Mental Health Wellness for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (MHW-IDD) Training

What is the practice/tool? 

The Health and Human Services Commission partners with UT Health San Antonio, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, to promote workforce development through a training infrastructure. Multiple training modules are available to a variety of people including healthcare professionals, support providers, and caregivers who support individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and behavioral health needs. 

Who is the practice/tool for? 

The MHW-IDD training modules are for direct service providers who provide support for individuals with IDD and co-occurring behavioral health conditions (e.g. Psychologist, Professional Counselor, Psychological Associate, Social Work, Marriage and Family Therapist, Chemical Dependency Counselor, Peer Specialist, Supported Employment Specialist and Certified Family Partner) and health care professionals.  

How is this practice/tool implemented? 

This eLearning training option provides 0.8 continuing education hours per module or 5 hours for completing the bundle. This 6-module eLearning series was developed to educate Direct Service Workers (DSW) and others who provide support for individuals with IDD and co-occurring behavioral health conditions. This training explores challenging behavior in a new way that emphasizes the importance of supporting mental wellness in individuals with IDD. Through this course you will learn to recognize the “whole person” and gain a better understanding of different factors influencing the way people with IDD think, feel, and behave. You will also learn how to positively impact their quality of life. This training contains 6 modules and is estimated to take 4½ to 5 hours to complete. Each module is approximately 45 to 50 minutes in length. You may pause in the middle of a module and return to it later, or you may complete it in one sitting. These modules were designed to be taken in the listed order to provide you with the best learning experience. 

What is the practice that is supported? 

Addressing the mental health needs of children with intellectual development disorders (IDD) and improving their resilience is essential to ensuring that individuals with intellectual disabilities can thrive in a variety of community settings including schools.  

What outcomes does the practice produce? 

• Improve ability of direct service providers to address the complex needs for individuals with IDD 
• Improve pro-social behaviors 
• Increase protective factors and improve resiliency  
• Decrease symptoms related to anxiety and depression 

What is the evidence? 

Pinals, D. A., Hovermale, L., Mauch, D., & Anacker, L. (2022). Persons With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities in the Mental Health System: Part 1. Clinical Considerations. Psychiatric Services, 73(3), 313–320. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201900504 

In this study the mothers of 310 children between the ages of 4 and 15 with IDD provided data on their children’s demographics, behavior and emotional problems, resiliency, and adverse experiences. The results from this study showed that childhood resilience had positive impacts on pro-social behaviors. Additionally results showed the interaction between child resilience and adversity exposure. Those children with higher resiliency had lower behavior problems when exposed to higher adverse experiences.  

What are the costs associated with implementing this practice? 

Please contact the program for the most recent costs and commitments, as these may change. 

To access the trainings, email mhwidd@uthscsa.edu for more information on registering an account.  

What resources are helpful for understanding this practice/tool? 

• Mental Health Wellness for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (MHW-IDD) site: https://training.mhw-idd.uthscsa.edu/ 
• Modules for direct service workers: https://training.mhw-idd.uthscsa.edu/direct-service-workers/ 
• Mental Health Texas site: https://mentalhealthtx.org/ 

Rating: Research-Informed 

Secondary Components: Building Relationships, Managing Emotions & Decision-Making Skills