Community Guide to 

Technical Assistance 
 

-

Community Guide to Technical Assistance 

Getting Started 

Introduction 

The Tribal Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) 

Center is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental 

Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). The Tribal 

TTA Center uses a culturally relevant, holistic 

approach to deliver TTA. Our focus is on substance 

use disorders, suicide prevention, and mental health 

promotion. TTA is offered to all tribal communities, 

SAMHSA tribal grantees, and a specific group of 

selected of American Indian and Alaska Native 

(AI/AN) communities each year. The Appendix 

includes additional materials to help communities 

understand what the Tribal TTA Center does and 

how to get support; these materials can be shared or 

disseminated as needed. 

What is TTA? 

We define TTA as providing targeted support using a 

culturally relevant, evidence-based, holistic 

approach. This TTA is provided to support Native 

communities in their self-determination efforts 

through infrastructure development and capacity 

building, as well as program planning and 

implementation. 

How We Deliver TTA 

We strive to provide the best value with our prevention resources. We collaborate with internal 

and external TTA providers and other Native-focused organizations. TTA is customized and 

tailored to meet the needs and readiness levels of the communities we serve. 

Our Vision 

AI/AN communities have the cultural 

knowledge, skills, and resilience to 

create hope and healing. 

Their cultural beliefs and practices 

provide a foundation for promoting 

lasting wellness, solving problems, 

and taking action. 

Our Goals 

Decrease the impact of risk factors 

such as poverty, unemployment, 

racism, and historical trauma. 

These risk factors contribute to 

suicide, family disruption, youth 

violence including bullying, and 

high risk substance use. 

Increase protective factors such as 

strengthening cultural identity, a 

sense of family, community 

connectedness, and 

communication skills. 

These skills are linked to the 

healthy and safe development of 

AI/AN children and their families. 

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Our objectives when delivering TTA are: 

• Provide TTA to federally recognized tribes, other AI/AN communities, SAMHSA tribal 

grantees, and organizations serving Indian Country. 

• Work collaboratively with governmental and non-governmental entities to leverage 

resources and address a variety of issues affecting tribal communities, families, and youth. 

• Work with SAMHSA tribal grantees and other TTA providers that serve tribal grantees and 

tribal members. 

• Assist tribal communities in mobilizing, planning, and implementing community-based, 

culturally tailored, and evidence-based prevention and intervention strategies. 

• Increase protective factors linked to the healthy and safe development of AI/AN children, 

families, and communities. 

Planning for TTA 

“Let us put our minds together and see what life we can make for our children.” – SITTING BULL 

Shaping Your TTA 

Each TTA event is tailored to the 

requesting community. The Tribal TTA 

Center strives to involve the 

community’s culture in each event. To 

optimize planning time, potential 

recipients should request TTA as soon 

as they see the need. Due to the 

various needs of each TTA request, we 

suggest 2 months of preparation for 

each TTA request whenever possible. 

Planning time includes developing and 

identifying: goals and objectives, planning materials, best practices, facilitators, consultants, 

resources, and travel accommodations, if necessary. 

The community can request a specific training, or the Tribal TTA Center can provide suggestions 

for a community after having an initial intake call. We have an intake team that works one-on-one 

with each community. During this intake process, the Tribal TTA Center works to determine next 

steps based on the community’s culture, needs, specific circumstances, and resources. 

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Categories of TTA 

Figure 1. The four categories of TTA 

Broad 

TTA is provided to 

increase knowledge, build 

community capacity, and 

enhance systems for any 

tribal communities and 

organizations. 

Focused 

Support is offered for 

SAMHSA tribal grantees in 

implementing grant 

activities, strengthening 

successful interventions, 

increasing community 

capacity, and evaluating 

efforts in a culturally 

appropriate manner. 

Intensive 

Intensive TTA follows a 

community engagement 

process for a select 

number of communities 

each year that helps 

determine next steps for 

bringing healing to their 

members. 

Tribal Action Plan 

Development 

TTA is provided for 

communities developing 

their TAP, which is a 

strategic plan for guiding 

change among tribal 

members to address 

alcohol and substance 

misuse. 

Broad and Focused TTA with a focus on Opioid Use Prevention is also available. 

Broad 

TTA is available to all tribes and organizations that serve Native communities. We support tribes 

and other AI/AN communities that seek to address substance use disorders, suicide, and mental 

health. TTA also includes planning and implementing substance misuse prevention and mental 

health programming focused on Native children, youth, and their families. SAMHSA recognizes the 

importance of prevention and protective factors in responding to the opioid crisis as well, so 

Broad TTA is also available for AI/AN tribes and organizations looking for support with addressing 

opioids and/or prescription drug misuse in their communities. Some examples of Broad TTA are: 

• GONA/GOAN events, including demographic-specific events aimed at groups such as 

youth, elders, and service providers 

• Gathering of Native Americans/Gathering of Alaska Natives (GONA/GOAN) Training of 

Facilitators 

• Mental Health First Aid training and variations of this training 

• Training on historical trauma and resilience 

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• Digital storytelling training 

• Suicide prevention training, such as Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) and Applied Suicide 

Prevention Skills Training (ASIST) 

Focused 

SAMHSA’s tribal grantees are the target audience for Focused TTA. The Tribal TTA Center 

coordinates closely with other entities that serve SAMHSA grantees. This collaboration ensures 

that services are not duplicated. We offer support in implementing grant activities, strengthening 

successful interventions, increasing community capacity, and evaluating efforts in a culturally 

appropriate manner. We offer onsite and virtual TTA and have a large consultant pool of AI/AN 

experts that help with the delivery of TTA. Some examples of Focused TTA are: 

• Community Readiness Assessment training 

• Community needs assessment 

• Asset mapping 

• Social marketing 

• Community-Based Participatory Research 

Intensive 

Native communities are identified through a review of Indian Health Service data and stakeholder 

interviews, then approved by SAMHSA. Upon approval, they receive individualized TTA, including 

multiple community site visits, a GONA or GOAN, and ongoing virtual support for the entire year. 

The TTA follows a community engagement process that helps communities determine next steps 

to bring wellness interventions to their members. The TTA guides communities as they build 

prevention programs rooted in their own unique culture, strengths, and worldview. Intensive TTA 

supports community self-determination efforts through infrastructure development, capacity 

building, sustainability planning, and increasing the pool of Native and/or tribal evidence-based or 

practice-based prevention programs. 

Tribal Action Plan Development 

Tribal Action Plan (TAP) training is available to all tribes and organizations that serve Native 

communities. A TAP is a strategic plan to guide specific, positive change among tribal members to 

address alcohol and substance misuse. A TAP reflects each tribe’s cultural concepts of wellness 

and healing; fosters strengths; supports tribal self-determination; and is driven by local needs, 

challenges, assets, and resources. The TAP emphasizes action and implementation: what will be 

done, who will do it, and how everyone will know when success is reached. 

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Our Competencies 

The Tribal TTA Center provides training and assistance in many areas including but not limited to 

the following capacities. 

Curricula 

• GONA/GOAN Master Facilitator 

• GONA/GOAN Training of Facilitators 

• GONA/GOAN (Including Youth) 

• Mental Health First Aid 

• Youth Mental Health First Aid 

• Substance Abuse Prevention Skills 

Training 

Capacity Building 

• Research and Evaluation 

• Community Readiness Model 

• Strategic Action Planning 

• Tribal Action Planning 

• Needs Assessment 

Training Topics 

• Cultural Competency 101 

• Motivational Interviewing 

• Youth Engagement 

• Youth Skill Building 

• Historical Trauma 

• Historical Resilience 

• Digital Storytelling 

• LGBTQIA+ 

• Two-Spirit 

• Trauma-Informed Care 

• Systems of Care 

• Evidence-based Interventions 

• Practice-based Interventions 

• Native American Substance Abuse 

Prevention Skills Training 

• Project Venture 

• ASIST 

• American Indian Life Skills 

• Asset/Resource Mapping 

• Data Collection 

• Social Marketing 

• Community-Based Participatory 

Research 

• Cultural-Based Interventions 

• Native Veterans 

• Behavioral Health 

• Suicide Prevention 

• Crisis Response/Postvention 

• SAMHSA Grantees 

• Youth Leadership 

• Leadership Training 

• Technical Assistance Mentorship 

• Youth Mentorship 

• Lateral Violence 

• Lateral Goodness 

• Opioid Misuse 

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Mechanisms for Providing TTA 

We use the following approaches to provide onsite and virtual technical assistance: 

• National and Regional Trainings: Facilitate content, tools, and provision of virtual and 

onsite TTA to large audiences.

• GONA/GOAN: Wellness event customized for the needs and readiness level of each

community, developed virtually and conducted onsite.

• Learning Communities and Webinars: Provide content, tools, and TA to large audiences.

We have an archive of various topics and can provide custom topics to communities

administered virtually.

• Conference Calls: Held between the TTA team and an individual or community group.

• Production and Dissemination of Resources: Materials, resources, fact sheets, and/or

bibliography provided to the individual or community on a topic or issue that is relevant to

the local effort.

• Video Conferencing: Allows individuals from two or more locations to communicate with

two-way video and audio transmission.

• Peer-to-Peer: Provides structured opportunities for connecting individuals and

communities engaged in similar reform efforts so each can learn from the other’s

experiences—can be provided virtually and/or onsite.

What to Expect from a TTA Event 

Overview of the TTA Process 

The Tribal TTA Center’s collaborative approach to TTA meets the community “where they are” in 

terms of their readiness and strives to increase community capacity. Although communities will 

identify individual goals and objectives for each TTA event, we will work with the community to 

include the following elements: 

• Clearly defined objectives, products and activities, timeframes, and identified roles.

• Channels of communication: including one intake call, one to four planning calls, email

updates, and follow-up.

• A TTA team selected based on their skill sets to support each TTA event need.

• Data collection to optimize and measure the effectiveness of our services.

• Culturally competent activities and facilitators.

Each TTA effort is led in coordination with the community planners. The collaboration efforts are 

to identify strengths, opportunities, challenges, and barriers, and to support planning for next 

steps. 

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Below is a breakdown of the steps involved in a TTA event: 

1. Community submits a TA request to SAMSHA Tribal TTA Center. 

2. The Tribal TTA Center responds and coordinates an intake call with the community. 

3. While the intake call takes place with the Tribal TTA Center, notes are developed and sent 

to a Task Lead for review. 

4. The TA Coach is identified to lead coordination of the event and submission of needs. 

5. Once the event dates, location, and goals are identified and approved by the community, 

the TA Coach submits the event to SAMSHA for approval. 

6. SAMSHA reviews the request and, if approved, the Tribal TTA Center moves forward with 

the onsite event planning. 

7. Planning calls with community continue as TA progresses. 

8. TA Coach and coordinators make sure all TA preparation is complete, including travel 

arrangements. 

9. TA is implemented onsite or virtually. If onsite, the TTA team will distribute a sign-in sheet 

and onsite participant questionnaire, which will be used for reporting to SAMHSA. 

10. TA Coach contacts community 2 weeks after TA completion to follow up and debrief. 

Markers of Effective TTA 

Community-based “teams” are encouraged to attend and participate in the planning of TTA 

events. We believe community members are the true experts and hold valuable knowledge. We 

seek community guidance for our team to prepare and support community learning and 

healing. The markers we use to honor effective cultural and community practices are: 

CommunityDriven 

Planning 

TraumaInformed 

Facilitation 

Cultural 

Competency 

Flexible 

Teaching 

Styles 

Partnership 

Building and 

Collaborative 

Efforts 

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Role of the TTA Team 

Our TTA team ensures the event is coordinated and completed by: 

• Organizing and scheduling planning calls with the community, staff, and/or consultants.

• Confirming travel dates and onsite days with the community.

• Supporting the community to define event goals and/or objectives.

• Administering TTA to the community’s selected audience.

• Supporting the community in developing next steps.

• Maintaining communication following TTA for follow-up and sustainability efforts, if

appropriate.

Requesting TTA 

To request TTA, AI/AN communities and SAMHSA tribal grantees can contact the Tribal TTA Center 

to submit inquiries via the following methods: 

Tribal TTA Center Webpage 

www.samhsa.gov/tribal-ttac 

SAMHSA Tribal Training and Technical 

Assistance Center 

Phone: 1-800-953-1379 

189 E. Nelson Avenue #249

Wasilla, AK 99654

Email: TA-Request@tribaltechllc.com 

After submission of your request, you will be contacted by a member of the Tribal TTA Center staff 

to begin the intake process. 

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Appendix 

The following marketing materials are attached for reference and sharing: 

• Overview of the TA Process

• Tribal TTA Center Menu of Services

• Tribal TTA Center Brochure

• Tribal TTA Center Overview Fact Sheet

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