2021 Fall Virtual Summit: Promoting Healing For The Community, Clients and Counselors

2021 Fall Virtual Summit: Promoting Healing For The Community, Clients and Counselors

Starts:  Nov 1, 2021 11:00 (ET)
Ends:  Nov 5, 2021 15:00 (ET)

Join us November 1-5, 2021 for AMHCA's second Fall Virtual Summit! We're offering 18.0 CEs during our five day event - don't miss this incredible opportunity! 


Monday, November 1

11:00AM - 12:15PM EDT/8:00 - 9:15AM PDT
Welcome to the 2021 Fall Summit with AMHCA President, Beverly Smith, PhD, LPC (GA, AL), NCC, CCMHC, ACS, NCSC, CFT, BC-HSP, BCC, MAC, CPCS, BCPCC, BC-TMH
KEYNOTE: Suicide Prevention for the Black Community with Brandon J. Johnson, M.H.S., MCHES
Data from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has shown that suicide rates and attempts for Black people have be increasing in the last decade.  This trend has even impacted youth. Young Black children have the highest rate of youth suicides between the ages of 5-12.  This rate has been increasing over the last 15 years while the suicide rate of white children in this age range has been decreasing.  This data complements data found in the most recent Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey (YRBSS) where suicide attempts among Black adolescents significantly increased in the last few years.  During the pandemic months, some places, including Maryland and Chicago, are reporting increases in suicides among Black adults.  This workshop will discuss the emerging data and its implications for suicide prevention strategies, culturally-specific risk and protective factors, and ways to increase identification and create equitable solutions.

1:00 - 2:00PM EDT/10:00 - 11:00AM PDT
Mental Health and Homeschooling: Impact of the Pandemic on School Aged Children and Parents with Lee A. Teufel-Prida, Ph.D., LMHC, LPCC, NCC
The Spring, Summer, and Fall of 2020 were devastatingly challenging for millions of children and parents as they faced COVID-19 and adapting to the new normal. The overwhelming impact of COVID-19 continues today. What are parents, educators and clinicians to do with the multiple mental health challenges present for children as a direct result of the pandemic? Join me in a deep dive into mental health and the increasingly normal experience of distance education and homeschooling. We will explore the once taboo, homeschooler experience, and discuss the implications of the pandemic for children and parents who now homeschool as a result. 

2:45 - 3:45PM EDT/11:45AM - 12:45PM PDT
Pandemic Parenting: Call for Relationship, Compassion and Restoration with Courtney L. McMickens, MD MPH MHS
Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, millions of school age children have been removed from their classrooms and they are now returning to school with uncertainty. Parents have had additional responsibilities of managing homeschool, working from home, and working essential jobs in the absence of consistent childcare options. Rates of depressive symptoms and anxiety have increased, with women reporting higher rates than men. Rates of substance use and overdose have also increased, which is exacerbated by limited access to substance use disorder treatment. These cumulative stressors disrupt family routines, opportunities for social connection, and relationship norms. In this talk, three components, relationship, compassion, and restoration will be presented with case discussion and review of evidence-based practices that can be employed to help families create a new sense of normalcy. When facing life altering disruption, these components can be key in re-establishing safety, maintaining function, and strengthening resilience. 

Tuesday, November 2

11:00AM - 12:00PM EDT/8:00 - 9:00AM PDT
Perinatal Mental Health: Support & Advocacy for Postpartum Individuals with Olivia Wedel, PhD, LPC, NCC, LCDC
Professional advocacy and training for postpartum mental health and perinatal mood disorders (PMADs) is relatively new with the emergence of such happening in the last 30 years. PMADs are a matter of public health concern and are widely misunderstood and under diagnosed. Further complicating the needs is the fact professional advocacy and support for the perinatal period (conception through the first year after giving birth) is lacking in the United States. With one in seven mothers experiencing symptoms of a perinatal mood disorder, only 40% of cases are formally diagnosed, and only 60% seek treatment (Kendig, 2019; Postpartum Support International, 2021). The lack of training and treatment for PMADs, along with societal assumptions, contributes to stigma toward mothers which further inhibits accessing care. With proper training, therapists can provide a safe space for mothers to process, which in turn creates a safe space for their baby/children. When left untreated, substantial concerns exist for both women and their children (Kendig, 2019). With mental health needs increasing, combined with lack of knowledge and training on PMADs (Mojtabai, 2016); and other challenges with parenting as a result of the pandemic, training and awareness for both clinicians and the general public is imperative. 

12:45 - 1:45PM EDT/9:45 - 10:45AM PDT
Advocating for BIPOC Counselors in Training Through Fostering Belonging with Claudia Calder, PhD, LPC and Albrina Burger, Graduate Student
Advocacy is an essential aspect of the role of counselor educators. The ACA Code of ethics defines advocacy as "promotion of the well-being of individuals, groups, and the counseling profession within systems and organizations. Advocacy seeks to remove barriers and obstacles that inhibit access, growth, and development" (ACA, 2014, p. 20). Within this context, counselors are ethically responsible for becoming agents of social change, intervening for counselor education trainees. One such way of becoming a change agent is taking intentional steps to ensure students have a sense of belonging to their program. 

2:30 - 3:30PM EDT/11:30AM - 12:30PM PDT
Islam and Islamophobia: Rudimentary Information, Implications for Counseling Practice with Dr. Jahaan Abdullah NCC, LPC
Many people hold religion as fundamental aspect of their lives. Islam is one of the most widely practiced religions in globally and predicted to be the largest religion by 2050 (Pew research). As such, Professional Counselor must continue to seek cultural competence with regards to Muslim clients. Although many who identify as Muslim remain committed to their faith and spiritual institutions, many have experienced increased amounts of trauma, rejection, judgement, and emotional harm due to Islamophobia. The presenter in this session will discussion information regarding Islam, Islamophobia, and insider perspectives on traumas associated with Islamophobia. Further, the need for increased research and scholarship to inform counselor practice will be discussed.

4:00 - 5:30PM EDT/1:00 - 2:30PM PDT
Racial Trauma Considerations for Ethically Working with Culturally Diverse Clients and Supervisees with Sonja A. Sutherland, PhD, LPC, BC-TMH, ACS
As clinicians and supervisors working with racially diverse clients and supervisees in this current sociopolitical and sociocultural landscape, we are pressed to be able to ethically intervene from antiracist, culturally-informed, and social justice-informed perspectives. Utilizing case study application and a stages of change model, this two-hour workshop focuses on racial trauma and how to understand its development in black and indigenous people of color. An outline will be provided for effectively conceptualizing clinical treatment and supervision for diverse clients and supervisees. The AMHCA 2020 Code of Ethics will be incorporated alongside the 2016 Multicultural & Social Justice Counseling Competencies and the 2016 Multicultural Orientation Framework. 


Wednesday, November 3

11:00AM - 12:00PM EDT/8:00 - 9:00AM PDT
Counselor Mental Health: Protecting Against Secondary Trauma and Burnout with Fredrick Dombrowski, PhD, MHC, CASAC, LPC, LADC, NCC, CCMHC, ACS, BC-TMH, HS-BCP, ICADC, DCMHS
Counselors have been on the front lines of assisting various populations through the ongoing COVID pandemic and civil unrest. As the general population has experienced increased rates of mental health symptoms and substance use, counselors are being exposed to various traumatic experiences while also attempting to manage their own lives. This presentation will allow counselors and opportunity to assess their internal responses which can be warning signs for burnout and secondary trauma. This presentation will also review options to assist counselors with managing these experiences to provide appropriate clinical care to their clients. Finally, this presentation will empower agencies, directors, and supervisors to support counselors from an organizational structure to assist in protecting against burnout and secondary trauma. 

12:45 - 1:45PM EDT/9:45 - 10:45AM PDT
Race-Related Healthcare Inequity with Rola Aamar, PhD
Over the past year, Native, Black and Hispanic populations in the U.S. had three times the number of hospitalizations and twice as many deaths related to COVID compared to White populations (CDC, 2021). The pandemic only highlighted an already existing common trend in U.S. healthcare: racial and ethnic minorities are often at higher risk for severe health conditions and poorer health outcomes. But what role does race play in this trend? Is race really a risk factor for health disparities? And how do we move from being informed about health disparities to involved in dismantling systems that exacerbate health inequity? In recent years, the narrative around race-related health disparities has shifted. Rather than examining race as a risk factor for worsened health outcomes, the healthcare lens is focusing on racism in healthcare systems and inequities across social determinants of health as the leading drivers of health disparities. More importantly, this lens puts the onus on healthcare providers and leaders to examine whether patients are well-served through existing structures in their healthcare systems. Aligning with this shift, this session will examine health disparities and health inequity in the American healthcare system, specifically focusing on the roles that social determinants of health and experiences of racism play. 

2:30 - 3:30PM EDT/11:30AM - 12:30PM PDT
Spiritual Integration: An Ethical Imperative in Counseling and Supervision with Anita A. Neuer Colburn, PhD, LPC (VA), LCMHCS (NC), BC-TMH, ACS, NCC
Although spirituality has long been acknowledged as a central part of wellness, many clinicians fear broaching this topic with clients and only address it when a client brings it up in session.  In this session, we will address treating the 'whole self' of the client and the ethical importance of supporting spiritual identity in clients.  Additionally, we will provide practical strategies for spiritual integration in counseling and supervison.

4:00 - 5:30PM EDT/1:00 - 2:30PM PDT
Power Dynamics in Clinical Supervision: Identity, Values, Ethics & Competency with Ruby L. Blow, MA, LPC, NCC, BCC, CPCS, ACS, BC-TMH
This workshop will address the use of power in clinical supervision and its impact on the supervisee. The role of supervisor and counselor identity as it relates to intersectionality; age & socioeconomic status will be examined. Clinical supervisors’ ethical responsibility to maintain competency in an ever-evolving climate of cultural reconciliation.


Thursday, November 4

11:00AM - 1:15PM EDT/8:00 - 10:15AM PDT
Coming To Your Senses: Activating Trauma Healing and Improving the Wellbeing of Communities of Color through Multi-Sensory Experiences with Dr. Karla L. Sapp, LPC-S, LMHC-S, MAC
Psychological trauma may occur due to a single traumatic event or as a result of continuous exposure to great stress. Event Trauma refers to the sudden unexpected occurrence of a stressors and Process Trauma is characterized by continuing exposure to an enduring stressors, such as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse (Shaw, 2000). Although psychological trauma may occur during both instances, individuals within communities of colors who experience repeated exposure are more likely to have and experience far worse outcomes than individuals residing within non-communities of colors exposed to one traumatic event (Moroz, 2005). In a process trauma, a individuals within communities of color may not only display symptoms of PTSD, but may also express developmental, emotional, and behavioral problems that is associated with chronic stress and the interweaving of the traumatic experiences into the emerging personality (Shaw, 2000). In particular, an individual within a community of color may begin displaying personality trait disturbances, dissociative phenomena, trauma specific mental disorders and internalizing and externalizing patterns of emotional and behavioral problems. Consequently, psychological trauma causes damage of the neuroendocrine systems in the human body. Moroz (2005) mentions that “extreme stress triggers the fight or flight survival response, which activates the sympathetic and suppresses the parasympathetic nervous system” (p. 4). 

2:00 - 3:00PM EDT/11:00AM - 12:00PM PDT
The Integration Of Behavioral Health And Medical Care As A Best Practice For Expanding Access To And Improving Outcomes For Marginalized And Underrepresented Communities Of Color with Dr. Angela Graham-Williams, LPC LPC-S
Driven by a need to provide comprehensive services to our communities’ most disenfranchised individuals who often struggle with myriad health related and accompanying psychosocial needs, practitioners are finding difficulty in addressing the multifaceted health maintenance of these increasingly vulnerable populations. In this presentation, I will demonstrate that our current mechanism for treating clients of color is steeped in silo’d and convoluted systems that undermine the ability to holistically serve individuals with complex care issues.  Further, we will discuss the importance of dismantling many of our existing and occasionally antiquated health configurations and rebuilding them as Integrated Care systems. With mindful attention to the paradigm shift integrating care practices create, we will explore its positive impact on client access and outcomes as well as processes required to transform existing protocols into those cultivated for the unique and wide ranging needs of marginalized clients. 


Friday, November 5

11:00AM - 1:15PM EDT/8:00 - 10:15AM PDT
Your Voice Will Be Heard to Reveal, Feel and Heal - Successful Techniques for Integrating Inner Child Language Along With Adult Children Anonymous 12 Step Tools in Outpatient Trauma Treatment with Valerie J. Shinbaum, MS, LPC, MAC, NCC
In clinical outpatient trauma treatment, clients often report they didn't believe they were heard as children and this emotional trigger point is still evident in their adult lives as they continue to avoid feeling the feelings associated with the reported trauma experiences, which manifests itself in addiction based behaviors, avoidance based behaviors, and acting out behaviors.  With the introduction, utilization and integration of inner child language along with the 12 Step Tools found in the Adult Children Anonymous fellowship, will be able to access the words and accompanying emotions of their traumatized younger selves, thereby enabling them to bring their past experiences into the present, in order to safely and successfully process their feelings and continue working toward emotional healing. 

2:00 - 3:00PM EDT/11:00AM - 12:00PM PDT
Behavioral Couples Therapy for Substance Use Disorders with Keith Klostermann, PhD, LMFT, LMHC, NCC, CFT 
The results of numerous studies over the past four decades have consistently revealed the effectiveness of couple and family-based approaches for drug and alcohol abuse. Behavioral couples therapy (BCT) is a conjoint approach which has been consistently shown to produce fewer substance-related issues, greater abstinence, and improved dyadic functioning compared to individual- based treatments for married and cohabitating couples. The purpose of this training is to (a) provide the theoretical rationale for the use of couple’s therapy for substance-abusing patients and (b) describe theoretical and practical underpinnings of Behavioral couples therapy for substance use disorders (BCT-SUD) along with key components of this intervention, (c) review eligibility criteria and contra-indications, and d) present a potential model for implementation. 

 

REGISTRATION RATES

9/27 - 10/10

10/11 - 10/24

10/25 - 10/28

Member

$99

$129

$149

Non Member

$149

$179

$199

Non Member: Summit +
Clinical Membership Bundle

$199

$229

$249


Registration for AMHCA's Fall Virtual Summit will be open until Thursday, October 28, 2021 at 9pm EDT/6pm PDT. Refunds will not be provided for any 2021 Fall Virtual Summit passes or bundles. Registered attendees may transfer their ticket to another AMHCA member in good standing on or before October 21, 2020. The membership included in a non-member bundle was activated immediately upon registering and is therefore not transferrable or refundable.
 
AMHCA will provide each attendee with the links to access each session and call-in audio instructions on Friday, October 29, 2021. If you do not receive your instruction email, please contact AMHCA immediately at education@amhca.org or 703-548-6002, Option 2. AMHCA is not responsible for technical support before, during or after the summit. Attendees must ensure that they have the needed equipment, that it is functioning, that it is compatible with the Zoom system and that they know how to use it. Refunds will not be issued for attendees that experience technical or equipment failures during the summit. To participate in the summit, you must have access to a computer with an internet connection AND an audio connection (phone line or VOIP connection). It is recommended that you participate from a semi-private, quiet location where there will be few distractions. The AMHCA Fall Virtual Summit will be conducted using Zoom. It is highly recommended that you use the following link to the Zoom website to test your computers compatibility before planning to attend the summit. To test your computerÕs compatibility go to: https://zoom.us/test
 
Individual CE certificates will be awarded for each session attended. No partial CE credit will be given. Each attendee must be logged in separately on their own device to properly track attendance. Attendees must log in at the beginning of each session and stay through the end in order to receive credit. Any attendee missing more than 15 minutes of a presentation will not be awarded CE credit. CE certificates will be added to the attendees' AMHCA user portal at www.amhca.org on or before November 15, 2021. AMHCA is unable to provide CE credit in the event of an attendee's technical difficulty. For more information on AMHCA's Approved Continuing Education Provider status, please visit: https://www.amhca.org/conference/registration/ce
 
Summit participants should be aware that the sessions they attend may be recorded. AMHCA retains the exclusive right to copy, distribute, publish, reproduce, and/or sell any session recorded during the Fall Virtual Summit. Recording by any attendee of any sounds or visual images, and use of any recording device or medium now known, or later developed, is prohibited at all AMHCA seminars and conferences or other training events unless prior written permission has been expressly granted by AMHCA.

Location

Zoom