Tag: 1550
Craghead, Levi, MD, MPH
Levi Craghead is a 4th-year Psychiatry resident physician at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). He received a Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health before completing medical school at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Throughout his graduate medical education training with UMKC Psychiatry, Dr. Craghead has worked with a variety of patients at the Center for Behavioral Medicine and University Health – Truman Medical Center. Academic works encompass management of substance use disorders and public health policy.
Presentation(s):
Theison, Larissa, MSW, LCSW, LSCSW
Larissa Theison, MSW, LCSW, LSCSW, holds a Master’s degree in Social Work (MSW) and is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. Over the years, Larissa has received extensive training and experience in evidence-based therapies such as Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Larissa has worked in both long- and short-term treatment environments.
Drawing on both lived and professional experiences, Larissa wrote and published a workbook titled Securing Serenity: Surviving a Loved One’s Addiction, aimed at helping those who love someone struggling with addiction.
Presentation(s):
Cannon, Valerie, BS, MS
Valerie Cannon is currently in the Human Development and Family Sciences M.S. program at the University of Central Missouri. She previously obtained her B.S. degree in HDFS from UCM as well and spent a semester studying abroad in Denmark. Valerie has a background in early childhood education and was previously an early childhood program director in Overland Park, Kansas. At the moment, Valerie is a social worker for KVC Health Systems and thoroughly enjoys her work. Additionally, Valerie has experience with CITI training and has research interests pertaining to the social work field.
Presentation(s):
PACEs: How Protective and Compensatory Experiences Influence ACEs
Rongey, Kori, BSCS, MSWc
Kori Rongey holds a Bachelor of Science in Communication Studies and is currently pursuing a Master of Social Work at Park University. She is interning at the Samaritan Counseling Center in St. Joseph, Missouri, where she works with clients of all ages and facilitates a monthly grief support group for teenagers. With a passion for trauma-informed care and youth mental health, she focuses her work on helping children and adolescents navigate emotional regulation, grief, and behavioral challenges. Drawing from both clinical training and her lived experience as a mother of five daughters, Kori brings a unique blend of empathy, insight, and creativity to therapeutic work. Her approach emphasizes practical, compassionate strategies that meet young clients where they are and promote lasting resilience.
Kori joins Dr. Moran to co-present on the impact of trauma on the brain, how to foster trauma-informed practices that support emotional regulation, and how to implement tiered interventions to address disruptive behaviors in youth.
Presentation(s):
Moran, Ricki, DSW, LCSW
Ricki L. Moran, DSW, LCSW, is an Assistant Professor at Park University and a licensed mental health professional specializing in behavioral and therapeutic interventions for children and families through her private practice, Bright Solutions. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW), a Certified Play Therapist, and is trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
Dr. Moran earned her Bachelor’s in Social Work from Park University, her Master’s in Social Work from the University of Missouri–Kansas City, and her Doctorate in Social Work from the University of St. Thomas. She is also the co-author of a chapter in The Art of Becoming Indispensable: What School Social Workers Need to Know in Their First Three Years of Practice, which was honored with the SSWAA 2022 Book Award.
Her professional focus includes supporting children who have experienced trauma, promoting self-care practices for professionals, and using Child-Centered Play Therapy to foster healing and resilience. Dr. Moran has delivered trainings and presentations on topics such as self-care, emotional and physical safety, suicide prevention, and cultivating compassion without fatigue.
Presentation(s):
Dixon, Desiree, BS, MS
Desiree Dixon is currently in her last semester of the Human Development and Family Sciences M.S. program at the University of Central Missouri. She previously has presented at the 2024 Spring Training Institute alongside Dr. Tim Welch and Dr. Joyce Chang. Along with assisting in research projects at the UCM, Desiree is also a proud McNair Scholar alumnus where she completed an original mixed methods project entitled Young Adults Perceptions of Intimate Relationships and Family Units in Correlation with ACE Scores. Currently, Desiree is a student/new professional board member of the Advancing Family Science Section at the National Council of Family Relations and has spoken at several other research symposiums and event
Presentation(s):
PACEs: How Protective and Compensatory Experiences Influence ACEs
Vincenz, Felix, PhD
Dr. Felix Vincenz served as the Chief Executive Office at the St. Louis Forensic Treatment Center before his retirement from the Department of Metal Health on January 1, 2025. The Forensic Treatment Center is, a state-operated, inpatient forensic hospital formed in December 2020 from the merger of the former St. Louis Psychiatric Rehabilitation Center on Arsenal St., and the Metropolitan St. Louis Psychiatric Center on Delmar Blvd. Dr. Vincenz has worked in the Department of Mental Health for 40 years, serving in various capacities, including Chief Executive of the State’s only High Security Hospital, the Department’s Director of Facility Operations, and as the Chief Operating Officer of the Division of Behavioral Health. In the latter two roles, he oversaw all the state operated psychiatric hospitals and habilitation centers, and was responsible for working with the department’s contracted providers for community mental health services. He is a clinical psychologist by training and has also served as the Associate Director of Missouri Institute of Mental Health.
Presentation(s):