Blog

Cannon, Valerie, BS, MS

Valerie Cannon is currently in the Human Development and Family Sciences M.S. program at the University of Central Missouri. She previously obtained her B.S. degree in HDFS from UCM as well and spent a semester studying abroad in Denmark. Valerie has a background in early childhood education and was previously an early childhood program director in Overland Park, Kansas. At the moment, Valerie is a social worker for KVC Health Systems and thoroughly enjoys her work. Additionally, Valerie has experience with CITI training and has research interests pertaining to the social work field.

Presentation(s):

PACEs: How Protective and Compensatory Experiences Influence ACEs

Rongey, Kori, BSCS, MSWc

Kori Rongey holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at Park University. She is interning at the Samaritan Counseling Center in St. Joseph, Missouri, where she works with clients of all ages and facilitates a monthly grief support group for teenagers. With a passion for trauma-informed care and youth mental health, she focuses her work on helping children and adolescents navigate emotional regulation, grief, and behavioral challenges. Drawing from both clinical training and her lived experience as a mother of five daughters, Kori brings a unique blend of empathy, insight, and creativity to therapeutic work. Her approach emphasizes practical, compassionate strategies that meet young clients where they are and promote lasting resilience.

Kori joins Dr. Moran to co-present on the impact of trauma on the brain, how to foster trauma-informed practices that support emotional regulation, and how to implement tiered interventions to address disruptive behaviors in youth.

Presentation(s):

Navigating Trauma: Understanding the Brain and Building Supportive Strategies for Emotional and Behavioral Growth

Moran, Ricki, DSW, LCSW

Ricki L. Moran, DSW, LCSW, is an Assistant Professor at Park University and a licensed mental health professional specializing in behavioral and therapeutic interventions for children and families through her private practice, Bright Solutions. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a Certified Play Therapist, and is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).

Dr. Moran earned her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Park University, her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and her Doctorate in Social Work from the University of St. Thomas. She is also the co-author of a chapter in The Art of Becoming Indispensable: What School Social Workers Need to Know in Their First Three Years of Practice, which was honored with the SSWAA 2022 Book Award.

Her professional focus includes supporting children who have experienced trauma, promoting self-care practices for professionals, and using Child-Centered Play Therapy to foster healing and resilience. Dr. Moran has delivered trainings and presentations on topics such as self-care, emotional and physical safety, suicide prevention, and cultivating compassion without fatigue.

Presentation(s):

Navigating Trauma: Understanding the Brain and Building Supportive Strategies for Emotional and Behavioral Growth

Karim, Ahmed, MD

Dr. Ahmed Karim is a Psychiatry resident at UMKC, dedicated to advancing mental health care through evidence-based practices. His clinical interests include psychopharmacology, psychotherapy and innovative treatments like Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) and Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT).

Before residency, Dr. Karim worked with Medecins Sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders), where he provided critical medical care to refugees and addressed complex mental health challenges, including PTSD and stress-related disorders.

Dr. Ahmed Karim presenting on “Schizotypal Disorder: Management Challenges with Clozapine-Induced Myocarditis,” highlighting the complexities of treating schizotypal disorder and addressing rare but serious medication-related complications.

Presentation(s):

Schizotypal Disorder: Management Challenges with “Clozapine-Induced Myocarditis”

Doherty, Stephen, MEd, LPC, CRADC, CCJP

Steve Doherty is a Senior Regional Director for Gateway Foundation Inc., a national not-for profit, where he provides clinical and administrative oversight of substance use and reentry program operations contracted with state criminal justice and mental health agencies in the community and in correctional institutions in five states. Steve has worked in the field of Behavioral Health treatment for over 35 years, most of which providing oversight of behavioral health, reentry and community services to persons who are criminal justice involved. Steve has been an adjunct faculty member at Missouri Baptist University and Washington University’s Brown School of Social Work in St. Louis Missouri, teaching graduate and undergraduate counseling and substance use disordercourses. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master of Education degree in Counseling from Stephen F. Austin State University. He is a Licensed Professional Counselor, a Certified Reciprocal Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor and Certified Criminal Justice Addictions Professional.

Presentation(s):

Strategies for Optimizing Client Relationships and Self-Management

Throckmorton, Stacey, BS, MEd

Stacey is a physical education teacher at Hickman High School in Columbia, MO. Stacey teaches yoga & mindfulness as well as other elective physical education courses. She is a 200 level registered yoga instructor (RYT). She is currently pursuing her sound healer certificate and 300 level trauma informed yoga.

Presentation(s):

Tools for Trauma: Mindful Activities for Youth

Swee, Candace, BS, MS

Candice Swee is currently a physical education teacher in the Columbia Public School district as well as a fitness instructor at Wilson’s Fitness. She teaches yoga & mindfulness as well as strength and conditioning at Rock Bridge High School. She is a 200 hour registered yoga instructor (RYT) and currently working toward her 300 level trauma informed register yoga instructor and 100 level sound healer certificate with YogaFit. She comes from a sports medicine background having started her professional career as an athletic trainer. Yoga has impacted her both personally and professionally and she enjoys teaching and sharing mindfulness to others. Her and her husband Mitch live in Columbia, MO with their daughter (2). She enjoys travel, crafting and baking and the beach.

Presentation(s):

Tools for Trauma: Mindful Activities for Youth

Oswald Reitz, Ronda, PhD

Ronda Oswalt Reitz, Ph.D. is the Coordinator for Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) at the Missouri Department of Mental Health. In this role, she is responsible for training, consultation, implementation, evaluation and supervision of all DBT services statewide.

Dr Reitz is a highly sought-after trainer and consultant of DBT for Behavioraltech Institute and The Linehan Institute, companies founded by Dr Marsha Linehan for the dissemination of DBT worldwide.

Between her work in community mental health, inpatient forensic settings, cancer support programs, and with the Missouri Department of Mental Health, Dr Reitz has been a leader in DBT services for almost three decades. She is an expert in the development and implementation of comprehensive DBT programming in settings as diverse as state mental health systems, residential programs, community programs, behavioral health programs and forensic services. Dr. Reitz has been a student of Rinzai Zen for over 20 years, studying under Roshis Marsha Linehan and Alice Cabotaje.

Presentation(s):

Why Provide DBT: Latest Updates on Effectiveness and Clinical Applications