Marsha Hourd
Executive Director of LIFE Recovery Community Center
Presentation(s):
Author: Kayla Bunch
Charbonnier, Michelle, CRADC, CGDC, CPS
Michelle Charbonnier is executive director of MoNetwork, a recovery community center rooted in the practices and principles of harm reduction. She is a therapist and interventionist with Plan Your Recovery at Clayton Behavioral. Michelle is dedicated to giving a voice to people who use drugs and actively opposes the war on drugs. She finds fulfillment in facilitating self-inquiry processes to foster deeper understanding of oneself, relationships, and behaviors.
Presentation(s):
Cobb, Melanie, CPS and CPS Supervisor
Melanie Cobb serves as the Director of Landmark Recovery Center located in Jefferson City, Missouri. The center operates as a Recovery Community Center, aiming to provide resources and support for individuals with Behavioral Health Conditions. Being in long-term recovery, Melanie brings a personal perspective to her role, blending her passion with her professional duties. She possesses a Certified Peer Support Specialist Credential and has finished the Certified Peer Support Specialist Supervisor Training.
Presentation(s):
Stoecker, David, LCSW, CPS, HRS
David Stoecker, LCSW, CPS, HRS is a person in long-term recovery. He is the Executive Director/Founder of Better Life in Recovery and co-founder of the Springfield Recovery Community Center. He was a founding member of the Southwest Missouri Drug Poisoning Coalition. Previously, David was a therapist for 8 ½ years, working with people involved with treatment courts as well as residential and outpatient clients. He co-created the Certified Peer Specialist training for Missouri and Missouri and ICRC’s Harm Reduction Specialist training and co-facilitates both trainings.
Presentation(s):
Anderson-Harper, Rosie, MA
Rosie Anderson-Harper serves as Director of Recovery Services for the Department of Mental Health, Division of Behavioral Health (DBH). The position of Director of Recovery Services was created in 2012 to raise the level of importance of the recovery philosophy in all aspects of DBH operations, enhance recovery services and supports, and integrate them with traditional behavioral health services. As Director of Recovery Services, she supervises housing, employment services, Recovery Support Services, Consumer Operated Service Programs, peer specialist and family support services and the DBH State Advisory Council. Ms. Anderson-Harper has a Master’s degree in Educational and Counseling Psychology. She has 34 years of experience in the field of behavioral health. She passionately believes in the power of human connection that moves us together to heal the world.
Presentation(s):
Supported Employment IPS Strategies for Assisting Individuals with Substance Use Disorders Obtain Employment
Room Leeward 76-77
Speaker(s):
Description:
Research shows that people with dual disorders (i.e., a co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder) are successful in supported employment programs and that employment can be a crucial step in their recovery. This session will describe the eight practice principles of evidence-based supported employment and then discuss specific guidelines that apply to people with co-occurring disorders.
Objectives
1. List at least two ways that employment can help people recover from substance use disorders.
2. Describe two common myths and facts regarding co-occurring disorders.
3. List four strategies that IPS practitioners use to help people work despite substance use disorders.
Keynote: Tracking Our Destiny With Stories
Room Paradise Ballroom A
Speaker(s)
Description
Long before GPS, there was a guidance system for our souls that tracked the heart’s path through unseen lands. Such guidance is mostly hidden now, like antiques in the attics of our minds. But when the right one is held it can be like a magic lamp shining just for you in the darkness. That guidance is found in stories—fairy tales, myths and such–especially the ones that fit the time, place and purpose we are navigating. The presenter has chosen a dozen brief stories relevant for our uncertain times that might light the path for clients, young and old. We will explore how to unpack the themes or archetypes of stories for sharing the right one at the right time.
Objectives
- Utilize short stories relevant to uncertain times to provide guidance
- Unpack the themes or archetypes of stories for sharing the right one at the right time
- Discuss how stories may be relevant to navigating real life situations
Slay, Bre-Ann, PsyD, LP, IMH-E
Dr. Bre-Ann Slay is a distinguished Licensed Clinical Psychologist, holding an additional endorsement as an Infant Mental Health Specialist. With a doctoral degree in clinical psychology (PsyD) from the University of Denver and a master’s degree in forensic psychology, she brings a wealth of academic and professional expertise to her role. Dr. Slay actively contributes to the field by serving on the executive board of the Missouri Association for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (MOAIMH-EC) and as a certified trainer of IoWA-PCIT.
At Reflect to Connect, Dr. Slay has established a platform dedicated to advancing education and support in infant and early childhood mental health. Grounded in attachment and behavioral lenses, her clinical practice prioritizes understanding caregiver-child relationships to achieve shared goals. Specializing in Child-Parent Psychotherapy (CPP), IoWA-PCIT, and play-based treatments, Dr. Slay is committed to enhancing the overall well-being of children. Recognizing the challenges caregivers face, she assures individuals that with the right tools, temporary struggles can pave the way for a child’s success. Her goal is to foster a foundation of support and understanding for the flourishing future of young ones.
Presentation(s):
Healing Hearts, Reuniting Families: Exploring Parental Trauma and Attachment in Foster Care
Vandyke, Melanie, PhD
Melanie VanDyke earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology in 2002 and has extensive experience in evidence-based treatments for anxiety-related disorders, including OCD, hoarding, social anxiety, BDD, and Tourette syndrome. She also treats people who are struggling with depression, emotional regulation, and interpersonal difficulties. Dr. VanDyke assesses and treats individuals and their families, and she enjoys being an active professional psychologist. She is the Chair of the Evidence-Based Practice committee at Missouri Psychological Association (MOPA). Dr. VanDyke has presented on how to help families who are struggling with a loved one who refuses to seek mental health care to enthusiastic, national audiences of clinicians and families alike.
Dr. VanDyke works to make treatment information accessible. She has contributed to online resources for consumers and published her treatment research in professional journals, including her work with families of treatment refusers. She enjoys helping students at various levels of training learn more about culturally-responsive, evidence-based treatments. Dr. VanDyke has previously served as the Director of Postdoctoral Education, an Associate Professor, and an interprofessional educator for students in healthcare professions. She was awarded Psychologist of the Year from the Missouri Psychological Association and earned Special Recognition as an active member of the Anxiety and Depression Association of America’s (ADAA) Public Education Committee.
Presentation(s):
Families of Treatment Refusers: The Neglected Victims of Untreated Mental Health Problems
Lee, Zipporah, MDiv
Zipporah Lee, a graduate of Eden Theological Seminary, has worked in social services to the unhoused population since the COVID pandemic in 2020. An advocate for Housing First policies and low-barrier Safe Haven shelter models, Zippy has 5+ years of experience in crisis intervention for youth and adults struggling with mental illness. They completed a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education at Christian Northeast in their ICU and neurology units, leading to an interest in serving those with complex medical needs. Currently, they work at St. Patrick Center on the Hospital to Housing team as the St. Louis University Hospital Service Coordinator, providing side-by-side case management for unhoused persons with complex medical needs, behavioral health concerns, and those struggling with substance use. They actively volunteer on the Core Team for St. Louis Winter Outreach, an all-volunteer collective addressing the gap in agency-led homeless services during winters in St. Louis, and facilitate one of their largest temperature-based emergency shelters at the AmeriCorps St. Louis location.
Presentation(s):
A Conversation of Best Practices for Service Delivery in the Unhoused Community