Thursday, June 24

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Thursday, June 24, 2021


12:00 - 1:00 PM Breakout Session 1
 Children and Adolescents Track | Crisis Counseling Track
Spark Sessions: Condensed Therapy Intervention
Presented by Maya B. Galathe, LPC, NCC
Many clients and clinicians believe multiple 50-minute sessions are the only way to effectively perform our duty as helping professionals. A cornerstone of being a therapist is to meet our clients where they are. As our society and clients' needs rapidly change, this phrase should be taken more literal than ever before. Non-traditional means of delivering services is not a new concept. We can look at home based or school therapists where there is often not the time to have full 50-minute sessions every week. In today’s fast-paced, digital age shortened attention spans and instant gratification have become the norm for children and adults alike. Borrowed from Learning Theory, condensed therapy sessions can prove to be effective for many client issues. In my practice, I offer the option of 30 minute “Spark Sessions”. While not appropriate for every client, these sessions give options to those who may face barriers that stop them from otherwise seeking treatment.
 Addictions Track | Substance Use and Co-Occurring Disorders Track | Trauma Assessment and Treatment Track
SUD and Resilience: The Missing Link
Presented by Caitlin Senk, MA, NCC
Resilience is common (Bonanno, 2004), complex, and is intertwined within systems and cultural constructs. Although complex in nature, there is a close relationship between resilience and the development of a substance use disorder after experiencing trauma (Kim, Park, & Kim, 2018). According to a 2016 study, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have a dose-response effect in increasing likelihood of engaging in risky behaviors with substances (Campbell et al., 2016). Park (2012) states that 40% of individuals in the U.S. experience trauma, however, exposure to adversity does not necessarily lead to psychopathology (Yehuda, Flory, Southwick, & Charney, 2006). While there is no one way of being resilient (Mancini & Bonanno, 2012), there are constructs that determine resilience which can be emphasized using the T-SUD Resilience Model (Senk, 2020). Literature highlights mastery, social support, emotion regulation, positive affect, flexibility, optimism, coping, and meaning making as aspects contributing to the development of resilience before or after trauma. Focusing on building resilience can address past trauma from ACEs, recent trauma in adulthood, act as a preventative measure to developing a substance use disorder, and acknowledge skills to be used in potentially traumatic events in the future. It is also important to consider that individuals are unique and developing resilience cannot be manualized nor is it “one size fits all” (Park, 2012; Mancini & Bonanno, 2012). Working with clients to emphasize the ways in which they are resilient, by their own definition, through the using the T-SUD Reislience Model and interventions presented will create an opportunity to prevent future substance use disorder and maladaptive coping patterns.

2:00 - 3:15 PM Breakout Session 2
 Neuroscience/Biological Bases of Behavior Track
Feed Our Body To Feed Our Mind: Nutrition as a Mental Health Intervention
Presented by Sophia Sills-Tailor, Ph.D., LPC, LSATP and Ularisi Green-Baker, Ph.D., LPC
Nutritional Psychology examines the relationship between daily dietary intake patterns, mood, behavior, and mental health. (Center for Nutritional Psychology, 2020). There is a definitive link between the foods we consume and our mental health. Eating a balanced diet rich in vegetables and fruits helps with feelings of wellbeing. The opposite is also true. Poor nutrition also leads to physical health problems, which affect how we feel and think. (Stranges, Samaraweera, Taggart, et al., 2014) The future of mental healthcare should include training clinicians on the importance of diet in the treatment and outcome of mental wellness and and using nutrition as an intervention in tandem with medication and talk therapy.
 Diversity and Multicultural Track
Cultivating Cultural Empathy to Create Change in the Counseling Room
Presented by Sunnycho Teeling, MA, LPC and Jodi-Ann Jarrett, Ncc, MA, LPC-I
Ethical codes across helping disciplines require practitioners to be culturally sensitive to the needs of clients. Presenters will define and discuss cultural empathy, as distinct from general empathy and how this is relevant to provide culturally responsive and sensitive services. Presenters will then provide an overview of historical oppression and the relevance of understanding historical contexts to provide foundational knowledge that is necessary when pursuing the development of cultural empathy. While many practitioners have attended training on multiculturalism often there is little information provided about how to apply these concepts in session with clients. Presenters will guide attendees through social identity theory and in-group vs out-group empathy development to highlight processes of developing cultural empathy for out-group individuals. As presenters cover the fundamental attribution error and potential links to cultural empathy, they will provide attendees with concrete activities and tasks to assist with their cultural empathy development and its application when working with clients.

4:00 - 5:30 PM Breakout Session 3
 Ethics Track | Diversity Track
Vulnerability in Supervisory Relationships: An Ethical Imperative
Presented by Matthew R. Shupp, Ed.D., NCC, BC-TMH, ACS, LPC
Staff retention is becoming increasingly important in a field where expectations and responsibilities are becoming increasingly more demanding. Counseling literature and research consistently identify supervision as one factor in the retention and satisfaction of staff, both positively and negatively. Despite the extensive research on best practices in supervision, especially for new professionals, very few theoretical models of supervision exist within the field and even fewer models specifically consider multicultural competence as a foundation for effective supervision. A new and intentional approach to supervision that models the values of inclusion is critical for the retention of professionals at all levels, is critical to the continued development of staff beyo n d professional preparation programs, and is critical for creating a profession that espouses a philosophy of inclusion. This session will introduce the inclusive supervision model, an innovative approach to supervision that seeks to align our professional values of multicultural competence with our professional practice. It reflects the important values of our profession and provides a framework through which professionals can evaluate supervision practice and consider specific actions to enhance one's own capacity for enacting the four tenets of inclusive supervision which are: creating safe spaces, demonstrating vulnerability, cultivating holistic development, and building capacity in others. The inclusive supervision model is a result of almost 5 years of research examining multicultural competence in the context of supervision.
 Neuroscience/Biological Bases of Behavior Track | Children and Adolescents Track
Neuroscience-Informed Counseling with Children and Adolescents
Presented by Michelle R. Ghoston, Ph.D., LCMHC, LPC, ACS and Thomas A. Field, Ph.D., LMHC, NCC, CCMHC, ACS
This presentation introduces neuroscience-informed practices for counseling children and adolescents, including a three step process for providing neuroeducation. The presentation features explanatory diagrams, reflection questions to prompt deep processing of the material, and a case vignette to demonstrate how to apply neuroscience concepts to counseling work. Consideration will be given to applications in both clinical and school-based settings.