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X-WR-CALDESC:Event Calendar
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PRODID:-//Sched.com Beyond Borders: Global Mental Health Conference//EN
X-WR-TIMEZONE:UTC
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T130000Z
DTEND:20261008T140000Z
SUMMARY:Between Reality and Hyperreality: Building Resilience During COVID-19 Through Digital Classrooms
DESCRIPTION:Much has been said and written on the COVID-19 pandemic and its various impacts on our physical and mental health. The objectives of this paper are to analyse certain&nbsp\;issues and concerns through a personal memoir\, i.e.\, my experience of teaching and supervising the post-graduate students of Social Work\, through digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic at my workplace\, Bankura University. Nevertheless\, whether the digital world is enhancing prosperity\, social connectedness\, peace\, and the collectivisation of humans\, or leading to alienation\, violence\, and unhappiness\, is a matter of academic research and debate\, and has led to the formation of discourses surrounding the positive and negative impacts of such technologies.\n&nbsp\;\n&nbsp\;The ‘new normal’ days of COVID brought dual psychosocial challenges\, primarily stemming from seclusion and alienation from the pandemic's emerging realities\, and partially from overdependence on digital technologies\, leading to a hyperreal world. If the psychosocial and survival issues of seclusion and alienation emerging from the COVID-realities needed to be tackled\, then the use of digital technologies became indispensable. Thus\, the challenge was to strike a balance between the real and the hyperreal worlds to minimise the cons and maximise the pros while interacting with students via digital platforms and dealing with community wellness as discussed in this paper. The objective of the paper is also to discuss the changing pattern of pedagogy that might have been influenced by ‘new normal’ psychosocial exposures during the pandemic era.\nThe methodological approach of this paper is primarily grounded in my experiences of teaching and supervising postgraduate students through digital platforms as a social work educator. In addition\, methods like content analyses of primary sources-students’ reports\, online routines\, notices\, and materials have been adopted\, along with conceptual analyses of the&nbsp\;secondary literature reviewed.&nbsp\;\nKeywords: Digital pedagogy\, COVID-19 pandemic\, New normal\, Psychosocial\, Reality\, Hyperreality.\nMuch has been said and written on the COVID-19 pandemic and its various impacts on our physical and mental health. The objectives of this paper are to analyse certain&nbsp\;issues and concerns through a personal memoir\, i.e.\, my experience of teaching and supervising the post-graduate students of Social Work\, through digital platforms during the COVID-19 pandemic at my workplace\, Bankura University. Nevertheless\, whether the digital world is enhancing prosperity\, social connectedness\, peace\, and the collectivisation of humans\, or leading to alienation\, violence\, and unhappiness\, is a matter of academic research and debate\, and has led to the formation of discourses surrounding the positive and negative impacts of such technologies.\n&nbsp\;\n&nbsp\;The ‘new normal’ days of COVID brought dual psychosocial challenges\, primarily stemming from seclusion and alienation from the pandemic's emerging realities\, and partially from overdependence on digital technologies\, leading to a hyperreal world. If the psychosocial and survival issues of seclusion and alienation emerging from the COVID-realities needed to be tackled\, then the use of digital technologies became indispensable. Thus\, the challenge was to strike a balance between the real and the hyperreal worlds to minimise the cons and maximise the pros while interacting with students via digital platforms and dealing with community wellness as discussed in this paper. The objective of the paper is also to discuss the changing pattern of pedagogy that might have been influenced by ‘new normal’ psychosocial exposures during the pandemic era.\nThe methodological approach of this paper is primarily grounded in my experiences of teaching and supervising postgraduate students through digital platforms as a social work educator. In addition\, methods like content analyses of primary sources-students’ reports\, online routines\, notices\, and materials have been adopted\, along with conceptual analyses of the&nbsp\;secondary literature reviewed.&nbsp\;\nKeywords: Digital pedagogy\, COVID-19 pandemic\, New normal\, Psychosocial\, Reality\, Hyperreality.
CATEGORIES:STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:48b6faa5bd8424ad640638ade1aad8b8
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/48b6faa5bd8424ad640638ade1aad8b8
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T130000Z
DTEND:20261008T140000Z
SUMMARY:Beyond the Silence: Exploring Suicidal Tendencies\, Coping Mechanisms\, and Psychosocial Challenges among University Students in Bangladesh
DESCRIPTION:Suicidal tendencies among university students have become an alarming public health and social issue in Bangladesh\, posing serious challenges to students' mental well-being\, academic success\, and social relationships. The transition to university life often exposes students to various psychosocial stressors\, including academic pressure\, financial constraints\, family expectations\, relationship problems\, and feelings of isolation\, which may increase their vulnerability to suicidal thoughts and behaviors. Against this backdrop\, the present study aims to explore the psychosocial challenges associated with suicidal tendencies among university students in Bangladesh and to examine the coping mechanisms adopted by students to manage psychological distress.\nThis study employed a qualitative research approach\, using in-depth interviews with university students who had experienced suicidal thoughts or had been exposed to severe psychological distress. The findings reveal that a complex interaction of interpersonal and intrapersonal factors contributes to suicidal tendencies among students. Family conflicts\, romantic relationship breakdowns\, academic stress\, uncertainty about future careers\, financial hardship\, loneliness\, and inadequate social support emerged as major contributing factors. These challenges often resulted in emotional instability\, declining academic performance\, reduced self-esteem\, and social withdrawal.\nDespite these adversities\, many students demonstrated resilience by adopting diverse coping strategies\, including seeking support from friends and family\, accessing professional counseling services\, engaging in extracurricular and volunteer activities\, practicing religious and spiritual activities\, and participating in creative and recreational pursuits. The study highlights the urgent need for comprehensive mental health initiatives within universities\, including accessible counseling services\, awareness programs\, peer support systems\, and institutional mechanisms to identify and support at-risk students. By bringing students' experiences beyond the silence\, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of student mental health and provides valuable insights for developing effective interventions to prevent suicidal tendencies among university students in Bangladesh.
CATEGORIES:STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:cb00e3699fcd4e9efcbe19b31b404fc9
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/cb00e3699fcd4e9efcbe19b31b404fc9
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T130000Z
DTEND:20261008T140000Z
SUMMARY:College Students’ Mental Health Well-Being and Their Knowledge and Use of Self-Care
DESCRIPTION:There is a growing mental health crisis on U.S. college campuses. Because of stigma\, costs\, and limited college counseling services\, this study seeks to understand how self-care can promote a college student’s mental health. This mixed-methods survey took place at a public university in the Southwestern region of the U.S. Correlational and regression analyses found that self-care was a predictor of overall mental health well-being. The findings also suggest that students believe that their culture does not support self-care. The following themes emerged: physical wellness and maintenance\, emotional and mental wellness\, mindfulness and spirituality\, connection and relational support\, creativity\, expression\, and enjoyment\, and barriers to self-care. The researchers encourage promoting self-care and educating students about these types of practices.
CATEGORIES:STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:20b953231577a2b8983d219b729a2e6b
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/20b953231577a2b8983d219b729a2e6b
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T150000Z
DTEND:20261008T170000Z
SUMMARY:Affirming Care in Restrictive Contexts: Exploring LGBTIQ+ Mental Healthcare Experiences in Zimbabwe
DESCRIPTION:Presentation Abstract\nMental healthcare access for LGBTIQ+ individuals in Zimbabwe is shaped by structural inequities\, social stigma\, and heteronormative healthcare systems that often undermine psychological safety and wellbeing. While global mental health research has increasingly recognised the impact of minority stress on mental health outcomes\, there is limited evidence from African contexts that centres the lived experiences and resilience of LGBTIQ+ communities.\nThis presentation draws on a qualitative phenomenological study exploring the experiences of twelve LGBTIQ+ individuals who accessed therapy and mental healthcare services in Harare\, Zimbabwe. Guided by the Minority Stress Model and the Affirmative Therapy Approach\, the study employed semi-structured interviews and arts-based draw-write-tell methods to capture participants' narratives of vulnerability\, identity\, and resilience.\nThe findings reveal that many participants encountered therapy environments characterised by judgement\, identity invalidation\, fear of disclosure\, and discrimination\, leading many to conceal their identities or avoid formal mental healthcare services altogether. At the same time\, participants demonstrated remarkable resilience through peer support networks\, community solidarity\, online safe spaces\, and creative forms of self-expression that fostered healing and belonging.\nPositioned within the conference theme of Using Creative Approaches to Building Resiliency\, this presentation highlights how community-based and affirming practices can mitigate the effects of structural inequities and promote mental wellbeing among marginalised populations. It argues for culturally responsive\, affirming\, and psychologically safe mental healthcare systems that recognise sexual and gender diversity while strengthening resilience in restrictive social contexts. The presentation offers practical implications for mental health practitioners\, researchers\, educators\, and policymakers working to advance inclusive and equitable mental healthcare in the Global South.
CATEGORIES:SOCIAL DETERMINANTS
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:7d168e30bf770a4386d6feb5099512c2
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/7d168e30bf770a4386d6feb5099512c2
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T150000Z
DTEND:20261008T170000Z
SUMMARY:Beyond Survival: A Survivor-Clinician's Reflections on Trauma\, Healing\, and Resilience
DESCRIPTION:Resilience is often described as an individual trait\, suggesting that people simply “bounce back” from adversity through strength or determination. Yet survivors of trauma know that healing is rarely linear and that resilience is often built through relationships\, opportunities\, and communities that foster safety and connection. This presentation explores resilience through the unique perspective of a survivor-clinician\, integrating lived experience with nearly two decades of professional work in mental health\, substance use treatment\, and trauma-informed care.\nDrawing from experiences of human trafficking\, domestic violence\, homelessness\, and recovery\, alongside years of supporting survivors across community mental health and domestic violence settings\, this presentation examines how trauma shapes identity and how healing emerges over time. Through storytelling and clinical reflection\, participants will be invited to reconsider common assumptions about resilience\, treatment resistance\, and recovery.\nRather than viewing resilience as an extraordinary quality possessed by a few individuals\, this presentation highlights the roles of community\, meaningful relationships\, education\, culture\, and access to resources in sustaining wellbeing. It also explores how systems and professionals can unintentionally reinforce stigma or\, alternatively\, create conditions that support healing and hope.\nBy weaving together personal experience and practice-based knowledge\, this presentation seeks to amplify voices that are often absent from mental health conversations and to encourage a broader understanding of resilience as something cultivated collectively rather than achieved alone. Participants will leave with a deeper appreciation of how connection\, compassion\, and community can transform survival into healing.
CATEGORIES:SOCIAL DETERMINANTS
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:ff843bc7c0dc9305beb5607fd0b9d3d8
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/ff843bc7c0dc9305beb5607fd0b9d3d8
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T150000Z
DTEND:20261008T160000Z
SUMMARY:Inherited Wounds: Understanding Generational Trauma\, Its Impacts On The Community\, And Healing Practices
DESCRIPTION:Generational trauma\, and intergenerational (or ancestral trauma)\, refers to the emotional\, psychological\, and even physical wounds passed down through families and communities. These traumas often stem from unresolved pain\, systemic oppression\, and deeply rooted cycles of adversity. While it may seem invisible\, its impact is far-reaching\, manifesting in behaviors\, relationships\, health issues\, and the overall well-being of individuals and entire communities.\n\n\nThis insightful discussion will explore the essence of generational trauma\, how it is stored in the body\, and how it shapes the way we live\, think\, feel\, and connect. We will examine its deep ties to societal inequities and its significant influence on family structures and marginalized communities\, highlighting why addressing it is essential for collective healing and progress.\n\n\nParticipants will gain an understanding of how generational trauma affects all of us\, even if we are unaware of its presence. We'll uncover the science behind how trauma is passed down and the transformative power of healing it. Practical tools and strategies for breaking these cycles—such as mindfulness\, somatic practices\, and community-based approaches—will be shared to inspire action and empowerment.\nBy acknowledging the weight of the past and committing to the healing process\, we can unlock immense benefits\, including improved mental and physical health\, stronger relationships\, and a brighter\, more resilient future for ourselves and future generations.\n\n\nJoin us for this impactful conversation as we explore the path toward breaking free from inherited burdens and building communities rooted in understanding\, connection\, and healing.
CATEGORIES:SOCIAL DETERMINANTS
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:06894b503b76dd177dec66ba6eb85f34
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/06894b503b76dd177dec66ba6eb85f34
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T150000Z
DTEND:20261008T160000Z
SUMMARY:Still called a lunatic: mental health law as structural harm in a small island state
DESCRIPTION:In St Kitts and Nevis\, a person experiencing a mental health crisis can still be legally described as a lunatic. They can be ordered into confinement by a magistrate\, without legal representation\, without the right to be present at the hearing\, and without any guarantee of treatment. The law that permits this is the Lunacy and Mental Treatment Act 1956 — a colonial statute that has never been replaced\, amended in any meaningful way\, or aligned with the constitutional rights that independence promised.This impact story traces what that gap looks like in practice. A young man with schizophrenia kills his grandmother during a psychotic episode. The judge at sentencing acknowledges that imprisonment is the wrong response — that what is needed is psychiatric care in a secure facility with structured review. He sentences the man to twenty-one years anyway\, because no other legal option exists. This is not a failure of individual compassion. It is the predictable output of a legal system built for a different era\, operating on a different understanding of what a person with mental illness is: not a patient\, not a rights-bearer\, but a subject for confinement.Drawing on two years of legal research into the mental health framework of St Kitts and Nevis\, this presentation argues that colonial mental health law is itself a form of structural inequity — one that compounds scarcity of services with scarcity of rights. It explores what resilience means when the law works against you\, and what a rights-based\, therapeutically grounded framework could look like for a small island state with limited resources but profound constitutional obligations.
CATEGORIES:SOCIAL DETERMINANTS
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:9cbda29ca25e702929eb47d7b08e2491
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/9cbda29ca25e702929eb47d7b08e2491
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T180000Z
DTEND:20261008T190000Z
SUMMARY:Performing Care\, Misreading Relationships\, and Cultural Promise: What AI Chatbots Get Wrong and Right About Vulnerable Users
DESCRIPTION:AI can play a supplementary role in mental health care rather than a replacement. Waitlists\, last-minute cancellations\, insurance barriers\, and geographic shortages make conventional care structurally unavailable to much of the population it claims to serve. Yet current AIs hold assumptions about vulnerable users that actively misrepresent them.\nThis presentation identifies three distinct misreadings revealed in AI Chatbots\, drawing on interdisciplinary evidence across human-computer interaction\, clinical psychology\, critical theory\, and platform studies. First\, AI outputs perform helpfulness and safety rather than faithfully tracking users' actual states\, resulting in sycophancy\, gaslighting\, and over-sensitive crisis detection. AIs restructures the therapeutic space itself: users cannot know which disclosure will trigger a refusal or escalation\, and so begin self-censoring by performing wellness rather than expressing distress. This dynamic is compounded by the growing solicitation of AI note-taking systems in clinical settings\, where the presence of a monitoring apparatus changes the room before it acts. Second\, AI tools are designed as products but experienced as relationships. Paywalls and abrupt model changes function not as consumer inconveniences but as structural instability and relational loss for the most dependent users. Memory failures further misrepresent users' narratives through premature theme-locking\, stereotype overwriting\, and detail fixation\, treating people as types to be categorized\, rather than complex entities evolving and unfolding over time. Third\, the current therapeutic frameworks are predominantly built on a Western\, individualist\, and CBT-derived basis\, which both AI and human therapists are prone to. Yet unlike human clinicians constrained by their training\, AI holds genuine capacity for cross-cultural adaptability\, which will support culture-specific care.\nFor AI and mental health wellbeing\, it is not technical failures awaiting better engineering that matter most. It is the wrong assumptions about what vulnerable people need. Resilience cannot be built on a foundation that systematically misrepresents the person it claims to support.\n\n\n
CATEGORIES:AI & MENTAL HEALTH
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:0ad4e46c545d1e20f6dfd3974d256eba
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/0ad4e46c545d1e20f6dfd3974d256eba
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T180000Z
DTEND:20261008T190000Z
SUMMARY:When Algorithms Become Therapists: AI Chatbot Use Among Adolescents\, Depression Self-Diagnosis\, and the Misinformation Gap
DESCRIPTION:The United States is facing a serious youth mental health crisis. Approximately 18% of adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17 experience depressive episodes each year\, and nearly 40% of those receive no mental health care (McBain et al.\, 2025). Into this gap\, generative AI chatbots have become informal mental health resources. A 2025 nationally representative survey of 1\,058 youth aged 12 to 21 found that one in eight adolescents use AI tools such as ChatGPT for mental health counsel\, without professional support (McBain et al.\, 2025).\nDespite the scale of this phenomenon\, its risks remain critically understudied. Ng (2025) found that generative AI promotes emotional attachments in vulnerable youth and risks reinforcing pathology. Sharma et al. (2025) revealed that AI research in adolescent mental health has focused heavily on diagnostic tools\, leaving unstructured chatbot interactions under-investigated. Feng et al. (2025) examined AI chatbot effectiveness in structured clinical interventions but did not address the self-directed\, unsupervised way most teens engage with these tools. Scholarship on AI-generated health misinformation has similarly concentrated on COVID-19 and vaccination\, leaving mental health almost entirely unexamined (Suarez-Lledo & Alvarez-Galvez\, 2021).\nI present a conceptual framework examining adolescent self-diagnosis of depression via AI chatbots and the misinformation risks embedded in that process. I ask three questions: whether AI-generated responses to depressive symptom disclosures are clinically accurate\, whether teens act on those responses in ways that delay formal help-seeking\, and whether vulnerable subgroups\, including LGBTQ+ youth\, rural adolescents\, and those from non-English-speaking populations\, face disproportionate misinformation exposure (Grenon et al.\, 2025). I call for interdisciplinary collaboration across clinical psychology\, digital health\, and communication science to evaluate AI depression guidance\, develop adolescent-specific AI literacy interventions\, and establish policy standards before resiliency efforts are undermined by the very technologies young people are already turning to for help.\n\n\n
CATEGORIES:AI & MENTAL HEALTH
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:9efb052f90d41d0f859661d716e206c4
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/9efb052f90d41d0f859661d716e206c4
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T200000Z
DTEND:20261008T210000Z
SUMMARY:Beyond visibility: Cultivating resilience among learners with Albinism and MIDD in Soweto Township through an Ubuntu Lens
DESCRIPTION:Learners with albinism and mild intellectual developmental disorder (MIDD) in Soweto township demonstrate resilience as they navigate complex and intersecting challenges within their educational and social environments. Moving beyond visibility\, this study foregrounds how these learners respond to barriers associated with visual impairments\, visible physical differences\, and cognitive and adaptive limitations\, highlighting their capacity for strength\, adaptability\, and persistence. This phenomenological study explored resilience among learners with albinism and MIDD in Soweto township trough the Ubuntu lens. Six participants were purposively selected from a Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSEN) school. Data were generated through individual interviews and the draw-and-narrate technique\, allowing participants to express their lived experiences through both verbal and visual forms. Thematic analysis revealed that resilience is enacted through personal agency\, adaptive coping strategies\, and\, importantly\, through relational support systems embedded in school and community contexts. Framed within an ubuntu perspective\, the findings position resilience as a relational and contextually grounded process rather than an individual trait. The study highlights the role of inclusive practices\, supportive relationships\, and contextually responsive interventions in strengthening learners’ sense of belonging and capacity to thrive. By aligning with an ubuntu framework\, the study emphasises that resilience is co-constructed through interconnectedness\, care\, and shared humanity\, offering important implications for inclusive education in contexts such as Soweto township.
CATEGORIES:LIVED EXPERIENCE
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:77aaf9c5f6827993a79991c89625189a
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/77aaf9c5f6827993a79991c89625189a
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T200000Z
DTEND:20261008T210000Z
SUMMARY:Creative Agency in Crisis: High-Stakes Negotiation and the Lifelong Journey of Trauma Recovery
DESCRIPTION:How does the human mind maintain resilience and exercise autonomy when entirely stripped of physical freedom? This presentation explores the extraordinary lived experience of surviving a violent kidnapping\, utilizing creative psychological framing to negotiate release\, and navigating the long-term\, non-linear realities of post-traumatic stress.\n\n\nFar from a passive narrative of endurance\, this session focuses on the innovative cognitive strategies required to build and sustain resilience during and after an acute life crisis. In speaking I will deconstruct how to discover "creative agency" within a powerless environment\, leveraging adaptive communication\, tactical empathy\, and psychological framing as active tools to de-escalate captors and secure freedom.\n\n\nMoving beyond the incident itself\, the presentation examines the lifelong journey of trauma recovery. In speaking\, I will share how conventional clinical interventions were augmented by practice-based\, creative resilience strategies—such as narrative reclamation and somatic grounding—to manage severe PTSD and transition from a state of perpetual hypervigilance to one of genuine thriving. By blending profound personal narrative with psychological insight\, this session offers mental health practitioners\, researchers\, and advocates a rare\, first-hand perspective on the mechanics of survival\, the reality of living with trauma across the lifespan\, and actionable frameworks for fostering post-traumatic growth.
CATEGORIES:LIVED EXPERIENCE
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:f122630c812613b24241f43f0d9cbcc3
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/f122630c812613b24241f43f0d9cbcc3
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261008T200000Z
DTEND:20261008T210000Z
SUMMARY:Living Alongside Voices: A Lived-Experience and Clinical Framework for Building Resilience in Psychosis Spectrum Experiences
DESCRIPTION:Psychosis spectrum experiences (PSE)\, including hearing voices\, are too often understood only through a deficit-based\, symptom-focused lens — one that centers medication\, underemphasizes relational approaches\, and leaves little room for the perspectives of people who live with these experiences. This session presents a co-developed\, peer-and-clinician framework for serving voice-hearers\, their families\, and the professionals who support them\, grounded in a strengths-based reframing of psychosis as part of the natural diversity of human experience.\nDrawing on the presenters' collaborative active-learning toolkit\,&nbsp\;Reframing Psychosis Spectrum Experiences\, the session introduces relational strategies as well as practical tools for approaching voice content\, including command voices. &nbsp\;\nKey insights include: relationships with voices are dynamic and can shift through boundary-setting and other concrete strategies\, not just suppression\; most commanding voices are non-violent\, and the relationship between command content and behavior is shaped by belief\, relationship\, and perceived consequence rather than the command itself\; and integrating peer expertise alongside clinical training produces more compassionate\, more accurate\, and more resilient systems of support.\nThis session models the conference's commitment to lived experience as expertise by centering a peer specialist as co-author and co-presenter throughout\, offering attendees a practical\, replicable template for collaborative knowledge-building between communities and systems of care — and concrete tools they can use immediately in clinical\, peer\, or family-support settings.
CATEGORIES:LIVED EXPERIENCE
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:2d7be11316f3a8090866ef9a7aaaa6a1
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/2d7be11316f3a8090866ef9a7aaaa6a1
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261009T130000Z
DTEND:20261009T140000Z
SUMMARY:How Addressing Employee Trauma Can Increase Workplace Productivity and Your Bottom line (HR executives\, corporate leaders\, change management professionals)
DESCRIPTION:Employee trauma\, whether stemming from personal experiences or workplace stressors\, has a profound impact on organizational effectiveness. Left unaddressed\, it manifests in absenteeism\, disengagement\, high turnover\, and diminished innovation. This paper argues that proactive trauma-informed practices are not only ethical but also economically advantageous. By integrating trauma-sensitive policies\, leadership training\, and supportive resources\, organizations can cultivate a culture of trust and psychological safety. Such environments empower employees to perform at their highest potential\, translating directly into measurable gains in productivity and profitability.\nFor HR executives and corporate leaders\, the implications are clear: investing in trauma-informed approaches is a strategic decision that enhances both human well-being and the bottom line. Change management professionals\, in particular\, will find that addressing trauma accelerates adoption of new initiatives by reducing resistance and fostering resilience. Ultimately\, this work positions trauma-informed leadership as a competitive advantage in today’s dynamic business landscape\, where employee well-being is inseparable from organizational success.
CATEGORIES:WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:b8002422f9e3731f59598ead2df3ccdf
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/b8002422f9e3731f59598ead2df3ccdf
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261009T130000Z
DTEND:20261009T140000Z
SUMMARY:Reflective Supervision as a Pathway to Workforce Resilience in Home Visiting Programs
DESCRIPTION:Background\n Home visiting programs promote child development\, family health\, and positive parenting\, yet workforce stress\, burnout\, and turnover threaten service quality and continuity. This study examined how reflective supervision\, tenure\, stress\, and burnout influence turnover intentions among home visitors and supervisors. It also explored work-related stressors\, resilience strategies\, and how the findings informed statewide policy and organizational changes to strengthen workforce well-being and retention.&nbsp\;\nMethods\n&nbsp\;Data were drawn from the 2024 MIECHV and IDHS Home Visiting Workforce Survey (n=208)\, including 117 home visitors and 51 supervisors. Participants completed measures of reflective supervision\, stress\, burnout\, turnover intentions\, and demographics\, along with open-ended questions on workplace stressors and coping strategies. Two path models examined direct and indirect relationships among reflective supervision\, tenure\, stress\, burnout\, and turnover intentions. Qualitative responses were analyzed thematically using NVivo.&nbsp\;\nResults\n&nbsp\;Among home visitors\, greater reflective supervision was associated with lower stress\, which reduced burnout and turnover intentions through significant indirect pathways. Among supervisors\, longer tenure was associated with higher stress\, which increased burnout and turnover intentions.\nQualitative findings identified multilevel stressors\, including secondary trauma\, workload\, documentation\, staffing instability\, administrative burden\, limited leadership support\, poverty\, housing instability\, and systemic inequities. Resilience strategies included self-care\, social support\, boundary setting\, reflective supervision\, leadership support\, mental health consultation\, flexible work environments\, professional development\, and community partnerships. Findings informed statewide workforce initiatives in Illinois\, including expanded mental health consultation\, Joy in Work continuous quality improvement efforts\, establishment of a salary floor\, reduced administrative burden\, and simplified reporting requirements.\nConclusions\n&nbsp\;Reflective supervision is a key organizational strategy for reducing stress\, preventing burnout\, and supporting workforce retention. Findings highlight resilience as a multilevel process requiring coordinated support across individual\, organizational\, and systems levels. By translating research into policy and organizational action\, this study contributes to strengthening workforce well-being\, retention\, and service continuity for families.
CATEGORIES:WORKPLACE MENTAL HEALTH
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:1dccf3b51493aab34c77427b7cf7af29
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/1dccf3b51493aab34c77427b7cf7af29
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261009T150000Z
DTEND:20261009T160000Z
SUMMARY:Lost in Translation: The First Generation
DESCRIPTION:This panel explores the experiences and perspectives of first-generation Americans and the unique challenges that can come with growing up between cultures. Many of these children take on responsibilities early in life\, often serving as translators and advocates while also trying to figure out their own sense of identity and belonging. Having to balance family expectations\, cultural values\, and life in the U.S. can create both strength and emotional strain that often goes unseen.&nbsp\;\nJoin four first-generation American women&nbsp\;in a discussion drawing&nbsp\;on their personal and educational experiences navigating these realities. Through honest conversation\, the panel will explore bicultural identity\, intergenerational dynamics\, mental health\, and the emotional weight of helping families navigate systems such as healthcare\, education\, and social services.&nbsp\;\nThe discussion will also highlight gaps in care and support that can leave many feeling misunderstood or&nbsp\;often&nbsp\;overlooked.&nbsp\;These panelists will examine how mental health professionals\, educators\, and institutions can&nbsp\;work to&nbsp\;better support first-generation communities through more culturally responsive approaches.&nbsp\;\nThis panel&nbsp\;hopes to create a deeper understanding of the first-generation experience while encouraging meaningful conversation around identity\, belonging\, advocacy\, and the importance of support that&nbsp\;not only&nbsp\;recognizes\, but&nbsp\;respects cultural experiences.&nbsp\;
CATEGORIES:MIGRATION & RESILIENCE
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:1406878f9c591e3f9b1ea0651d57c9fb
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/1406878f9c591e3f9b1ea0651d57c9fb
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261009T150000Z
DTEND:20261009T160000Z
SUMMARY:Resilience and Trauma: How to Cultivate Societal Resilience in an Ongoing War? Lessons from Ukraine’s Youth
DESCRIPTION:Across the world\, communities are navigating intensifying collective stress: war\, displacement\, polarization\, ecological instability\, historical distortion\, and prolonged uncertainty. This panel discussion explores resilience as the capacity of individuals\, communities\, and institutions to maintain coherence\, identity\, and ethical judgment while undergoing transformation and crisis.\nDrawing on our work in Ukraine we understand mental health and resilience not only as psychological but embedded in political\, epistemic\, and relational realities. In times of war\, what stands out\, what is ignored\, and what is deliberately obscured shape how societies respond and effect mental health as well as societal resilience. Attempts to rewrite the history of the invasion\, or to suggest that Ukraine bears meaningful responsibility for the violation of its own territory\, reveal a deeper pattern: the deliberate curation of darkness\, where parts of reality are made unavailable\, memory is distorted\, and responsibility is blurred. This becomes even more urgent when AI systems are trained on polluted\, selectively weighted\, or politically distorted data\, turning old human practices of denial and distortion into new technological instruments on unprecedented scales.\nGrounded in research on resilience in contexts of man-made collective trauma\, the discussion will approach resilience as an emergent capacity of interconnected systems: individual regulation\, relational trust\, cultural meaning-making\, drawing on practice-based approaches from trauma integration\, presence\, and collective healing explored by the Pocket Project.\nThe conversation will be anchored in the practical example of the Ukraine Resilience Circles\, facilitated by young people themselves. Since 2022\, the initiative has evolved from direct trauma relief toward training young local facilitators and building peer-led spaces of support. The project has documented more than 5\,320 individual sessions\, 375 group sessions\, and 330 Resilience Circles\, with preliminary evidence of resilience growth across intervention types.\nUsing a complexity-informed lens\, the panel will explore three human capacities essential in war for resilience and mental health that AI cannot do and are essential:&nbsp\;&nbsp\;salience: to notice what stands out\; sapience: how wisely we think\; and sentience: whether we can feel\, experience\, and care.. Participants will be invited into a dialogue on how communities\, institutions\, and leaders can support coherence\, connection\, truthfulness\, and adaptive capacity during ongoing crisis.
CATEGORIES:MIGRATION & RESILIENCE
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:d9da76ad56e0f69ecbe8324cfcac7888
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/d9da76ad56e0f69ecbe8324cfcac7888
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261009T180000Z
DTEND:20261009T183000Z
SUMMARY:A 101 Year Journey of Mindfulness: Childhood through the Golden Years
DESCRIPTION:Dr. Dave will present both his personal and professional experiences with the practice of mindfulness across diverse populations\, including children\, adolescents\, adults\, and communities. He will discuss the applicability of mindfulness in a variety of situations and contexts\, such as managing grief\, resolving conflict\, and strengthening interpersonal relationships. His approach is grounded in five key elements of mindfulness: the physical\, breath work\, mental\, emotional\, and spiritual dimensions of well-being. To compliment these discussions\, Dr. Dave will guide the audience through an experiential mindfulness exercise\, providing participants with an opportunity to engage directly in the practice and reflect on its potential benefits.
CATEGORIES:MENTAL HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:620633f932ca841f5959b4f456501b7d
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/620633f932ca841f5959b4f456501b7d
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261009T180000Z
DTEND:20261009T190000Z
SUMMARY:Rewiring Resilience: The Neuroscience of Recovery and Human Potential
DESCRIPTION:Rewiring Resilience: What the Neuroscience of Addiction Teaches Us About Healing\, Hope\, and Human Potential explores how adversity\, substance use\, and other high-risk behaviors affect the developing brain while highlighting the remarkable capacity for healing and growth. Participants will gain an accessible understanding of brain development\, the neuroscience of addiction\, and the ways addiction can hijack normal reward\, motivation\, and decision-making systems. Moving beyond stigma and willpower-based explanations\, the presentation examines addiction through a brain-based and resilience-focused lens. Grounded in neuroscience\, positive psychology\, and recovery science\, the session emphasizes empathy\, strengths\, connection\, meaning\, and hope as powerful drivers of both psychological wellbeing and neurobiological healing. Participants will leave with practical strategies for fostering resilience and supporting recovery in individuals\, families\, schools\, and communities.
CATEGORIES:MENTAL HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:25a21665f4fae6c4d1aa11596e8e1bfc
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/25a21665f4fae6c4d1aa11596e8e1bfc
END:VEVENT
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTAMP:20260820T052448Z
DTSTART:20261009T180000Z
DTEND:20261009T190000Z
SUMMARY:Unlock Resilience. Embrace Possiblity.
DESCRIPTION:This workshop\, Unlock Resilience. Embrace Possibility.\, examines how early experiences shape brain development and influence well-being from birth through adulthood. During the earliest years of life\, the brain is highly adaptable\, forming neural connections that serve as the foundation for learning\, behavior\, and health. Positive\, responsive relationships with caregivers and supportive environments help build strong brain architecture\, promoting emotional regulation\, cognitive growth\, and social connection.\nThe workshop will also explore the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)\, such as abuse\, neglect\, and chronic stress. When these experiences occur without consistent\, supportive relationships\, they can create toxic stress that disrupts healthy brain development. These disruptions may affect how individuals respond to stress\, form relationships\, and navigate opportunities later in life.\nDespite the effects of adversity\, the capacity for resilience remains strong. Resilience is not a fixed trait\; it is built over time through protective factors such as stable relationships\, safe environments\, and access to supportive resources. By strengthening these protective systems\, individuals can adapt\, recover\, and thrive\, even in the face of significant challenges.\nParticipants will gain insight into the connection between ACEs\, brain architecture\, and resilience\, along with practical strategies to support children\, families\, and communities. The workshop emphasizes that while early adversity can influence development\, it does not define outcomes. With intentional support and informed approaches\, it is possible to promote healing\, foster resilience\, and create pathways for lifelong well-being
CATEGORIES:MENTAL HEALTH ACROSS THE LIFESPAN
LOCATION:Champaign\, IL\, USA
SEQUENCE:0
UID:eb279c5b7f52520455beb1eeeda2bdb1
URL:http://event5869a759ca27483.sched.com/event/eb279c5b7f52520455beb1eeeda2bdb1
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR