Milly Hall, MS, LPC is a Quality Assurance Specialist with Missouri Department of Mental Health and has been with the agency for 20 years. She also serves as a SOAR Local Lead, helping to implement SOAR for both adults and children across the state and she recently attended the child focused SOAR Leadership Academy in Washington, DC.
Presentation(s):
SOAR for Children: Building Resiliency & Supporting Families
Dan Coladonato is a Project Associate for the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center. Prior to joining the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center, he worked for an Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) team in San Diego, CA which served adults with severe and persistent mental illness and a history of homelessness. During his time providing psychosocial rehabilitation services with the ACT team, Dan was SOAR trained, completed many SOAR SSI/SSDI applications, and eventually became the ACT team’s Benefits Specialist. In addition to assisting individuals acquire SSA and other benefits, Dan helped individuals with the post-entitlement transition, representative payee services, and the transition back to work. After attending a SOAR Leadership Academy in San Diego in 2016, Dan became a SOAR Local Lead in San Diego which eventually led him to his current position.
Presentation(s):
SOAR for Children: Building Resiliency & Supporting Families
Abigail Kirkman, M.A. is a Senior Project Associate for the SAMHSA SOAR TA Center. She is the SOAR subject matter expert on American Indian and Alaska Native populations and has expertise with implementing SOAR in rural communities. Prior to joining PRA, she worked as a case manager and employment specialist where she managed programs to retrain and employ at risk youth and individuals with disabilities. She also coordinated a housing and employment program for persons living with HIV/AIDS. Abigail has a B.A. from the College of William & Mary, an M.A. from the University at Albany and has received comprehensive SSI/SSDI benefits training through Cornell University. She is responsible for TA to the states of AR, CA, CO, CT, IL, IA, KS, MO, MT, NE, NM, NY, PA, SD, and VA.
Presentation(s):
SOAR for Children: Building Resiliency & Supporting Families
Speaker(s):
Presentation: What is wrong with MAT? What is wrong with faith-based approaches? What is wrong with evidence-based treatment? What is wrong with recovery support services? This session will help you find the answers to any of those questions! This is a session about ethics, values, morals, personal worldview and professional acculturation in the practice of treatment and recovery support for opioid use disorders and other substance use disorders. Participants will learn about the ecology of substance use treatment and recovery support and issues that arise with scientific discovery such as evidence-based practices and effective interventions, medication assisted treatment/recovery, integration of faith-based approaches, etc. Such contemporary issues tend to challenge the stability of any professional and require of them to affirm or resist change. They will learn models of working through dissonance and finding a new stability. They will identify external and internal influences that impact their emerging worldview, personal and professional acculturation. Discussion with participants will be based on morals, values, sources of power and influence in the acculturation process, and the ethics of providing value-sensitive care and due care to individuals and families struggling with opioid use disorder and other substance use disorders. This presentation is ethics beyond the ‘typical’ topics of dual relationships and abuse of power with clients. It is about us as professionals and our personal worldview and professional acculturation.
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Speaker(s):
Presentation: This workshop will provide participants with the information and tools necessary to screen for substance use and mental health coercion and to support clients’ ability to safely cope with these dynamics. Workshop participants will review literature on the prevalence of DV/IPV among clients seeking mental health and SUD services. Common coercive dynamics as they relate to clients’ ability to seek and obtain mental health and SUD services will also be discussed in conjunction with trauma-informed practices for screening and safety planning in a variety of practice settings (ie: shelters, outpatient treatment programs, MAT clinics, at home). Using case-based scenarios, workshop participants will actively practice developing collaborative safety and treatment plans that are reflective of clients’ unique needs.
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Speaker(s):
Ignacio “Alex” Barajas Munoz, PhD
Presentation: This presentation focuses on how culture and cultural change affects Latinos’ Mental Health. Cultural factors in treatment and clinical issues related to culture are explored, and approaches to integrating culture into therapy are proposed. Problems faced by individuals around access and readiness for treatment, and sustaining a course of recovery are discussed.
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Geoffrey Schaefer is a graduate of University of Missouri-Columbia School of Social Work. He has extensive social services experience in working with at-risk youth, people with severe emotional disabilities, geriatrics, and substance use. He has worked as a hospital social worker, in child protective services, at the Department of Mental Health, and currently is employed at Father’s Support Center as a family therapist.
Presentation(s):
The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences & Trauma on Fathers
Amethyst Roberson is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Nationally Certified Counselor offering Christian Counseling, Coaching and Professional Development workshop services to those in need. Roberson was born and raised in St. Louis, MO. She graduated from Oral Robert’s University Counseling program and is the Executive Director and Founder of C.A.R.E Solutions Inc. and Amethyst Roberson Therapy LLC. As a mission-minded person, she helps individuals, families and communities discover remedies to their distress, find resources, information, opportunities, and options that bring about change. Throughout her career, she has been driven towards impacting lives, listening, solving human problems, and providing solutions through counseling. Her vision is that every individual, family and couple is hopeful, empowered and emotionally and mentally healthy within their family system and community. She has worked with organization and assists with operations, management and supervision. She provides community relations, advocacy and programming. She has developed education training curriculum relevant to clients in service. This work includes material for people of all ages.
Presentation(s):
The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences & Trauma on Fathers
Dr. Eddie McCaskill is a Licensed Professional Counselor, Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Master’s Addiction Therapist, and a National Board-Certified Counselor. Mr. McCaskill has been licensed in the State of Missouri since 1991 as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Professional Counselor. Mr. McCaskill completed his undergraduate degree in Psychology from Pepperdine University. Mr. McCaskill completed his Master’s in Social Work from Washington University in St. Louis and completed his Doctorate from Argosy School of Professional Psychology and Grand Canyon University. Mr. McCaskill has provided services to the under-served population in the St. Louis area for 30 years. Mr. McCaskill has provided mental health services to children who are in the foster care system and youths involved with St. Louis Family Court. Mr. McCaskill has provided co-occurring therapy to drug addicted, traumatized, HIV positive and homeless individuals. Mr. McCaskill is recognized as a Military Family Life Consultant expert by the Department of Defense. Mr. McCaskill area of expertise is trauma, depression, and adverse childhood experiences. Mr. McCaskill was recognized and honored by Bank of America’s Neighborhood Excellence Initiative when he was selected a 2011 Local Hero. Mr. McCaskill was recognized and honored for his work in the community by Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc.-Xi Zeta Chapter as an Unsung Hero in mental health for 2014. Mr. McCaskill received the 2015 Community Healthcare Award from St. Louis Celebrity Senior’s non-profit organization for providing mental health services to the local community. Mr. McCaskill received the St. Louis American’s Excellence in Healthcare award in 2017 for his work in the St. Louis Community. Mr. McCaskill was recognized by the Missouri House of Representative in a resolution put forth by State Representative, Steven Roberts. Mr. McCaskill was recognized for his 30 years of providing services to the underserved community in the St. Louis Area.
Presentation(s):
The Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences & Trauma on Fathers
Speaker(s):
Eddie McCaskill, MSW, EdD, LPC, LCSW, NCC, CADC
Amethyst Roberson, MA, LPC, NCC
Presentation: The purpose of this workshop is to examine to what extent trauma and adverse childhood experiences impact the lives of Black fathers who have experienced trauma or one of the ten indicators of adverse childhood experiences.
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