Building Integrated Capacity in Autism & Mental Health
The 2023 Training Program for Autism and Mental Health Providers in Ontario is Complete!
About the Mental Health & Autism Training Program
Autistic children and youth who have co-occurring mental health challenges often struggle to access mental health treatments due to limited service provider capacity and siloed service delivery models. Children’s Mental Health Ontario (CMHO), in partnership with Autism Ontario and Dr. Jonathan Weiss, has developed a bilingual training program to build both sectors’ capacity in delivering integrated mental health services for autistic children and youth. These virtual sessions are designed to help providers enhance their expertise in treating and supporting autistic children and youth who have mental health challenges and their families.
We are excited to share that the Foundational training, Advanced training, and the Provincial Francophone training program for Autism and Mental Health Providers have been completed. Thank you to all participants for taking the time to participate in the first-ever provincial training program – it was a success due to your willingness to learn and grow within your respective fields.
We have received questions about if we will be adding more training dates to the calendar. However, at this time, we will not be offering more dates until further notice. We do hope to do so in the future, so stay tuned!
Meet our Partners
Autism Ontario
Autism Ontario is a charitable organization with a history of over 49 years representing the thousands of people on the autism spectrum and their families across Ontario. Made up of knowledgeable parents, professionals, and autistic self-advocates who can speak to the key issues that impact autistic individuals and their families, Autism Ontario is the province’s leading source of information and referral on autism, and one of the largest collective voices representing the autism community. The work we do helps all autistic individuals and families in their communities have access to meaningful support, information and connections so they are equitably and seamlessly supported across their life course. To learn more about Autism Ontario, please visit www.autismontario.com.
Dr. Jonathan Weiss
Dr. Jonathan Weiss, PhD, is a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology at York University (Toronto, Canada) and a Clinical Psychologist. He currently holds a York Research Chair in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disability Mental Health and was the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) Chair in Autism Spectrum Disorders Treatment and Care Research.
His research focuses on mental health in people with autism or intellectual disabilities, and their families, across the lifespan. He conducts studies into how people with developmental disabilities access mental health care, and is interested in their service needs, use, and experiences of crisis and wellness.
He is interested in program development and evaluation, and on the impact of Special Olympics on the psychological well-being of participants, and of cognitive behavioral and mindfulness interventions to promote resilience and improve mental health. He has led pioneering work on Autism Mental Health Literacy, on the adaptation and delivery of psychotherapy to autistic youth, and on service provider training needs. He has published over 130 peer reviewed articles on mental health and developmental disabilities.
About the Training
Integrated Foundational Autism and Mental Health Training
Attendees received foundational knowledge about autism and mental health within an interprofessional education context. Participants reviewed core content regarding the broad spectrum of needs that are common for autistic youth; practical conceptualizations of mental health; up-to-date evidence about the causes of mental health problems for autistic youth; and psychosocial interventions to address symptoms. Case-based learning and speakers with lived experience were included to make concepts concrete for participants, with a particular focus on the intersecting sociodemographic factors that can affect mental health. The regional focus reinforced existing relationships between providers in both sectors and built new ones, setting the stage for increased collaboration by connecting to others who share similar foundational knowledge.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• To improve participants’ understanding of professional roles; foster connections; and improve holistic autism mental health support planning and delivery.
STRUCTURE OF TRAINING
• Length of Training: 2–3-hour sessions
• Program Delivery: Virtual
• Language of Instruction: English and French
• Cost: There is no charge to you or your organization for this training as this project is funded by the Government of Ontario
See the full training curriculum.
Specialized Advanced Training: Mental Health Providers
Provider-specific training involved dedicated and tailored training time for mental health professionals, centered on a more in-depth focus on how mental health problems present in autism; adaptations to service delivery that span multiple kinds of intervention; and communication strategies to improve interactions between provider and client. Case-based examples of the delivery of psychological interventions to autistic youth were used to demonstrate adaptations.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Increased knowledge of how to adapt psychological interventions to be autism-informed.
• Increased awareness of how autistic mental health involves biopsychosocial considerations.
• Increased connections with other mental health providers within the region.
STRUCTURE OF TRAINING
• Length of Training: 2–3-hour sessions
• Program Delivery: Virtual
• Language of Instruction: English and French
• Cost: There is no charge to you or your organization for this training as this project is funded by the Government of Ontario
See the full training curriculum.
Specialized Advanced Training: Autism Providers
This training delivered autism mental health literacy training, focusing on how to first identify potential mental health concerns, including steps to take to provide mental health care first aid (e.g., being supportive of the client and family, identifying current informal and formal supports, looking for easy immediate steps that can help, etc.); learning about the mental health resources that exist (both informal and formal support sources), and identifying what they can do within their scope of practice to promote positive mental health in autistic clients.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
• Increased knowledge of mental health symptoms in autistic children and youth.
• Increased knowledge on steps providers can take to support the mental health of autistic people before and after the presentations of mental health symptoms.
• Increased knowledge of when to refer clients to other services for mental health concerns.
STRUCTURE OF TRAINING
• Length of Training: 2–3-hour sessions
• Program Delivery: Virtual
• Language of Instruction: English and French
• Cost: There is no charge to you or your organization for this training as this project is funded by the Government of Ontario
See the full training curriculum.
About the Training Program & Sustainability Effort
CMHO, in collaboration with Autism Ontario and Dr. Weiss, has developed a comprehensive training program for autism and mental health providers practicing in Ontario. The training supports professionals to enhance their expertise in treating and supporting autistic children and youth. Sustainability is a key focus for CMHO and our partners to ensure that both sectors’ knowledge and expertise are maintained. We have trained approximately 5,000 mental health and autism providers in both the public and private sectors. This project was funded by the Government of Ontario.
Continued Learning Opportunities
COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE
• CMHO launched five regional (English) and one provincial francophone community of practice in Fall 2023 with the support of Dr. Weiss and Dr. Prud’homme.
• The sessions were held virtually for one hour and allowed providers to develop and share best practices and resources and build professional relationships post-training. All members were learners and contributed to creating a meaningful and useful learning space to increase their knowledge and skills based on the wisdom held within their communities.
BOOSTER SESSIONS
• In Fall 2023, CMHO and Autism Ontario offered booster sessions on topics identified as learning priorities from trainees; see Fall 2023 sessions.
• Additional booster sessions will be announced for Winter 2024.
ELIGIBILITY AND REGISTRATION FOR CONTINUED LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES
• Eligibility: Must have received a certificate of completion for the Foundational and/or Advanced Trainings from Provincial Autism and Mental Health Training Program.
• There will be no public registration link for the CoPs or Booster Sessions; it will be emailed directly to trainees using the email registered for training. Email training@cmho.org if you haven’t received your link (verification of certificate of completion required).
Development of the Training Program
In 2021 and 2022, CMHO partnered with York University and Dr. Weiss to survey private and public mental health and autism providers. The survey results provided insight into four key areas:
● Attitudes
● Knowledge
● Confidence
● Training needs
Based on the survey results, CMHO worked with Autism Ontario and Dr. Weiss to develop a foundational and advanced training program that addresses the gaps and challenges mental health and autism service providers are experiencing. As part of the program, Dr. Weiss will provide trainees with the tools needed to combat the gaps in services that youth, children, and their families face daily, which will allow them to receive proper care and treatment.