1:00pm-4:30pmSupervision is more than just a requirement for licensure-it is a critical responsibility that shapes the next generation of behavioral health professionals. Yet, too often, supervision falls short, with some board-approved supervisors failing to provide the structured guidance, ethical mentorship, and skill development necessary for pre-licensed clinicians to succeed. This interactive three-hour workshop will challenge supervisors to embrace Compassionate Accountability-a balanced approach that fosters both support and growth. We will explore how to create a safe and empathic learning environment while also holding supervisees accountable for their professional development, ethical decision-making, and clinical competence. Participants will engage in discussions, case studies, and reflective exercises to sharpen their supervisory skills, ensuring they inspire, challenge, and elevate the clinicians they mentor. Whether you are a seasoned supervisor or new to the role, this workshop will equip you with practical tools to lead with both heart and high standards.
Learning Objectives
Thad Shunkwiler
Thad Shunkwiler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato. In addition to his academic work, he is a licensed behavioral health provider with over a decade of experience in treating people with mental health and substance use disorders in Minnesota communities. In 2021, he founded the Center for Rural Behavioral Health, whose mission is to improve access to mental healthcare for agricultural and rural communities in Minnesota. He recently formed Midwest Mental Health Solutions, a training and consulting firm that is committed to providing services for behavioral health professionals and organizations across the Midwestern states. As an author, TED speaker, and a national and international conference keynote presenter, Professor Shunkwiler is a recognized leader in transforming behavioral healthcare.
8:30-9:15am9:15-10:15amFarmers and rural communities face unique mental health challenges, from financial uncertainty and unpredictable weather to social isolation and the weight of generational expectations. Despite these pressures, stigma and limited access to care often prevent individuals from seeking support. This presentation will explore the distinct stressors affecting rural and agricultural mental health, highlight barriers to care, and discuss innovative solutions to bridge the gap. By fostering open conversations and expanding mental health resources, we can break down stigma and ensure that those who feed the world receive the support they need.
Learning Objectives
Thad Shunkwiler
Thad Shunkwiler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato. In addition to his academic work, he is a licensed behavioral health provider with over a decade of experience in treating people with mental health and substance use disorders in Minnesota communities. In 2021, he founded the Center for Rural Behavioral Health, whose mission is to improve access to mental healthcare for agricultural and rural communities in Minnesota. He recently formed Midwest Mental Health Solutions, a training and consulting firm that is committed to providing services for behavioral health professionals and organizations across the Midwestern states. As an author, TED speaker, and a national and international conference keynote presenter, Professor Shunkwiler is a recognized leader in transforming behavioral healthcare.
10:30am-12:00pmResearch has put a spotlight on alcohol-related risk factors for suicide, and emerging research has demonstrated the numerous ways in which cannabis can impact mental health. In this presentation, we will review the science surrounding the ways in which substance use and mental health outcomes are related, look closely at emerging research related to cannabis and wellbeing, and highlight how what we do about substance use pays dividends related to mental health, student success, and other outcomes.
Learning Objectives:
· Identify key opportunities for prevention and early intervention that address the intersection of substance use and mental health.
· Evaluate evidence-informed strategies that can be applied to reduce risk and promote wellbeing across diverse populations.
- Examine the implications of emerging research to inform prevention messaging, policy, and practice.
- Apply current knowledge to strengthen initiatives that support resilience, improve behavioral health outcomes, and foster safer, healthier communities.
Jason Kilmer
Dr. Jason Kilmer is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington (UW) School of Medicine and an Adjunct Professor of Psychology at UW. Throughout his career, Jason has worked in both the student affairs world and the research world. In each professional position he has held, his responsibilities include research related to reducing harms associated with substance use by college students and directly serving and supporting students and colleagues in divisions of Students Affairs or Student Life.
At UW’s Center for the Study of Health & Risk Behaviors (CSHRB), Jason serves as an investigator on several studies evaluating prevention and intervention efforts for alcohol, cannabis, and other drug use by college students. In addition to research and teaching, Jason has worked extensively with college students and campus professionals around alcohol and other drug prevention programming both at UW and on over 150 campuses nationwide.
Jason has been project faculty for several international learning collaboratives, including Dartmouth’s National College Health Improvement Program and the International Town and Gown Association’s (ITGA’s) partnership with UW’s BASICS Innovations Group to support campuses in their implementation of Brief Alcohol Screening and Intervention for College Students (BASICS).
Jason was the 2014 recipient of the National Prevention Network’s Award of Excellence for outstanding contributions to the prevention field, was the 2024 recipient of The Montana Institute’s Science of the Positive National Leadership Award, and was the 2025 recipient of NASPA’s George D. Kuh Award for Outstanding Contribution to Literature and/or Research.
Information collection is an ongoing, dynamic process that is the foundation for child safety decision-making throughout the life of a child welfare case. From a CPS caseworker’s initial contact through ongoing case management, professionals must know what information is needed and have the skills to effectively elicit that information to determine whether impending danger is present or has changed.
This interactive session focuses on the “what” and the “how” of sufficient information collection. Participants will explore engagement strategies to reduce resistance and interviewing techniques that support gathering information about parent/caregiver protective capacities.
Through a case-based scenario discussion with live polling, participants will practice developing engagement approaches, refining interviewing questions, identifying common gaps in information collection, and determining when sufficient information has been gathered across the Child Functioning, Adult Functioning, Parenting and Discipline areas of the CPS Assessment. The session will also focus on how information collection and analysis evolves over time, including unique challenges faced by ongoing case managers. This session is designed for child welfare professionals and other practitioners seeking to
strengthen their ability to gather and analyze information to draw well-supported conclusions about parent/caregiver protective capacities and impending danger threats.
Learning Objectives:
Heather Kohls, MSW
Heather Kohls is a Senior Child Welfare Specialist and the Prevention Program Coordinator for Action for Child Protection, a non-profit organization that provides training and technical assistance to child welfare agencies around the country. In this role, she supports implementation planning and ongoing technical assistance for new and existing replications of the evidence-informed Family Connections program. Heather also provides ongoing training, supervisory coaching, case consultation, and fidelity review support to hotline/Intake, CPS assessment, in-home services, and ongoing/permanency programs implementing Action’s SAFE model.
With more than 20 years of experience in child welfare across non-profit and state government systems, Heather began her career with the State of Wisconsin, serving as an Initial Assessment Social Worker, Supervisor, Manager, and Trainer. She also partnered with the Wisconsin Child Welfare Professional Development System to support the development of a structured training program for new child welfare staff and was responsible for hiring, training, and supervising incoming staff while managing Initial Assessment/CPS teams.
This comprehensive safety training equips workers with the ability to navigate potential risks throughout their workday. From the moment they receive a case to its closure, the training covers both in-office procedures and safe practices for home visits. By the end, participants will have the knowledge and skills to confidently handle various situations and minimize risks to ensure their safety.
Objectives:
- Identify and implement safety precautions prior to home visits
- Identify tools for safety during home visits
- Recognize when to involve law enforcement
- Recognize potentially dangerous situations
- Identify and implement safety precautions in office settings.
Robin Pendleton
Robin Pendleton: Director of Training for Pursuit of Discovery has developed curriculum and trainings for numerous State Units on Aging, local governments, and not for profits focusing on communication, professional development, and supervisory skills. He has also been employed with the State of Missouri for over 20 years, working with the Departments of Mental Health and currently with Department of Health and Senior Services. He has served as the training unit supervisor for Adult Protective Services as well as trainer for Human Resources. He has over a decade of experience training employees in many topics focused on providing trauma informed, person centered care. Robin is also currently the Chair of the Curriculum Development Committee for the National Adult Protective Services Association.
12:00-1:30pm1:30-2:30pmLosing someone to suicide sends a tsunami of grief and trauma through families, communities, and workplaces. Behavioral health professionals supporting people bereaved by suicide often find themselves navigating uncharted territory - helping others cope with complicated grief, survivor’s guilt, and trauma responses while also managing their own biases, fears, and compassion fatigue. The session combines theory with practice through understanding the unique nature of suicide grief and exploring the lived experience of loss.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify complex grief dynamics across populations, including children/teens, faith communities, culturally diverse groups, and underrepresented survivors.
2. Support survivors’ by helping them rebuild shattered assumptions, cultivate continuing bonds, and move toward post-traumatic growth.
3. Integrate community postvention strategies, recognizing how workplaces, schools, faith communities, and peer networks can collectively support survivors.
4. Apply trauma-informed principles to understand the short- and long-term impacts of suicide loss on individuals, families, and communities.
5. Describe the role of behavioral health services in suicide postvention, including common missteps to avoid and culturally responsive approaches to support.
6. Facilitate difficult conversations with survivors, including managing intrusive questions and culturally sensitive topics.
7. Support survivors’ meaning-making process, helping them rebuild shattered assumptions, cultivate continuing bonds, and move toward post-traumatic growth.
8. Integrate community postvention strategies, recognizing how workplaces, schools, faith communities, and peer networks can collectively support survivors.
Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas
Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas is a clinical psychologist and internationally recognized leader in suicide prevention. After losing her brother Carson to suicide, she has dedicated her career to advancing lived-experience-informed, systems-level solutions. She has held leadership roles with the American Association of Suicidology, Suicide Prevention Resource Center, National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention, the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and the 988 Lifeline, and is Co-Founder of United Suicide Survivors International. She is also the lead author of the National Guidelines for Workplace Suicide Prevention and founder of H.O.P.E. Certification. A sought-after keynote speaker, TEDx presenter, and consultant, Sally has partnered with organizations including Google, Amazon, Southwest Airlines, and the FBI, and was invited to the White House in 2016 to advance workplace suicide prevention, equipping leaders with practical strategies to strengthen psychological safety, reduce risk, and build resilient workforces.
2:45-3:45pmOften when we treat children and families with neurodiversity characteristics, the focus is naturally on all the negative/maladaptive aspects of their life. Therefore, it is easy to miss the adaptive aspects that can be utilized in the work with these individuals and families. This session will focus on the “superpowers” of neurodifferences that can be added to any treatment plan to assist these youth and families in navigating the world.
Objectives:
1. Learn the adaptive nuances of different neurodiverse presentations.
2. Demonstrate the shift of language from negative (i.e., disorders) to positive (i.e., differences).
3. Leave with practical treatment focuses to assist individuals and families on utilizing their unique strengths to better navigate the “neuronormative world.”
Dr. Blake Gilbert
Dr. Blake Gilbert is a licensed clinical psychologist at Southeast Behavioral Health Clinic and is a clinical supervisor for the APA Accredited Internship Program. He earned a PhD in Clinical Psychology with a concentration in Forensic Psychology at Fielding Graduate University and completed an APA-accredited internship at Southeast Human Service Center. He completed his psychology residency at Southeast Human Service Center and became a licensed psychologist for the state of North Dakota in 2020. Dr. Gilbert also teaches a variety of psychology courses at North Dakota State University, including Clinical Psychology, Forensic Psychology, and both Adult and Child Psychopathology courses. Since becoming licensed, Dr. Gilbert developed an expertise in evaluating youth for a variety of difficulties and complexities, including neurodivergence. He regularly evaluates youth and consults with various youth and family treatment teams, not only at Southeast but also at multiple psychiatric residential treatment centers.
Perinatal Mental Health Disorders can significantly impact early attachment, parent–infant bonding, and relational safety during critical developmental windows.
This presentation expands on PMHD foundations by examining how untreated or under-treated perinatal mental health conditions affect attachment patterns, caregiver responsiveness, and infant emotional development.
Participants will learn how PMHDs influence attachment behaviors and how to support secure attachment even when parents are struggling.
Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize early indicators that may signal disruptions in the parent–infant relationship and opportunities for timely intervention.
2. Identify evidence-informed approaches that strengthen caregiver capacity and promote healthy infant development.
3. Integrate attachment-informed principles into assessment, support, and referral practices for families during the perinatal period.
4. Apply practical strategies to foster resilience and positive developmental outcomes for infants and caregivers.
Natalie Reiter
Natalie Reiter is an LPCC/LPC in North Dakota and LPC in Minnesota. Natalie is also certified in perinatal mental health through Postpartum Support International and serves on the PSI-ND board. Natalie has been practicing for over 15 years and has experience in academic and private practice settings. In 2019 Natalie was awarded the North Dakota Outstanding Mental Health Counselor of the year award for her work in Reproductive mental health and telehealth. Natalie founded Prairieland Counseling Services in 2018, which serves North Dakota and Minnesota. Prairieland Counseling is proud to be a blue dot safe spot and has 3 PMH-C counselors on staff.
Cannabis is increasingly promoted as a solution for anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, and other behavioral health concerns. Yet public perceptions often outpace the science, leaving clinicians, families, and communities to navigate a landscape filled with both emerging evidence and widespread misinformation.
This session examines the current empirical evidence surrounding cannabis and behavioral health, exploring where research supports its use, where concerns remain, and what clinicians need to know about potential risks and benefits. Special attention will be given to the implications for children, adolescents, and families, as professionals are increasingly asked to help parents and caregivers make informed decisions. Participants will leave with a balanced, evidence-based understanding of this complex and often misunderstood topic.
Learning Objectives:
1. Examine factors that have contributed to changing perceptions and growing use of cannabis for behavioral health concerns.
2. Differentiate between common claims about cannabis and the current empirical evidence regarding its use in behavioral health treatment.
3. Describe the potential benefits, risks, and limitations of cannabis use for individuals experiencing mental health challenges.
4. Recognize the implications of cannabis-related misinformation for children, adolescents, parents, and caregivers.
5. Apply evidence-informed approaches when discussing cannabis use with clients and families.
Thad Shunkwiler
Thad Shunkwiler is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Science at Minnesota State University, Mankato. In addition to his academic work, he is a licensed behavioral health provider with over a decade of experience in treating people with mental health and substance use disorders in Minnesota communities. In 2021, he founded the Center for Rural Behavioral Health, whose mission is to improve access to mental healthcare for agricultural and rural communities in Minnesota. He recently formed Midwest Mental Health Solutions, a training and consulting firm that is committed to providing services for behavioral health professionals and organizations across the Midwestern states. As an author, TED speaker, and a national and international conference keynote presenter, Professor Shunkwiler is a recognized leader in transforming behavioral healthcare.
4:00-5:00pmThe stories we tell shape how we see the world. This session explores how the moral narratives we adopt regarding drugs and the people who use them have the power to help or harm. By analyzing the intersection of faith, science, and addiction, this keynote calls for an end to a culture of punishment in favor of healing.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Narrative Understanding: Identify moral narratives that help reduce stigma, aligning with the conference’s goal of reviewing the language of recovery.
2. Communication Mastery: Learn how to harness the power of narrative to effectively communicate your cause and change hearts and minds in your community.
3. Framework Transformation: Gain a new perspective on how moral narratives can be used as a tool for cultural and individual transformation.
Rev. Timothy McMahan Kingg
Rev. Timothy McMahan Kingg is a writer, Senior Fellow for Clergy for a New Drug Policy, and author of Addiction Nation (2019). His second book, What Are Drugs For?, is forthcoming in September 2026. He has lectured across the country on the unique intersection of faith, science, and drug policy reform. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and The Washington Post, and he has spoken and lectured at institutions across the country, including Georgetown and Harvard Law Schools and the Chautauqua Institution.
8:30-9:30amDr. Gaines opens up about his personal journey from hopelessness to hope, sharing his unwavering drive to uplift others. It is through his own story that he earned the nickname “PUSH” (Persevere Until Something Happens), symbolizing his firm belief in the transformative power of perseverance. Dr. Gaines passionately encourages individuals to embrace a mindset of resilience, urging them to keep pushing and approach life’s obstacles with love, ultimately becoming the best versions of themselves.
Learning Objectives:
1. Strengthen professionals' ability to model resilience, hope, and perseverance when supporting youth and families facing adversity.
2. Equip participants with strategies to help children and adolescents reframe trauma, setbacks, and challenges as opportunities for growth and healing.
3. Enhance skills for promoting emotional regulation, positive decision-making, and healthy coping mechanisms in youth experiencing behavioral, emotional, or environmental stressors.
4. Reinforce the importance of identity, self-worth, and purpose in fostering long-term positive outcomes for vulnerable children and families.
5. Cultivate empathy, compassion, and authentic relationship-building practices that improve engagement, trust, and connection with those they serve.
Dr. John Gaines
Dr. John “Push” Gaines is a former at-risk kid turned CEO/Founder of nonprofit PUSH for Dreams, a Best-selling author, renowned speaker, leadership consultant, and mentorship advocate. His message of pushing through adversity and defying the odds has transformed classrooms, school districts, and businesses across the nation.
Dr. Gaines has heartfelt enthusiasm for his audience and embraces crucial subject matters with a highly organic, kind-hearted approach fueled by positivity and the intrinsic desire to unite community. Dr. Gaines is celebrated for nurturing youth & professionals through his own trauma, life experience, and unique challenges that ultimately became the driving force behind his mission and genuine desire to elevate and motivate students, teachers, administrators, professionals, and communities. Dr. Gaines was named one of the “Top 10 Most Influential People of 2020” by YAHOO News 2020. Dr. Gaines’ ability to relate to his audiences and help them imagine greater possibilities makes him so unique.
Dr. Gaines earned his nickname “PUSH” because he believes in the power of perseverance and teaches others to “keep pushing” through life’s obstacles to become the best version of themselves.
He has devoted himself to the world community. He has proudly appeared as a guest speaker at universities, corporations, national conferences, nonprofit events, NBA skill camps, school assemblies, and youth camps nationwide. As a graduate of East Central University, where he was named Outstanding Student in Business and won a football championship as captain of the football team, he is the picture of success. With a Master’s degree in Business Leadership and a Doctorate in Business Administration, he demonstrates outstanding dedication and personal achievement.
His greatest joy is being a husband to Emily and a father to Anorah, Benny, and Jonah.
9:45-11:15amThe breakout would focus on strengthening protective factors for youth and families impacted by substance use and mental health challenges. His approach centers on vision, identity, belief, and the role of trusted adults, elements that research consistently shows reduce risk behaviors, including underage drinking. He would be happy to discuss a customizable workshop for our group to ensure fit. The workshop would be educational, strengths-based, and prevention-focused, and could serve as a supportive bridge alongside clinical and evidence-based programming already in place.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand how one caring adult and a message of belief can become a protective factor in a young person’s life. Through my story of growing up in foster care, losing my mother at a young age, and struggling in school, participants will explore the lasting impact of connection and belonging.
2. Learn practical ways to help youth build resilience and a positive identity, especially when facing adversity, trauma, substance use, or mental health challenges. Participants will identify strategies that helped me move from surviving to thriving.
3. Develop actionable approaches to create environments where young people feel seen, valued, and hopeful about their future.
Using lessons from my journey as a student, athlete, mentor, and nonprofit leader, participants will leave with tools they can apply immediately in their work with youth and families.
Dr. John Gaines
Dr. John “Push” Gaines is a former at-risk kid turned CEO/Founder of nonprofit PUSH for Dreams, a Best-selling author, renowned speaker, leadership consultant, and mentorship advocate. His message of pushing through adversity and defying the odds has transformed classrooms, school districts, and businesses across the nation.
Dr. Gaines has heartfelt enthusiasm for his audience and embraces crucial subject matters with a highly organic, kind-hearted approach fueled by positivity and the intrinsic desire to unite community. Dr. Gaines is celebrated for nurturing youth & professionals through his own trauma, life experience, and unique challenges that ultimately became the driving force behind his mission and genuine desire to elevate and motivate students, teachers, administrators, professionals, and communities. Dr. Gaines was named one of the “Top 10 Most Influential People of 2020” by YAHOO News 2020. Dr. Gaines’ ability to relate to his audiences and help them imagine greater possibilities makes him so unique.
Dr. Gaines earned his nickname “PUSH” because he believes in the power of perseverance and teaches others to “keep pushing” through life’s obstacles to become the best version of themselves.
He has devoted himself to the world community. He has proudly appeared as a guest speaker at universities, corporations, national conferences, nonprofit events, NBA skill camps, school assemblies, and youth camps nationwide. As a graduate of East Central University, where he was named Outstanding Student in Business and won a football championship as captain of the football team, he is the picture of success. With a Master’s degree in Business Leadership and a Doctorate in Business Administration, he demonstrates outstanding dedication and personal achievement.
His greatest joy is being a husband to Emily and a father to Anorah, Benny, and Jonah.
Veterans have their own culture and rich life experiences that can present unique challenges and opportunities to civilian community mental health care providers. It is crucial to be informed on culturally humble practices and have a basic understanding of co-occurring disorders that are seen when working with this population, as well as resources available to mental health clinicians. This session will provide an overview of what makes the Veteran population truly unique, including the impact of rank, enlistment, branch of service, and potential deployments. Special populations will be discussed along with the impact of Military Sexual Trauma, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, and Mental Health and Substance Use Disorders. This session will assist community providers in making an effort to understand key aspects of the Veteran experience, which may help to establish a connection, build trust, and inform treatment planning.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the factors that contribute to military culture and that lead to the development of Veteran identity and the camaraderie among this population.
2. Acquire knowledge regarding the potential higher risk of suicide among Veterans.
3. Recognize co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders that are commonly treated among Veterans.
4. Define resources available to civilian mental health clinicians.
5. Describe frequently used interventions, including MI and safety planning.
Josh Seezs, MSW, CSW-PIP
Josh Seezs is a Certified Social Worker-Private Independent Practice (CSW-PIP), Clinician, Master Trainer Consultant at the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation and serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Hazelden Betty Ford Graduate School in Center City, MN. Josh also serves on the Board of Directors at Central Minnesota Mental Health Center (CMMHC). He is certified in Motivational Interviewing and is experienced in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and suicide prevention. He treated co-occurring disorders and served Veterans and their families for fourteen years at the St. Cloud Veterans Affairs Health Care System. With a passion for helping others achieve their goals, Josh employs evidence-based techniques to guide individuals towards positive change. He is a graduate of George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.
The negative consequences of drug addiction can make headline news, but haven’t we all felt stuck in our own patterns of behavior or thinking that we wish we could change? Timothy will share his own story of struggling with an opioid addiction and what he learned about the science of change. A leader who understands what it takes to kick the hardest of habits can learn to tackle the hardest challenges. This session will explore how ancient insights from moral philosophers can help us all understand and address how and why people change.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Behavioral Insight: Understand how ancient insights connect to today’s research.
2. Empathetic Leadership: Develop a deeper understanding of the internal struggles of those with substance use disorders through a first-person perspective on healing.
3. In-depth Q&A: Tim will create space in this session for in-depth Q&A from interested participants.
Rev. Timothy McMahan Kingg
Rev. Timothy McMahan Kingg is a writer, Senior Fellow for Clergy for a New Drug Policy, and author of Addiction Nation (2019). His second book, What Are Drugs For?, is forthcoming in September 2026. He has lectured across the country on the unique intersection of faith, science, and drug policy reform. His writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, and The Washington Post, and he has spoken and lectured at institutions across the country, including Georgetown and Harvard Law Schools and the Chautauqua Institution.
11:15am-12:45pm12:45-2:15pmWhile bullying has long been an unfortunate part of growing up, today the barriers are lower and the stakes are higher. Online conflict can spread quickly, feel relentless, and follow children home. Yet cyberbullying does not exist in a vacuum and the solution is rarely as simple as taking away devices. Online behavior is deeply entangled with offline relationships, and not all mean or hurtful behavior is bullying. In fact, learning how to navigate everyday conflict is an essential part of healthy development. Without this distinction, adults can unintentionally overreact, underreact, or respond in ways that amplify harm or limit children’s ability to build skills and confidence. In this warm and practical breakout, Erin Walsh helps caregivers and professionals distinguish between bullying, conflict, and social drama and explains why these differences matter. Drawing on developmental science, Erin shares concrete strategies to help young people disrupt bullying, navigate conflict with skill, and practice emotional courage when it matters most.
Learning Outcomes:
1. Participants will be able to accurately distinguish bullying behaviors from everyday conflict and social drama.
2. Participants will recognize how online and offline contexts interact and respond consistently across both.
3. Participants will name effective adult responses that increase the likelihood children will seek help & report bullying.
4. Participants will identify the social skills and problem solving strategies children need to disrupt bullying and online cruelty when they witness it.
Erin Walsh
Erin Walsh is co-founder of Spark & Stitch Institute and author of It’s Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence. She has worked with communities across the country who want to better understand child and adolescent development and cut through conflicting information about kids and technology. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, Edutopia, Parents.com, Psychology Today, and Minnesota Public Radio. She co-authored the Tenth Anniversary Edition of the national bestseller Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen and has worked with schools, school districts, parent groups and other youth serving organizations throughout the United States and Canada on issues related to digital media, parenting, and child and adolescent development. You can follow her work at sparkandstitchinstitute.com.
Safety plans are a crucial - but high-stakes - tool in child protection work. Developing effective safety plans requires careful analysis of what is both necessary and feasible within each unique family to manage impending danger.
Participants will explore the key aspects of sufficient safety plans and examine how the safety determination analysis questions are used to rule in or rule out in-home safety plans. Through brief case scenarios and interactive polling, participants will apply these questions and evaluate how specific aspects of a sample in-home safety plan can be
strengthened. This session is designed for child welfare professionals and leaders looking to enhance their understanding of the safety determination analysis questions and to be able to develop and/or evaluate effective safety plans.
Learning Objectives:
1. Describe the characteristics of a sufficient safety plan.
2. Identify common weaknesses in in-home safety plans and determine strategies to strengthen them.
3. Apply the safety determination analysis questions to a family case scenario.
4. Analyze aspects of an in-home safety plan to determine whether it is sufficient to manage impending danger.
Heather Kohls, MSW
Heather Kohls is a Senior Child Welfare Specialist and the Prevention Program Coordinator for Action for Child Protection, a non-profit organization that provides training and technical assistance to child welfare agencies around the country. In this role, she supports implementation planning and ongoing technical assistance for new and existing replications of the evidence-informed Family Connections program. Heather also provides ongoing training, supervisory coaching, case consultation, and fidelity review support to hotline/Intake, CPS assessment, in-home services, and ongoing/permanency programs implementing Action’s SAFE model.
With more than 20 years of experience in child welfare across non-profit and state government systems, Heather began her career with the State of Wisconsin, serving as an Initial Assessment Social Worker, Supervisor, Manager, and Trainer. She also partnered with the Wisconsin Child Welfare Professional Development System to support the development of a structured training program for new child welfare staff and was responsible for hiring, training, and supervising incoming staff while managing Initial Assessment/CPS teams.
Early identification of psychosis significantly improves treatment outcomes, yet many behavioral health providers receive limited training in recognizing and assessing early psychosis symptoms. This interactive breakout session will provide practical tools to help clinicians and behavioral health professionals integrate psychosis screening and assessment into routine intake and evaluation processes.
Participants will learn how to implement several standardized assessment tools commonly used in early psychosis programs, including the Psychosis Brief Questionnaire (PQ-B), the Mini Structured Interview for Psychosis-Risk Syndromes (Mini-SIPS), and a structured differential diagnostic approach to evaluating psychosis symptoms. These tools can help providers distinguish emerging psychotic symptoms from other behavioral health conditions, such as trauma, mood disorders, or substance use.
Through case examples, demonstrations, and role-play exercises, participants will practice using these tools and develop confidence in conducting psychosis screening within outpatient and community behavioral health settings. The session will also discuss referral pathways and strategies for connecting individuals to specialized early psychosis services when indicated.
By the end of the session, attendees will leave with practical skills and assessment strategies that can be immediately incorporated into clinical practice, helping behavioral health professionals across North Dakota identify psychosis earlier and connect individuals with appropriate care.
Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize early signs and symptoms of psychosis and distinguish them from other behavioral health conditions.
2. Implement the Psychosis Brief Questionnaire (PQ-B) as a screening tool for psychosis risk.
3. Demonstrate the use of the Mini-SIPS interview for structured assessment of psychosis symptoms.
4. Apply a differential diagnostic framework to evaluate suspected psychosis and determine appropriate referral pathways.
Dr. Laura Tully
Dr. Tully is a Harvard-trained clinical psychologist and expert in early psychosis, with nearly two decades of experience designing, implementing, and scaling evidence-based care for young people with serious mental illness. They have led major statewide initiatives to expand coordinated specialty care and training infrastructure, including work with California’s Early Psychosis Technical Assistance Center. Currently, as VP of Partnerships & Clinical Integrations at Kooth, they focus on extending early intervention principles into population-level digital mental health systems.
2:30-3:30pm3:45-5:00pmIn this keynote, Patti Heffernan invites the audience to consider a necessary evolution: the shift from trauma-informed care toward Healing-Centered Engagement. Drawing on national recovery systems work, peer workforce leadership, and the foundational scholarship of Dr. Shawn Ginwright, Patti reframes healing as a holistic, strengths-based, and culturally grounded process, one that honors identity, belonging, joy, and collective resilience alongside pain.
Rather than asking, “What happened to you?” Healing-Centered Engagement asks, “What’s right with you—and what conditions do we need to change together?” This keynote challenges practitioners, supervisors, and systems leaders to move beyond harm-reduction alone and toward approaches that actively cultivate hope, meaning, and community power. Healing, Patti argues, is not simply a clinical intervention—it is a shared responsibility and a cultural practice.
Learning Objectives:
1. A clear understanding of how Healing-Centered Engagement differs from and builds beyond trauma-informed care.
2. A reframed lens that recognizes trauma as both individual and collective, rooted in systems, environments, and history.
3. Insight into how peer workforce leaders and supervisors can foster healing-centered cultures—not just healing-centered services.
4. An invitation to shift from deficit-based models toward practices that elevate connection, identity, purpose, and possibility.
This keynote is not about abandoning trauma-informed care—it is about finishing the work trauma-informed care began. It is a call to widen the lens, deepen the practice, and remember that healing does not happen in isolation. It happens in relationships, in culture, and in community.
Patti Heffernan
Patti Heffernan is a dedicated servant leader, community networker, and experienced professional with a strong commitment to social justice and education. With over 20 years of leadership experience, Patti sparked change in the recovery movement in the state of Wisconsin as well as nationally. Her passion for creating meaningful and positive change through innovative solutions to complex community needs led her to become a Co-Owner, trainer and Consultant at Helios Recovery Services LLC in Appleton, WI, in 2015. In 2021 She founded Helios Heuristic INC a 501 C3 direct service program for families at the intersection of SUD and Child welfare
Patti's extensive experience in foster care, juvenile justice, and homelessness has given her a unique perspective on how to support individuals and families struggling with similar issues. She leverages her lived experience to help others achieve stability through unconditional support, unrelenting empathy and compassion.
Patti has been the keynote at the WI District 8 Congressional Trauma Symposium in 2018 and 2019, and has been a presenter and organizer for the National Mobilize Recovery Conference in 2019 and 2020. She is also a speaker and volunteer recruiter for Fox Cities CASA ( Court Appointed Special Advocate), and a member of Outagamie County Citizen Review Panel for Child Protection Oversight. Most recently Patti has been a consultant for a number of federal panels for best practice, recovery/peer friendly work places, building recovery capital in communities, and maintaining recovery ecosystems. These panels include The Power of Peers Summit in DC and Region 5 Recovery Summit: Great Lakes Unity in Cleveland, OH. Patti was a leader in the movement to pass legislation to make recovery coaching Medicaid reimbursable in the state of Wisconsin. Her evidenced based practice for recovery peer support had a 94% success rate for families enrolled in her program services in 2023 and 2024.
8:30-9:30amDescription: While advocates and policy makers have raised much awareness about the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC), particularly domestic child sex trafficking, in the last twenty years, little remains known about familial CSEC. Familial CSEC happens when a family member provides someone access to a child in exchange for anything of value (i.e. money, goods, access to other children) so the person can sexually abuse the child or take pictures or videos of a child in sexual ways (often called child sexual abuse material, or CSAM). Familial CSEC is even more concealed due to family members’ privacy and ability to control and access children, including not only adolescents but very young children. Further, as a society, I posit we cannot imagine such an “unthinkable” crime, despite emerging empirical evidence which suggests up to 40% of CSEC victims are exploited by a family member. As a children’s human rights advocate, social science researcher, and familial CSEC survivor, I will weave my professional expertise and personal experience to expand current understandings of familial CSEC, particularly regarding how CSAM may be an essential pathway for family members and caregivers to sexually exploit children.
Participants will be able to:
1. Understand key differences in familial and non-familial CSEC, including family member grooming dynamics, intergenerational transmission, and average ages of exploitation;
2. Explain familial CSEC risk factors, including family-based “normalization” of the commercial sex industry, religiosity, lack of systems-level awareness/training (i.e child protective services, law enforcement, physical/mental health), substance use disorder; and
3. The centrality of highways and roadways within familial CSEC trafficker and buyer networks to commercially sexually exploit minors within and across state lines.
Kate Price
Kate Price, Internationally Recognized Child Sex Trafficking Expert, Lecturer, Author
Kate Price is an associate research scientist at the Wellesley Centers for Women, a research institute where she studies family-controlled commercial sexual exploitation of children and state-level child sex trafficking policy. She is also the author of This Happened to Me: A Reckoning, a harrowing, powerful memoir of survival and resilience.
In This Happened to Me, Price describes how she broke free from familial cycles of poverty, violence, addiction, mental illness, and abuse, leaving her small, central Pennsylvania hometown behind and creating a purpose-driven life and family, on her own terms. But despite escaping this dark world, it kept a firm grip on her. Overcome with unexplainable grief and sadness as a young adult living in Boston, Price sought out trauma specialist Dr Bessel van der Kolk, to help unpack her past through EDMR therapy. Together, they discovered that Price’s father had abused and trafficked her as a child and Price’s story was featured in van der Kolk’s bestselling book, The Body Keeps the Score.
Over the course of 10 years, Price returned to the Appalachian community she grew up in searching for confirmation and proof that her memories and flashbacks had happened. With the help of a trusted journalist and many trips to the hometown Price thought she had left forever, the two found the evidence they had fought hard for. From victim to advocate, from fearful child to empowered adult, and from despair to triumph, This Happened to Me is a story of astonishing resilience and breathtaking determination.
Price is an advisor for the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s Global Platform for Child Exploitation Policy and Child Sex Trafficking Expert Working Group, and an alumni scholar at the Brandeis University Women’s Studies Research Center. She is the recipient of a My Life, My Choice Beacon of Light Award, a Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize medal, a Mariam K. Chamberlain Dissertation Award from the International Centers for Research on Women, and an American Association of University Women Dissertation Fellowship.
As an internationally recognized child sex trafficking expert and lecturer, Price has influenced the passage of state-level children’s human rights legislation and United Nations policy. In her keynote talks, Price draws on her own experiences and studies to speak about the reality of child sex trafficking, intergenerational trauma, and cyclical poverty, while also addressing the resources and services needed to ensure that communities can adequately protect children.
Price received her MA in gender/cultural studies from Simmons College and earned her PhD in sociology from the University of Massachusetts Boston. She lives in Massachusetts with her family.
9:45-10:45amHuman trafficking exists in communities across North Dakota, yet it often goes unrecognized because the signs are misunderstood or overlooked. This panel discussion will explore the realities of trafficking in our state, challenge common misconceptions, and help participants identify red flags, risk factors, and indicators of both labor and sex trafficking. Human trafficking impacts individuals of all ages, backgrounds, and communities—including rural areas—and often hides in plain sight.
Through a multidisciplinary panel discussion, attendees will hear diverse perspectives on how trafficking presents across systems, how to respond when concerns arise, and how to navigate reporting, referral, and support resources. Participants will leave with practical knowledge to recognize potential trafficking situations, engage using a trauma-informed approach, and better support individuals who may be experiencing exploitation.
Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize common indicators, risk factors, and misconceptions associated with human trafficking and how it may present across North Dakota communities and systems.
2. Apply trauma-informed strategies for responding to potential human trafficking situations, including engaging individuals in a safe, supportive, and person-centered manner.
Identify appropriate reporting, referral, and community resources to support individuals who may be experiencing exploitation and facilitate coordinated responses across service systems.
Patti Heffernan invites you to imagine a world where substance use disorder is not the fault of the afflicted and families recover together. This workshop tangibly breaks down how SUD gets passed from generation to generation. We will walk through how some well-meaning approaches and interventions may be perpetuating the continuation of generational SUD.
This workshop aims to bring education and support to exhausted family members, supporters, and professionals working to Help families recover. Through community-based approaches, and evidence-based adjustments, we can greatly reduce generational and youth substance use as well as iatrogenic harms to parents and extended family by intervening services.
Key take aways
Understanding how communal stigma and family shame plays a role in generational SUD
Learn how modeling plays in to intergenerational SUD
How to use different strategies to engage those most at risk for generational substance use
Helios Heuristic Family Recovery Coaching Program
Patti Heffernan
Patti Heffernan is a dedicated servant leader, community networker, and experienced professional with a strong commitment to social justice and education. With over 20 years of leadership experience, Patti sparked change in the recovery movement in the state of Wisconsin as well as nationally. Her passion for creating meaningful and positive change through innovative solutions to complex community needs led her to become a Co-Owner, trainer and Consultant at Helios Recovery Services LLC in Appleton, WI, in 2015. In 2021 She founded Helios Heuristic INC a 501 C3 direct service program for families at the intersection of SUD and Child welfare
Patti's extensive experience in foster care, juvenile justice, and homelessness has given her a unique perspective on how to support individuals and families struggling with similar issues. She leverages her lived experience to help others achieve stability through unconditional support, unrelenting empathy and compassion.
Patti has been the keynote at the WI District 8 Congressional Trauma Symposium in 2018 and 2019, and has been a presenter and organizer for the National Mobilize Recovery Conference in 2019 and 2020. She is also a speaker and volunteer recruiter for Fox Cities CASA ( Court Appointed Special Advocate), and a member of Outagamie County Citizen Review Panel for Child Protection Oversight. Most recently Patti has been a consultant for a number of federal panels for best practice, recovery/peer friendly work places, building recovery capital in communities, and maintaining recovery ecosystems. These panels include The Power of Peers Summit in DC and Region 5 Recovery Summit: Great Lakes Unity in Cleveland, OH. Patti was a leader in the movement to pass legislation to make recovery coaching Medicaid reimbursable in the state of Wisconsin. Her evidenced based practice for recovery peer support had a 94% success rate for families enrolled in her program services in 2023 and 2024.
The ASAM Criteria, Fourth Edition, Volume 2: Adolescents and Transition Aged Youth – the first of its kind in youth addiction and mental health care – was released in early 2026. This groundbreaking resource meets an urgent national need by providing developmentally specific guidance for identifying risk, determining the appropriate level of care, and coordinating treatment for young people.
Led by experts from the Hazelden Betty Ford, this session explores how the forthcoming edition addresses the changing landscape of youth and young adult substance use and mental health care—and why these shifts offer renewed hope for improving long term outcomes for young people.
You’ll develop a baseline understanding of the core principles guiding the aspirational vision of care for adolescents and transition aged youth, while gaining clarity on key details surrounding the release of the criteria and the supporting training opportunities.
Learning Objectives:
1. Understand why adolescents and transition aged youth require developmentally distinct assessment and treatment approaches rather than adult oriented care.
2. Examine family engagement and how family driven, youth guided care transforms outcomes.
3. Identify best practices for prevention, early intervention, and integrating mental health treatment for co-occurring conditions in young people.
4. Explore how the Fourth Edition promotes a model of care that integrates services across health care, schools, community programs, family systems, and juvenile justice.
Andrea Boxill, MA, CDCII
Andrea Boxill is a Master Trainer and Consultant for Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation. Most recently, Andrea served as the Administrator for the Department of Addiction Services at Columbus Public Health in Ohio. During this period, Andrea was also the administrator for the Columbus and Franklin County Addiction Plan coalition. Andrea has also served as the Deputy Director for the Ohio Governor’s Cabinet Opiate Action Team and assisted in developing the policy to make Naloxone and developing the Overdose Surge Response Notification Process for the State of Ohio. Andrea holds a Bachelor of Arts in American Studies and a Master of Arts in Counseling. Andrea has worked in the mental health and addiction system for over 30 years.
11:00am-12:00pmToo often, resilience is framed as an individual trait - something we’re expected to dig deep and conjure up on our own. Research tells a different story. Resilience requires relationships, not rugged individualism.
The challenge is that stress, among both children and adults alike, can trigger emotions and behaviors that make communication, collaboration, and connection harder precisely when we need them most. Periods of rapid change and sustained stress make it easy to fall into cognitive and relational “traps” that narrow our thinking and limit our ability to respond with flexibility and care.
Drawing on brain science and real-world examples, Erin explores three common traps that show up under stress and three actionable strategies that help us get back on track.
With a dual focus on the wellbeing of professionals and children, Erin Walsh shares practical, science-informed strategies for navigating challenge, restoring connection, and strengthening our collective capacity to move forward together.
Learning Outcomes:
Participants will recognize the different ways stress shows up in children and adults.
Participants will identify common thinking traps that escalate stress and limit collaborative problem solving.
Participants will reflect on how stress shapes their own reactions and decision-making.
Participants will learn practical ways to reframe unhelpful thinking patterns and prioritize connection and communication during times of stress and strain.
Erin Walsh
Erin Walsh is co-founder of Spark & Stitch Institute and author of It’s Their World: Teens, Screens, and the Science of Adolescence. She has worked with communities across the country who want to better understand child and adolescent development and cut through conflicting information about kids and technology. Her work has been featured in the Washington Post, Edutopia, Parents.com, Psychology Today, and Minnesota Public Radio. She co-authored the Tenth Anniversary Edition of the national bestseller Why Do They Act That Way? A Survival Guide to the Adolescent Brain for You and Your Teen and has worked with schools, school districts, parent groups and other youth serving organizations throughout the United States and Canada on issues related to digital media, parenting, and child and adolescent development. You can follow her work at sparkandstitchinstitute.com.
12:00-1:00pm1:00-4:30pmPost-Conference
Behavioral health and child welfare professionals increasingly work within complex, interconnected systems where ethical decision-making extends beyond a single code of ethics or professional role. This interactive session explores how social workers, counselors, law enforcement, peer support specialists, and other professionals can navigate ethical challenges that arise at the intersection of care, law, and community systems.
Participants will examine real-world dilemmas involving confidentiality, crisis response, dual relationships, especially in rural communities—and conflicts between organizational, legal, and client-centered priorities. The session introduces a structured, cross-disciplinary ethical decision-making framework while emphasizing trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and equity-focused practice. Special attention will be given to information sharing across systems, the ethical use of lived experience, implicit bias, and the growing impact of technology and telehealth on ethical practice.
Katie Krukenberg, LMSW
Katie Krukenberg, LMSW, is an Associate Professor and the Program Director of the Social Work Program at the University of Mary. She obtained a Master’s degree from Florida State University and Bachelor’s degrees in social work and criminal justice from the University of North Dakota. Prior to teaching at University of Mary, Katie worked primarily with at-risk youth and families as a social worker for Bismarck Public Schools, Charles Hall Youth Services, and Home on the Range, and she and her husband were licensed foster parents for 10 years. Katie currently serves on the executive board for the Abused Adult Resource Center, on the Community Advisory Committee for South Central Alternative High School, and is the coordinator for the Survivor Mentorship Program for survivors of human trafficking through the 31:8 Project. Katie and her family live in Bismarck, ND.
Leah Honeyman, LMSW, Case Management Administrator, ND HHS
Christiana Pond, Kinship Navigator, Kinship-ND
Sarah Goerts, Social Worker, Fargo Public Schools
Sofia Ortiz, Kinship Provider
Melissa Slominski, Child Welfare Supervisor, Roughrider North Human Service Zone