Collaborative Impact Project
In 1995, the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study was conducted by Kaiser Permanente and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It included over 17,000 participants. The ACE study uncovered a link between adverse childhood experiences and adulthood chronic diseases as well as social and emotional challenges. As the number of ACEs increases so does the risk for negative outcomes. We know the more ACE’s a person has, the greater their risk for chronic disease, mental illness, violence and being a victim of violence. Not only is this study valuable because it helps us understand the link between difficult events in childhood and how they affect us in adulthood, but it provides a numerical marker for how we are doing in regards to mental health from state to state. The devastating news is that Oklahoma has the highest level of ACE’s out of any other state in the US. Thus, Oklahoma children are being exposed to more painful events than anywhere else in the country.
At HALO we have been addressing this issue by making sure to bring the best possible mental health interventions used nationally to our great state of Oklahoma. As a result, we have seen a significant improvement in the quality of services HALO and our partner agencies provide, but none of us could have anticipated the rise in need for mental health services as a result of Covid. Depression is up by a third, we are seeing more suicidal ideation amongst our young adults and experiencing an increase in hopelessness associated with isolation and lack of community.
At HALO, we have the solution and skill set to help those in need. HALO has an amazing team of highly trained professionals working day and night to meet this need, but it is not enough. Our HALO team was recently asked, “What is the biggest challenge we face as an organization currently?” The answer, “We need more people that are trained in the interventions we are trained in.” The need is vast and an army of highly trained professionals in multiple organizations is required to meet this need.
Our hope of making an impact lies in the formation of the Collaborative Impact Project. The Collaborative Impact Project will create a high-quality, highly trained team of mental health professionals designed to address the mental health needs of Oklahoma’s vulnerable populations.
The Collaborative Impact Project will provide training to Oklahoma mental health professionals from a variety of organizations in the following interventions:
Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) – TBRI® is the leading intervention for a therapist to be trained in if they are working with children with histories of trauma. Currently there are 8,000 children in foster care in Oklahoma and 21,000 who have been adopted through DHS. Not to mention all the children who are living in vulnerable households. TBRI® was created at the Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian University. To attend the training at TCU, it costs $3500 per person. HALO Project has special permission from Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development to train TBRI® in the state of Oklahoma. Although HALO cannot train therapists to be TBRI® Practitioners, we have permission to train counselors in a special 2-day TBRI® training.
Making Sense of Your Worth – This intervention was created by HALO Project and serves as an 8-week group format intervention designed to meet the mental health needs of adults and teens. The program has the ability to bring healing to individuals who have trauma in their past so they can be healthy adults for their children. It is being utilized world-wide and is an efficient way to provide successful therapy in a short amount of time. It has been described as “a life-changing intervention that replaces years of therapy.” The cost for a therapist to attend this training is generally $710 per person.
Internal Family Systems Therapy – This modality is utilized to bring an individual to healing quickly and is an excellent intervention for those “stuck” in therapy or those who have been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. To be fully trained in this intervention will cost a therapist around $3500. HALO employs a therapist who has developed a training in this intervention for a fraction of the cost.
For years we have been searching for best-practices and have found the three interventions above to be the most valuable in helping a child, adult and/or family achieve healing in the most efficient fashion.
Through a gift from Impact Oklahoma, HALO will train 100 professionals in the above interventions (valued at $7710 per person.) This will enable us to build a mental health army of highly trained professionals with the ability to meet the mental health needs of our communities.
Professionals for the scholarships will be selected based on their need for the interventions, their potential impact, and the populations they serve. During the course of the upcoming months, they will be trained in the above-mentioned interventions. Those selected will participate in monthly consultation calls and be asked to track data on the number of people served as well as length of time in therapy and overall outcomes. This will allow us gather measurable data to show the overall success of the project.
Each participant awarded a Collaborative Impact Project scholarship must attend ONE of the training dates for each of the three interventions. You must be able to attend one of the Making Sense of Your Worth Trainings, one of the Internal Family Systems trainings, and one of the Trust-Based Relational Intervention® trainings.
Dates of the Trainings are as follows:
Making Sense of Your Worth
Internal Family Systems Therapy
November 4th -8th, 2024 9:00am – 5:00pm, daily
Trust-Based Relational Intervention®
All training will be held at the HALO offices, 401 East Memorial Rd., Suite 500 Oklahoma City, OK 73114. The scholarship includes the training, materials and lunch and snacks.
Is the Collaborative Impact a new project?
The Collaborative Impact Project is a new project but is related to an existing endeavor. HALO has been training professionals in our community in a variety of ways for a number of years. However, the Collaborative Impact Project is new because we will be providing more sophisticated training on a much deeper level. This project will create a network of like-minded, highly skilled mental health professionals working together to meet the mental health needs of our community. In essence, we are creating an alliance of individuals committed to using their unique professional skills and talents to bring healing and relief to those in our community who are suffering. Together, we can have a much larger impact than one organization alone. Together, we have a chance to change the ACEs and our ACEs ranking in Oklahoma.
What does the scholarship cover?
The scholarship pays for your training fee, your lunch each day, your supplies and your snacks.
Who can apply for the scholarship?
Mental Health Professionals serving vulnerable populations in Canadian County, Oklahoma County, Logan County and Cleveland County. There are just a few scholarships available for those not serving the above listed counties.
Mental Health Professionals must be licensed or under supervision for licensure.
Is there a virtual option for the trainings?
All trainings will be held in person in the HALO building located at 401 East Memorial Rd, Suite 600, Oklahoma City, OK 73114
Are CEU’s Available for the trainings?
Yes, CEU’s for LCSW, LADC, LMFT and LPC will be available.
What is the Application Process?
Please fill out the application by Noon on Thursday, August 22, 2024.