A Fond Farewell

For the past four years CASAT OnDemand’s Catalyst blog has pursued a vision of filling the information needs of behavioral health providers in Nevada. Our mission has been to find recent research, peer-reviewed journal articles, new publications, and other current, credible behavioral health information, tools, and data and transform them into easy-to-understand tidbits of information for our readers. What began as a weekly blog has evolved into a full service website with Learning Labs, a Resource section, and CASAT Conversations podcasts. A Community section for providers in Nevada was added featuring an event and training calendar, a job Board, and the Northern Nevada Behavioral Health Coalition (NNBHC) monthly meeting notes and announcements. With the addition of each new feature page, the size of our readership and number of site visitors has grown. We have used information about which pages are visited to help guide our choice of topics and the evolution of the website. For your interest, the top ten most read blog posts over the past four years have been:

1. Overcoming Barriers to MAT: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Treatment in Nevada – posted December 28, 2018
2. The Risk-Need-Responsivity Model: Empirically Based Treatment for Criminal Offenders – Posted October 21, 2020
3. How Can a Professional Become a MINT Trainer? – Posted March 14, 2018
4. “Prevention Specialist Certification” What Is It and Why Do I Need It? – 10 Reasons to Become a Certified Prevention Specialist – Posted December 11, 2019
5. Adverse Childhood Experiences: A Public Health Crisis That is Treatable and Preventable – Posted August 21, 2019
6. Bipolar Disorder: Making the Shift To a Patient-Centered Approach – Posted August 5, 2020
7. 7 Things You Should Know About Naloxone in Nevada – Posted August 1, 2018
8. Military Cultural Competence: An Overview and Resources for Serving Those Who Have Served in the Military – April 20, 2020
9. Sex Trafficking and The Game – Posted August 29, 2018
10. TIP 41: Substance Abuse Treatment: Group Therapy – Posted September 18, 2019

What is amazing is that at least five of these blog posts are still in the top ten for December 2021, indicating that the topics are still relevant for those who search for them at CASAT OnDemand. As new features such as the Job Board, Community Calendar, and CASAT Conversations have been added to the site, those areas have also contributed greatly to filling the information needs of Nevada’s behavioral health workforce, our mission for the past four years.

Mark Twain is often quoted as having written “Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” I can attest to that as I have been fortunate enough to have enjoyed my work of the past 24 years at CASAT, and especially the last four years writing the Catalyst Blog. I will retire at the end of this month, and my heart is full of gratitude for the many opportunities I have been given by the leadership of CASAT, for their belief in me, and for the chance to connect with so many co-workers, colleagues, and professionals and our readers throughout Nevada. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart. While I am sad to end my journey with the Catalyst Blog, I am also excited to journey down new paths.

This means the time has come to make yet another addition to the CASAT OnDemand website. I am very pleased to announce that the new primary writer for the Catalyst Blog will be Heather Haslem who hosts the CASAT Conversations podcasts. I have great faith that the mission and vision of CASAT OnDemand will be in capable hands as she expands her current work as host of the podcasts to include writing for the Catalyst Blog. I place the introduction of Heather to all of our esteemed readers into her own very accomplished and capable hands:

Warm Greetings

Hello, I’m Heather Haslem, and I’m excited to become the primary writer for the Catalyst Blog. I am a Senior Workforce Development Coordinator for CASAT, and I host our new podcast CASAT Conversations. I am grateful for this opportunity to serve as the primary writer for the Catalyst Blog, as I enjoy writing, and I love reviewing the latest research. I look forward to continuing the legacy of the blog, by synthesizing meaningful, and timely behavioral health topics into digestible information that is relevant to your work.

Here is a little about me, as we begin to get to know one another. I have worked as an entrepreneur, program director, researcher, educator, and advocate – leading and teaching others to enhance their own wellbeing. I am a native Nevadan, and I received both my degrees from the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR). While studying at UNR, I received my Bachelor’s in Psychology, with a Minor in Addiction Treatment and a Master of Science in Human Development & Family Studies, with an emphasis in Gerontology from the University of Nevada, Reno.

In addition to my formal education, I consider myself a lifelong learner, as I continue to study and learn throughout my career. I am qualified Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction teacher, a Mind-Body Skills trained facilitator, a certified yoga instructor, a Duke University trained Integrative Health Coach, a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach, and Certified Wellness Professional.

I would love to hear from you and what topics you would like to read about! Please email me anytime at hhaslem@casat.org

We join our colleagues at CASAT in wishing our CASAT OnDemand readers and CASAT Conversations listeners in Nevada and beyond a Happy, Healthy, and Prosperous New Year!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Asteriadis Pyle and Heather Haslem

Blog Post Tags:

Related Blog Posts

Related Learning Labs

Related Resources