Heather Allen brings leadership to the Charitable Grant program which provides assistance to indigent Missourians with disabilities. She has a bachelor’s degree in Social Work from Harding University in Searcy, Arkansas and worked as a medical social worker in Arkansas and Missouri before joining Midwest Special Needs Trust in March, 2015.
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Nathan McKee joined Midwest Special Needs Trust in August 2018 after graduating from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. During his studies he worked with a diverse range of groups that included Mid-Missouri Legal Services and the University of Missouri-Law school Trust and Estates Clinic. As a Trust Specialist, Nathan works with attorneys, agencies and individuals to assist them with the trust application process, review benefits verification information and legal documents related to the special needs trust. Nathaniel holds a Bachelor of Arts in English and Psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
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Presentation: This presentation focuses on three core concepts: (1) Special Needs Trusts (2) ABLE accounts and (3) a comparison between the two. Midwest Special Needs Trust (MSNT) will define both Special Needs Trusts and ABLE accounts and discuss how these valuable financial planning tools benefit individuals living with a disability. Additionally, MSNT will explain parameters – like eligibility requirements – and give audience members a basic framework to understand who may benefit from a consultation about either, or both, service(s). Because MSNT is a pooled trust, MSNT will describe its charitable mission and give information about who may benefit from its program. Lastly, MSNT will, time allowing, take questions from the audience relating to the presentation.
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Presentation: Suicide represents a significant public health priority in the United States. For social workers, counselors, nurses, educators, administrators, and others who interact with those at-risk of dying by suicide, understanding how to not only prevent but to assess, refer and treat is an ethical mandate. Professionals from across multiple disciplines are driven by a “do no harm” approach; however, our training programs, systems, and professional development priorities often lack suicide prevention as a priority. This talk will provide an overview of the ethical mandates across professions and generate arguments from the literature that makes an ethical case that suicide prevention should be prioritized in training, practice, and systems.
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Presentation: According to Hawkley and Caccioppo (2010), loneliness is defined as a distressing feeling that accompanies the perception that one’s social needs are not being met by the quantity or especially the quality of one’s social relationships. Furthermore, emotional loneliness is the perceived feeling of separation or lack of emotional connection with others. Given these definitions, the proposed presentation is set to examine the results of a study investigating how social and emotional loneliness impacts the recovery process for those who struggle with substance use disorders. The proposed presentation will also examine the impact of social and/or emotional loneliness on individuals at different stages of their recovery process. This proposed presentation may contribute to researchers and practitioners to develop a deeper understanding of loneliness as a risk factor for relapse and to develop interventions at different stages of the recovery process targeted at social connectedness and purpose.
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F. Ryan Peterson, Ph.D., earned his doctoral degree from the University of Georgia. Dr. Peterson accepted an assistant professor position in the Child and Family Development Program at the University of Central Missouri in 2006. Currently he is an associate professor in Child and Family Development. His current research interests are sibling relationships, risky behavior and recovery support systems. In addition, he provides professional training for community-based recovery centers and evaluation services to grants supporting recovery.
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Family Recovery: Partnering with Families to Combat Opioid Use Disorders
Dr. Adriatik Likcani is an Associate Professor at the University of Central Missouri. He holds a Ph.D. in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) form Kansas State University, two master’s degrees: MFT from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and MSW from University of Missouri Kansas City, and a Post Graduate Certificate in Medical Family Therapy from the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Likcani is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist (LMFT) in the state of Missouri. He has served as President of the Missouri Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and Co-Chair of Family TEAM for Missouri organized by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy (AAMFT). Dr. Likcani is a Clinical Fellow with AAMFT and Alumni of the Minority Fellowship Program (MFP), where he also served for two years as member and one year as chair of the MFP Advisory Committee. He has extensive experience in residential and outpatient treatment and recovery support programs for substance use disorders. Dr. Likcani is invested in bridging academia with practice in order to provide his students the best training and networking possible. His goal is for students to leave UCM with a culture of service, and the knowledge, skills, and confidence to succeed and lead in the region, state, nation and the world.
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Family Recovery: Partnering with Families to Combat Opioid Use Disorders
Blake Dorsey is a current graduate student at the University of Central Missouri in the Human Development and Family Science program. Mr. Dorsey is pursuing a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy and has a passion for advocating and supporting underserved populations. Mr. Dorsey is a certified Missouri Recovery Support Specialist with the Missouri Credentialing Board and utilizes this credential in residential and outpatient recovery support settings. His goal is to promote wellness within individuals, families, and the community by supporting those with substance use and mental health disorders. Mr. Dorsey has also been a member and leader of a collegiate recovery program, Recovery Central, at the University of Central Missouri. Mr. Dorsey is committed to instill a safe environment for those in recovery, those who come from families of addiction, and those who support recovery on college campuses.
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Social & Emotional Loneliness Among Individuals with Substance Use Disorders
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Ignacio “Alex” Barajas-Munoz, PhD
Presentation: This interactive session will explore the role that provider bias plays in assessment and how culture may influence client experiences of behavioral health symptoms and services. Participants in this workshop will review the latest evidence on the impact of provider bias on delivery of behavioral and SUD services. Through activities and case studies, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on how culture shapes their own perceptions as providers. The workshop will also present best practices for assessing how cultural paradigms may inform clients’ experience and understanding of physical and mental well-being and healing. Participants will obtain interview tools, assessment skills, and reflective approaches to facilitate the reduction of bias, comprehensive assessment of cultural factors, and implementation of culturally responsive treatment plans.
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Alex Barajas‐Muñoz has a PhD in Counseling Psychology, a Master’s Degree in Counseling and Guidance, and a Master’s Degree in Neurosciences and is currently employed as a psychologist at the University of Kansas (KU) Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). He worked for over ten years as a Research Associate, Evaluator and Trainer with Mid‐America Addiction Technology Transfer Center at UMKC. His areas of expertise include: evaluation and research; counseling; training, editing and translating (English/Spanish) professional literature in the areas of psychology, neuroscience and substance use disorders; psychotherapeutic medications; and counseling special populations (Hispanic, LGBTQI).
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Considering Culture & Self: Provider Bias & Cultural Influences in Mental Health & SUD Setting
Cultural Considerations in Treating Hispanic/Latino Populations
