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Session Descriptions
Pre-conference
Pre-conference 1
Coaching Towards Long-Term Success: Lessons in Supporting Rural Community Public Health Coalitions for Veterans
Session Date:
05-01-2025
Session Start Time:
9:00 AM
Session End Time:
12:00 PM
Presenters:
Jason Alves, Camelia Naranjo, Melissa McCormick
Community ownership of public health priorities is essential to the success of public health initiatives. Having supported over 30 community public health coalitions in rural communities across the U.S. , territories, and sovereign nations. Workshop will explore lessons learned, technical assistance products, and material developed to support rural community led coalitions and offer attendees unique strategies for building sustainable community coalitions.
Pre-conference
Pre-conference 2
Alaska’s Behavioral Health Aide Program: A Model for village-based, culturally sustaining, clinical services
Session Date:
05-01-2025
Session Start Time:
9:00 AM
Session End Time:
12:00 PM
Presenters:
Xiomara Owens, Tonya Horn, Caitlyn Grubb, Bernice Nisbett, Dennis Mohatt
As rural areas face workforce shortages and other challenges to meeting the behavioral health needs of their communities, Alaska’s Behavioral Health Aide (BHA) model provides an approach for providing accessible, culturally sustaining behavioral health services and has demonstrated success in some of the most remote settings of the state. This presentation describes findings from a statewide environmental scan of BHA practice throughout the Alaska Tribal Health System using self-report surveys with BHAs. It describes the characteristics of current BHAs, their primary service and practice areas, self-perceived competency levels in key practice areas, and their perceptions of the supervision and support they received in their BHA role. Implications for implementing the BHA model in other rural settings are discussed.
Pre-conference
Pre-conference 3
Weaving Cultural Strengths into Coordinated Care Systems: Building Inclusive Networks for Rural Mental Health
Session Date:
05-01-2025
Session Start Time:
9:00 AM
Session End Time:
12:00 PM
Presenters:
Ashley Norwood-Strickland
What if the key to solving rural mental health challenges lies in the very cultural diversity often overlooked? This dynamic workshop reimagines care coordination by weaving cultural strengths into partnerships between healthcare, schools, and law enforcement. Through engaging case studies and hands-on role-playing, participants will discover how to transform systemic barriers into opportunities for trust, collaboration, and innovation. Attendees will leave inspired and equipped with actionable tools to create culturally inclusive care systems that truly resonate with rural communities.
Preconference
Pre-conference 4 (Limited to 20 participants)
Show up for YOU: Practicing Self-Care to Support Those Around You and Prevent Burnout
Session Date:
05-01-2025
Session Start Time:
1:00:00 PM
Session End Time:
4:00:00 PM
Presenters:
Shauna Reitmeier, Jessica Black
This preconference workshop will focus on information and strategies that prevent burnout and emphasize self-care. According to the World Health Organization, burnout [is defined] as an occupational phenomenon “conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed.” (WHO, 2019). It is also estimated that 50 percent of behavioral health providers report feeling burnt out due to high stress, low salaries, [lack of] career advancement opportunities, and large volumes of work (SAMHSA, 2022). This preconference workshop will be an interactive day where data on burnout and stress is weaved with participatory activities to emphasize how self-care can mitigate burnout. Participants will walk away with
• Increased knowledge of their own wellbeing and stage of burnout.
• Enlightened on what participants have control over in supporting their own wellbeing.
• Ways to empower themselves in systems they cannot control.
• How to employ their own self-care strategies.
Pre-conference
Pre-conference 5
Harmony in Care: Solutions for Managing Self-Injurious and Aggressive Behaviors in Individuals with Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities - A Team Approach
Session Date:
05-01-2025
Session Start Time:
1:00 PM
Session End Time:
4:00 PM
Presenters:
Helene Silverblatt, Toni Benton, John Phillips, Shelly Marek, Amber Seik
Tentative Agenda:
Introduction of Panelists, Overview of the TEASC Project 10 minutes
Overview of our Research Database 10 minutes
Case Based Didactic - Approach to Evaluation Adult With IDD -20 minutes
Video - A Parent's Perspective 20 min
Break 10 minutes
Small Group Break outs (15 minutes each)
•Psychopharmacology, management and Treatment pearls
•Non verbal presentations of Pain- Pain or Medical Illness presenting as Behavior Change
•Educating Caregivers in Managing Challenging Behaviors and Reducing overuse of medication
•Non Medication and Alternative Strategies for Managing Behavioral Challenges
Break 10 minutes
Large Group Discussion, Audience Cases, Question/Answers 30 minutes
Wrap up 10 minutes
Pre-conference
Pre-conference 6
Native and Strong Lifeline: Building Culturally Responsive Crisis Support for Native Communities
Session Date:
05-01-2025
Session Start Time:
1:00 PM
Session End Time:
2:30 PM
Presenters:
Ryan Kaspar, Mia Klick-Rush, Jeremy Rouse
The Native and Strong Lifeline (NSL), launched in November 2022, is the first crisis line in the U.S. specifically designed to address the unique needs of Native communities, offering culturally responsive, peer-to-peer support for suicide and crisis prevention. This presentation will share the NSL's history, key lessons, and effective strategies for establishing culturally appropriate crisis services, with insights for expanding similar initiatives in other regions.
Keynote Presentation
Conference Day 1 Keynote
Culture is Our Resilience
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
9:00:00 AM
Session End Time:
10:00:00 AM
Presenters:
Natasha V. Singh
Natasha Singh serves as ANTHC’s Interim President/CEO. The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium is a non-profit Tribal health organization designed to meet the unique health needs of Alaska Native and American Indian people living in Alaska. In partnership with the Alaska Native and American Indian people that we serve and the Tribal health organizations of the Alaska Tribal Health System, ANTHC provides world-class health services, which include comprehensive medical services at the Alaska Native Medical Center, wellness programs, disease research and prevention, rural provider training and rural water and sanitation systems construction. The Consortium and Southcentral Foundation operate programs and services at the Alaska Native Medical Center under the terms of Public Law 105-83.
Workshop Presentation
Conference Day 1 Plenary
Collaborative Approaches to Well-Being in Rural Communities: An Upstream Approach to Achieving Community Mental Health
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
1:00:00 PM
Session End Time:
1:30:00 PM
Presenters:
Octavio Martinez, Jr, MD, Rick Ybarra, Tammy Heinz
Presentation will highlight the lessons learned thus far (6-years of an 8-year funding opportunity) funding five Texas-based rural counties with the goal of improving mental health, resiliency and well-being through a collaborative structure. This upstream approach is community-led, community-driven to promote the importance of mental health to overall health through community conversations, creation of a shared community vision, and an action plan, leveraging the community's assets, resources, networks, relationships to achieve a greater impact versus what one entity can do alone. The presentation will share frameworks, technical assistance and support to build a strong, cohesive and durable community collaborative to address the opportunities to impact mental health in their communities. Success indicators, challenges, and lessons learned will be presented with engagement activities embedded during the presentation (Liberating Structures: 1, 2, 4 ,all)
Breakout Session
1A
The Odyssey Approach
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
1:45 PM
Session End Time:
2:45 PM
Presenters:
Madeline Kay Nelson
The Odyssey Approach is comprised of an integrative blend of cognitive-behavioral, psychodynamic, and humanistic theoretical orientations, taking influence from intentional visualizations and narrative techniques, and emphasizing the restorative art of human connection. This therapeutic methodology is informed by evidence-based research that pulls from the Māori, African, and Native American perspectives and is intended to be implemented within and beyond the Eurocentric medical delivery model.
Breakout Session
2A
Expanding Culturally-Inclusive Rural Crisis Services: A Case Study from Gallup, NM
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
1:45 PM
Session End Time:
2:45 PM
Presenters:
Jess Spohn, Paul Miller
This presentation examines the first six months of Santa Fe Recovery Center’s (SFRC) launch of a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC), Crisis Triage Center (CTC), and Mobile Crisis Team (MCT) in Gallup, NM. We will provide a deep dive into the implementation and operation processes of these vital services to meet the needs of a rural community consisting of primarily Native American and Hispanic-identified residents. Through a combination of data trend reports and an exploration of strategies for collaboration with community partners, we discuss insights into the challenges, lessons learned, and successes of establishing and bringing together transformational mental health and crisis services.
Breakout Session
3A
Bridging Worlds: Integrating Cultural Healing Beliefs and Mental Health Practices
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
1:45 PM
Session End Time:
2:45 PM
Presenters:
Fayth Parks
Mental health care plays a crucial role in maintaining psychological well-being. Approaches to healing vary significantly across cultures, with cultural healing practices offering unique perspectives and methods that often complement or contrast with Western approaches to mental health care. These practices provide a wealth of knowledge and techniques that enhance conventional mental health care. For example, mindfulness practices rooted in Buddhist traditions have been successfully integrated into Western cognitive-behavioral therapies.
In this session, participants will be introduced to the Healing Beliefs Systems Model (HBSM), an evidenced-based, age-old blueprint for understanding and applying traditional healing beliefs and practices across various cultural contexts. Participants will also be given a semi-structured questionnaire on cultural healing beliefs, designed to help practitioners in clinical settings assess and incorporate their clients' cultural beliefs into treatment plans, thereby enhancing cultural humility and treatment effectiveness. Through these tools, we will examine how traditional healers have provided wise guidance for tapping into inner strength and resilience embedded in cultural beliefs and pathways for healing. This session aims to equip mental health professionals with the knowledge and tools to create more culturally responsive and holistic treatment approaches, ultimately improving client outcomes and expanding the scope of mental health care.In this session, participants will be introduced to the Healing Beliefs Systems Model (HBSM), an age-old blueprint for understanding and applying traditional healing beliefs and practices across various cultural contexts. Participants will also explore a questionnaire on cultural healing beliefs, designed to help practitioners in clinical settings assess and incorporate their clients' cultural beliefs into treatment plans, thereby enhancing cultural humility and treatment effectiveness. Through these tools, we will examine how traditional healers have provided wise guidance for tapping into inner strength and resilience embedded in cultural beliefs and pathways for healing. This session aims to equip mental health professionals with the knowledge and tools to create more culturally responsive and holistic treatment approaches, ultimately improving client outcomes and expanding the scope of mental health care.
Breakout Session
4A
From Ketchikan to Kotzebue: the Transformation of the Crisis Behavioral Response System in Alaska
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
1:45 PM
Session End Time:
2:45 PM
Presenters:
Eric Boyer, Katie Baldwin-Johnson, Lisa DeLaet, Ronto Roney
The Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (the Trust), Tribal Health Corporations, the Departments of Health (DOH) and Family and Community Services (DFCS), and a multitude of other partners are working together to implement improvements to Alaska’s system of care that responds to individuals experiencing a behavioral health crisis using the SAMHSA National Guidelines for Behavioral Health Crisis Care, informed by the nationally recognized Crisis Now model. Alongside DOH/DFCS and other community partners, the Trust has been working to implement elements of best practices or adaptations in crisis care in cities and rural hub villages across Alaska. While not every element of the Crisis Now model can be implemented in every community, many of the system improvements that are part of a transformed crisis care system, including a robust 24/7 crisis call line, community based mobile response, and access to a stabilization setting, can and are positively impacting communities across the state. This session will detail how the Trust and partners have evaluated, planned, and implemented improvements to crisis response in Alaska, highlight the work happening with partners in two very different rural communities and what the next steps are in continuing to enhance these services within the context of a statewide initiative.
Breakout Session
5A
A Blended Payment Model Increasing Diagnosis of Co-occurring Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders in Rural Community Mental Health Centers
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
1:45 PM
Session End Time:
2:45 PM
Presenters:
Daniel Baslock
This presentation will describe the approach and findings of a study utilizing electronic health records from all rural agencies in statewide network of community mental health centers to assess the impact of a Medicaid payment reform initiative on the identification of co-occurring disorders enacted in 2019. Rationale, methods, findings and practical applications of the findings will each be discussed.
Breakout Session
1B
Empowering Communities: Lessons from the Mental Health First Aid Project in Rural Texas
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
3:15 PM
Session End Time:
4:15 PM
Presenters:
Lakshmi Mahadevan
In this presentation, we will explore the "Mental Health First Aid in Rural Texas" project, which launched in March 2020 through Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. Funded by a Rural Health and Safety Education grant from the United States Department of Agriculture, this initiative, titled “Reducing Opioid Use and Misuse through Mental Health First Aid in Rural Texas” (MHFA_RTX), aimed to tackle disparities in rural mental health.
The project focused on a multi-level intervention designed to:
1.Raise awareness of opioid use and misuse, along with related at-risk behaviors in rural Texas counties.
2.Increase mental health literacy among adults who engaged with others through comprehensive Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) training.
3.Provide harm reduction strategies, including education on administering opioid overdose reversal kits.
4.Educate communities on forming broad-based coalitions to effectively address the complex, community-specific issues surrounding opioid use.
In this workshop, we will discuss the objectives, strategies, and outcomes of this vital project in improving mental health and combating opioid misuse in rural Texas.
Breakout Session
2B
Preventing suicide deaths in rural communities through CALM: Conversations on Access to Lethal Means
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
3:15 PM
Session End Time:
4:15 PM
Presenters:
Tara Haskins
Conversations on Access to Lethal Means is a specific part of a suicide prevention plan that encourages safe storage of firearms and medications before and during a suicidal crisis. This session will present the concepts of the CALM approach through the lens of agriculture risk factors and case study.
Breakout Session
3B
Rural Child Trauma Toolkit Development
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
3:15 PM
Session End Time:
4:15 PM
Presenters:
Jessica Passini, Joshua Arvidson, Kandis Paskell, Jenn Hurtig, Tami Adams
This workshop will introduce a new toolkit resource that is under development by Alaska Behavioral Health. This toolkit will provide accessible resources for providers engaged in the treatment of trauma with children who live, or have lived, in rural communities. Participants will be asked to provide feedback on toolkit materials and suggestions for further development.
Breakout Session
4B
Mental Health First Aid: Empowering Workforce Development
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
3:15 PM
Session End Time:
4:15 PM
Presenters:
Gloria Burnett
Mental Health First Aid (MHFA) is national evidence-based, early-intervention course that teaches participants about mental health and substance use challenges. While valuable to just about anyone, the training can also be used to empower workforce development on a variety of levels. MHFA is particularly useful in rural communities where professional care may be inaccessible. This session will outline the use of MHFA as components of workforce development training programs for youth, adults, educators and healthcare professionals.
Breakout Session
5B
An Overview of Supervising Shared Mass Trauma Between a Therapist and a Client
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
3:15 PM
Session End Time:
4:15 PM
Presenters:
Jen Panhorst
Mass trauma events, such as a natural disaster or mass shooting, can impact an entire community, including its clinicians. The impact of experiencing a mass trauma in real time on the therapeutic dynamic has been a growing practice area of interest, but information on supervising this dynamic remains extremely limited. In this presentation, we will review what is known about supervising therapists experiencing mass shared trauma with their clients, as well as new areas of research.
Networking
Evening Reception
Information Gathering/Networking Reception - Hosted by the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
4:45:00 PM
Session End Time:
6:15:00 PM
Presenters:
Hogg Foundation for Mental Health
Join us to connect with fellow professionals and community leaders over heavy hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar. This event is a unique opportunity to engage in a facilitated conversation about the Hogg Foundation for Mental Health's upcoming rural mental health initiative, launching in June for Texans. Hear more about the impactful work of the five Collaborative Approaches to Well-Being in Rural Communities (WRC) sites in Texas and learn about their community-driven approaches to improving mental health. Your insights and feedback will help shape the next phase of this exciting initiative, WRC 2.0, Strengthening the Mental Health of Rural, Frontier/Remote, and Border Communities, ensuring it meets the needs of rural communities. Don't miss this chance to contribute to a transformative project and network with like-minded individuals dedicated to advancing rural mental health. Together, we can make a difference! We look forward to seeing you there!
Networking
Evening Reception (tickets required)
Alaska Native Heritage Center Dessert Reception
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
6:30:00 PM
Session End Time:
9:30:00 PM
Presenters:
NA
Join us for a dessert reception and an evening of culture and entertainment at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Mini desserts, beverages, and bus transportation between Hotel Captain Cook and the Alaska Native Heritage Center is provided. Tickets must be purchased through conference registration. The Alaska Native Heritage Center (ANHC) is a living cultural center located in Anchorage, Alaska that promotes active observance of Alaska Native culture and traditions. As the only statewide cultural and education center dedicated to celebrating all cultures and heritages, ANHC serves as a statewide resource for Alaska Natives from birth until Elder. Feel the heartbeat of Alaska’s Indigenous People. Hear their stories. Explore their history and discover a cultural heritage still living and thriving today at the largest cultural institution in Alaska. Learn more at http://www.alaskanative.net.
Keynote Presentation
Conference Day 2 Keynote
A Comprehensive Approach to Rural Mental Health Care and Governance: Recent advances and challenges in Australia and internationally
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
9:00:00 AM
Session End Time:
10:00:00 AM
Presenters:
Dr. Russell Roberts
Russell Roberts is Professor of Management and Leadership at Charles Sturt University with a focus on mental health. He is National Director of Equally Well Australia (tasked to oversee the national implementation actions of the National Consensus Statement to improve the physical health of people living with mental illness) and Scientific Chair of the Equally Well Symposium.) a Foundation Investigator on the Rural Universities Network mental health research collaborative, on the board of the ANZ Mental Health Association and Clinical Associate Professor at The University of Sydney. He has previously served as Editor in Chief of the Australian Journal of Rural Health, on the NSW Mental Health Commission Advisory Council, as Chair of the Workplace Mental Health Symposium and Chair of the Australian Rural Mental Health Symposium (2015-2024).
Breakout Session
1C
Multi-System Responsiveness, Vicarious Trauma, and Missed Handoffs - How System Changes Impact Employee Well-being and Retention
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
12:45 PM
Session End Time:
1:45 PM
Presenters:
Jason Haglund, Renee Schulte
Over the past four years, Mr. Haglund, the “khaki farmer”, and Ms. Schulte, the “recovering politician,” have encountered the struggles of outdated behavioral health systems and policies firsthand. Through their collaborative leadership on various state, regional, and organizational projects across rural, remote, and frontier areas of the country, they have witnessed the pressing need for a comprehensive overhaul of the behavioral healthcare and justice systems. Their experiences and insights can be followed, listened to, and learned from on their podcast Stepping in It.
This presentation will highlight the growing trauma responses triggered by chronic stressors that have gone unaddressed over the past few years. Anxiety, depression, and isolation have reached epidemic levels in rural, remote, and frontier America. Compounding these issues is the rising tide of substance use and abuse, which exacerbates the challenges faced by these communities. Many rural and frontier states struggle with complex needs, workforce retention, and care coordination. As a result, employees are increasingly burned out, leaving providers without critical resources to meet the ever growing need.
The facilitators of this session will examine the gap between policymakers' well-intentioned designs of trauma-informed integrated care and the stark realities of implementation. The post-pandemic era has revealed a healthcare workforce traumatized by ongoing challenges and resource shortages. By exploring these issues, this presentation aims to propose solutions and initiate conversations on the urgent need for a thoughtful, well-planned structural overhaul of rural behavioral health systems.
Breakout Session
2C
Supporting LGBT+ Clients Living in Rural Communities
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
12:45 PM
Session End Time:
1:45 PM
Presenters:
Jill Krahwinkel-Bower, Jamie Bower
LGBTQ+ individuals living in rural communities face unique challenges that require specific consideration and competency from mental health providers. Research indicates that between 2.9-3.8 million LGBT people live in rural areas across the United States, comprising 15-20% of the total U.S. LGBT population (Movement Advancement Project, 2019). These individuals often experience multiple barriers to accessing affirming mental health care while also facing increased risk for behavioral health conditions due to minority stress, discrimination, and isolation.
This presentation will explore evidence-based strategies for supporting rural LGBTQ+ clients through an intersectional lens that considers how geographic location interacts with sexual orientation, gender identity, race, class, and other aspects of identity. Rural LGBTQ+ people experience disproportionate rates of mental health conditions, with research showing they are three times more likely to experience psychological distress compared to their non-LGBTQ+ rural peers (Medley et al., 2016). Additionally, they face structural challenges including fewer healthcare providers, limited LGBTQ-specific resources, and higher rates of poverty (Movement Advancement Project, 2019).
The session will begin by examining how rural contexts shape LGBTQ+ experiences, including both challenges and strengths. While rural LGBTQ+ individuals often encounter discrimination and lack of acceptance, research also shows that many find meaning and connection through rural community ties (Kazyak, 2011). Understanding this duality is crucial for providers working with this population.
Specific attention will be paid to how discrimination manifests differently in rural settings. The interconnected nature of rural communities means that experiences of rejection in one domain (e.g., faith communities) often have ripple effects across other areas of life (Movement Advancement Project, 2019). Additionally, increased visibility in small communities can heighten vulnerability while fewer alternative resources exist when discrimination occurs.
The presentation will provide concrete strategies for:
- Building therapeutic alliance while navigating complex cultural dynamics
- Helping clients develop support systems despite limited local LGBTQ+ community
- Connecting clients with online and distance resources
- Supporting clients in managing family and community relationships
- Addressing internalized stigma within rural contexts
Particular focus will be given to working with transgender clients in rural areas, who face especially high barriers to accessing competent healthcare. Research indicates that transgender people in rural areas are over three times more likely than cisgender LGB people to travel over an hour to access care (Whitehead et al., 2016).
Intersectionality will be centered throughout the presentation, examining how race, class, disability status, and other factors shape rural LGBTQ+ experiences. For example, LGBTQ+ people of color in rural areas face compounded discrimination and may have even fewer culturally competent resources available (Maury & Morimoto, 2018).
The session will conclude with practical guidance for providers on:
- Developing referral networks across geographic distance
- Utilizing telehealth effectively with rural LGBTQ+ clients
- Advocating for improved resources and policies
- Engaging in cultural humility and ongoing learning
Interactive elements will include case studies, small group discussions, and action planning activities. Participants will leave with concrete tools and strategies for providing affirming, culturally responsive care to rural LGBTQ+ clients.
This presentation fills an important gap in clinical training, as most LGBTQ+ cultural competency resources focus on urban contexts despite the significant number of LGBTQ+ people living in rural areas. Mental health providers across settings need to understand the unique experiences and needs of rural LGBTQ+ clients to provide effective, ethical care.
Breakout Session
3C
Empowering Rural Veterans: Building Resilience and Economic Opportunity Through Online Entrepreneurship
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
12:45 PM
Session End Time:
1:45 PM
Presenters:
Ritchie Thomas
This presentation dives into the transformative potential of online entrepreneurship for veterans, especially those in rural areas. Addressing core challenges like unemployment, mental health struggles, and lack of economic opportunities, this session will explore how building a business online creates a sustainable path forward for veterans. With the flexibility and reach of the digital economy, veterans can overcome geographical limitations and leverage their unique skills to create value on a global scale. Attendees will learn practical strategies veterans can use to establish a 24/7 digital presence, tapping into a worldwide market that’s always open for business.
Breakout Session
4C
AgriSafe’s FarmResponse Training: Cultural competency for behavioral health providers serving agricultural communities
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
12:45 PM
Session End Time:
1:45 PM
Presenters:
Tara Haskins, Natalie Roy
AgriSafe and the AgriStress Network partners committed to serving the mental health needs of agricultural communities through the creation of a unique on-demand training called FarmResponse. FarmResponse's success continues to support AgriSafe's mission and a growing list of partners and organizations goals to improve mental health care delivery in rural communities. FarmResponse's journey, lessons learned and continued growth is a model of innovation and determination. This session will review the history, evidence-based data, and services supported by FarmResponse. Come here about this unique suicide prevention training and how your organization could benefit from FarmResponse training.
Breakout Session
5C
Access to Youth Mental Health Care in Arkansas: Understanding the Role of Workforce Capacity, Cultural Stigma, and Rurality
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
12:45 PM
Session End Time:
1:45 PM
Presenters:
Allison Smith, Sufna John, Glenn Mesman
The present workshop will share experiences of school-based mental health professionals and caregivers related to accessing care and school-based mental health services. We will detail reported cultural factors that influence access to care (e.g., mental health stigma). We will also consider shared experiences with workforce barriers in a rural state and will describe strategies to address existing barriers to care, particularly in rural communities.
Breakout Session
1D
Characteristics of Private Psychotherapy Practices Providing Services in Alaska
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
2:00 PM
Session End Time:
3:00 PM
Presenters:
Daniel Baslock, Rei Shimizu
This paper used data web-scraped from Psychology Today to provide a descriptive overview of areas of expertise and gaps in services provided by private psychotherapy practices operating in Alaska. Characteristics such as years of practice, number and type of problem and treatment specializations, professional credentials and insurances taken for reimbursement are used to provide an overview of the private options for mental health care available in Alaska.
Breakout Session
2D
Recruiting Rural – Leveraging Your Culture, Mission, and Community Strengths
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
2:00 PM
Session End Time:
3:00 PM
Presenters:
Mandi Gingras
Explore the strengths that give rural communities the upper hand in recruitment and retention and tap into what today’s workforce prioritizes when it comes to job satisfaction and fulfillment. Participants will gain insights into marketing the attractive benefits of living and working in rural settings, from improving access to behavioral health care to fostering a deeper sense of connection and purpose. We’ll also uncover solutions to address the unique challenges of attracting skilled professionals to rural communities.
Join us to discover effective strategies for recruitment, retention, and creating a fulfilling, sustainable behavioral health career in rural areas—while celebrating the charm and opportunities that rural living offers.
Breakout Session
3D
Taking RESPONSibility: Providing Wellness and Resiliency Training to Rural First Responders
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
2:00 PM
Session End Time:
3:00 PM
Presenters:
Darcie Davis-Gage, Tracie Rutherford Self, Hayden Allen, Jasmine Boots, Allison Koenig
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, fire fighters and EMTs contemplate suicide at six times the rate of the average American. Compounding this problem, 82% of all US fire departments are rural, volunteer departments that have very limited resources for mental health services. Due to the rising need to address the occupational stress and mental health needs of first responders, these presenters took some responsibility and developed a program designed to equip responders with wellness and resiliency skills. They will cover the objectives of the program, how they developed relationships and buy-in with local responders, and the implementation of the program in various communities. Attendees will have opportunity to explore the curriculum, engage is some activities used in the program, and will leave with tools and ideas of how to implement a similar program in their community.
Breakout Session
4D
Rural Telehealth: Increasing Access and Adapting Treatment to Diverse Rural Clients
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
2:00 PM
Session End Time:
3:00 PM
Presenters:
Michael Steube, Lauren Coffey, Catherine Jones-Hazledine, Michelle Haynes, Jackie Buhr
This presentation examines different approaches and techniques when delivering Telehealth services to rural communities. It speaks to the unique challenges of providing culturally competent care to diverse rural populations while using technology effectively to establish better quality care and rapport. Participants will learn practical strategies for effectively implementing Telehealth services, understanding specific rural contexts and intersectionality, and adapting different therapeutic approaches for the specific needs of the clients.
Breakout Session
5D
Meeting Clients Where They Are: A Double-Edged Sword for Access to Mental Health Care
Session Date:
05-03-2025
Session Start Time:
2:00 PM
Session End Time:
3:00 PM
Presenters:
Jareb Kinney, Fatma Salem
This presentation explores and challenges the common use of the phrase “meeting clients where they are” by highlighting the importance of active counselor self-development and deeper cultural awareness. Recognizing that “culture” transcends race and ethnicity, it underscores how language shapes practice: while “meeting clients where they are” aims for inclusivity, it can become passive and limit engagement if counselors fail to proactively explore clients’ histories, barriers, and broader lived experiences or neglect to integrate appropriate referrals and resources. By embracing cultural diversity and reflecting critically on the power of words, and our power to break down barriers in accessing care, mental health professionals can move beyond superficial inclusivity, fostering more authentic and holistic connections that truly support clients on their journeys.
Poster Presentation
Poster 1
Leveraging Telehealth and Connecting Rural Mothers to Needed Mental Health Resources: An Overview of the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
11:00 AM
Session End Time:
11:30 AM
Presenters:
Lameya Ahmed
This presentation describes one federal initiative that addresses the maternal mental health crises in the United States. The presentation provides an overview of the National Maternal Mental Health Hotline, a free, 24/7, nationally available helpline for pregnant and postpartum families funded through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In addition to going over program components and services available to pregnant and postpartum families, we will discuss how this initiative can improve disparities in maternal mental health in rural and underserved communities.
Poster Presentation
Poster 2
AI-FOR-U: A Collaborative Framework for Developing Trustworthy AI Solutions for Mental Health Disparities
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
11:00 AM
Session End Time:
11:30 AM
Presenters:
Sean Vasaitis, Yen Dang
This poster will showcase the AI-FOR-U project, an innovative initiative focused on developing trustworthy artificial intelligence (AI) tools to address health disparities in under-resourced communities. The project emphasizes a community-engaged approach, combining theory-driven community collaboration with advanced artificial intelligence/machine learning algorithms to enhance fairness, transparency, and trust in AI applications for mental health and other chronic diseases.
Poster Presentation
Poster 3
Integrating Culture into Care: Leveraging Community Engagement to Address Anxiety in a Rural Community
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
11:00 AM
Session End Time:
11:30 AM
Presenters:
Cynthia Killough
This poster emphasizes the pivotal role of community engagement in addressing mental health challenges, specifically anxiety, within rural settings. Drawing on insights from a community engagement studio conducted in a rural community in New Mexico, this poster reveals the intricate relationship between anxiety, local stressors, and environmental factors. A community engagement liaison from the University of New Mexico facilitated a conversation among community members, whose lived experiences and cultural insights provided a deeper understanding of anxiety’s manifestations and the barriers to mental well-being unique to their rural context. For example, experts discussed strategies to encourage exercise close to home such as handing out free jump ropes to the community or normalizing anxiety by empathizing with others and validating their feelings.
The outcomes of the studio underscore the necessity for culturally sensitive and community-centered mental health interventions. By integrating cultural perspectives into care strategies, community experts in this studio advocated for addressing structural barriers that hinder access to mental health services in rural areas. This approach would not only enhance the effectiveness of mental health interventions but would also foster stronger, more resilient communities.
To encourage meaningful engagement during the poster session, I plan to invite attendees to share their own experiences and insights about integrating cultural elements into mental health care within their communities. This will create an interactive dialogue, allowing participants to exchange ideas and discuss the applicability of the studio approach in rural settings.
This poster will contribute to the conference by showcasing how community engagement can be a powerful tool in developing culturally sensitive mental health interventions in rural areas. By drawing on the strengths and diversity of rural communities, we can build more effective, resilient mental health care systems that truly meet the needs of those they serve.
Poster Presentation
Poster 4
Climate change and farmer mental health: Mapping impacts using a participatory and systems-based approach
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
11:00 AM
Session End Time:
11:30 AM
Presenters:
Christopher Weatherly
This presentation focuses on the final phase of a research project investigating the impacts of climate change on farmer mental health. Specifically, the author will discuss the process of building and facilitating group model building sessions with farmers and mental health practitioners that serve them and how this process addresses multiple calls from leaders in the field of climate change and mental health to engage with participatory and systems-based approaches to address gaps in the literature. The presentation will culminate with a preliminary formal qualitative scoping model that articulates processes and feedback loops contained within the intersection of climate change-related weather events and farmer mental health.
Poster Presentation
Poster 5
A Novel Approach: Three Distinct Suicide Prevention Pathways
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
11:00 AM
Session End Time:
11:30 AM
Presenters:
Becky Stoll
Many suicide treatment protocols in major hospitals and community behavioral health programs are guidedby decision trees, or, "pathways". These pathways help guide decision making algorithmically in Electronic Health Records (EHRs) or via protocols for clinicians to follow (e.g., positive suicide ideation, plans, and preparations = delivery of suicide-specific interventions). At Centerstone, we have been delivering a version of a "suicide prevention pathway" for a decade. This pathway begins with suicide ideation screening utilizing PHQ item 9 to screen for wishes for death/self harm and then assessment with the CSSRS Lifetime/Recent. For those clients with current plans and preparations for suicide with some intent to die by suicide as well as clients with suicidal behaviors in the past 3 months the pathway protocol requires a few different interventions as follows: weekly therapy sessions, weekly staffing of these clients in treatment team, weekly screening with the CSSRS Since Last Visit screening, Stanley Brown Safety Planning, and Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM). We identified one potential flaw of this pathway recently; it relies solely on someone screening positive for suicide ideation.
Recent research suggests that 71.6% of suicide deaths in the VA were among those who reported no suicidal thoughts in the 30 days preceding their death when inquired with item 9 of the PHQ-9 (Lauzon et al., 2016). Centerstone has seen strikingly similar rates in the past decade. 71.8% of 69 clients answered "no" when inquired about suicidal thoughts within 30 days of their death using either the CSSRS (49 clients) or the PHQ- 9 item 9 (20 clients). Therefore, it is important to find alternative ways to identify clients who may be at risk of dying by suicide; in other words, we need to widen the net. Some proposed changes to current ideation-only screening protocols include identifying other covert current suicidal cognitions (e.g., "I can't cope with my problems any longer" from Brief Suicide Cognitions Scale; Rudd & Bryan, 2021). Studies suggest that these methods provide good predictive validity of future suicide attempts. Albeit an improvement on suicide ideation only methods, the brief SCS is limited by being an alternative measure of acute or urgent suicide risk alone.
At Centerstone, we have piloted and are in the process of scaling a multiple pathway model- two suicide prevention pathways and a violence prevention pathway.
The Violence Risk Pathway acts like a gate for the provider and client. It is meant to identify clients who may be at risk of violence in the future. It is meant to provide interventions and strategies to reduce the risk to others in the future, including the clinician, and may be helpful in reducing risk to self as well. This pathway includes interventions such as supportive safety planning, counseling on access to lethal means, and consultation with med providers in cases where risk may be exacerbated by medication management issues. It is not meant as an acute violence crisis response intervention pathway (e.g., staff member has already become violent or may become violent in the current setting). It screens and assesses for chronic violence risk using the Rapid Risk of Violence Screener (RROVS; Bonfine et al., 2021). Once interventions/screenings/assessments have all been completed, the gate is closed and the client is now "off the pathway".
The Upstream/Interpersonal suicide prevention pathway acts like a wide net that catches clients with interpersonal risk factors for suicide. These clients may not express suicidal thoughts at all or, if they do, these do not extend to plans/preparations/intent to die by suicide. This pathway is meant to intervene and treat individuals with a suicide-specific treatment (e.g., brief cognitive behavioral therapy for suicide prevention) that impacts their interpersonal risk factors for suicide. In addition, it includes bi-weekly screening with the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire and the CSSRS. The screenings and interventions of the pathway can be accomplished with or without the person actually thinking about suicide and it can be completed cross-diagnostically (e.g., depression, PTSD, anxiety-related disorders, etc.
The Urgent Suicide Prevention Pathway is like a bridge barrier... it acts as a way to keep clients safe until they can find their reason for living. Just like a bridge barrier, it can only be helpful when someone is getting to an unsafe place. The urgent suicide prevention pathway identifies those clients at overtly high risk for suicide, that is, they have told us they have plans or preparations for suicide with some intent to carry them out.
Hence, the primary interventions being safety planning and lethal means counseling. This is the current suicide prevention pathway at Centerstone as described in the first paragraph.
All of these pathways will be aided by EHR decision support. Therefore, the clinician does not have to remember what to do and when to do it, they just have to accomplish the screenings/assessments/interventions/treatments to fidelity. This makes it possible to make use of traditional decision trees. However, instead of leading to a "yes/no" option of a single pathway it leads to one of six different decisions for clients potentially at risk of suicide or homicide. Importantly, a client cannot simultaneously be on both the upstream pathway and the urgent pathway, but can transition up or down between the two. A client can however be on one of the suicide prevention pathways AND be on the violence prevention pathway given the risks are distinct.
Multiple pathways allow for more targeted intervention and treatment. By including both upstream/interpersonal and violence risk in clinical formulation we are able to identify, intervene, and treat drivers of suicide. Future pathway iterations should consider identification of multiple targets for treatment.
Poster Presentation
Poster 6
Never a One and Done: Follow-up Post Crisis for Effective Support
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
11:00 AM
Session End Time:
11:30 AM
Presenters:
Becky Stoll
Every month, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (988) fields roughly half a million contacts in the form of calls, texts, and chats from people seeking support, either for themselves or for a loved one, for emotional distress, a mental health or substance use challenge, or a crisis. While contact with 988 helps these people feel better and navigate their situation, the situations underlying a crisis typically do not disappear the following day. This chronic stress has significant neuropsychological impacts that can wear down the brain’s ability to function properly, including creating issues with learning, decision-making, and making connections with others. Some individuals in an emotional or suicidal crisis need additional support to feel empowered to access community resources and navigate mental health care or substance treatment systems.
This presentation reflects Centerstone’s commitment to sharing the insights, lessons, and best practices that our organization has gleaned from more than a decade of experience in providing follow-up support to individuals in crisis who have reached out via a phone call, chat, or text. This information is intended to help other organizations that may be establishing their own post follow-up program and offer ideas for enhancement of similar programs nationwide.
In this session, attendees will learn the science around the brain’s impact after a single or repeated crisis event and based on this, the necessary components in building an effective crisis services follow up team. We will discuss the keys to success for the patient, process, and organization. And we will highlight lessons learned during Centerstone’s process, bringing forth the best evidence-based practices and training that can be implemented in your organization.
Poster Presentation
Poster 7
The Suicide Epidemic in MN: Lessons Learned from an analysis of 988 data usage in Rural Midwest
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
11:00 AM
Session End Time:
11:30 AM
Presenters:
Tracie Rutherford Self, Marnie Werner, Hayden Allen, Jasmine Boots, Allison Koenig
According to the National Institute of Health, suicide rates are almost twice as high among rural community members when compared to urban and suburban individuals. This has lead to many questions about contributing factors and how to create change in behavioral healthcare in rural areas. While previously researchers and policy makers have focused on areas of perceived deficit, such as accessibility, acceptability, availability, and affordability, infrequently those in positions to enact change consider the strengths and resiliency of rural communities in a way that does not seek to overlay urban definitions and policies onto rural communities. Rural communities possess their own set of distinct cultural strengths that are too often defined as weaknesses when looked at through urban sensibilities.
The researcher in this study propose a new structure, based on tiers, to help those enacting change in rural areas use rural people’s unique personal and social characteristics as assets rather than looked on as shortcomings. An important finding from the research study on which the presentation is based is the need to conceptualize and leverage the positive contributing characteristics of rural community, such as adaptability and amiability. Further, forming partnerships with community stakeholders, including anchor members in communities, is an important aspect of aligning with rural populations in partnership with the resources they already possess.
While the findings from this study indicate one cannot ignore the disparity of resources and increased risks associated with social determinants of health, which are more likely to impact rural communities, it is imperative we begin to conceptualize rural communities by a tiered support system model. This model will be shared in the presentation and is based on the study from which the data is drawn. This model will demonstrate how to best utilize inclusive resources from populations already in existence in rural communities.
Poster Presentation
Poster 8
Addressing Elevated Alcohol Use Rates in A Rural Adolescent Population: A School-Based Harm Reduction Approach
Session Date:
05-02-2025
Session Start Time:
11:00 AM
Session End Time:
11:30 AM
Presenters:
Catherine Jones-Hazledine, Jeffrey Binder
This presentation will describe a school-based mental health intervention conducted in a frontier area of Nebraska with significant Native student enrollment. We will discuss a modified Alcohol Skills Training Program intervention implemented with first year high school students. The presentation will discuss risks and protective factors of the geographical setting, the process of collaboration between the school and local mental health clinicians, the nature of the intervention, and preliminary results of pre and post-test data. Challenges to implementation and interpretation, as well as future directions will be discussed.
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