Training
Rural Residency Program
Providing rural rotation track for Psychiatry residents and fellows.
Lead Contact: Helene Silverblatt, M.D.
Partners: New Mexico Human Services Department—Behavioral Health Services Division; Rural and Community
Psychiatry Network of New Mexico; New Mexico Health Resources.
Goal: To provide a rural rotation/track for Adult Psychiatry Residents and Child Psychiatry Fellows. The
program serves as a one-of-a-kind training program as well as a recruitment and
retention tool to place and keep psychiatrists practicing throughout rural New Mexico.
Rural Child Psychiatry Training Program
Psychiatry Trainees working in rural communities in New Mexico
Lead Contact: Steven Adelsheim, M.D.
Partners: Children, Youth and Families department, multiple state behavioral health and primary care agencies.
Goal: This program builds on the nationally award winning adult resident rural track to create opportunities
of child psychiatry trainees to work 2 days per month in a rural community of New Mexico. Trainees have
the opportunity to learn about the challenges and rewards of providing behavioral health in rural and
frontier communities and how to be effective partners in this unique practice setting.
Psychology Internship-Major and Minor Rotations
Major and Minor rotations in Public Behavioral Health.
Lead Contact: Deborah Altschul, Ph.D.
Goal: In conjunction with the APPIC accredited Psychology Internship Program at the UNM Department of
Psychiatry, the CRCBH offers public behavioral health major and minor rotations. Projects completed
during these rotations to have an emphasis on child, adolescent, and adult public behavioral health;
and include activities such as grant writing, public policy development, services research and
evaluation, and clinical/consultative services. The goal is to provide interns with the opportunity to
engage in activities that directly enhance the public behavioral health system in New Mexico.
Social Work Internship
Conducting services research in relation to Public Behavioral Health and
public policy
Lead Contact: Deborah Altschul, Ph.D
Partners: New Mexico Highlands University and the Consortium for Behavioral Health Training, Evaluation, and
Research (CBHTER)
Goal: As an entity of CBHTER, Social Work students from Highlands University will participate in a yearlong
internship on services research in relation to public behavioral health services and public policy in
New Mexico.
Social Work Internship (2)
Working with Native American Communities around systems development and training needs.
Lead Contact: Charlene Poola, LISW
Partners: New Mexico Highlands University
Goal: To have social work students do a community internship with the Center to work with Native American
communities around systems development and training needs. To provide support to Native American
Behavioral Health agencies to enhance their current service delivery system and to assist social
workers in finding a social work placement of employment once they graduate from the University.
Native American Trainings
Providing culturally competent care.
Lead Contact: Charlene Poola, LISW
Funding Source: Indian Health Services, ValueOptions, and Co-Occurring State Incentive Grant
Partners: Native American Behavioral Health Workgroup, Behavioral Health Services Division, Indian Health
Service (IHS) and Value Options.
Goal: To provide culturally relevant training by teaching Traditional and Western approaches to clinical
interventions. To create cultural awareness of the various tribes that exist in New Mexico so providers
can provide culturally competent care and create a network of Native American consultants to assist
providers in New Mexico.
Best Practices Project with Native American Communities
What is working in community behavioral health services and what needs to be improved?
Lead Contact: Charlene Poola, LISW
Funding Source: Behavioral Health Services Division
Partners: Behavioral Health Services Division, Tewa Women United, and the Zia Pueblo.
Goal: To do focus groups with the serving population to address what is working in their community for
behavioral health services and what needs to be improved.
Native American Behavioral Health Needs Assessment
Determining current resources and additional needs in Native American communities.
Lead Contact: Charlene Poola, LISW
Funding Source: Partial past Behavioral Health Division Funds used
Goal: CRCBH did a needs assessment in 2006 with tribal behavioral health and IHS behavioral health
departments to identify what current substance abuse, mental health, and prevention services are being
provided; opinions and needs regarding implementation of evidence based practices; service, support,
and training needs; current staffing patterns (including disciplines represented and available
supervision); and availability of telehealth and computer technology. The goal was to determine current
resources and additional needs in Native communities and to bring all behavioral health stakeholders
to a meeting to discuss the findings and prioritize training needs.
Native American Community Academy (NACA)
Creating a culturally informed behavioral health system of care.
Lead Contact: Charlene Poola, LISW
Partners: University of New Mexico School Based Health Centers and NACA
Goal: To provide clinical services and support to the Behavioral Team at NACA to create a culturally informed
behavioral health system of care with NACA students, faculty, and staff.
CADAC to LADAC informational training sessions
Increasing workforce development in Native American communities
Lead Contact: Charlene Poola, LISW
Partners: Behavioral Health Services Division, New Mexico Counseling & Therapy Practice Board,
and Albuquerque Area Intertribal Council on Substance Abuse
Goal: To provide information to substance abuse providers about the CADAC to LADAC grandfathering clause
that was effective July 2007 until June 30th, 2008. The informational session outlines steps on how to
apply for a CADAC license and how to be “grandfathered” to receive a LADAC license before June 30th,
2008 in order to increase workforce development in Native American communities.
Tribal Data Workgroup
Collecting and disseminating data when working in Native American communities.
Lead Contact: Charlene Poola, LISW
Partners: Nadine Tafoya & Associates, New Mexico Human Services Department, and
New Mexico Behavioral Health Colllaborative.
Goal: To create a document that outlines protocol how to collect and disseminate data when working in Native
American communities. The partners will meet with Native communities to draft a protocol document
and receive feedback to make changes to the document and share it with the Behavioral Health
Purchasing Collaborative and hopefully adopt the document as a policy with the tribe’s support and
endorsement.