January 2026 Newsletter

MACC’S January 2026 Newsletter

January 2026 | Trainings, Events, & Updates

Welcome to the first MACC Monthly of 2026. Over the next year, we’re deepening our work with providers, families, seniors, and communities across Ohio through expanded trainings, new initiatives, and more ways to stay connected.

This month, we’re launching The Right Conversation campaign, hosting Cocoa & Conversation for families impacted by substance use and mental illness, and sharing new learning opportunities for behavioral health professionals.

In this issue, you’ll find:

• Upcoming trainings and CEUs

• Details about Cocoa & Conversation

• An initiative spotlight on The Right Conversation

• A MACC Spotlight on one of our leaders

• A brief wellness tool for helpers

• A chance to share what you’d like to see in MACC Monthly this year

This Month at MACC

Cocoa & Conversation: Supporting Families Impacted by Substance Use & Mental Illness

Saturday, January 31, 2026 | 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Discover Shine Bright Center • 4590 E Broad St, Columbus, OH 43213

MACC is excited to announce Cocoa & Conversation—our kickoff community event for the How to Start the Right Conversation campaign. This gathering is designed to bring families together (recommended for ages 12+) for a warm cup of cocoa and an engaging discussion led by a panel of subject matter experts sharing practical resources, facts, guidance, and support related to substance use, addiction, and mental health. Participants will leave with a resource bag to help continue the conversation and connect to helpful services afterward

Featured CEU Training

How to Navigate Cultural Awareness/Competency Work in the Current Political Climate
Thursday, January 29, 2026 | 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Virtual

This continuing education course—hosted by our CEU partner, Mindfully Academy—helps behavioral health professionals navigate cultural awareness and relational practice in today’s evolving political and regulatory climate through a shared human experience lens grounded in universal needs (dignity, fairness, safety, connection, autonomy, and meaning). Participants will apply practical, ethically grounded, and policy-compliant strategies to strengthen therapeutic relationships, boundaries, decision-making, and client engagement across diverse populations.

Upcoming Trainings & Events

For Behavioral Health Providers (CEUs)

Tuesday, February 4, 2026 – Silent Suffering: Addressing Secondary Trauma and Burnout Among Emergency Mental Health Providers

Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Format: Live Zoom session

CEUs: 2.0 hours for Ohio CSWMFT

This training explores the impact of secondary trauma and burnout among emergency mental health providers and offers practical, trauma-informed strategies to support resilience, boundaries, and well-being in high-intensity settings.

Register for Silent Suffering

Wednesday, February 18, 2026 – Adult Mental Health First Aid (Part 1)

Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Format: Virtual (live online)

CEUs: 3.0 hours for Ohio CSWMFT

Participants will learn how to recognize signs of mental health and substance use challenges in adults, provide initial support using the MHFA ALGEE action plan, and connect individuals to appropriate professional and community resources.

Register for Adult MHFA – Part 1

Wednesday, February 25, 2026 – Adult Mental Health First Aid (Part 2)

Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Format: Virtual (live online)

CEUs: 3.0 hours for Ohio CSWMFT

This session builds on Part 1 with additional practice applying the MHFA action plan, exploring real-world scenarios, and integrating culturally responsive and trauma-informed approaches into your support for adults in crisis.

Register for Adult MHFA – Part 2

Friday, March 5, 2026 – Glow From Within: Redefining Beauty, Power, and Purpose – Women’s Workshop

Time: 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Format: Virtual workshop

CEUs: 2.0 hours for Ohio CSWMFT

This workshop invites participants to explore how cultural expectations, beauty standards, and lived experiences shape self-image—offering practical tools for self-compassion, emotional resilience, and empowered identity.

Register for Women’s Workshop

Initiative Spotlight

How to Start the Right Conversation

Executive Director, Erica Crawley, discusses How to Start the Right Conversation.

Throughout 2025, MACC heard from families and providers about how challenging it can be to talk openly about substance use and mental health at home. How to Start the Right Conversation campaign will share tools, events, and reminders to help families navigate these topics with more confidence and compassion.

Learn More About How to Start the Right Conversation

MACC Spotlight

Chair of the Board – Deborah (Debbie) Nixon-Hughes

Deborah (Debbie) Nixon Hughes has dedicated her life to strengthening behavioral health systems and improving the lives of individuals and communities. Today, she serves as the Board Chair of MACC—a role that reflects her long-standing connection to the organization. Her involvement with MACC spans more than two decades, including service as an interim executive director and as a past board member.

A licensed social worker in both Ohio and Maryland, Debbie recently retired after nearly 50 years of leadership in behavioral health. Her career journey took her through some of the most influential institutions in the field, including one of Columbus’s largest comprehensive community mental health agencies, the Hamilton County Mental Health Board, the Ohio Department of Mental Health, the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, and the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

On the national stage, Debbie directed two major federal initiatives through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). In these roles, she expanded access to Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) programs across 21 states and ensured the delivery of prevention training and technical assistance in five states and the District of Columbia.

Guided by a lifelong commitment to equity and quality in behavioral health, Debbie has consistently worked to build responsive, accessible, and effective systems of care. Her leadership reflects not only her professional expertise, but also her deep passion for ensuring that individuals facing behavioral health challenges receive the care and support they deserve.

Debbie is a mother of four adult children and six grandchildren. Her personal values include faith, family, and friends.

Wellness At Work

A One-Minute Grounding Pause

Many of us hold space for heavy stories and difficult conversations. This one-minute pause can help you arrive with more presence and calm.

Plant your feet flat on the floor and notice the support underneath you.
Take three slow breaths, inhaling through your nose and exhaling through your mouth.
On your next breath, quietly name one intention for the conversation (for example: patience, curiosity, or compassion).
Notice one thing you can see or hear in the room to bring your attention fully into the present moment.

Even a brief reset like this can support you and the individuals and families you are serving.

Help Shape MACC

As we plan MACC Monthly, our trainings/programs, and our social communications for 2026, we want to be sure these updates are genuinely useful to you.

We’d appreciate your input on:

• The topics and issues you’d like to see covered

• The types of trainings and events you are most interested in (for example: CEU offerings, family-focused events, youth or senior-focused sessions, community conversations, etc.)

• The resources, tools, or stories that support your work or your family

• How often you prefer to hear from MACC and where you tend to see our updates (email, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, etc.)

If you have a few minutes, please share your feedback by clicking the link below so we can better align MACC Monthly, our trainings, and our events with what you need.

Share Your Feedback

Prefer email? You can also send your suggestions to info@maccinc.net with the subject line “MACC Monthly Feedback.”

Key Dates & Observances

DATES TO KNOW – January

January 1–31: Substance Use Disorder Treatment Month
January 1–31: Poverty in America Awareness Month
January 1–31: National Mentoring Month
January 1: New Year’s Day
January 19: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 24: International Day of Education

DATES TO KNOW – February

February 1–28: American Heart Month
February 1–28: Black History Month

February 1: National Freedom Day
February 4: Rosa Parks Day
February 20: World Day of Social Justice

Crawley’s Corner

A monthly space for reflections, updates, and important news from MACC Executive Director, Erica C. Crawley. Stay connected with her latest insights and the work happening across our organization.

As we begin 2026, MACC is building on what we heard from you throughout last year—providers, families, seniors, advocates, and partners across Ohio. You told us that people still face real barriers to support, that conversations about mental health and substance use are often difficult to start, and that practical tools are needed in the everyday places where people live, work, worship, and gather.

This year, we are leaning into that feedback. Through our new campaign, How to Start the Right Conversation, and our upcoming Cocoa & Conversation event, we are creating more spaces where families can talk openly, ask questions, and feel less alone. We are also expanding our professional learning opportunities in early 2026, with trainings that focus on strengthening helping relationships, advancing cross-community understanding, and supporting the well-being of those who care for others—such as Adult Mental Health First Aid, trauma-informed self-care for social workers and counselors, and sessions that deepen skills for working effectively across different backgrounds and experiences.

Together, these efforts are about equipping those on the front lines—social workers, counselors, case managers, community advocates, caregivers, and families—with tools that support real conversations, real connection, and real change.

As you read this issue of MACC Monthly, I invite you to do three things: consider who in your network might benefit from Cocoa & Conversation and share the event with them; explore the trainings that could strengthen your practice or organization; and take a moment to complete our brief feedback survey so we can continue to shape MACC Monthly, our trainings, and our events around what you need most.

With appreciation,

Erica C. Crawley, JD, MPA

Executive Director, Multiethnic Advocates for Cultural Competence (MACC)

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