Healing Together: The Power of Community Care in Fostering Mental Health

Join us for an enlightening discussion on the transformative influence of belonging and community support on mental health. Explore how social connections and a supportive environment can profoundly enhance well-being. Discover practical strategies to build a personal, interpersonal, and social blueprint aimed at combating loneliness and improving mental health. Whether you're seeking ways to strengthen your own support network or interested in fostering community resilience, this session offers insights and tools to cultivate a healthier, more connected life. Together, let's harness the healing power of community care.

Addiction: A Futurist’s Perspective

The future of addiction treatment is poised for dramatic shifts in the next decade, driven by increasing payer pressures, outcome improvements, and cost control. Societal goals aim to enhance access, efficacy of screening, and decriminalization efforts. Overcoming philosophical objections and technological barriers is crucial. This talk will explore a futurist's perspective on addiction, tracing the evolution to our current state and proposing strategies for navigating toward global improvements. Emphasizing healthcare innovation principles, it aims to empower attendees to shape the future of addiction treatment.

Navigating Problematic Pornography Use: An ACT-Based Approach to Healing, Self-Discovery, and Sexual Well-being

This presentation equips therapists with strategies from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to address problematic pornography use. Participants will explore the prevalence and impact of such use on individuals and relationships, tackling the associated shame and stigma. Using ACT principles, therapists will learn to help clients challenge unhelpful thoughts, foster mindfulness, and understand underlying emotional triggers. The session will also provide tools for clients to respond differently to distress and sexual arousal, aligning their behavior with their values. Attendees will gain practical insights to support clients in achieving self-compassion, resilience, and healthier relationships, informed by Dr. Doug Braun-Harvey’s sexual health principles.

Ethics of the Therapeutic Relationship

Ethics in substance use disorder treatment often receives generalized discussion. However, focusing on specific topics enhances practitioners' ability to establish therapeutic relationships effectively and safely, prioritizing the client's well-being. Given the pivotal role of the therapeutic relationship in intentional change, every clinician should explore ethical guidelines. Ethical considerations evolve with the field, warranting proactive discussions rather than reactive responses to violations. This presentation aims to pinpoint potential ethical dilemmas in therapeutic relations, elucidate associated risks and outcomes, and bolster clinicians' confidence in nurturing client relationships.

USU Extension’s HEART Initiative: Collaboratively Addressing the Opioid Overdose Crisis & Stigma.

This presentation will review the opioid overdose crisis, provide a background of how the multi-disciplinary HEART Initiative was formed to address this challenge, discuss the creation and impact of the 4 pillars that drive HEARTs success on Utah's public health emergencies, review emerging concerns, discuss evidence-based approaches to stigma reduction, and identify effective collaborative practices for use in the participants own programs. We will also highlight our opioid overdose response training program targeting high risk occupational groups including construction, mining, manufacturing, and the service industry. Participants will leave with several new tools to use to address substance use in their communities.

The Future of Addiction

The future of addiction treatment is poised for dramatic shifts in the next decade, driven by increasing payer pressures, outcome improvements, and cost control. Societal goals aim to enhance access, efficacy of screening, and decriminalization efforts. Overcoming philosophical objections and technological barriers is crucial. This talk will explore a futurist's perspective on addiction, tracing the evolution to our current state and proposing strategies for navigating toward global improvements. Emphasizing healthcare innovation principles, it aims to empower attendees to shape the future of addiction treatment.

Ethical Considerations for Effective Caregiver Consultations in Play Therapy

This presentation aims to provide counselors with skills for integrating caregivers into the play therapy process. Consistent caregiver support is an ethical concern often overlooked in child counseling. Caregiver Consultations facilitate family-therapist communication and enhance treatment outcomes. This is crucial for fostering a therapeutic bond with caregivers by building rapport, explaining the play therapy process, setting the length of therapy expectations, and establishing initial treatment objectives. The presentation will introduce filial therapy and highlight its fundamental role in involving caregivers. The session will introduce filial therapy and discuss Child-Parent Relationship Therapy (CPRT) and Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PICT). Each model's suitability will be assessed based on the client's therapy needs.

Fostering Resilience

This session will highlight the keys to fostering resilience and bringing emotional stability into our lives through co-regulation. This session is rooted in the principle that relationships come first - it only takes one safe, relationship to help us grow, heal, and meet our potential. Topics to be explored in connection with co-regulation: Brain and Nervous System Healing, Toxic Stress, Window of Tolerance, and Building Resilience. This presentation untangles complex neuroscience that is important for parents/caregivers, educators, and child-serving professionals to learn in order to soothe the nervous system and manage anxiety and stress. We can change brains, soothe the nervous system, and save lives.

The Cost of Caring: Combating Compassion Fatigue for Mental Health Professionals

Join fellow mental health professionals in a discussion about the cost of caring and how you and your staff can work through the effects of compassion fatigue. Review the latest research and learn about the signs and symptoms of this common issue for mental health professionals. Share your experiences and coping methods with others. As a mental health professional, you must care for yourself so that you can care for others. Join us in a safe space as we discuss self-care strategies and coping methods. Realize that you are not alone in your need to receive support while caring for others.

The Future of Depression Treatment

In a 2023 study, 33.3% percent of adults in Utah reported symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorder. Treatment for depression has remained unchanged since the first antidepressants were introduced to the market in the 1950s and 34-46% of MDD patients do not adequately respond to treatment. A 2020 study showed that Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) has an 83% success rate wherein people self-report feeling significantly better, and a 62% remission rate. This presentation will focus on what TMS is, how it works, and the potential relief and remission it potentially offers to one-third of our state's population who struggle with their mental health.

Early Detection, Better Outcomes: Assessing Perinatal Mental Health from Day One

Perinatal and postpartum depression significantly impact maternal and child health, with rates of depression and anxiety affecting a substantial portion of new mothers. Inadequate screening for these conditions has led to worsening outcomes, including increased risks of severe depression, anxiety, postpartum psychosis, and even suicide. The critical need for effective screening and treatment is underscored by rising rates of severe postpartum depression, as observed in recent years. Globally, 10-13% of pregnant and postpartum women experience these conditions, highlighting the urgent need for comprehensive public health strategies to address and manage maternal mental health.

Protecting Ourselves from the Slippery Slope: What Can We Learn from Licensure Discipline?

This presentation will examine trends in licensing board complaints against mental health professionals, highlighting violations and resultant actions. Despite rigorous training and continuing education, some practitioners face ethical and legal challenges. This presentation will provide information about trends in licensing board complaints the violations and actions taken. Based on these trends we will discuss contributing factors to the mental health professionals being vulnerable to such violations. In addition, we will provide an overview of things mental health practitioners can do to protect themselves, their clients, their practices, and their licenses from ethical violations and complaints.

Ketamine and the Unconscious Brain

This presentation explores ketamine's therapeutic effects beyond depression, including PTSD, pain, anxiety, OCD, and suicidality. Integrated Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy (IKAP) combines ketamine with evidence-based therapies like CBT and mindfulness to engage the unconscious brain fully. Ketamine enhances synaptic plasticity and emotional processing, making it easier to address trauma and depression. Topics include ketamine's pharmacological mechanisms, therapeutic rationale for IKAP, and practical implementation in critical care. Case studies illustrate efficacy and safety. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how IKAP complements traditional interventions for treatment-resistant mental health issues, enhancing overall well-being

Disconnecting to survive: Key issues in trauma-based dissociation

This presentation will provide an overview of trauma-based dissociation, including what it is, the neurobiology and psychology of why it occurs, and key strategies for reducing dissociation. Dissociation can occur in response to different types of interpersonal trauma, including to sexual assault, physical abuse, combat and service-related trauma, and race-based trauma. When trauma-based dissociation persists, it can interfere with trauma recovery and trauma treatment. Learn more about what defines trauma-based dissociation and what to do about it.

Comprehensive Suicide Prevention: From Assessment to Intervention and Hope

This workshop/presentation will be broken up into three sections. The first section will be lecture-based, discussing research, data, assessment for suicide risk, and practice administering the C-SSRS. The second portion of the program focuses on treatment including a role-play practicing a plan for safety and crisis intervention. Lastly, participants will discuss the role of facilitating hope and the important of goal-setting in prevention of suicide as well as cultural competency.

Addressing the Rising Tide: Culturally-Competent Suicide Prevention in BIPOC Communities

Suicide rates in some subsets of BIPOC populations have seen an increase in the last few years, while the suicide rates overall in the United States have been in decline. This presentation discusses factors to consider when broaching the topic of suicide prevention in clients and communities of color. The session will also utilize a strengths-based approach to identify resources in the community that will allow for culturally-relevant psychoeducation.

Go From Chaotic Discharging to Coordinated Client Transitions in Three Simple Steps

As industry professionals, we hold an ethical responsibility to support clients throughout their continuum of care. This responsibility directly influences long-term treatment outcomes, yet statistics reveal inconsistent adherence. Join our dynamic session to confront this common struggle head-on. Gain validation and insight into how intentional participation in transition details can significantly impact outcomes. Arm yourself with the knowledge and skills needed to dismantle this longstanding barrier in behavioral health. You'll be amazed by the transformative power of accountable transition support.

Finding Balance in an Unbalanced World: Self-of-the-Therapist Issues For Us All

Well over half of those who struggle with addiction also suffer from ADHD. Many have gone undiagnosed until adulthood. Those in recovery seldom understand how the neurodivergence of ADHD impacts all aspects of their lives and maintaining sobriety. This workshop will focus on helping clients identify emotional dysregulation and rejection sensitivity so they can understand how ADHD impacts every facet of their lives. We will explore effective ways to teach clients how various tips, hacks, and treatments that help those struggling with ADHD have a more successful life.