet this expectation should not submit proposals for consideration.
Individuals are welcome to submit multiple proposals. Notification of inclusion for the conference will be made via email by Friday, May 9, 2025. Questions may be directed to Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.
The Link Center Announces “Navigating the Justice System” Shared Learning Group
The Link Center invites you to participate in its Shared Learning Groups virtual gathering series.
Shared Learning Groups are an opportunity to dive into important topics together, sharing resources, information, and ideas to better support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, and other disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions. These meetings will be led by members of our Steering Committee and project partners.
Please join for the next Shared Learning Group, “Navigating the Justice System.”
People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), brain injuries, and other disabilities and co-occurring mental health conditions often come into contact with the justice system in various ways. This session will focus on ways to prevent involvement with the justice system. We will discuss various touch points in the justice system where support can be offered, ensuring individuals get the resources and understanding they need. Additionally, we will cover how to help them successfully reintegrate into society by connecting them with community resources and support networks.
Live Captioning and American Sign Language (ASL) Interpretation will be provided during all live webinars. Registration is required.
There are four sessions on the same topic for different target audiences. Please register for the session most relevant to you, or whichever best fits into your schedule.
January 21, 2025
Direct Support Professionals: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EST
Register in advance for this webinar.
Clinical Professionals: 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST
Register in advance for this webinar.
January 22, 2025
Families of People with Lived Experience: 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm EST
Register in advance for this webinar.
People with Lived Experience: 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm EST
Register in advance for this webinar.
ODP Issues 2025 Cold Weather Alert
Notice of Change to the Federal Reimbursement of Transportation Costs
The United States General Services Administration has announced a change for the rate of Transportation Mile reimbursement rate, procedure code W7271, beginning January 1, 2025. The new rate is $0.70 per mile. Communication ODPANN 25-004 provides notice of the rate change, as well as instructions for Supports Coordination Organizations (SCO) on how to add transportation mileage to the vendor screen. It also instructs direct service providers on how to submit claim adjustments, if applicable.
Please view the announcement for additional information and details.
CMS Publishes Summary Report on Revision of IRF-PAI Transmission Schedule
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published and released a summary report from a recent inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) listening session that focused on revising the transmission schedule for the inpatient rehabilitation facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI).
The summary highlights the discussion about potential changes to the IRF-PAI transmission schedule for unplanned discharges as well as changes in payer source, providing the rationale for this discussion, and questions posed during the listening session. The listening session also discussed opportunities to improve the assessment and data collection for pediatric patients.
ODP Announces Introduction to Charting the LifeCourse Foundation
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has announced Introduction to Charting the LifeCourse Foundation, which is now available on MyODP under Community Integration.
Introduction to Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC) is designed to present learners with an overview of the CtLC person-centered framework and provides a general awareness of the guiding principles and tools presented by a Certified CtLC Presenter.
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