After earning a bachelor’s, master’s, and specialist degree in school psychology from Northeast Louisiana University, Mardis “Marty” Dunham worked for several years as a school psychologist before enrolling at the University of Missouri-Columbia where he graduated in 1996 with a Ph.D. in school psychology. He is currently a professor, coordinator of the CoEHS assessment clinic, and the coordinator of the school psychology program at Murray State University where he has been employed since 1997. He is a certified school psychologist and a licensed psychologist and works with local schools, family court, and the department of vocational rehabilitation where he consults and provides evaluation services. He served on the GED disabilities advisory board in Washington DC for many years and is an accommodation application reviewer for Pearson. He is the associate editor for Psychology in the Schools and regularly conducts and publishes research in school psychology, education, and rehabilitation journals.

Presentation(s):

Best Practices in Providing Psychological Feedback to Consumers

Dr. Stearns is currently the Director of Assessment, Eligibility and Utilization Review for the Division of Developmental Disabilities for the state of Missouri. He is a licensed psychologist with over twenty-five years of professional experience in the fields of psychology and disability services, including service in private practice, private insurance and state government. He holds Masters and Doctorate degrees from the University of Missouri.

Presentation(s):

Best Practices in Providing Psychological Feedback to Consumers

Caroline S. Cooper is a Certified Missouri Peer Specialist (CMPS). She has had many speaking opportunities to share her story on living with a mental illness including presenting at the Real Voices, Real Choices conference in August 2017. Caroline is also a published author. Her first book, “In This Corner: Battling Depression from Inside the Ring” is a faith-based workbook using the analogy of a boxing match. Caroline’s blog and video blog contain topics related to mental health. Caroline and her husband have been married for 34 years. They have four children and two grandchildren. For more information about Caroline and to access her blog and social media sites, please visit www.carolinescooper.com.

Presentation(s):

Living with Mental Illness: Inspired by Life

Scott Kerby, MA, LPC works full time as a Motivational Interviewing trainer, coder, and coach. Kerby is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT) after completing the prestigious train the trainer program in Krakow, Poland in 2013. Kerby has over 8 years of experience as a dual diagnosis counselor and supervisor, as well as 12 years of previous experience working with students and their families as a student minister. He is a consultant for the Missouri Coalition for Behavioral Healthcare and the Mid-America Addiction Technology Transfer Center (ATTC). Kerby has provided well over 500 hours of Motivational Interviewing training to a variety of helping professions and focuses on long-term skill development to fidelity. He does his best not to embarrass his wife while coaching their two sons.

Presentation(s):

Motivational Interviewing in Groups

Leasa Weghorst, M. Ed., PLPC, RN, currently serves as Mental Wellness Counselor at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri. She has experience working as a nurse in an acute surgical care setting and in hospice care with the terminally ill. She has also worked as a client services director for a non-profit maternity home. Leasa has a passion for preventative work and evidenced-based, non-pharmaceutical treatment strategies. She is married with 3 daughters and is an advocate for holistic wellness.

Presentation(s):

Outside the Box: Incorporating evidence-based, non-pharmacological strategies in the clinical setting

Peggy Tyson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and an approved license supervisor for the state of Missouri. Currently, she is the Director of Clinical Services for the Crime Victim Advocacy Center of St. Louis, the longest existing crime victim services agency in the United States. In addition to doing counseling with clients who have experienced all types of crimes, she supervises a staff of counselors and interns. Ms. Tyson is also an adjunct professor with Lindenwood University in their graduate counseling program, teaching Professional Internship classes since January of 2006. She has presented at the Missouri Victim Assistance Network (MOVA) annual conference and the Missouri Mental Health Counselors Association (MMHCA) annual conference on such topics as Traumatic Grief, PTSD and the Crime Victim, Vicarious Trauma and Self Care, and Trauma-Informed Care. In addition, she has taught the Impact of Crime Victimization to probationers and parolees of the Missouri Department of Probation and Parole. She is also a trained National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) Crisis Responder and has responded to numerous local and national disasters, including 9/11 (New York City, NY) and Hurricane Katrina (Biloxi, MS). She has been an adjunct instructor for the Missouri State Victim Assistance Academy. She has worked within the criminal justice system, working as the therapist for the Victim Services unit of the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. She volunteers her time with the Give an Hour program, which is a nationwide network to provide services to those in need, such as veterans and those impacted by disasters. She is a national board-certified clinical hypnotherapist and trained in EMDR. Ms. Tyson has lived in the St. Louis area for 30 years and considers it her home town. She and her husband were rescued by two beautiful Akitas, Rain and Storm. She loves to spend time with family and friends, making them an integral part of her own self-care.

Presentation(s):

Traumatic Grief: How it Manifests Itself, Coping Strategies, and the Effect on Individuals and Communities

Michael has worked at Columbia College in the Social Work program and the Human Services program for 20 years. Prior to working at Columbia College, he worked as the clinical director at Missouri Girls Town and at Charter Hospital. Michael earned his MSW from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1992. He is a member of NASW. He has been an LCSW since 1993.

Presentation(s):

Wellness: Your Ethical Responsibility