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Silencing the Pathological Critic: The Mindful Response to Unhealthy Self-Talk

Room: Paradise C

Speaker(s): 

James Smith, MEd, PhD

Presentation: Every person has a healthy self-critic that performs important functions in our lives. For some, that unhealthy self-critic gets sick, becoming the Pathological Critic. The Pathological Critic is that voice that tells us harmful messages about ourselves. Responding to this internal voice effectively is important for our overall mental health. In this presentation, Dr. Smith will discuss what the Pathological Critic is, experiences that promote its developmental, and how to quiet it using foundational Mindfulness principles.

Objectives:

  • Describe the 3 core principles of Mindfulness
  • Review the meaning and origin of the “Pathological Critic”
  • Apply the 3 core principles of Mindfulness to creating effective responses to the Pathological Critic
  • Participants will consider the application of creating Mindfulness-based responses to the Pathological Critic with clients in clinical settings

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Revealing the Hidden Dynamics of Difficult Cases

Room: Nautical Wheeler

Speaker(s): 

John Carpenter, MSW, LCSW

Presentation: Many times a therapist can feel overwhelmed or “stuck” with a complicated case or lack of helpful information to be able to move forward. This presentation will help the clinician see their own case in a completely new way — exposed by experiential techniques, visual displays, props to illustrate psychological impacts, emotional distance, strength of relations, hidden effect of therapist, metaphorical imagery, and actual emotional ages. These experiential approaches will help the therapist as well as the whole audience to see and feel new ideas to help each difficult case. No identifying names or information is necessary.

Objectives:

  • Describe new experiential techniques for assessing client situations
  • Review one’s case in an experiential manner
  • Use visual props to illustrate relationships
  • To learn how a therapist position might be blocking progress
  • To learn how to use this model for supervising staff’s cases

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Clubhouse: A Natural Community Connection for Young Adults with Early Psychosis

Room: Windgate 62-63

Speaker(s): 

Mike Abrams, MSW

Presentation: The Clubhouse model provides a supportive environment that promotes growth, empowerment, and inclusion through shared work, social connection, and opportunities for education and employment. By working with Clubhouses, Coordinated Specialty Care (CSC) Teams can offer a unique opportunity to build meaningful connections, discover purpose, and experience a genuine sense of belonging within their community for the young adults they serve.

This presentation will highlight how Independence Center’s Clubhouse serves as a vibrant community hub, creating spaces where members can connect, contribute, and thrive, and how collaboration with Independence Center’s CSC team strengthens ongoing recovery and wellness. Participants will gain insight into how the Clubhouse model fosters peer support, community engagement, and a strong foundation for long-term well-being, as young adults start, participate in, and graduate from CSC services.

Objectives:

  • Define the Clubhouse model utilized by Clubhouse International and Independence Center
  • Summarize how Independence Center’s CSC and Clubhouse programs work together to achieve shared member outcomes
  • Examine how the unique aspects of the Clubhouse model benefit young adults experiencing early psychosis
  • Connect with Clubhouses in their area to analyze if a partnership will benefit the young people they serve

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Community Based Competency Restoration

Room: Windgate 60-61

Speaker(s): 

Angela Torres, PhD, ABPP

Presentation: This presentation will explore competency to stand trial with a special focus on outpatient or community-based restoration. Attendees will learn the foundations behind competency to stand trial, explore different restoration modalities, and review common issues with restoration and how to address them. This presentation will speak to common myths and stigma about forensic consumers and the important role restoration providers can play in the criminal justice system and in the care of justice-involved clients with serious mental illness. Finally, participants will leave the training with basic guidance about how to proceed with restoration, and recommendations to further build their own professional competence to provide restoration services.

Objectives:

  • Understand the foundation competency to stand trial.
  • Learn the basics of competency restoration, with a special focus on community-based restoration.
  • Understand the role of restoration providers in the continuum of care and the criminal-legal system.
  • Address stigma about common perceptions about forensic consumers.
  • Review strategies to address barriers to community-based restoration.

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“Said No Teen Ever”—Beginning the Hard Conversations with Youth

Room: Paradise A

Speaker(s): 

Nia Estes, MEd

Presentation: Do you have a teen in your life who sees you as a trusted adult? Do you have a niece or nephew you’re concerned about but aren’t sure how to broach a conversation with them? This session is designed for anyone working directly with teens or who has teens in their lives whom they offer support to. Join us to learn how to start conversations that may be difficult to have with young people (relationships, substance use, mental health, etc.). The session is designed to give insight into youths to allow for deep and meaningful conversations.

Objectives:

  • Discuss how to create a safe and supportive environment where difficult conversations can occur
  • Review active listening and communication skills needed for successful and meaningful conversations
  • Describe ways to guide teens towards sensible and responsible decisions

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Adult Intimate Partner Violence: How Practitioners in Medical Settings Feel About Breaching Confidentiality

Room: Paradise B

Speaker(s): 

Dr. Amberly Pritchard, MA, DBH, LPC, CCTP, NCC

Presentation: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) consists of various forms of abuse perpetrated by a loved one. It is a public health concern which negatively affects the physical and mental well-being of victims. It is detrimental to society and comes with economic costs. Individuals in violent relationships visit emergency departments and primary care clinics more frequently than people who never experience IPV. Victims regularly disclose violence to healthcare professionals. Missouri practitioners can only report the abuse to authorities if the adult patient requests it. Breaching confidentiality by mandated reporting is limited when faced with adult patients in violent relationships. This study aimed to analyze how Missouri practitioners feel about breaching confidentiality in adult intimate partner violent situations. Seventeen Missouri licensed practitioners responded to a qualitative survey. Their responses were analyzed using a thematic analytic approach. Results show licensed practitioners want the ability to breach confidentiality to report adult IPV, but they do not want to be forced by mandate to report it.

Objectives:

  • Define intimate partner violence
  • Discuss the impact intimate partner violence has on society
  • Review the existing gaps in treatment for victims of intimate partner violence
  • Learn how licensed medical professionals feel limiting confidentiality could help and harm victims of intimate partner violence

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Vibration to Regulation: The Science of Sound Healing for Nervous System Health

Room: Paradise C

Speaker(s): 

Candice Swee, MS, ATC, RYT-200

Stacey Throckmorton, BS, MEd, RYT-200

Presentation: Sound therapy and vibrational healing are emerging modalities in the behavioral health field that support regulation of the nervous system, reduction of stress and anxiety, and improvement in overall emotional wellbeing. This session will explore how sound frequencies delivered through instruments such as crystal bowls, gongs, tuning forks, and even one’s own voice can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, promote coherence in brainwave states, and foster resilience. Participants will review traditional and contemporary approaches to sound healing, along with current research linking vibrational therapy to measurable improvements in mental health outcomes. Demonstrations will highlight how sound therapy can be integrated into mental health care and prevention efforts, with applications for reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma responses. Attendees will leave with evidence-informed strategies to incorporate sound-based practices into both therapeutic settings and personal self-care routines.

Objectives:

  • Describe the neuroscience and physiological mechanisms by which sound and vibration regulate the nervous system and support mental health
  • Identify evidence-based findings and emerging research on the effectiveness of sound therapy in reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression, and trauma
  • Experience and apply practical sound-based techniques that can be integrated into therapeutic practice, prevention strategies, or personal self-care

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When Recovery Support Services Meet the Justice System

Room: Nautical Wheeler

Speaker(s): 

Jerica Bowman, MSW, LMSW

Roy Farmer

Presentation: The justice system often intersects with recovery support services at the point of crisis, when individuals facing addiction, incarceration, or mental health challenges need coordinated support the most. This presentation explores how recovery support services can work hand-in-hand with the justice system at every intercept level to help individuals successfully reintegrate into society.

Presenters will discuss how peer support can reduce recidivism, improve treatment engagement, and build hope for individuals transitioning from incarceration or crisis stabilization back into the community. They will share real-world, firsthand experiences of navigating addiction, achieving long-term recovery, and successfully reentering society, along with insights from their current work in partnership with the criminal justice system in their local community.
Attendees will leave inspired and equipped with practical ideas to strengthen collaboration with their own Crisis Intervention Teams, justice partners, and community recovery networks.

Objectives:

  • Describe how peer support can improve treatment engagement and improve recovery outcomes
  • Identify strategies for integrating peer support within the correctional, court, and crisis intervention settings
  • Utilize practical ways to build strong collaboration with recovery support providers

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Preventing Burnout Through the Power of Fun

Room: Windgate 62-62

Speaker(s): 

Le’Anna Schlotzhauer, BS

Presentation: Preventing Burnout Through the Power of Fun is an engaging training that helps professionals recognize the signs of burnout and discover how fun can be a powerful tool for resilience. Participants will explore how stress impacts health, relationships, and work performance, and learn practical ways to recharge through play, laughter, and connection. By prioritizing fun, you can boost energy, improve mood, strengthen relationships, and create a healthier work-life balance. This session reframes fun not as a luxury but as an essential strategy for preventing burnout and thriving both personally and professionally.

Objectives:

  • Understanding burnout and it’s effects
  • Understanding how to prevent burnout
  • Understanding fun and how it works to prevent burnout
  • Discover ways to find and prioritize fun

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Preventing Relapse of Serious Mental Illnesses

Room: Windgate 60-61

Speaker(s): 

Angeline Stanislaus, MD

Presentation: Serious mental illnesses (SMI) are recurring illnesses that need long-term psychiatric and mental health care. Schizophrenia has a high rate of relapse, with up to 80 to 95% of individuals experiencing a relapse of symptoms within 2 to 5 years of recovery, particularly if the medication is discontinued (NIH). Bipolar disorder also has an annual relapse rate of about 25%. In this talk, Dr. Stanislaus will discuss the early signs of relapse in serious mental illnesses such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, how to prevent relapses, how to improve medication compliance and how to manage these patients without allowing them to have another full episode of their illness.

Objectives:

  • To learn about the rates of relapses in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
  • To identify the early symptoms of relapse
  • To learn strategies that improve medication compliance

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