The STAR Center provides Support, Technical Assistance and Resources to assist consumer-operated and consumer-supporter programs in meeting the needs of under-served populations.  Specifically, the STAR Center’s focus areas are cultural competence and diversity in the context of mental health recovery and consumer self-help and self-empowerment.  Although we are a national technical assistance center, the following regions have been designated as STAR Center focus regions/states:  Washington DC, Rhode Island, New Mexico, and Puerto Rico.     

In pursuit of this mission we offer a broad array of technical assistance to consumer operated and peer run programs, including technical assistance materials and tools, informative newsletters and listservs, national teleconferences, consumer networking and resource sharing opportunities, and support in the form of mini-grant awards for creative recovery-based activities, scholarships for Alternatives conferences.

Meet the Staff | Contact Us

The STAR Center is funded by a grant from the Center for Mental Health Services, Substance Abuse Mental Health Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Please visit our partner TA Centers:

• National Consumer Supporter Technical Assistance Center at Mental Health America
• National Empowerment Center
• National Mental Health Consumers' Self-Help Clearinghouse
• The Family Café

With grateful acknowledgment to the federal Center for Mental Health Services (CMHS).
CMHS was established under the 1992 ADAMHA Reorganization Act, Public Law 102-321, which mandates CMHS' leadership role in delivering mental health services, generating and applying new knowledge, and establishing national mental health policy. CMHS is a component of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (opens in new window), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (opens in new window).

Partner Links

Justice Audio Series:

3 Part Series on Supporting the Recovery of Justice-Involved Consumers.

Justice-involved consumers have expressed a need to have resources and materials that will assist them in making informed decisions about their futures. Although justice-involved consumers experience many of the same challenges that other consumers do; justice-involved consumers have a unique set of challenges and barriers that they must successfully overcome in their recovery journeys. Unfortunately, many are unprepared for challenges and are often unaware of the resources and strategies that are at their disposal to successfully overcome these challenges.

Over the past 10 years, we have witnessed an increased interest in developing services that meet the unique needs of justice-involved consumers. The emergence of diversion and reentry programs and a growing emphasis on community based supports and community reintegration, have resulted in the development of many innovative practices. Like many promising practices, these practices have evolved largely due to the vision and creativity of program managers and the involvement of other critical stakeholders such as community based providers, faith-based institutions, individuals and family members.

Each recovery journey begins with just one step and we hope that the following Justice Involved Consumer Resources will help you assist people as they begin and progress through their recovery journeys. The 3 Part Series on Supporting the Recovery of Justice-Involved Consumers was created to be used most effectively collectively, but can also be used individually.

Part 1:
Learning About Us, Learning to Help Us: Supporting People with Psychiatric Disabilities in the Criminal Justice System is accompanied by the Consumer Toolkit and Personal Narratives. The Consumer Toolkit is designed to share with the consumers with whom you work. It provides descriptions of resources that people can use to support their personal recovery journeys. Readers can easily locate specific resources to help them access housing, information about benefits, peer support and other tools useful in their journey. Personal Narratives is a series of personal stories designed to assist you in learning about individuals with psychiatric disabilities and their involvement in the criminal justice system. They are beneficial in bringing inspiration and understanding to others with similar experiences, providing powerful examples of hope, responsibility, personal empowerment and the critical role of peer support. Personal Narratives are available in both audio and written form.

Part 2:
The Self-advocacy and Empowerment Toolkit identifies resources and strategies to guide you, its readers, individuals with behavioral health issues and past or current contact with the criminal justice system in achieving personal recovery goals. The Toolkit responds to the expressed need of justice-involved people with behavioral health issues for additional resources to assist them in making informed decisions about their futures in a manner that accounts for their unique challenges. Although all consumers experience challenges, justice-involved consumers face a special set of challenges and barriers in their recovery journeys. These tools were designed to help you overcome these challenges and allow you to enjoy all the opportunities and benefits of a full life in the community. This toolkit discusses services and supports and provides you with contact information to help you access them.

Most importantly, these resources can connect you with something necessary to move forward with your life - hope. Hope is one of the keys to being able to overcome life's challenges.

Part 3:
The Promising Practices Guide includes approaches and practices reviewed and identified by the CMHS National GAINS Center as part of its Adapting Evidence-Based Practices for Justice-Involved involved Populations Initiative. As a key component of this initiative, the GAINS Center hosted a series of expert panel meetings on each topic to review best practices and identify promising programs across the United States that have implemented these practices and are helping to develop the evidence base for their efficacy. The output of the GAINS Center expert panel meetings resulted in a fact sheet series that examines the adaptation and implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) with justice-involved consumers, reviews the evidence base, and highlights the experiences of consumers and program staff members who have participated in EBP delivery.

The STAR Center has also developed a webinar based on the 3 Part Series on Supporting the Recovery of Justice-Involved Consumers. Join the STAR Center for this informative and thought-provoking one-hour webinar as we explore and learn about:

• The alarming number of consumers involved in the criminal justice system
• Programs that empower justice-involved consumers with starting and sustaining recovery
• The SAMHSA funded GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice TransformationÕs efforts to support the transformation of the nationÕs behavioral and criminal justice systems
• How to best utilize the Three-Part Series on Supporting the Recovery of Justice-Involved Consumers

Meet the Speakers from Policy Research Associates (PRA)

Chanson D. Noether, MA
Mr. Noether has been with PRA since 1999 and currently serves as Division Manager for PRA's Criminal Justice Division. In this capacity, Mr. Noether oversees all justice-focused and recovery-oriented research, training and technical assistance initiatives for the Division. Mr. Noether currently serves as both Co-Director of SAMHSA's Statewide Family and Consumer Networks TA Center and as the Associate Director of SAMHSA's GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation. As Associate Director of SAMHSA's GAINS Center, Mr. Noether oversees all training and technical assistance activities for the Center, including the How Being Trauma-Informed Improves Criminal Justice System Responses training initiative. As Co-Director of SAMHSAÕs Statewide Family and Consumer Networks TA Center, Mr. Noether oversees the technical assistance and support provided to grantees of both the Statewide Family Network and Statewide Consumer Network grant programs. Mr. Noether has also served as Project Director for several other initiatives at PRA, including the NIMH-funded Suicide Prevention for Justice System Gatekeepers training program and SAMHSA's groundbreaking Women, Co-occurring Disorders and Violence Study (WCDVS). Mr. Noether received his M.A. in Community Psychology and Counseling from Sage Graduate School in Albany, NY. Mr. Noether has authored numerous peer-reviewed articles and publications and presents frequently at a variety of national meetings and conferences. Mr. Noether is also an adjunct professor for research and evaluation at Russell Sage College in Albany, NY. His research and practice interests include criminal/juvenile justice, children and families, trauma and peer integration, as well as training and program evaluation.

LaVerne D. Miller, JD
LaVerne D. Miller has worked for PRA as a Senior Project Associate at PRA for several years. Ms. Miller holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and a JD from Northeastern School of Law. Following graduation she worked as an Assistant District Attorney in New York County. After several personal challenges, she decided to devote her career to ensuring that the voices of persons, including consumers, family members and youth are included in the planning, implementation and evaluation of mental health and criminal justice services. She is also is committed to addressing disparities and ensuring that individuals from underserved communities are partners in the design, planning and implementation of services in their communities. Prior to joining PRA, Ms. Miller was for eight years the Director of the Howie T. Harp Peer Advocacy Center in New York City, one of the nation's foremost peer-run agencies that provides employment resources to people with psychiatric disabilities. Currently, Ms. Miller is serving as the Co-Director of SAMHSA's Family and Consumer Statewide Networks Technical Assistance Center. Ms. Miller also provides coordination and direction for all peer-related activities for SAMHSA's GAINS Center, including the Jail Diversion Trauma Recovery with Priority to Veterans (JDTR) initiative, the Adult Treatment Court Collaborative (ATCC) initiative and the Mental Health Transformation Grant (MHTG) program. Ms. Miller is a much sought after speaker and trainer who has received several awards for her work, including a 2010 SAMHSA Voice Award and a Commendation for the New York City Office of the Comptroller in 2007. She is the proud parent of one son, William Raymond Gibson III.

The webinar will take place on Wednesday, March 6th at 2 p.m. EST.

EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES KITS SERIES



OTHER EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE KITS:
Treatment of Depression in Older Adults
Permanent Supportive Housing
Illness Management and Recovery
Supported Employment
Integrated Treatment for Co-Occurring Disorders

AND MORE ...