Mormon Mental Health Association
First Annual Conference
Our First Annual Conference Is Around The Corner - PLEASE HELP SPREAD THE WORD!
Our keynote speakers will be Dr. Jennifer Finalyson-Fife, PhD and Dr. Michael Buxton, PhD. They will be presenting, "21st Century Issues for LDS People and Therapists." (see below for full presentation description.
WHAT IS THE MORMON MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION?
The Mormon Mental Health Association (MMHA) is a newly formed professional association for mental health providers, clinicians, educators and advocates who are interested in or are working with the Mormon population. MMHA is interested in increasing training, research, strategy, collaboration and education in the mental health treatment of Mormons, helping ensure that this population’s needs are being met by trained professionals who adhere to their professions’ code of ethics. This would include the ability to respectfully and adequately treat/educate Mormons self-identifying at any point of a faith-belief spectrum, a sexual orientation spectrum, a gender identity spectrum, or any other concern they may find themselves in through an evidence-based, best-practice approach. MMHA wants to help provide professionals with the tools and resources they need to succeed in the work they engage in with Mormon clients, family systems and community programs. MMHA plans on hosting an annual training conference, as well as offer a referral list of professionals willing to sign our code of ethics for the public to use as a resource referral network. (please pardon our dust as we establish and grow with you :)
PRESENTATION DETAILS
Drs. Buxton and Finlayson-Fife will be presenting on common ethical and professional concerns that can arise when treating a Mormon clientele. They will open the field to discuss current issues with which our LDS clients...and we...are heartily grappling with in a wide-open, information-rich, relationally-connecting world. How do we extract the best and most liberating beliefs and practices of the LDS religion from the most damaging? What themes do we need to be most aware of that may come up when working with LDS clients? How do mental health professionals navigate their own spiritual or religious journeys after years of empathizing with the marginalized? How do we check our own biases along the way? How do we manage when best-practice treatments do or seem to contradict LDS belief and practice?
Presenters:
Michael S. Buxton, Ph.D., MFT is an Associate Clinical Professor of Counseling Psychology in BYU’s Counseling and Psychological Services, and in private practice.
Jennifer Finlayson-Fife, Ph.D. is a private practice clinician in Chicago. She works primarily with LDS clients around issues of sexuality and desire.Michael and Jennifer recently gave a presentation at the annual conference of the American Association for Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists in Monterey, CA, entitled Help for the Godly: Resolving Impasses with Sexually Conservative Clients.
ABOUT US
MMHA was founded by Natasha Helfer Parker, LCMFT in June of 2014 under the support of the Open Stories Foundation. It is led by a Board of Directors that include:
- President: Natasha Helfer Parker
- President-Elect: Kristin B. Hodson
- Treasurer: Martin Erickson
- Secretary: Jennifer Rooney-White
- General Board Member: Jennifer Finlayson-Fife
- General Board Member: Michelle Eakin
- General Board Member: Kevin Kloosterman
- Student/Intern Representative: Adam Fisher
For more information, please contact Natasha Helfer-Parker at: natasha.parker@sbcglobal.net
Mormon Mental Health Association First Annual Conference
Thursday, Jul 31, 2014, 06:00 PM
Best Western Plus Cottontree Inn, 10695 Auto Mall Dr, Sandy, UT
Agenda
- 6:00-6:30 Opening and Welcome
- 6:30-8:00 Presentation
- 8:00-9:00 Association discussion, brainstorm and 2015 planning. We hope you will come and share your ideas with us on how this Association can be helpful for you, your practice and your professional goals.