UNC Center for Excellence in Community Mental Health

10/21/2025

Join us Thursday, Oct. 30th, 2025, 5-8pm at the UNC Neurosciences Hospital for our Annual Brushes with Life Art Show!!!

10/16/2025

IPS Team Lead and ACT Training Specialist are just two of the jobs currently available on the Institute for Best Practices career page. Please visit the link below for more information or to submit a position: https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/cecmh/unc-institute-for-best-practices/careers/.

10/06/2025

In collaboration with a close colleague, Maria Monroe-DeVita, PhD at Univ of Washington, Lorna Moser, PhD., Director of the Institute for Best Practices, hosts a national bi-monthly virtual meeting for assertive community treatment (ACT) teams and other stakeholders.

These national meetings were started in April 2020 in response to the pandemic, and continue as a free source of support, networking, and training.

Today, we hosted Dr. Mark Salzer, who is the Director of the Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities, to speak about the medical necessity of community participation.

Over 200 are in attendance, representing 25 US states! Amazing "showing up" across the US.

Learn more about Mark and his team's work here:

The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion is engaged in research and knowledge development activities that are translated into practical information to support full and meaningful community participation of individuals with mental illnesses. Utilize Our Community Inclusion Resources...

10/03/2025

ACT Consultant and Trainer with the Institute for Best Practices. Chris joined the Institute for Best Practices in 2020. Since then, he has been able to support community mental health providers by coaching, creating and providing trainings, presenting at conferences, and conducting program evaluation to ACT teams across the nation.... You can read more about him and other Institute staff here: https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/cecmh/unc-institute-for-best-practices/staff/

09/29/2025

We recently observed the anniversary of the passing of one of our dear colleagues, Melissa Wilkinson DeHaven.

Melissa was bright, both intellectually and in her personality.

We set up a scholarship foundation in her name. With your donations, we’ve supported several peers to attend the International Individual Placement and Support (IPS) conference.

We will be expanding to sponsor registration costs for advanced training, such as with Wellness Recovery Action Planning (WRAP) and Enhanced Illness Managementand Recovery (E-IMR).

We miss you Melissa.

Find more information here:

Melissa Wilkinson DeHaven Conference Scholarship With this award, the Institute for Best Practices will use scholarship funds to support travel and registration to attend a local or national conference. Those traveling to a North Carolina conference will receive up to $600 in scholarship funds, and....

09/22/2025

IPS Consultant and Trainer with the Institute for Best Practices. Penny has more than five years of experience in community mental health as a Vocational Specialist on ACT and as an IPS Team Leader for Monarch Winston-Salem. She also has experience working with Vocational Rehabilitation as a Practicum Student.... You can read more about her and other Institute staff here: https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/cecmh/unc-institute-for-best-practices/staff/

09/19/2025

Reviews we like to see!

Dr. Lorna Moser and Chris Fournier, with the UNC Institute for Best Practice, wrapped up a two-day virtual training on Person-Centered Planning and the ACT Daily Team Meeting with providers in Virginia.

"It was captivating, packed with information, and far from dull!"

"I'm not a big fan of break out rooms, but at the same time I learn by doing. So, it was essential to team up and work on the objectives and interventions. I have a much better understanding of those things now!"

"I really enjoyed how encouraging the trainers were and welcomed all levels of experience and ideas. I also enjoyed the focus of truly being person centered in all that you do. I am new to my position and appreciate seeing this because it's something I really value."

Lorna co-led this training live in Wisconsin in August, and we are bringing it to our NC ACT providers in November. The decision to make is whether to host it by zoom or live ... stay tuned!

09/08/2025

ACT Consultant and Trainer with the Institute for Best Practices. Stephen has been working with people challenged by severe and persistent mental illness since 2001, working in several states, including Illinois, Ohio, and North Carolina. Stephen has extensive experience with ACT implementation, including developing two high-fidelity ACT teams from the ground up, and rebuilding five previously struggling ACT teams.... You can read more about him and other Institute staff here: https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/cecmh/unc-institute-for-best-practices/staff/

08/28/2025

The Institute for Best Practices offers a list of Career Opportunities for positions across the country. ACT Team Lead and FACT Mental Health Professional are just two of the jobs currently available. Please visit the link below for more information or to submit a position: https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/cecmh/unc-institute-for-best-practices/careers/.

08/18/2025

Brushes with Life Annual Art Show
October 30, 2025 | 5:00-8:00pm
UNC Neuroscience Hospital, Chapel Hill

Art Submission Deadline: Friday, September 19, 2025

For more information about Brushes with Life, visit: go.unc.edu/brusheswithlife

08/18/2025

Stacy L. Smith is an ACT Consultant and Trainer Program Manager with the Institute for Best Practices as well as the Co-Coordinator of the North Carolina ACT Coalition, a grassroots provider learning collaborative. Stacy has more than 25 years of experience in North Carolina mental health services, working with both adults and children in a variety of settings. You can read more about her and other Institute staff here: https://www.med.unc.edu/psych/cecmh/unc-institute-for-best-practices/staff/

08/13/2025

Want to learn more about assertive community treatment (ACT) at your own pace? Check out this free 2-hour ACT primer that walks you through the history of ACT (Module 1), the key ingredients of the model while following the stories of three ACT service recipients (Module 2), and an overview of ACT research and program fidelity (Module 3).

CECMH's Institute for Best Practices' Director, Lorna Moser, Ph.D., teamed up with Maria Monroe-DeVita, Ph.D. (UW Washington) to create this SAMHSA-funded recording, which was released three years ago today.

To access, register for free on HealtheKnowledge and search “Introduction to Assertive Community Treatment.”

HealtheKnowledge.org resulted from the need for a one-stop shop for health-related information and resources on the web. The courses provided on this site cover a variety of health-related topics relevant for today's professional.HealtheKnowledge.org is managed by The Collaborative to Advance Health...