Home > Articles by: Kayla Bunch

Author: Kayla Bunch

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Choate, Alexandria, MA

Allie Choate is a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at the University of South Florida. She is currently completing her pre-doctoral internship at Fulton State Hospital. Her research focuses on understanding developmental mechanisms that foster the development of borderline personality disorder (BPD) traits, as well as their co-occurrence with other forms of psychopathology and problematic behavior, such as substance use and aggression.
 

Presentation(s):

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Are U OK? – An Anti-Stigma Campaign and Healing Sensory Experience.

Room Paradise Ballroom A

Speaker(s): LJ Punch, MD, TJ Barber ATR, LPC, Indigo Hann, Sandra Mayen, Amy Miller

Description: 

During this session we will introduce our Are U OK? campaign which serves as an invitation to reframe the concept of drug use into a framework of trauma. This session will present a hands on experience of responding to trauma, overdose, and stress through a sensory experience to include acudetox acupuncture, relaxation techniques, and training on how to approach conversations around overdose risk. #TraumaIsTheRealDrug

Objectives

  • Learn the history of acudetox
  • Name three sources of sensory input for relaxation
  • Identify the presence of trauma in day to day habits
  • Experience deep relaxation
By

Keynote: Unbreaking Broken Trust – a Holistic Approach to Trauma Healing and Prevention.

Paradise Ballroom ABC

 

Speaker(s): LJ Punch, MD

Description:

Power4STL is the home of The Bullet Related Injury Clinic and The T, a holistic harm reduction program. During this presentation, founder and executive director, Dr. LJ Punch, will share the Power4STL theory of trauma and approach to holistic healing care. This includes a narrative shifting approach to the impact of bullets and needles in the lives of communities experiencing acute and chronic violence.

Objectives

  • Identify the unique impact of community violence
  • Define Bullet Related Injury
  • Acknowledge symptoms of broken trust
  • Identify opportunities to create a healing environment for those experiencing community violence
By

Punch, LJ, MD

Dr. LJ Punch is a trauma surgeon, aspiring healer, and founder of Power4STL, a community of health working to reduce the impact of trauma in the St. Louis region. This includes the work of The Bullet Related Injury Clinic (BRIC) and The T, a holistic harm reduction program with a focus on overdose risk, both centering the experience of Black masculine bodied people because #BlackPainMaters.
 

Presentation(s):

Keynote: Unbreaking Broken Trust – a Holistic Approach to Trauma Healing and Prevention
 

Are U OK? – An Anti-Stigma Campaign and Healing Sensory Experience

By

Dixon, Desiree, BS, MS

Desiree Dixon is currently in her last semester of the Human Development and Family Sciences M.S. program at the University of Central Missouri. She previously has presented at the 2024 Spring Training Institute alongside Dr. Tim Welch and Dr. Joyce Chang. Along with assisting in research projects at the UCM, Desiree is also a proud McNair Scholar alumnus where she completed an original mixed methods project entitled Young Adults Perceptions of Intimate Relationships and Family Units in Correlation with ACE Scores. Currently, Desiree is a student/new professional board member of the Advancing Family Science Section at the National Council of Family Relations and has spoken at several other research symposiums and event
 

Presentation(s):

PACEs: How Protective and Compensatory Experiences Influence ACEs 

 

 

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Chang, Joyce, PhD

Dr. I. Joyce Chang received her doctorate in Human Development and Family Sciences and her master’s degree in Interdisciplinary Studies (Psychology, Women Studies, & Statistics) from Oregon State University. Before beginning her career at the University of Central Missouri, she taught at universities in Oregon and Washington. Her primary research interests are high-risk behaviors, relationship development, and the impact of technology on families. Dr. Chang is a legacy member of the National Council on Family Relations and has received awards and recognitions for excellence in teaching, research, service, and advisement from universities, and professional organizations. Dr. Chang has collaborated with international colleagues and taught/lectured in Sweden, Taiwan, and the Netherlands.

Presentation(s):

Adolescent Social Media: Myths Managing Risks and Maximizing Benefits

 

 

By

Gargis, Heather, MA, LPC, SEP

Heather Gargis is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Somatic Experiencing Practitioner, EMDR-trained, NeuroAffective Touch therapist, and a Safe & Sound Protocol provider. As a somatic trauma therapist with a focus on working directly with the nervous system, Heather helps clients build capacity for regulation, resilience, and healing from trauma. She has been in private practice since 2019 and is dedicated to addressing complex trauma, childhood abuse and neglect, attachment wounds, dissociation, chronic pain and syndromes, and sexual abuse. She equips clients with practical tools to track their internal sensations, process overwhelming experiences, and develop a sense of safety and empowerment in their daily lives.
 
Heather is passionate about the transformative power of somatics and its ability to support lifelong healing through mind-body integration. She brings warmth, trust, and an inviting curiosity to her work, offering clients a path to shift from surviving to thriving.
Beyond the therapy room, Heather enjoys tennis, conducting research, and playing her banjolele.

Presentation(s):

Somatic Therapies and Trauma: Healing through the Wisdom of the Nervous System 

 

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Wieberg Massman, Judy, MEd, LPC, LCSW

Judy Wieberg Massman is a Licensed Professional Counselor. and a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. She has provided psychotherapy for over 35 years to clients from various cultures, personal challenges and walks of life.
Judy is certified in numerous Evidence Based Practices including EMDR, DBT, Bio-feedback, Prolonged Exposure Trauma Therapy , Equine Assisted Therapy, Cognitive Behavior Therapy and Bibliotherapy. Judy has written and published books that have been effectively used for Bibliotherapy. In 2023 Judy published Mind win: manage your mind, mange your life that is currently being used in therapy.
Judy has provided child and family therapy in liaison with schools, juvenile court services and family/ custody court services. Judy served as a consultant for the State of Missouri in the Healthy Children and Youth Program. She has provided professional training on ADHD and other therapeutic topics and has supervised upcoming therapist. Judy has taught as an adjunct instructor at a community college. She continues to provide therapy in- office and through tele-med. Judy is enthusiastic and dedicated in promoting learning and personal growth.
 

Presentation(s):

Biblia Therapy used in Adjunct with other Therapies to Enhance Treatment

 

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Duke, Jeremy, MA, LPC

Jeremy Duke, LPC owns Individual, Marriage & Family Counseling in Columbia, and has been in private counseling practice for more than 20 years; he has successfully grown his solo practice into a thriving group practice of 10 clinicians. In addition to providing individual, couple’s, and group therapy, Mr. Duke supervises provisionally licensed counselors and practicum and internship students.
Mr. Duke is the Regional Coordinator of the Missouri Physicians Health Program (MPHP) providing services to physicians and other health care providers through the Missouri chapter of the American Medical Association.
In addition to private practice, Mr. Duke has previously served as Assistant Director, Senior Counselor, and Residential Clinical Manager of Phoenix Programs, Inc.
 

Presentation(s):

Harm Reduction: The Next Wave in Substance Use Disorder Treatment

 

By

Eisleben, Lauren, BS, MEd, LPC

Lauren Eisleben is a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Missouri specializing in substance use treatment, couple’s counseling, and family systems trauma. She is the Clinical Director of The Intensive, an Intensive Outpatient Program within the Columbia, MO private practice, Individual, Marriage & Family Counseling.
Lauren has been a presenter at the Missouri Addiction Counselors’ Association Fall 2023 Conference, frequently facilitates trainings associated with ICEEFT (International Centre for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy), and regularly supervises practicum and internship students in the field of counseling.
Prior to her work in the field of mental health, Lauren was an adjunct professor at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and was an active board member of City of Refuge, a non-profit organization supporting immigrants and refugees in mid-Missouri.
 

Presentation(s):

The Efficacy of the CRAFT Model of Therapy in a Group Setting

Harm Reduction: The Next Wave in Substance Use Disorder Treatment