VISN 5 - Educational Products
The educational products of the VISN 5 MIRECC are designed to offer and enhance recovery-oriented mental health care for Veterans with serious mental illness. Some topics include peer support, mental health stigma, families and caregivers, older Veterans and more! on our products are developed by our investigators, often in collaboration with other mental health professionals. These products are free to download.
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Educational Products
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Principles and Guidelines for Webinar Presenters
The Veterans Affairs VISN 5 Mental Illness Research Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC) supports and enhances the recovery and community functioning of Veterans with serious mental illness through the development, evaluation, and implementation of recovery-oriented evidence-based treatments and services. To ensure recovery-oriented care for all Veterans we invite presenters to review and incorporate the below guidelines into their presentations to acknowledge past inequities, demonstrate inclusiveness, and enhance access to a diverse audience.
Families and Caregivers
Family Support for Mental Health Recovery Resource Brochure
This brochure provides key information for family members who care about a Veteran with a mental health concern, including tips for supporting a loved one’s mental health recovery, and resources for education and support. Feel free to distribute to all the Veterans and family members you know!
For requests for printed versions of the brochure
To learn about VISN 5 MIRECC Interventions related to Families and Caregivers, please visit our Interventions page!
Medical/Geriatric Setting Providers: Individuals with SMI
The Unique Needs of Older Adults with SMI
Older Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) who receive services in VA Community Living Centers (CLCs, or VA Nursing Homes) often have complex care needs. Dr. Anjana Muralidharan, investigator at the VISN 5 MIRECC, took part in a workgroup to consider the needs of these Veterans and the teams who care for them. She took the lead in compiling a toolkit of resources that CLC mental health professionals could use to support CLC teams in providing care to these residents. The materials in this section build basic knowledge and address stigma regarding care of residents with SMI. The toolkit was developed for CLCs – but could be useful for any VHA staff who provide care to Veterans with SMI. The entire toolkit is available to VHA staff on this Sharepoint site.
An Overview of Serious Mental Illness
This presentation provides an overview of serious mental illness including common diagnoses, signs/symptoms, and obstacles faced by people with SMI. Additionally, there is information on how to promote recovery and prevention of relapse.
Click here to see the presentation »
Cognition in SMI
This presentation provides an overview of cognitive deficits in individuals with serious mental illness. Specific information is provided on areas of cognitive functioning including attention, memory, and executive functioning.
Serious Mental Illness vs. Dementia
This handout provides a quick and useful table to help care providers discern between the differences in serious mental illness and dementia in several areas including memory, thinking skills, performing daily tasks and more.
Communication Skills for Working with Veterans with SMI in CLCs
This series of handouts provides information on communication skills for providers working with Veterans with SMI in CLCs including building trust, managing reactions to challenging behaviors, tips to responding to psychotic symptoms and more.
Older Veterans
The Unique Needs of Older Adults with SMI
This presentation was developed as a part of a toolkit of resources that Commuity Living Center (CLC) mental health professionals could use to support CLC teams in providing care to these residents. The materials build basic knowledge and address stigma regarding care of residents with SMI. The toolkit was developed for CLCs – but could be useful for any VHA staff who provide care to Veterans with SMI. See more resources under the topic: Medical/Geriatric Setting Professionals: Individuals with SMI. The entire toolkit is available to VHA staff on this Sharepoint site.
Peer Support
Peer Specialist Educational Webinar Series
The VISN 5 MIRECC Education Core runs a webinar series aimed at providing continuing education to VA Peer Specialists. These webinars are developed and presented by MIRECC investigators and VA mental health staff and aim to describe useable strategies and tools that VA Peer Specialists can implement in their work with Veterans. Webinars are publicized to VA Peer Specialists locally, within the VISN, and nationally.
Recovery into Practice: Serious Mental Illness
VISN 5 MIRECC Link
The purpose of the Link is to act as a guiding link between VISN 5 MIRECC research outcomes and practice and treatment applications. The publication includes an overview of a research article and then links those findings to considerations for Veterans and their families and considerations for clinicians. Whether you are a Veteran, a Veteran family member or support person, or a clinician serving Veterans, we hope you find the VISN 5 MIRECC Link a useful resource for "Putting Recovery into Practice!"
Informational Guides for Veterans and Families about Schizophrenia
The VISN 5 MIRECC has assisted the Veterans Health Library in revising a series of informational materials focused on providing recovery-oriented information to Veterans living with schizophrenia and their families. Topics include understanding schizophrenia, supporting a loved one who is living with schizophrenia, understanding treatment options, and how to address stigma when pursing mental health recovery. Go to Guides for Veterans and Families about Schizophrenia to access this important resource.
Resource E-Blasts for Recovery in SMI
As a part of the VISN 5 MIRECC's commitment to support mental health clinicians in their efforts to incorporate recovery-oriented care for Veterans and the Veteran families they serve, we began regularly disseminating national email-blasts in 2019. The goal of this effort is to provide front-lined mental health staff across the VA system information on relevant topic areas and point them to resources they could utilize in their work with Veterans with SMI.
Smoking Cessation
Smoking and Smoking Cessation in Adults with SMI
This presentation focuses on the prevalence of cigarette use, health concerns and strategies for quitting smoking in adults with serious mental illness.
Ready to Quit
This handout, created to support Veterans in their attempts to quit smoking, includes information related to quitting smoking such as stages of change, weighing the pros and cons of quitting, and developing a change plan.
Smoking Cessation
These handouts were created to support Veterans in smoking cessation including examining the positive and negative aspects of smoking, looking at cravings, triggers and high risk situation for use, considering the effects of smoking and benefits of quitting, and coping with side effects of quitting tobacco use. There are also social skill handouts for skills such as refusing tobacco, leaving stressful situations, and asking for support. Additionally, the handouts include coping skills for negative affect such as depression, anxiety, and boredom.
Stigma and Mental Health
Ending Self Stigma for PTSD (ESS-P): Initial Outcomes
The second issue of the VISN 5 MIRECC Link focuses on a pilot study examining Ending Self Stigma with Veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Check out this issue of our Research into Practice publication to learn more!
To learn about VISN 5 MIRECC Interventions related to Stigma and Mental Health, please visit our Interventions page!
Women's Health
Coping with Weight Gain from Psychiatric Medication Side Effects
This issue of our Research into Practice publication, the VISN 5 MIRECC Link, provides information and suggestions for Veterans and Veteran families and clinicians on coping with weight gain from psychiatric medication side effects.
What do Women Need? How to Conduct a Women’s Mental Health Needs Assessment to Plan for Change
This webinar, “What do Women Need? How to Conduct a Women’s Mental Health Needs Assessment to Plan for Change” was developed by the VISN 5 MIRECC for the VA national women’s mental health program. The program will assist mental health clinicians in staying current with the distinct needs of women. The course is available through the TMS website: Course VA 36975. Accreditations Offered: ACCME, ACCME-NP, ACPE, ANCC, APA, ASWB, CDR, NBCC, NYSED SW
To learn about VISN 5 MIRECC Interventions related to Stigma and Mental Health, Social Skill Training, Connection Plans and Families and Caregivers, please visit our Interventions page!
Please contact us with questions.
Please Note: The information and educational products provided here, do not replace treatment provided by a medical or mental health professional. Please reach out to your local VA facility for additional guidance.
