Anthony Salerno

The behavioral healthcare system has embraced the importance of understanding the role of adversity, trauma and resilience on one’s overall health and wellbeing. Much of the information about trauma and resilience has focused on the psychological, behavioral and physical health consequences of trauma as well as the protective resiliency factors. To ensure a truly bio-psycho-social perspective, we need to understand how the biological nervous system is affected by trauma, what we can do to regulate our nervous system and how we can integrate this knowledge in our work with clients.

One of the biggest predictors of success is having someone in your life that cares about you succeeding.  As young people develop, they continue to adapt to life and even adversity in a way that helps them to grow.  Oftentimes, we pathologize these adaptations while disregarding the power of resilience.  Resilience is the ability to rebound and withstand disruptive life challenges.  It involves dynamic processes which foster a positive adaptation in the context of a significant adversity.

In this "Conversations with Dr. Tony," we will speak with Dr. Linda Lausell-Bryant, Clinical Associate Professor at the NYU Silver School of Social Work about how to improve anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices in organizations. This 45-minute conversation is also designed to invite attendees to ask questions as well as share what their organizations have done to implement anti-oppressive and anti-racist practices.

Supervisors have many challenging tasks and roles. One of the most daunting and emotionally laden roles involves having those hard conversations with supervisees about work performance problems. In some cases, relationships may be strained when supervisors had previous peer level co-worker relationships with staff they now supervise. Supervisors may also encounter challenges with staff who are “long timers” and may not fully accept the supervisor’s authority. Some performance related issues may be embarrassing and very sensitive to discuss.

Behavioral health organizations are increasingly expected to use metrics and analytics to measure success, identify problems and make informed decisions based on reliable and valid data. The message has been sent loud and clear that the future will require organizations to demonstrate value with objective and meaningful data.

This webinar presents practical and accessible information about the critical role played by supervisory level leadership in the provision of quality services, particularly in a rapidly changing and more accountable healthcare system. Supervisors are challenged with assuming both the managerial and leadership roles needed to meet day to day organizational operations and at the same time, guide their team through system level changes. Supervisors are in a unique role to ensure that organizational policies, procedures and practices are carried out consistently and effectively.

Many practitioners and recipients are familiar with Wellness Self-Management (WSM), a curriculum-based clinical practice designed to assist adults to effectively manage serious mental health problems. WSM lessons focus on recovery, mental health wellness, relapse prevention and more. 

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, six new WSM lessons have been developed which can be used remotely (or face-to-face) in individual and group meetings. The topics are:

Behavioral health organizations are facing numerous and daunting challenges during this unprecedented health crisis. Providers are under considerable stress, emotionally and professionally, to meet ongoing expectations and client needs. Supervisors play a critical role in supporting their staff and ensuring organizational expectations are met. In addition, many programs have moved to working remotely leaving supervisors with the unique role of providing this supervisory support through virtual means. In this presentation, Dr. Tony speaks with Dr.

We are all experiencing highly stressful challenges during this unprecedented pandemic. Adults with serious mental health and/or substance use problems are particularly vulnerable, especially those who live alone and have little social connections. One of the most critical and universal resiliency factors during highly adverse conditions involves access to social support.

Supervisors play a critical role in creating value and achieving quality in behavioral health services. Supervisors are often challenged with assuming both managerial and leadership roles needed to meet day-to-day organizational operations, and at the same time, guide their team through system level changes. However, supervisors may find that they may not have the skills and support they may need to fulfill these complex roles. From CTAC data, we have found that: