Left to right: Cary Hopkins Hall, Abby Shockley and Beth Holland, CJMHSA TAC learning and development facilitator.
On Jan. 30, the Criminal Justice, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Technical Assistance Center (CJMHSA
TAC) delivered training to more than 60 case managers, outreach workers and frontline
professionals in Lee County.
The training, “Supporting Justice-Involved Individuals with Co-Occurring Disorders,”
led by Cary Hopkins Hall, MA, CAP, visiting instructor in the Department of Criminology, and Abby Shockley, MPH, director
of the CJMHSA TAC, focused on practical strategies to strengthen engagement, coordination
and service delivery for individuals experiencing both mental health and substance
use disorders. The session was tailored for Lee County employees working directly
with individuals impacted by behavioral health conditions with criminal justice involvement.
Funded by the Florida Department of Children and Families, the CJMHSA TAC is housed
at USF and provides training, consultation, technical assistance, data expertise and
guidance to communities across Florida. The TAC supports local CJMHSA Reinvestment
Grant initiatives to improve outcomes for individuals with mental health and substance
use disorders who are involved in, or at risk of involvement in, the criminal justice
system.
The TAC will work with Hall to provide more intensive, follow-up workshops to further
build local capacity and support implementation of best practices within Lee County’s
behavioral health and justice systems.