Training for Change Unveils “Tobacco Intervention Practices”
First-of-its-Kind Electronic Toolkit For Behavioral Health Providers

Over 70% of Individuals with Mental Illness and/or Substance Abuse Disorder
Smoke Cigarettes. On Average, They Die 25 Years Earlier Than the General Population.

NEW YORK ( December 14,2009) – Training for Change, Inc., a consultation and training group,  in collaboration with Clubhouse of Suffolk, has unveiled “Tobacco Intervention Practices (TIP),” a ground-breaking new DVD tutorial that builds upon their tobacco cessation program for behavioral health providers.  The two-part tutorial focuses on organizational readiness assessment, staff development, cultural development and organized change strategies with clients.

To meet the needs of the changing world, Training for Change transformed their evidence-based training into a comprehensive toolkit for behavioral health providers:

• Part 1 of the toolkit provides interactive training on: “Facts about Tobacco”, ”Tobacco and Mental Health”, ”Stages of Readiness Development,” and ”Personal Quit Planning, Tobacco Medications, and Brief Intervention Strategies.”
• Part 2 equips behavioral health providers with evidence-based strategies for individual interventions including a robust Resource Toolbox and a Leaders Guide for an efficient eight- week group curriculum.  The curriculum embraces the ‘Healthy Body, Healthy Mind’ model, a comprehensive tobacco treatment model for individuals with mental illness.

Training for Change's products and support services will provide participants with the tools, skills and self-efficacy to integrate and implement tobacco treatment services throughout their behavioral health agency. In addition, TIP includes strategies for developing buy-in among mental health staff and developing agency goals for talking about tobacco.

Training for Change and Clubhouse of Suffolk have been immersed in providing comprehensive tobacco dependence treatment training, program development, and consulting services for behavioral health providers and organizations for the past six years.  Their work has made hundreds of behavioral health providers recognize the serious consequences of smoking and allowed them to champion smoking cessation among individuals with serious mental illness.

For ordering details or more information, please visit www.Training4Change.net.

Training for Change staff and Clubhouse produced the nationally hailed video, “Smoke Alarm: The Truth About Tobacco and Mental Illness”. This 25 minute video “blew the cover” off the baleful relationship between mental illness and smoking: SMOKE ALARM recently won awards and recognition at the annual NYAPRS- NYC Mental Health Film Festival and was presented as a featured film at the NYS NAMI 2009 Annual Conference.

The healthcare professionals that created “Tobacco Intervention Practices” include:

Bernadette W. Cain, M.B. A., Training Consultant for Training for Change, Inc., and the Producer of “Smoke Alarm: The Truth About Smoking and Mental Illness.”

Tara Fredericks, LMSW, Program Director for Special Projects, previously the Clinical Coordinator of the Smoking Cessation Program.

Diane Mills, MSEd, Education Consultant specializing in curriculum development and strategic learning practices