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7th Annual Mental & Behavioral Health Conference
S耻辫辫辞谤迟颈苍驳听LGBTQ+听Mental & Behavioral Health in Times of Uncertainty:听Healing Collective Trauma听Through Belonging, Joy, and Resistance
Friday, February 6, 2026 | 9:00AM – 3:00PM (MST)
Hybrid: Zoom & 海角社区
The Mental & Behavioral Health Conference (MBHC) is a virtual gathering for students, professionals, and community partners interested in transformative approaches to mental and behavioral health. This year鈥檚 conference is hybrid with a theme that draws inspiration from our Keynote Alok Vaid-Menon鈥檚 work exploring healing beyond trauma, emphasizing creative and communal responses like poetry and storytelling to adversity and isolation, and building resilience, belonging, and joy, especially in LGBTQ+ communities.听
Early Bird Registration Pricing (ends January 11 at 11:50PM MST, 2026):
- $25 鈥� Students
- $75 鈥� 海角社区 faculty & staff
- $100 鈥� Community partners; faculty & staff of other institutions
Regular Registration Pricing (January 12 – February 2, 2026):
- $30听鈥� Students
- Want to attend but can’t afford it? If you’re an 海角社区 student, please apply to the C2Hub Student Travel and Professional Development Funding here. If you are not an 海角社区 student and/or you’re unable to get funding through C2Hub, please fill out !
- $85 鈥� 海角社区 faculty & staff
- $120 鈥� Community partners; faculty & staff of other institutions
2026 Conference Schedule
| 9:00 AM | Conference Welcome |
| 9:10 – 10:10 AM | Concurrent Workshops Session 1
鈽� Advocating for Policies and Systems that Support LGBTQ+ Inclusive and Accessible Sexual Health 鈥� Hal Lersch (they/them) & Megan R. Westmore (she/her), PhD, LMSW |
| 10:10 – 10:15 AM | 5 Minute Break |
| 10:15 – 11:20 AM | Virtual Keynote with ALOK
A 45 minute conversation moderated by Bleu Vargas (she/they), followed by 15 minutes of answering submitted attendee questions. |
| 11:20 AM – 12:10 PM | Lunch Break |
| 12:10 – 1:10 PM | Concurrent Workshops Session 2
鈽吿�Meaning, Scope, and Scale – Resisting the Intrapersonal Impacts of Moral Injury and Fascism for Therapists听鈥斕齁anelle Peters (they/them), LCSW |
| 1:10 – 1:25 PM | 15 Minute Break |
| 1:25 – 2:30 PM | Concurrent Workshops Session 3
鈽吿�From Silence to Sound: Integrative Healing for Trauma, Addiction, and Queer Resilience听鈥斕鼳lanna Bell (she/her), MA, LPC, CCH, AChT |
| 2:30 – 2:35PM | 5 Minute Break |
| 2:35 – 3:00 PM | Conference Closing Session/Networking |
Support Meaningful Impact in Mental & Behavioral Health
Your sponsorship directly supports high-quality, CEU-eligible professional development for those working at the frontlines of mental and behavioral health care. Together, we can foster belonging, resilience, and collective healing while equipping professionals with tools to better serve diverse communities.
Sponsorship Levels
Emerging Leader听Sponsor 鈥� $250听
- Recognition as an听Emerging Leader Sponsor听in the conference program听
- Thank-you post on 海角社区鈥檚 Department of Social Work听social media听(IG, FB & LI)听
Education Sponsor 鈥� $500
- Recognition as an听Education听Sponsor听in the conference program听
- Thank-you post on 海角社区鈥檚 Department of Social Work听social media听(IG, FB & LI)听
- An exclusive Department of Social听Work t-shirt for听up to 5 staff members听
Access Sponsor听鈥� $750
- Recognition as an听Access Sponsor听in the digital program听
- Thank-you post on 海角社区鈥檚 Department of Social Work听social media听(IG, FB, LI)听
- An exclusive Department of Social听Work t-shirt and Yeti mug听for听up to听2听staff members听
- 2听Conference听registrations听
Mental Health听Champion听鈥� $1,500 听
- Recognition as a听Mental Health Champion听in the digital program and website听
- Verbal acknowledgement听during听opening &听closing remarks听
- Logo featured听on the digital program and social media posts听
- An exclusive Department of Social听Work t-shirt and Yeti mug for听up to听4听staff members听
- 4听Conference听registrations听
Past Events
Date: Friday, February 7, 2025
Time: 9:00AM – 2:00PM MST
Location: Zoom Webinar 2025 MBHC CONFERENCE
Welcome Address (presentation)
Dr. Dawn Matera Bassett, MSW, LCSW, PhD., Grants Director at 海角社区
Breakout Sessions 1
Bridging the Gap: Merging Indigenous Wisdom and Contemporary Perinatal Care | Tonya Myles-Day, DSW, LMSW, University at Buffalo, School of Social Work (presentation)
Self Disclosure: A Clinical Elder鈥檚 Perspective on its Power for Healing and Power for Wounding | Judith Kay Nelson, MSW, Ph.D. (presentation)
Feature Presentation
RMTAC: Refugee & Migrant Technical Assistance Center for Behavioral Health | Luz Chapa, M.Ed, LPC & Esther Rodriguez, M.S., Clinical Consultant
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION with JaLisa Williams MSW, LCSW
Breakout Sessions 2
Navigating Oppression and Adversity: Resilience and Mental Health Among Indigenous Women During COVID-19 | Kristi Ka`apu, LCSW, DSW Candidate, Tulane University & Rory Glover, MSW, PhD Candidate, Tulane University & Catherine E. O鈥機onnor, PhD, LMSW, Tulane University (presentation)
Decolonizing Sex: Resisting settler sexuality through a sex positive lens. | Kristin Spooner, DSW, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Board Certified Sex Therapist, The Radical Social Worker (Private Practice)
EMDR Therapy Approaches with BIPOC Clients and Addressing Culturally Based Trauma and Adversity | Mark Nickerson, LICSW, EMDR Institute Trainer and Clinical Consultant (presentation slides)
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Closing Address
Dawn Matera Bassett, LCSW, Ph.D. and Teiriana Ibarra Event Planning Specialist
Date: February 16, 2024
Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm MST
Location: Zoom Webinar 2024 MBHC CONFERENCE
Keynote Address Presentation
With Dr. Loretta Ross, with The Institute for Democratic Education and Culture
Breakout Sessions 1
Culturally Adaptive Mental Health Practices: Centering the Counter Narrative
Sense-Making: Using Narrative Storytelling Across the Lifespan with Althea Simpson, LCSW, RPT-S
Embodiment Healing techniques with Dr. AT
Building Bridges: The utilization of a narrative humanization approach in the fight to reduce and unlearn stigmatizing belief with Dr. Kristin Spooner, DSW, LICSW,
Breakout Sessions 2
Supervision and the Healing Process
Using Storytelling as a Supervisory Technique with Dr. Omekio Riggins, DSW, LCSW, LCAS-A, CCTP-II, LPN
Authenticity in Practice with Dr. Andrea Daniels, DSW, LCSW-S
Infusing Cultural Humility into your supervision session; promoting Brave Spaces with Manasseh Begay,
Closing Address
Dawn Matera Bassett, LCSW, Ph.D. and Teiriana Ibarra Event Planning Specialist
Friday, February 17, 2023 | 10:00 AM to 2:15 PM (MST)
Auraria Campus | Denver, CO
The 4th Annual Mental & Behavioral Health Conference consisted of three (3) hours and provided knowledge regarding the emerging mental and behavioral health trends in the State of Colorado since the Pandemic. Participants acquired knowledge about workforce resilience and how to best support LGBTQ+ and BIPOC populations.
Participants were:
- Able to discuss the state of the mental and behavioral health crisis in Colorado
- Able to describe services to support mental and behavioral health needs in Colorado
- Learned about emerging Mental and Behavioral Health services to support LGBTQ+ and BIPOC populations
- Understood the importance of addressing Work Force Resilience
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1.9M with no funds financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Conference Schedule
10:00 AM 鈥� Welcome Address
10:10 AM 鈥� Keynote Address:听State of Mental and Behavioral Health Crisis in Colorado
10:30 AM 鈥� Keynote Panel Discussion:听Crisis in Care(moderated by Dr. Tanya Greathouse)
- Speakers:
- DJ Ida,听Asian Pacific Center
- Chris Richardson,听Mental Health Center of Denver
- Leanne Rupp,听National Association of Social Workers 鈥� CO Chapter
11:35 AM 鈥� Morning Breakout Sessions:听The Macro Perspective of the Mental Health Crisis
- State Trends in Mental Health Services Needs Through a National Lens Since the Pandemic听with Kim Patton, PsyD
- Emerging Trends in Mental and Behavioral Health Due to the Pandemic听with Kate Parker, LCSW VP Clinical Care, COO, and Sara Reid, M.A., MHP Grants and Program Evaluation Manager
- Professional Development: The Ins & Outs of Licensure, Continuing Education in CO, & ASWB Exam Developments听with Leanne Rupp, MSW, LCSW Executive Director
12:30 PM 鈥� Lunch and Student Tabling
1:10 PM 鈥� Afternoon Breakout Discussion:听Emerging Issues in Mental and Behavioral Health
- Being Hopeful and Resilient in the Workplace听with Susan Archuleta, Grants Community Liaison Specialist
- Emerging Issues in the LGBTQ+ Community: 鈥楾il Death Do Us Part听with Li Brookens, LCSW, CGP, WPATH GEI SOC7 Certified Member, and Virginia Sanford, LPC
- Supporting BIPOC Communities Through Mental and Behavioral Health Crises听with Sarah Naomi Jones, Center for Trauma and Resilience
2:05 PM 鈥� Closing Address
Sponsored by the 海角社区 College of Health and Human Sciences, 海角社区 Department of Social Work, and 海角社区 Health Institute
Friday, January 29, 2021 |听11:00 AM to 1:00 PM (MST)
Virtual Webinar | Denver, CO
The 3rd Annual Social Work Mental & Behavioral Health Conference was an opportunity for students, faculty, and community members to connect virtually with community and national experts on their response to the mental and behavioral challenges communities are experiencing due COVID-19, the exposed racialized tensions, and this country鈥檚 political divide.
Two (2) hours of CE credits pending approval by NASW-CO
Presenters
Welcoming Address:听Dr. Dawn Matera-Bassett, MSW, LCSW, HRSA Principle Investigator & Associate Professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver
Keynote Speaker & Moderator:听Dr. Julie Clockston, LCSW, National Association of Social Workers Colorado (NASWCO) Chapter President
Presenters:
- Dr. Liz Mendez-Shannon, MSW, Vice President of Program Development at Sewall Child Development Center
- Dr. Pam Begay, LCSW, Psychotherapist, Farmington, New Mexico
- Dr. Larry Curry, LCSW, CAC III, Founder and CEO, Clinical Director of The Curry Center LLC
- Enid Nieves, MSW Candidate, Director of Hotline Services at the Center for Trauma and Resilience
- Sonam Khanal, LCSW, Asian Pacific Development Center
Closing Keynote:听Dr. Judith Kay Nelson, MSW, LCSW, Dean Emerita at the Sanville Institute for Clinical Social Work
Closing Remarks:听Dr. Joni Handran, LCSW, CAC III