ESSMHC 2019 LINKS Conference 

The Eastern Shore School Mental Health Coalition is pleased to announce the 9th Annual Linking Mental Health to Academic Success Conference at Salisbury University. This year's theme will be Resilience and Well-Being Across the Lifespan. Speakers will discuss the concept of resilience, how it impacts individuals, families and communities and how to build resilience in those we interact with.

Resiliency is the ability of an individual, family or community to adapt to change, adversity or trauma through the utilization of a skill set, mind set and development of secure attachments.  Resiliency is built through a combination of understanding, caring, copings, optimism, reframing and a sense of purpose in a sustainable and affordable manner.  For more information about resiliency click here.

Keynote Speaker

Jane Gillham, PhD is the Chair and Full Professor for the Psychology Department at Swarthmore College and the Co-Director of the Penn Resiliency Project and the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania.  In addition, Gillham serves in an editorial capacity for various publications such as Psychological Bulletin, Journal of Positive Psychology, International Journal of Emotional Education and CorStone Center for Personal Resilience. Dr. Gillham also serves as a member of the American Psychological Association, Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, Association for Psychological Science, International Positive Psychology Association, Pennsylvania Psychological Association and Society for Prevention Research.

Bringing Out Our Best: Promoting Strengths, Resilience and Well-Being Across the Lifespan.     

Most programs that aim to promote students' social and emotional wellbeing target problem behaviors (e.g., bullying, substance use, and other high-risk behaviors).  While these programs are important, they are limited.  They focus on reducing what is wrong rather than helping students to truly flourish.  How can we promote upward spirals through cultivating youth's strengths, positive emotions, relationships and sense of purpose or meaning.  Attendees will discuss examples of specific programs and activities that educators, clinicians and parents can use, along with recent research on the benefits those approaches can have on student's well-being.

Learning Objectives: Attendees will learn

• The benefits of expanding the focus of education to include well-being skills
• Strategies for promoting resilience and preventing psychological difficulties in children and adolescents.
• Strategies from promoting well-being broadly, including positive aspects of well-being.
• Research findings on the benefits of programs that incorporate these strategies.

Break-Out Speakers

Fostering LGBTQ+ Students Resilience: Linking Mental Health Services with LGBTQ+ Students                   Becky Anthony, PhD, LCSW, MEd, MSW, CST

Participants will explore the experience of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer youth in our nations' schools through climate and mental health data, discuss developing LGBTQ+ student resilience, learn strengths-based techniques and promising practices that professionals can utilize to work with this population. 

Multi-Generational Approach to ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and linkage to Family Stability          Johnette Lanham, MSW, CPBST

Participants will take a look at practices, policies and partnerships when dealing with ACES from a multi-generational approach and the link to a family's well-being and self-sufficiency.  This approach advocates for a systemic approach for collective impact of resources for a family.

The First Session: How to Create a Solid Therapeutic Alliance with One Simple Question                              Kessler Bickford, LCPC

Ever find yourself lost in a therapy session, felt your client and you were working against each other, feeling lost without a road map and the therapeutic alliance crumbling around you?  The very first question you ask a client at the beginning of a therapy session can make or break focus and the therapeutic alliance.  Learn how to begin a session with tight focus while building a strong alliance using what is known as "the phase of inquiry."  Also learn how to continue to maintain focus by learning interventions that keep you and your client focused throughout the session.

Implementing Mindfulness Practices in Student-Centered Learning Environments: Successes and Challenges in an Emerging Field  (Brought to you by the Jesse Klump Suicide Awareness and Prevention Program)            Jayme Mahoney, LCMFT & Kelli Anders, MS, C-IATY, RYT50

Presentation will include a review of the background science, content and efficacy of mindfulness and embodiment practices within various learning environments.  Participants will identify potential challenges that may arise in the adoption phase of a mindfulness program, and offer practical recommendations to mitigate resistance and maximize participation.  The instructor will provide real-life examples of feedback from student, teachers, and parents and an opportunity to experience the benefits of mindfulness techniques personally.

Do No Harm: The Imperative for "Racing ACEs" When Building Resilient Communities                                     Ileana Lindstrom, PhD

"Racing ACEs" is the recognition that racial justice must be at the core of trauma and resilience-informed practices.  Referencing the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) study, Racing ACEs recognizes that structural racism and historical trauma need to be reckoned with as major contributions to ACEs.  The imperative to Do No Harm in our roles as educators, health practitioners and other helping professions, requires acknowledgment of the impact of structural, chronic adversities on student/clients of color.  Addressing these effects requires the building of community resilience that is focused on undoing racism.

 Spirituality, Mental Health and Resilience                                                                                                           Joan Smith, LCSW and Malkia Johnson, DSW, LCSW-C

This workshop will look at one of the core concepts of resilience, having to do with how people view the purpose and meaning of life.  For many people, that includes some form of religion, belief system and/or spiritual need to be connected to something larger than themselves.  This workshop will look at ideas of blessings, suffering, forgiveness and gratitude from both a spiritual and psychological standpoint for how people heal, understand the world and their place in it and for forming a sense of well-being. 

Trauma and Resilience: I am because we are                                                                                                       David Brown, MAPCT

This course provides attendees with working knowledge of the social ecological approach to building safe, healthy communities that are resilient to the effects of trauma and can prevent many systemic traumas.  The presentation will highlight and present examples of how focusing on and building protective factors are more effective than focusing on Risk factors and illness.

Stopping School Pushout: Protecting the Rights of Children Facing Suspension and Expulsion                          Renuka Rege, Esq.

In 2014, The State Board of Education passed some of the most progressive school discipline regulations in the country, with the goal of ending zero tolerance policies, increasing due process protections and heightening the standard for when a child can be removed from school.  The Board recognized the harmful effects of suspension and expulsion on children and the disproportionate impact on children of color and children with disabilities. 

A Holistic Approach to Preventing and Reversing Chronic Disease                                                                 Karen Musengwa, M.S., CCC-SLP, HC, CDP

Attendees to this event will develop an increased awareness of how the Standard American lifestyle and diet is resulting in a chronic disease epidemic.  Through lifestyle and diet changes, chronic disease can be prevented and reversed.  This course will educate on scientific research that has been proven to improve quality of life as one ages.  Both functional and applicable approaches will be discussed.

Dog Therapy in Schools: Fostering Social and Emotional Development                                                              Jill Dillon, M.S., Ed. S., NCSP

Research has shown that the use of dogs as tools in the schools improves academic, social and emotional well-being.  Emotional resiliency and academic performance go hand in hand.  Dogs can foster emotional and social development in various ways.  School-aged children can benefit greatly with the use of therapy dogs in the school setting.  This workshop will dive into the ways dogs can help, as well as show evidence of success.

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More Information

- Registration will be from 8:00 - 8:30

- Conference will begin at 8:30 and end at 4:30

- Attendees will be provided breakfast and lunch

- Attendees will receive six (6) category 1 Social Work Continuing Education credits upon completition of the conference evaluation (attendees must sign in and out to receive full credit)

Register Now!