Join us!
The Mormon Mental Health Association (MMHA) is excited to announce their second annual conference. Come join with other clinicians, educators and advocates working with the Mormon population to learn, network and collaborate. This year's conference is being held in partnership with the Sunstone Symposium.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Caitlin Ryan, Director of the San Francisco based Family Acceptance Project
Conference Program
To see full conference details, workshop descriptions and presenters' bios, please visit our website.
8:30 REGISTRATION
9:00-10:30 am
Research & Clinical Implications for Working with Feminist Members of the Church
Verlyne Christensen, MSc
This session will address the emergence of feminist consciousness and the experience of feminist women in a patriarchal religion based on research and professional experience.
Being an LGBT and Religion-Affirming Therapist: Avoiding the False Dichotomy
Ken Roach, MS
This session will explore attitudes and skills involved in being an LGBTQ-affirmative therapist and how to avoid the pitfalls of false dichotomies.
Addiction to Prescription Medications
Dr. Vicki Winkel, MD
Dr. Winkel will discuss recent demographics, outline which medications have the potential for abuse, and discuss implications particularly amongst Mormons.
10:30am-12pm
“I’m a Pilgrim, I’m a Stranger:” A Historical and Cultural Perspective on Substance Addiction in the LDS Church
James Ott, LCSW
This session will look at historical and cultural LDS perspectives and how use of mood-altering substances has a connection to trauma and transition.
Pausing at the Intersection of Faith, Race, and LDS Culture
LaShawn Williams-Schultz, CSW
This session will review three parts of building multicultural competence and confidence in clinical practice. The workshop will also discuss how to affirm cultural differences.
Counseling Competencies when Working with Transgender Patients
Dr. Hollie Hancock, PhD
This session will cover introductory information related to improving services for members of the Transgender community and provide a brief overview of WPATH standards.
12:00-1:00 pm LUNCH
1:00-1:30 pm
MMHA business and updates from the board
1:30-3:00 pm
Return with Trauma: Understanding & Assisting Early Returned Missionaries
Dr. Kristine J. Doty, PhD
This session will focus on recent research conducted to understand the experience of early returned missionaries and specific ways clinicians can support their adjustment.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Scrupulosity: A Mormon Perspective
Dr. John P Dehlin, MS
This session will discuss findings regarding the treatment of Scrupulosity using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy.
Families in Mourning: Managing the Contradictory Grieving Tasks Surrounding Faith Transitions in Family Systems
Peter Danzig, LCSW
This session will examine a framework for working with families and individuals undergoing faith transitions - as well as explore common difficulties and roadblocks along the way.
3:00-5:00 pm
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Dr. Caitlin Ryan, Director of the San Francisco based Family Acceptance Project
Dr. Caitlin Ryan is the founder and director of San Francisco State's nationally acclaimed Family Acceptance Project and is a leading expert on the psychology and sociology of gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth. The Family Acceptance Project, which Ryan developed in 2002, is the first initiative in the country to study the effects of acceptance and rejection on LGBT adolescents. Its research has shown a clear link between family rejection of LGBT adolescents and health problems in early adulthood, and between family acceptance and general wellbeing. In 2012, its educational booklet, "Supportive Families, Healthy Children," was designated the first "best practice" resource for preventing suicide among LGBT children, youth and young adults by the national Best Practices Registry for Suicide Prevention. Ryan and her team have also been developing the first evidence-based family support model to teach providers across all systems of care including schools, primary care, foster care and juvenile justice systems how to help ethnically and religiously diverse families support their LGBT children.
