Monday, December 9, 2024

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8:00 AM – 9:00 AM       

Registration, Continental Breakfast, and Networking 

      

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM       

Plenary Session

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The Time is Now: Tapping into the Full Potential of Behavioral Healthcare Providers to Prevent Violence

Pemigewasset  ​

Click here for the presentation PDF

This plenary session will describe the current landscape for behavioral healthcare services and its impact on providers’ abilities to engage effectively in violence prevention efforts. Behavioral healthcare providers will be encouraged to reimagine the kinds of distress that cause someone to consider violence and the implications for services. Finally, the plenary will introduce new models of healthcare delivery that encourage partnerships between clinicians, communities, and other service sectors in order to prevent vulnerable individuals from falling through the cracks.  

 

Trainer: Emma Cardeli, Ph.D., Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School

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10:00 AM – 10:30 AM

Break with Exhibitors 

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10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Session A Workshops 

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A1 - Enhancing Clinical Supervision Skills

Dartmouth

Click here for the presentation PDF
This workshop is designed to support individuals who are looking to become a clinical supervisor, for those new to providing clinical supervision, and for those looking to enhance their current skills as a clinical supervisor. The workshop supports leadership development by identifying who is able to provide clinical supervision within New Hampshire and give tools to help those individuals feel confident in doing so. This workshop aims to support workforce expansion in the substance abuse field by increasing potential interest to provide clinical supervision, as well as supporting participants to feel more confident with their techniques and skills in providing clinical supervision specifically to those interested in becoming Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (LADCs) & Master Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselors (MLADCs) and ongoing supervision of LADCs.

Trainer: Nick Pfeifer, LICSW, MLADC, Clinical Supervisor, NH Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association
Trainer: Heather Smith, LCMHC, MLADC, R-DMT, Clinical Supervisor, NH Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselors Association

A2 - Intensive Treatment within the New Hampshire Department of Corrections

Pemigewasset  

Click here for the presentation PDF
This session will provide an overview of the Focus Unit, and other treatments offered in the prison system if New Hampshire.  This methodology bares the title of “Focus Unit” in that the Intense Clinical treatment is conducted within a Wellness Community environment that addresses these chemical dependency issues. In addition to the residential component, the Focus Unit also oversees the transition into essential follow-up treatment modalities. Discussion will include trial and errors experienced, providing interventions to this specialized population. Insight into criminogenic thinking and the impact it has on treatments. The use of Addiction Treatment Medications and the impact of relapse prevention.

Trainer: Heidi Guinen, Deputy Director Forensic Services, New Hampshire Department of Corrections
Trainer: Dianne York, Administrator of Addiction Services, New Hampshire Department of Corrections

A3 – Organizing Authentic, Peer-Led, Street Outreach for People Who Use Drugs (PWUD) and the Unsheltered Community

Piscataquog

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This workshop will examine peer-led outreach and hybrid models of recovery and harm reduction in outreach for people who use drugs and our unsheltered communities. We will discuss best-practices, biases, barriers and challenges to incorporating people with both lived and living experience in these efforts. We will also explore empowerment models that can reconnect our most vulnerable community members to safer drug use, overdose prevention, and improve access and connections to wellness.

Trainer: John Burns, Executive Director, SOS Recovery Community Organization
Trainer: Maggie Padgett, Director of Operations, SOS Recovery Community Organization

A4 - Slaying Your Demons: The Use of Tabletop Roleplaying Games in Therapy

Contoocook

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Who says therapy can't be fun and games? Learn about the emerging field of therapeutic gaming, the application of tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons in group therapy, and how therapeutic gaming fits with modalities like DBT and ACT. This workshop will involve discussion of evidence supporting therapeutic gaming, hands on practice in using character creation as a therapeutic gaming with an emphasis on the importance of play for adolescents and adults. Led by Certified Therapeutic Game Master Erin Chamberlin, LCMHC, this is a chance to bring a fresh new perspective to therapy.

Trainer: Erin Chamberlain, LCMHC, Stonecrop Counseling

A5 – Advocacy 101: Influencing Behavioral Health Policy in NH

Frost/Hawthorne

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Public policy that positively impacts behavioral health services in NH is implemented when people with professional and lived experiences are involved in the policy-making process. This workshop will provide an introduction to our state legislature and how you can get involved by sharing your expertise and stories with legislators. We'll provide practical advice for participating in public hearings, contacting legislators, using media, and other advocacy strategies. You will leave feeling empowered with the knowledge and resources to take action in the 2025 legislative session.

Trainer: Jess Wojenski, Training Manager, New Futures
Trainer: Jake Berry, Vice President of Policy, New Futures

A6 - Regulatory Compliance for Behavioral Health Providers

Merrimack

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Two healthcare lawyers will present strategies for behavioral health professionals and administrators to ensure compliance in a changing regulatory environment. The workshop will include didactic instruction on healthcare compliance requirements, as well as practical tips and examples. Topics will include compliance with patient privacy laws like HIPAA and 42 CFR Part 2 (the substance use disorder regulations), billing compliance, telehealth practice and cross-state licensure, and other relevant legal topics. The presenters will use case examples to illustrate best practices.

Trainer: Laurie Beth Pliakos, Chief Compliance Officer & General Counsel, InStride Health
Trainer: Lucy Hodder, Professor, Director of Health Law, UNH Law

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12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Lunch and Networking 

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1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Session B Workshops 

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B1 - TBD
Session description TBD

Trainer: TBD

B2 – Empowering New Hampshire’s Peer Support Workforce: Strategies for Development and Integration

Frost/Hawthorne

Click here for the presentation PDF
This presentation will examine a range of statewide initiatives aimed at enhancing the roles of peer support specialists. We will delve into the creation of a targeted orientation program for peer employes, an initial training curriculum for new hires, and significant findings from statewide surveys on the peer support workforce’s status and job satisfaction. Additionally, we will highlight career advancement pathways designed to promote growth and retention. These efforts are crucial for driving the expansion of the behavioral health workforce, focusing on treatment and recovery support.

Trainer: Ayla Kendall, Administrator of Peer and Family Support, NH Department of Health and Human Services

Trainer: James Corbett, Principal, Initium Health

Trainer: Ayla Steere, Office of Consumer and Family Affairs Program Specialist, Bureau of Mental Health Services, NH Department of Health & Human Services

B3 – The Queer Youth Resilience Project: Increasing Access to Mental Health Care for LGBTQ+ Youth

Merrimack

Click here for the presentation PDF
The Queer Youth Resilience Project is a collaborative training initiative to increase access to culturally competent mental health care for LGBTQ+ youth in New Hampshire. This workshop will provide participants with an introduction to the unique needs and treatment considerations of this vulnerable population. Participants will also learn how this program may be implemented to meet the training needs of clinicians across a variety of work settings.

Trainer: Sara Sullivan, Owner/Founder/Clinician, Inclusive Minds, LLC; Queer Youth Resilience Project
Trainer: Heidi Carrington Heath, Executive Director, Seacoast Outright

B4 - Guiding Veterans into Care Through the Behavioral Health Liaison Program

Contoocook

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As behavioral health professionals, we often talk about meeting our clients where they’re at – but how often do our systems and structures support us in truly doing that? When our systems are collectively understaffed, overburdened, and overwhelmed, we find ourselves having to protect our internal resources by being selective about who we serve, when, and how we serve them. We become vigilant when we’re doing more work than our client is, and we might describe those clients as being disengaged or not ready for treatment. Are we truly meeting these clients where they’re at? This workshop explores how a specialized case management program at the Manchester VA has increased engagement and improved behavioral health outcomes for Veterans who were otherwise falling through the cracks. Participants in this workshop will consider what gaps exist in their own systems for individuals who would benefit from treatment, and the positive outcomes of working creatively to engaging those individuals.

Trainer: Shelby Barron, Social Worker, Manchester VA

B5 - The New Hampshire Rapid Response System – Transforming Statewide Crisis Services

Pemigewasset  

Click here for the presentation PDF
The behavioral health Crisis System in New Hampshire has undergone dramatic changes over the last three years. Since the Launch of Rapid Response on January 1st 2022 how behavioral health crisis services are delivered in NH has irrevocably changed. Given this sea change in crisis service delivery and the complexity of implementing a new statewide system - questions and misunderstandings about how NHRR functions continue to arise. This workshop will offer a comprehensive overview of the NHRR system and its core functions - "Someone to Talk To, Someone to Respond, and Somewhere to Go."

Trainer: Brian C. Harvey, Clinical Planning and Review Specialist, NH Bureau for Mental Health Services
Trainer: Kerry Ali, Account Executive II,  Elevance Health
Trainer: Katherine Cox, Suicide Prevention Coordinator, NH Department of Health & Human Services

B6 – Stories: Power, Hope, and Healing

Piscataquog

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When individuals share their personal mental health journeys, the impact on the listeners is powerful.  It changes attitudes, assumptions, and ideas about people with mental health challenges; it encourages and empowers everyone.  From a historical perspective dating to the 1900s, participants will hear about a documented story of peer support that set in motion the most consequential ‘voice raising’ which was instrumental in shaping our existing approach to mental illness. This workshop will also include a panel of NAMI New Hampshire (National Alliance on Mental Illness) In Our Own Voice presenters who will provide a personal perspective of their mental health condition, their journey to recovery, and the hope they can provide by sharing their story.  Participants will see courage in action and feel inspired by these stories of transformation

Trainer: Phil Wyzik, CEO, Monadnock Family Service
Trainer: Michele Watson, Volunteer Engagement Services Director, NH NAMI

  

2:30 PM – 3:00 PM

Break with Exhibitors 

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3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Session C Workshops 

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C1 – Building Resiliency in Children and Families: Strengthening Agency and Community Connections

Contoocook

Click here for the presentation PDF
In this interactive workshop, participants will explore practical strategies and community-based approaches to foster resilience in children and families affected by trauma. This presentation will address children's behavioral health, cross-system alignment and integration, and priority populations. The workshop will consist of a brief presentation on the foundations of trauma and resilience, show a video of trauma informed care in practice from NH practitioners, and an asset mapping activity for people to start thinking about how to improve their own communities.

Trainer: Corina Chao, Project Director, UNH Institute for Health Policy and Practice
Trainer: Delitha Watts, Project Director, UNH Institute for Health Policy and Practice
Trainer: Kathryn Mullaney, Consultant – Trauma Informed Care, UNH Institute for Health Policy and Practice

C2 - NH Drug Trends and Compassionate Overdose Response

Piscataquog

Click here for the presentation PDF
The course examines trends in NH and explores the adulterants cut into today’s street drug supply and their physical effects, including in samples of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin and methamphetamine as well as the presence of xylazine in fentanyl. This will provide an opportunity to discuss community drug checking and the barriers in NH around policies that inhibit effective overdose prevention strategies impacted by adulterants. We will discuss how trends in the current drug supply impact overdose response strategies to produce lifesaving responses with more compassion.

Trainer: John Burns, Executive Director, SOS Recovery Community Organization
Trainer: Eileen Doyle, Training Coordinator, SOS Recovery Community Organization

C3 – Alliance for Addiction Payment Reform: Value-Based Reimbursement Methodologies for Treatment and Recovery 

Dartmouth

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This workshop will highlight the guiding principles of the Alliance for Addiction Payment Reform's Addiction Recovery Medical Home Alternative Payment Model (ARMH-APM). Through application of the value-based reimbursement methodologies outlined in the ARMH-APM, organizations are able to leverage powerful payment incentive realignment which focuses on improved access, quality and care experience that moves away from traditional fee for service methodologies which incentivize the maximization of reimbursement through service volume.

Trainer: Eric Bailly, Senior Director, Third Horizon Strategies
Trainer: Greg Williams, President, Third Horizons Strategies

C4 - Enhancing Crisis Response Through Integrated Care: A New Workforce Development Program for NH’s Rapid Response Crisis System
Merrimack

Click here for the presentation PDF
This workshop offers an overview of the new NH Rapid Response Crisis Training and Certification Program funded by the State of New Hampshire, Department of Health and Human Services, and coordinated by the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. This program aims to establish practice standards across the NH Rapid Response system, equip trainees with knowledge, skills, and tools to effectively respond to crisis in their communities, and expand the crisis responder workforce in NH.

Trainer: Beth Grosso, Director of Training and Professional Development, UNH Institute on Disability
Trainer: Macey Muller, Project Director II, UNH Institute on Disability
Trainer: Brian Harvey, Clinical Planning and Review Specialist, Bureau of Mental Health Services, NH Department of Health and Human Services

C5 – Promoting Culturally Responsive Behavioral Healthcare: All Means All

Frost/Hawthorne

Click here for the presentation PDF
This presentation relates specifically to the conference objective "to encourage expansion of the workforce relative to health promotion, prevention, early identification and intervention, treatment and recovery supports," by focusing on individuals who face barriers in accessing or providing high quality behavioral healthcare because of their race, ethnicity, gender identity, or ability. This workshop will include a presentation of an empirically developed report and set of recommendations that focus on the goal of " creating equitable access to behavioral healthcare" in New Hampshire.

Trainer: Joanne M. Malloy, Research Associate Professor, UNH Institute on Disability
Trainer: Talmira Hill, Principal, T. L. Hill Group
Trainer: Anna Adachi-Mejia, Principal, Adachi Labs, LLC

C6 - An Updated Framework for Ethical Decision-Making to Apply in Complicated Situations

Pemigewasset  

Click here for the presentation PDF
In recognition of the impact of various social tensions on ethical dilemmas faced in clinical practice, the NH Psychological Association’s Ethics Committee updated Stephen Behnke’s “4-bin approach” to ethical dilemmas by adding an additional “bin” to ensure that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) factors are considered in ethical decision making. This workshop will review ways that social and political polarization can contribute to ethical dilemmas in clinical practice, review clinicians’ ethical responsibility to firearm safety, and provide examples of supplication of the updated approach.

Trainer: Cynthia Whitaker, President and CEO, Greater Nashua Mental Health
Trainer: Celia Oliver, Chair, NHPA Ethics Committee

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Tuesday, December 10, 2024

  

8:00 AM – 9:00 AM

Registration, Continental Breakfast, and Networking 

  

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM

Plenary Session 

 

New Hampshire’s Housing Challenges; Through the Lens of the Behavioral Health Community 

Pemigewasset  

Click here for the presentation PDF

Issues around affordable and available housing are at the forefront of policy developments at the federal, state, and local levels. As New Hampshire lawmakers prepare for the upcoming legislative session, this critical issue will be front and center. This keynote presentation will feature leaders from New Hampshire Housing, a key organization driving housing solutions in the state. The presentation will address overall housing challenges and explore specific opportunities for supporting individuals with behavioral health conditions.

Trainer: Lisa K. Madden, MSW, President & CEO, Riverbend Community Mental Health, Inc.
Trainer: Natasha Dube, Director, Multifamily Resources and Planning, NH Housing 
Trainer: Christine Lavallee, Senior Program Manager, Housing Grants Programs, NH Housing 
Trainer: Emily Boisvert, Senior Program Manager, Supportive Housing, Multifamily Housing Division, NH Housing
 

10:00 AM – 10:30 AM

Break with Exhibitors 

  

10:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Session D Workshops 

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D1 – Thriving in the Workplace: Understanding and Addressing Secondary Exposure to Trauma Among New Hampshire’s Behavioral Health Workforce

Pemigewasset  

Click here for the presentation PDF
Secondary exposure to trauma (SET) can have serious personal and professional impacts among those who observe or interact with the traumatic experiences of others. This workshop describes a statewide initiative working to understand and address the impact of SET on the state’s behavioral health workforce. It will include an overview of findings from the field and describes a pilot project which is helping NH SUD treatment and recovery organizations and their staff use comprehensive, research-based personal and organizational strategies to identify and mitigate the effects of SET.

Trainer: Mana Rose, Director of Research and Evaluation, New Hampshire Technical Assistance Center, Growth Partners, LLC
Trainer: Melissa Silvey, Technical Assistance Manager, New Hampshire Technical Assistance Center
Trainer: Lisa Leary, Consultant, Lisa Leary Consulting

D2 - Against All Odds: Risks, Strengths, and Resilience of Persons in the LFBTQ+ Community; How Providers Can Be Allies

Contoocook

Click here for the presentation PDF
LGBTQ+ individuals face unique and significant social and personal challenges that compromise their mental, emotional, and physical well-being. This workshop will examine the many dynamics that exist through a socio-ecological perspective and offer insights that will help providers and others supporting people in the LGBTQ+ community. This will include a review of the specific risks and warning signs for suicide and methods to strengthen protective factors and approaches around harm reduction to improve overall quality of life and wellness for gender diverse people. The workshop will offer strategies to improve environments towards safety, health and inclusion and will offer direct examples through lived experience.

Trainer: Jace Troie, DEI & Program Assistant, NAMI NH
Trainer: Elaine de Mello, Director of Suicide Prevention Services, NAMI NH

D3 – Soul Wounds – Moral Injury in Military Service Members and Veterans

Merrimack

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Military Service Members (MSM) face many difficulties while deployed, such as Moral Injury (MI). According to Normandin, “The resulting emphasis and attention given to PTSD and TBI have overshadowed moral injury and may have created a treatment gap for service members” (2017). It is becoming clear that the guilt and shame of MI, as well as the increased risk for suicide and substance abuse due to MI, are increasingly present in today's Military and Veteran populations. Thus, it is vital to understand MI as well as evidence-based approaches to treatment for the well-being of this population.

Trainer: Katherin Langone, Owner & LCMHC, Freedom to Thrive Therapy LLC

D4 – Engagement and Outcomes for Families Impacted by Paternal Substance Use Disorder: An Adapted Wraparound Program

Piscataquog

Click here for the presentation PDF
Approximately 12% of children in the U.S. have a parent with a substance use disorder (SUD), resulting in heightened risk of child welfare involvement and other adverse outcomes. The Wraparound model could be an excellent fit for this population, with adaptations (e.g., parent recovery focus). We will describe our 4-year P2P project delivering the program, highlighting caregiver perspectives of barriers and facilitators to engagement and retention. We will also present qualitative and quantitative findings related to child well-being, parenting capacity, and parent addiction severity.

Trainer: Logan Paluch, Project Coordinator, Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center
Trainer: Kady Sternberg, Research Coordinator, Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center
Trainer: Erin Barnett, Associate Professor, Dartmouth Trauma Interventions Research Center

D5 - Moving Toward Whole Person Care: Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics as a Model for Comprehensive and Coordinated Services

Frost/Hawthorne

Click here for the presentation PDF

Click here for the presentation PDF
States, payers, and providers are increasingly seeking to reduce the historic fragmentation within our behavioral health care delivery system. The Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics model brings new opportunities to integrate mental health and substance use disorder treatment while improving coordination with primary care and other health and human services. This workshop will provide practical guidance on how to move towards whole-person care while managing transformational change at the clinical, operational and state policy levels.

Trainer: Mindy Klowden, Managing Director, Behavioral Health, Third Horizon Strategies
Trainer: Cassandra Durand, Director of ProHealth Integrated Care and Research, The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester
Trainer: Jennifer De Voe, Vice President of Quality Improvement, Compliance, and EMR, The Mental Health Center of Greater Manchester

 

D6 - Engaging Communities and Care Providers to Improve Perinatal Mental Health in NH

Dartmouth

Click here for the presentation PDF
The NH Perinatal Quality Collaborative partners with the state of NH to lead perinatal improvement efforts across the state directly with hospitals, community service providers and service users. Our work implementing the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology's initiative the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) Perinatal Mental Health Conditions actively strives to align evidence-based services and integrate and enhance care provider communication around these clinical pathways. We will share the NH data on perinatal mental health conditions with a focus on the disparities and broad public health impact. Aspects of the improvement work will be detailed to support participants' ability to integrate best practices at their home sites and the importance of collaboration between hospitals and community based behavioral health providers. Break out groups will allow participants an opportunity to replicate our approach in communities that brings together all stakeholders to identify current challenges with providing and accessing perinatal mental health services. Groups will create process maps and collaboratively identify feasible solutions.

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Trainer: Julie Bosak, Director, NH Perinatal Quality Collaborative, Dartmouth Hitchcock Population Health
Trainer: Stephanie Langlois, Senior Coordinator, NH Perinatal Quality Collaborative, Dartmouth Hitchcock Population Health

Trainer: Madalynne Bridge, Population Health Coordinator Sr., Dartmouth Health

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12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

Lunch and Networking 

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1:00 PM – 2:30 PM

Session E Workshops 

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E1 - Should I Stay or Should I Go? The Ethics of Engagement

Pemigewasset  

Click here for the presentation PDF
How much and how long do you attempt to engage an individual when they are seemingly ambivalent about working with you or your team? This workshop helps participants balance the various engagement options and decisions, while considering a spectrum from client self-determination to possible abandonment. This training discusses the culture of engagement and supports participants in facilitating diverse engagement strategies, including specific evidence-based practices. This workshop helps participants resolve engagement dilemmas by considering the ethics in engagement. This workshop is interactive, includes skills practice, and provides engagement tools.

 

Trainer: Christine Powers, National Consultant & Trainer, University of Washington

E2 - Improving Behavioral Health Access for Students: Observations About Organization-Level Efforts to Strengthen Collaboration Between Community Mental Health Agencies and School Districts

Frost/Hawthorne

Click here for the presentation PDF
Drawing from our experiences with community mental health and other youth-serving agencies working with school districts to strengthen behavioral health access and quality, we will share observations and lessons learned about organization-level strategies intended to enhance collaboration, service provision and care coordination for youth in schools. We will highlight mental health counseling and substance misuse implementation of the NH MTSS-B framework. Participants will identify organization-level barriers to school/community agency collaboration, explore the challenges and benefits of adjusting school and agency-level policies and procedures, and brainstorm solutions to enhance integration with local school districts to improve access to behavioral health care for youth in need of services.

Trainer: Stefanie King, MTSS-B Consultant, NH Department of Education
Trainer: Tom Perlet, Assistant Director, Children’s Intervention Program, Riverbend Community Mental Health

E3 - Beyond the Label: Dangers in Misdiagnosis for Survivors of Brain Injury with Co-occurring Mental Health Needs

Dartmouth

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Brain injury survivors share their first-hand experiences, to demonstrate the dangers associated with diagnostic overshadowing. By the end of the session, participants will have a deeper understanding of how to provide comprehensive, empathetic, and person-centered care. The session will provide clinical assessment strategies to effectively address complexities of the intersection of brain injury and mental health. Participants will gain insight regarding systemic issues that contribute to misdiagnosis and inadequate access to care.

Trainer: Chelsea Zarcone, Clinical Brain Injury Specialist, Center for Life Management
Trainer: Jacob LaBrack, Father-Son-Brother (TBI Survivor), Center for Life Management
Trainer: Samantha Morse, Mother-Daughter-Wife (TBI Survivor), Center for Life Management

E4 - Happy and Healthy Employees: Strategies for Supporting Wellness in the Workplace to Improve Engagement and Retention
Contoocook

Click here for the presentation PDF
Workshop attendees will learn how fostering staff participation in health and wellness challenges requires a multifaceted approach encompassing inclusive and supporting programming, leadership involvement, and incentives. By prioritizing employee wellbeing and creating a culture that values self-care as healthcare, organizations can reap the benefits of a happier, healthier, and more engaged workforce. The workshop will outline key takeaways and actionable steps from two organizations’ endeavors to promote healthy habits among staff.

Trainer: Corey Gately, Director of Substance Use Services, Concord Hospital – Laconia

Trainer: Mike Gallagher, CRSW Peer Supervisor, Navigating Recovery

E5 – Advancing Outpatient Psychiatric Care: Five Years of Success with Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Intranasal Ketamine
Merrimack

Click here for the presentation PDF

About 30% if the 21 million adults suffering from depression are considered “treatment resistant” in that they do not respond to two or more trials of adequate dose and duration of antidepressant medications. A third attempt at an antidepressant has less than a 15% change of successful treatment. Evidence-based interventional psychiatric treatments such as TMS and Esketamine/Intranasal Ketamine have success rates of over 70%. It is important that all mental health and primary care providers understand more about these advanced psychiatric interventions that are available here in NH.

Trainer: Paul Belliveau, Medical Director, Innovative Psychiatry Center Inc.
Trainer: Vicki Petalas, Clinical Director, Innovative Psychiatry Center Inc.

E6 – Improving Outcomes in Substance Use Treatment Through Increased Integration

Piscataquog

Click here for the presentation PDF

This workshop will review how increased integration of addiction treatment services with primary care (including medication management for SUD), mental health treatment, and housing can improve outcomes for patients receiving addiction treatment services. The workshop will explore how this model of service delivery has been able to improve access and decrease barriers to multidisciplinary care for at-risk clients, and improves retention and client outcomes.

 

Trainer: Christina Loder, Director of Behavioral Health and Substance Use Services, Harbor CareTrainer: Doreen Boutin, Clinician, Harbor Care

Trainer: Cameron Bergeron, Lead Psychotherapist, Harbor Care

Trainer: Doreen Boutin, Clinician, Harbor Care

  

3:00 PM – 4:30 PM

Session F Workshops 

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F1 – End of Life Care and Medical Aid in Dying

Frost/Hawthorne

Click here for the presentation PDF

NH’s rapidly aging population presents primary health and mental health providers with difficult challenges in providing end of life care. Medical Aid in Dying (MAID) is legal for our neighbors in Canada, Maine, and Vermont and Vermont has dropped its residency requirements which has implications for NH residents and practitioners. In 2024, the NH End of Life Options Act HB 1283 passed the House, but was sent to interim study by the state Senate. This workshop will review arguments for an against MAID as well as criteria and data from states where it is legal. We will identify differences between suicide and MAID and review the importance of suicide prevention awareness for older adults.Trainer: Ken Norton, Grampy, School of Life Long Learning

F2 – Best Practices and Resources for Postvention as Prevention: A Collaborative Approach to Reduce Risk and Promote Healing After Suicide Loss

Pemigewasset  

Click here for the presentation PDF
The impact of suicide deaths can be devastating for close friends and family, as well as the larger community including schools, employment settings and other organizations. Dynamics around suicide can increase stigma and risk for vulnerable populations. Helping individuals and groups find support can be strengthened with some of the resources available in NH and through an integrated response guided by evidence-based practices. A systemic approach that includes technical assistance and training, increases our state capacity to respond to suicide deaths, reduce further risk and enhance healing and resilience for those affected. This workshop will provide an overview of postvention practices and concepts after a suicide occurs; the statewide response and resources available to support individuals and communities in healing from a sudden traumatic loss, and demonstrate how suicide postvention becomes suicide prevention.

Trainer: Elaine deMello, Director of Suicide Prevention Services, NAMI NH
Trainer: Skyler Conway, Disaster Behavioral Health Coordinator, NH Department of Health and Human Services

F3 - The NH Children’s System of Care and the NH Wraparound Model – How Does It All Work?

Merrimack

Click here for the presentation PDF
This workshop will explain how the NH Children’s System of Care was created, what services have evolved over time and how families with infants, children and youth receive enhanced care coordination to overcome barriers and enroll in behavioral health services. The workshop will also showcase many success stories of families who have participated in the process and community partners who have participated in the wraparound process.

Trainer: Dennis Calcutt, Director, Connected Families NH
Trainer: Melissa Davis, Early Childhood Wraparound Program Director, NFI North
Trainer: Laurie Foster, Director of Children and Youth Programs, NAMI NH

F4 – Perils of Polypharmacy

Piscataquog

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Providers are frequently asked for medication prescriptions (by their patients) for conditions that can be easily resolved through Behavioral Health Treatment. In response, PCP's may subsequently provide prescriptions that when taken together have dangerous interactions. This presentation will address the negative impacts of polypharmacy on Behavioral Health Treatment in general and in Substance Use Disorders in particular and Behavioral Health/Cognitive Behavioral Therapy as alternatives.

Trainer: Peter Mason, Medical Director, Headrest, Inc.
Trainer: Carol Furlong, Behavioral Health Consultant, Retired

F5 - Occupational Therapy in Community Behavioral Health: What Is It and How Can It Fit?

Dartmouth

Click here for the presentation PDF
Occupational Therapy (OT) is a profession centered on helping people participate in the meaningful and necessary activities of daily life that lead to health and wellbeing. The field of OT was born in mental health and focuses on helping people develop the skills they need to manage their health, develop healthy habits and routines, live independently and participate in school or work activities. While OTs often work in inpatient acute behavioral health settings, OT are not yet included in many community behavioral health services. In a time of significant behavioral health workforce shortages, OTs provide a unique and valuable perspective for client care and expand a team's treatment options. This session will discuss the evidence for OT in community behavioral health.

Trainer: Danielle Amero, Assistant Professor, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Services
Trainer: Alexa Trolley Hanson, Occupational Therapist & Research Coordinator, Boston University Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation

F6 - The Facilitating Organization Model and State Funded Recovery Community Organizations

Contoocook

Click here for the presentation PDF
This overview will share the evolution and changing landscape of the Facilitating Organization Model of Recovery Centers in NH. It will cover key policy changes and environmental changes impacting community response and service delivery. Examples of programs promoting alignment of evidence-based services, integration, and enhanced care coordination of community-based service delivery will be shared.

Trainer: Cheryle Pacapelli, Project Director, Harbor Care
Trainer: Michelle J. Lennon, President/CEO, Archways

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