Connect, Accept, Respond, Empower (CARE): How to Support LGBTQ Youth

Speaker(s)

Leah Crask-Ellis, LPC, MSS, CCDP-D

This interactive workshop will provide an overview of suicide among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQ) youth and the different environmental stressors that contribute to their heightened risk for suicide. The first half of the workshop will focus on what research states regarding reducing the risk of suicide and promoting resiliency. After reviewing current research, there will be an emphasis on best practices and practical steps that service providers, educators , and others can take to promote a positive environment for all youth.

Crask-Ellis Trevor CARE Presentation STI 2016 – Slides in PDF format

Prevalence of Neurodevelopmental Disorders associated with Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol (ND-PAE)

Speaker(s)

Carl C. Bell, MD

Dr. Bell will highlight a mental health silent epidemic occurring in the US. Using original research, he will explicate the prevalence of Neurodevelopmental Disorders associated with Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and discuss the interview techniques to uncover this disorder. He will describe how his research in Chicago revealed of 611 patients (ages 4-78; 95% on Public Assistance for medical care) that were seen, 297/611 (49%) evidenced Neurodevelopmental Disorders dating back to childhood, including 237/611 (39%) who specifically reported symptoms and histories consistent with Neurodevelopmental Disorder Associated with Prenatal Exposure to Alcohol (ND-PAE). Finally, Dr. Bell will suggest the prenatal and postnatal, biotechnical strategy of giving adults Choline 500mg, Folate 400 mcg, and Omega-3 500mg twice a day, and Vitamin A 2,000 IU daily.

Bell 6-3-16 NDA-PAE Missouri – Slides in PDF format

Managing Ethical Dilemmas in a Healthcare Setting

Speaker(s)

Terri Cooley-Bennett, LCSW, LSCSW, CDDP-D

Behavioral Health Professionals working in a healthcare setting are in a unique position. As part of an inter-disciplinary team working alongside medical professionals, there are particular ethical dilemmas that may arise. Mental Health Professionals are often key members of interdisciplinary teams in healthcare settings. How do mental health professionals uphold their Code of Ethics while working as part of an interdisciplinary team? What are some of the typical ethical concerns that arise from being part of an interdisciplinary team? How does a mental health professional handle these concerns? How is conflict handled among team members who are in disagreement about patient care, workplace conduct, etc.? What happens when mental health professional’s code of ethics are different from other professionals?

Slides in PDF format

Risk Factors are Not Predictive Factors due to Protective Factors

Keynote Speaker

Carl C. Bell, MD

Contrary to expectations of many psychiatric practitioners, exposure to a risk factor, e.g., a traumatic stressor, does not automatically put a person on a path to develop a psychiatric disorder, e.g. PTSD. Similarly, having a mental disorder does not automatically put a person on a path to do poorly in life, e.g. languish or get depressed. Scientific documentation will be provided that protective factors have the capacity to prevent risk factors from becoming predictive of “bad” mental health outcomes. Further, protective factors can decrease the risk individuals who are exposed to adverse childhood experiences from having serious psychopathology in later life. A theoretically sound, evidence-based, common sense model is offered as a “directionally correct” way to ensure that at-risk populations obtain protective factors to prevent potential risk factors from generating poor health and mental health outcomes.

Bell 6-3-16 Risk Factors are not Predictive Factors due to Protective Factors – Slides in PDF format