Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025
9–10:30 a.m.
Opening Keynote
Success for Everyone: Neuropathways – Rewiring Brains for Success
Robb Kelly, PhD is a recovery and addiction specialist. He recognizes and understands the disease from both personal and professional experience. Robb Kelly, PhD will highlight the three core concepts he recognizes in most people who use substances: fear, abandonment, and shame. He will explain his work and coaching methods and how they can offer solutions to permanent recovery.
10:45 a.m. to noon
TWO SESSIONS
Workforce and Treatment
Starting from Strength: How Recovery is Being Empowered Through Trait-Based Transformation
Findings from a peer-reviewed, published article suggest that people with a substance use disorder have inherent qualities that can help them with recovery. According to this study, participants were able to increase their commitment to recovery when they came to understand that they possessed desirable characteristics that could benefit those around them. This session will help clinicians identify those existing traits and review how they can be applied in a therapeutic setting. There will be a discussion on guiding clients to further develop those traits in goal setting and behavior modification.
Prevention and Treatment
Trendy Depression: Hidden Reasons Teens Are Stuck, and How to Help
This training focuses on the topics of hidden rewards (or secondary gains) and social media’s role inpsychopathology. The content is grounded in evidence-based intervention and practices derived from theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, articles from peer-reviewed research and clinicalpractice guidelines, such as core principles of the Association of Social Work Boards.
1–2:30 p.m.
TWO SESSIONS
Ethics at Work Maintaining Ethical Boundaries
This session provides a clear definition of how ethics should be applied in the workplace. A safe and secure workplace for employees is a requirement for all organizations. The critical component necessary in achieving this safety and security is showing respect to everyone. A workplace based on a foundation of ethics and ethical behavior is the key.
Compassion Fatigue and Resiliency
This session defines compassion fatigue and resiliency, and examines the evidence-based practice that contributes to resiliency in several different domains: cognitive, behavioral, emotional, physical and existential.
2:45–3:45 p.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Prevention
Getting Candid: Framing the Conversation Around Youth Substance Use Prevention
The Getting Candid pathway is intended to help youth-serving providers communicate with preteens and teens about substance use prevention. The pathway begins with establishing trust and gathering insights to provide a relational foundation. This session establishes how providers can build on this foundation to frame the communication and suggests actions youth can take to prevent substance use.
Treatment
Connecting Theory to Practice: Approaches to Comprehensive Tobacco Cessation
Session participants will examine cessation interventions, health systems change promotion, cessation coverage improvement strategies, and ways to support state quitlines. Participants will also receive an overview of tobacco intervention frameworks and the Texas Tobacco Quitline and its services, including a look into its population tracks, menthol cessation enhancement, referral processes and youth programs.
Suicide
Zero Suicide Framework and Suicide Safer Care
This session provides an overview of the Zero Suicide framework. The Zero Suicide framework is based on evidence showing that systemic, organization-wide approaches can reduce suicide rates in health care settings.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CCBHC)
Learning from Lived Experience: The Texas Story of Building Peer Support in Medicaid and Other Approaches from Around the Country
This panel session will help with a better understanding people’s experiences in receiving services that can help leaders design staff processes, service options and workflows. A state and a national expert will share their experience in collaborating during the development of peer support for Medicaid in Texas. They will also share practices for engaging people with service experience from state efforts across the country.
4–5 p.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Screening Children and Youth for Suicide: A Collaborative Imperative
Providers and counselors can play an integral role in identifying people who are at risk of suicide and connecting them to resources. The speaker will explain the need for screening youth through supportive data findings, review the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, discuss the importance of working with the Texas Child Health Access Through Telehealth, and community mental health agencies to strengthen the pathway to care for youth screened for suicide.
Peer Support
Understanding Boundaries and Confidentiality in Peer Support
Participants will engage in learning the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and Title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 2, and their relevance to peer support.
This presentation emphasizes the importance of confidentiality and how to maintain it, proposes ethical considerations and challenges related to dual relationships. Further, this presentation, discusses appropriate and inappropriate uses of social media, and opens a discussion about strategies for maintaining professional boundaries within an organization.
Workforce
Growing the Mental Health Workforce Through Collaborative Training Initiatives
Many different types of professionals make up the workforce that provides treatment for mental and behavioral health. The requirement for many training programs to involve field training presents opportunities for community organizations to partner with training programs. Building and sustaining successful training collaborations requires clear and continuous communication, planning and phased implementation, and ongoing evaluation to ensure all parties have their needs met. The initial investment to develop community training collaborations can contribute to both short- and long-term benefits, such as increased access to mental health care and a healthier community.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC)
Informing Program Strategies: Policies and Improvements Through Population Health Management Strategies
This session will help improve strategic planning by providing information on identified program activities, community needs and resources to address those needs. The process creates an accountable and health-oriented system of care to drive how services are organized and delivered, operating through the development of a set of cohesive strategies and interventions.
Wednesday, August 6, 2025
8:30–10 a.m.
THREE SESSIONS
Suicide
Lessons from Lived Experience: A Conversation with Survivors of Suicide Loss
During this session, participants will hear from four people who have lost someone close to them to suicide. Panelists will share things that were helpful and not so helpful to them during their time of grief, and explain ways people can better support those grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide.
Treatment
Solution-Focused Narrative Therapy: An Overview
This session will provide a comprehensive model for effectively blending the two main therapy approaches: solution-focused and narrative. The session provides an overview of the history of both models and outlines their differences, similarities, limitations and strengths. Useful client dialogue and forms are included to help the clinician guide clients in practice. Each chapter concludes with a summary describing and reinforcing the principles of the topic, and a personal exercise so the reader can experience the approach firsthand.
Workforce
The Texas Legislative Session: What Happened? What Was Impacted? What’s Next?
This session will discuss the results of the 89th Texas Legislative Session as it relates to behavioral health services and the resulting potential implications to the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC), providers and Texans receiving services. HHSC staff not only monitored legislation but also provided information and statistics on mental health and substance use issues as requested by legislators. The speaker will discuss the number of bills introduced that had a potential impact on behavioral health in Texas, and bills that passed but are still under rulemaking review, if applicable, and the areas impacted.
10:15–11:45 a.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Prevention
The State of Prevention and Youth Access to Substances
This presentation will examine the role of local and state policies in shaping youth access to alcohol, tobacco and cannabis, both through retail and social channels, and their effects on youth use rates. The speakers will highlight emerging substance use trends among youth and the associated health and safety consequences. Participants will learn about evidence-based strategies aimed at curbing underage access and use, while also exploring how these policy approaches can foster long-term community change, strengthen local coalitions, and enhance public health outcomes.
Treatment
The Balancing Game: Navigating Healthy Gaming, Social Media and General Screen Use
Teens work, play and socialize through online platforms and activities. With so much time spent online, teens can struggle with finding a healthy balance. This speaker will explore the challenges and solutions for teens experiencing a healthy, balanced life with screens.
Treatment
Status Neutral, Stigma-Free: HIV Prevention and Care in 2025
This session explores an innovative, status-neutral approach to HIV prevention and care, designed to meet people where they are, regardless of HIV status. Drawing from real-world implementation of co-located services, the session highlights models that combine walk-in testing, rapid PrEP and ART starts, mobile outreach, and community health navigation. Participants will learn about the latest CDC guidelines, practical applications in resource-limited settings, and how to dismantle stigma while improving outcomes across the HIV care continuum.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC)
Incorporating Community Needs Assessment Results into Policies and Procedures
This session will clarify the “Golden Thread” of how to translate the findings of the Community Needs Assessment into a practical application of the model.
12:45–2:15 p.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Prevention
The Roots of Vulnerability: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Military Trauma
It’s essential for behavioral health professionals aiding military families at risk for or affected by adverse childhood experiences (ACE) to recognize the signs and offer vital support for children, families and communities. The session will review how disclosing ACE-related information without proper safeguards or consent could retraumatize the person. The speaker will discuss the careful handling of data that’s essential to avoid causing further harm.
Treatment
Boundaries: What Exactly Are They?
Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to help people understand how their thoughts and behaviors impact their feelings and experiences and to learn new ways of thinking and behaving that are more helpful. The speaker will review how to set, establish and maintain boundaries.
Suicide
Overview of AS+K About Suicide to Save a Life
On average, one person dies by suicide every two hours in Texas, so it’s crucial to learn how to help someone who may be thinking about suicide. AS+K? About Suicide to Save a Life is an evidence-based suicide prevention community training for anyone who may interact with youth or adults at risk for suicide.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Learn What They Do Not Want You to Know about CQI and Transform Your Program
Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is often introduced by a funder or monitoring body as a “data-driven” requirement. It’s time to set the data aside and foster critical thinking, partnership and innovation in your program. Attendees will learn how to energize colleagues and promote cross-departmental collaboration.
2:30–3:45 p.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Treatment
The Recovery Guide
The Recovery Guide is a free publication that focuses on mental health and substance use. These free booklets are placed in many locations throughout El Paso and Las Cruces. The organization is seeking to educate and provide resources to rural areas and the underserved. The staff are in long-term recovery, and their goal is to use their personal experience to reach as many people as possible.
Treatment
Integrated Care for HIV: A Community-Centered Approach
This session explores how Lubbock’s HIV treatment clinic is integrated with outreach efforts to support people navigating substance use disorders at a local health department. Attendees will gain a foundational understanding of HIV, including testing, risk reduction and treatment. The speaker will share lessons learned, strategies for implementation, and opportunities for replication in other communities.
Peer Support
The Role of Recovery Peer Professionals: Integration, Impact and Client Success
Presenters will provide information and details on how recovery support peer specialist (RSPS) are integrated into pre-treatment, treatment, and post-treatment phases of a client’s recovery. They will provide data collected to support engagement and outcomes of client success, and testimonials to the importance of RSPS in their lives.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Presenting Engaging Interactive Dashboards for Public Health Data
This session presents some of the principles implemented to improve data visualization, messaging and storytelling through public health data. The Center for Health Statistics Data Visualization Unit developed and published over 50 interactive dashboards on the Texas Health Data website that provide insights into a wide range of public health topics, including birth and death trends, drug-related health statistics, mental health, and maternal and child health.
4–5 p.m.
TWO SESSIONS
Workforce Issues
Mission Mindset: The Path for All Generations
The mixing of generations presents challenges in the workplace. Recruitment, retention and reward have gotten more complex given the wide variations in generational norms and experiences. Employee satisfaction and employee engagement are closely related when considering employees. In this session, participants will learn perspective options to increase both.
Treatment
No Shame in the Swab: Destigmatizing and Strengthening STI Testing and Treatment
This session unpacks the growing rates of syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs), with a focus on actionable public health interventions. The presentation covers routine screening recommendations, same-day treatment, express testing models, and approaches for reaching underserved populations. It also emphasizes the importance of affirming care and how shifting language and visibility can increase uptake of services.
Thursday, August. 7, 2025
8:30–9:45 a.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Prevention and Treatment
A Risky Combination: Alcohol, Cannabis and Impaired Driving
Alcohol and cannabis remain the most widely used substances among Texas youth. This early substance use contributes to a significantly higher risk of unsafe behaviors and fatal consequences, especially when it comes to impaired driving. This session draws on state-level survey data, crash statistics and youth behavior research to examine how alcohol and cannabis use are fueling impaired driving incidents. Participants will review current trends and contributing factors, and explore evidence-based prevention strategies.
Workforce
Recognize to Energize: Fueling Motivation through Appreciation
In this session, participants will learn how employee recognition can boost motivation by acknowledging accomplishments, fostering a positive work environment, and reinforcing desired behaviors. Recognition helps employees feel valued and appreciated, leading to increased engagement, productivity, and job satisfaction. By acknowledging contributions, recognition also encourages innovation, boosts morale, and reduces burnout.
Suicide
The Deadly Gap: Why More Suicides Occur Immediately Following Military Separation
According to the peer reviewed article, The deadly gap: Understanding suicide among veterans transitioning out of the military, the suicide rate during the first year following service separation is 2.5 times higher than the rate for active duty service members This period, deemed “The Deadly Gap,” showcases the need for transitional support services as service members separate from the military and enter the civilian world. Understanding veteran experiences before and during military service from a neuroscience perspective can enable mental health professionals and family members to better support veterans.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Clear Communication, Better Care: Advancing Behavioral Health Literacy for All
Health literacy can elevate behavioral health services by improving community engagement, addressing mental health stigma and elevating treatment outcomes. The session will highlight evidence-based strategies for increasing mental health literacy, with a focus on practical tools to improve communication and engagement with people facing behavioral health challenges. Through the session, participants will gain insights on how to promote mental health literacy in their communities, ultimately working toward better health outcomes and reduced disparities in behavioral health.
10–11:30 a.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Prevention
The Vaping Dilemma: From Trend to Health Crisis Among Youth
This session will provide insight into the evolution of e-cigarettes, tracing their development from “safer” smoking alternatives to a youth epidemic. Attendees will explore trends in youth vaping and discuss how these devices have become especially popular among younger generations.
Treatment
Texas Compassionate Use Program: What Addiction Professionals Need to Know
This session will help professionals understand the Texas Compassionate Use Program that allows for certain doctors to prescribe legal use of THC under specific guidelines. With legal THC use growing in popularity, addiction professionals, mental health professionals and administration should be armed with the knowledge of what’s allowed and what’s not. Understanding how legal THC will present itself in practices and how professionals and administration can address this topic can mean the difference between a person engaging and never returning.
Prevention and Treatment
Empowered Recovery: How Prevention Protects Progress
Sustaining long-term recovery requires more than just treatment — it demands proactive strategies to prevent relapse and maintain overall well-being. This presentation explores the critical role of prevention in recovery, emphasizing the importance of early intervention, healthy coping mechanisms and community support. Through real-world examples and evidence-based approaches, this session will empower people working toward recovery, providers and communities to take an active role in strengthening recovery and fostering long-term success.
Prevention and Treatment
The Skin Signs of Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a widespread global health and human rights issue. The skin often bears the early and most visible signs of abuse and exploitation. Speakers hope to emphasize the importance of early identification and intervention, as well as bring awareness to critical signs, including dermatologic evidence of abuse, infectious diseases, sexually transmitted infections, substance use and branding.
12:30–1:30 p.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Prevention and Treatment
What Families Need Providers to Know: Importance of Family Engagement
When a person has a severe mental illness, families want loved ones to receive compassionate care and effective treatment. The Treatment Advocacy Council (TAC) seeks to serve as a respected collaborator. This session highlights what the organization has learned. Direct personal experience is blended with data collected by TAC, medical research, and federal sources to demonstrate knowledge-practice gaps in the engagement of families to improve the outcomes of people with severe mental illness.
Treatment
Using Self-Awareness to Advocate for Support Needs in Different Environments
The tool of self-awareness can be used by and help support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities to identify and advocate for their support needs. Using a presentation and worksheet, attendees will learn the three concepts of self-awareness: strengths, challenges and personality traits.
Peer Support
Been There, Done That, Peer and Simple
As peer services expand to many different settings in the behavioral health system, organizations have experienced challenges that can impair their effectiveness. This panel will describe the fundamental role of peer support, as well as the experiences of peer support specialists who provide services in various settings and how they have overcome challenges.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
Community Leadership and Data Integration in Health Needs Assessments
This session provides a practical overview of how public health leaders can organize and activate a community leadership committee to guide the development of a community health needs assessment (CHNA). The presenter will introduce the concept of centralized platforms, such as a proposed lake house model to integrate cross-departmental data. These practices enhance the CHNA process by incorporating a wide range of social, economic and health indicators.
1:45–3:15 p.m.
AFTERNOON KEYNOTE
Prevention and Treatment
The Power of Relationships: Strategies to Nurture Resilience
With the emergence of the field of “positive psychology,” there has been an increased interest and ongoing research in how best to strengthen protective factors and resilience in children and adults and move from a crisis intervention to a crisis prevention approach. In this session, participants will learn about research showing the significance of positive relationships in setting a foundation to nurture resilience in youth and about the work that has been done to identify specific strategies parents, caregivers and professionals in different fields can use to foster caring, hope, self-discipline and resilience in children and teens in our homes, schools and communities.
3:30–5 p.m.
TWO SESSIONS
Prevention
Understanding Current Substance Use Trends in Texas
Substance use continues to evolve in Texas and the United States, with shifting demographics, new drug threats and emerging treatment options. This session will review recent patterns, key risk factors, and how each segment of the population is impacted, and highlight the challenges of treatment and relapse. The speaker will review the public health approach to addressing substance use and describe trends in adolescent and adult substance use, misuse, and associated risks and harms.
Treatment and Peer Support
Makes Me Wanna Holla
This presentation is grounded in research-backed approaches to mental health, substance use recovery and peer support. Key evidence-based frameworks include liberating structures, peer support as a healing modality, trauma-informed care, and community-based participatory research.
Friday, Aug. 8, 2025
8:30–9:45 a.m.
MORNING KEYNOTE
Workforce and Suicide
Beyond the Medical Model: Soul Exhaustion and Soul Care
For many people, the idea of the soul — the essence of “who” they are — resonates deeply. This presentation by Twila Farrar, MEd, LPC-S, RPT-S, CAS and Jenifer Balch PhD, LPC-S, RPT-S, CAS will bring the concept of the soul to the forefront of discussion regarding how we conceptualize ourselves and others and explore the concept of “Soul Exhaustion.” Soul Exhaustion takes on a deep exploration of personal experiences such as poverty, adverse childhood experiences, problematic coping mechanisms, trauma and loss.
10–11:15 a.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Prevention
Exploring the Adolescent Brain: Key Insights for Professionals
Adolescence is a time of substantial and systematic changes to the brain. With so many changes happening, it can lead to a variety of emotions for parents and professionals as they work to understand and navigate this unique time in a person’s life. This workshop will focus on creating an increased understanding of adolescent development.
Treatment
When Nourishment Feels Unsafe: Eating Disorders, Autism and ADHD
Eating can be filled with overwhelming feelings, disconnection and shame for many people whose brains develop or work differently. This session explores the nuanced intersections of autism, ADHD and eating disorders, and why these conditions frequently co-occur, how conventional treatment often fails people whose brains work differently, and what inclusive, affirming support can look like. We’ll also unpack the deep impacts of masking, societal expectations and anti-fat bias.
Suicide
Beyond the Noise: Mindfulness, Brain Science and Suicide Prevention
Mindfulness, rooted in neuroscience, offers a promising avenue for suicide prevention by mitigating reactive responses. Research demonstrates that consistent mindfulness practice alters brain regions associated with emotional regulation and impulse control. Emphasizing the distinction between meditation (a formal practice) and mindfulness (a state of awareness), this session offers accessible tools for building resilience, promoting emotional regulation and preventing suicide.
Treatment and Criminal Justice
Engagement Strategies for Justice-Involved Individuals with Severe Mental Illness
Linking justice-involved individuals with mental illness with treatment is critical to preventing recidivism, but little research exists to inform efforts to engage them effectively. Findings show that the use of practitioner strategies — such as motivational interviewing, person-centered approach and trauma-informed care — can be effective.
11:30 a.m. to 12:45 p.m.
FOUR BREAKOUT SESSIONS
Prevention
Heroes-ICON: Statewide Prevention, Treatment and Recovery in Substance Use Disorders
Heroes is the Houston Emergency Opioid Engagement System. This session will delve into the critical aspects and innovative techniques of prevention, treatment and recovery, highlighting the intricate parts of our program that ensure continuous support and community integration for people living with substance use disorders. Attendees will gain insights into naloxone distribution and community organizing to increase awareness and decrease stigma. Attendees will learn about our hybrid outpatient treatment model and discuss the key elements of recovery, such as building recovery capital, the power of peer support, and connecting people living with substance use disorders to community resources.
Treatment
Trauma: Ways to Respond to Its Effects
This session offers an overview of the frequency and impact of abuse and other traumatic experiences on people, with a special emphasis on people who have intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) who have experienced trauma. The presentation includes information on evidence-based practices found to be effective in the treatment of trauma symptoms, common causes of trauma in the IDD population, and a brief overview of common physiological, behavioral and emotional responses to traumatic events.
Suicide
Suicide Loss: Grief and Trauma
When exploring the impact of suicide loss, it’s common to focus on the complexity of the grief. While this is an essential component of suicide loss, it often goes hand in hand with trauma, which is often less acknowledged or identified. Suicide loss directly attacks a person’s sense of self. This workshop will provide an in-depth exploration of how suicide loss is different from most other losses. Attendees will examine the unique aspects of grief, the impact of trauma, and explore the concept of “Soul Exhaustion” in the context of suicide Loss.
Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics
T.Hanks for the Memories: Texas CCBHC Site Visit Findings
Certified community behavioral health clinics (CCBHCs) are specially designated clinics that provide a comprehensive range of mental health and substance use services. CCBHCs increase access to care, expand the state’s capacity to address the overdose crisis, reduce mental health-related hospitalizations, help address the workforce shortage, and create innovative partnerships with law enforcement, schools and hospitals to improve care. This session will provide an overview of findings from site visits to Texas organizations using CCBHCs.