2024 workshop reference guide
Pre-Conference Workshops
No commercial support is given for any instructor, program, or workshop. All sponsors of the conference sponsor the conference as a whole.
002. Stress, Anxiety, and Depression: Emotion Regulation Skill Building for Youth
Summary: As children develop, they encounter an array of challenges and stressors that can result in different kinds of mental health problems, including anxiety and depressive disorders. An important set of skills for psychologists, licensed mental health...
003. God Attachment, Self-esteem, and Faith
Summary: Self-esteem dramatically impacts the physical and mental health of children and adolescents. Bowlby’s attachment theory will be explained and expounded in this pre-conference workshop. Research on the migration and assimilation of attachment theory into faith...
005. When the Pressure is Too Much: Kids, Performance, and Perfectionism in Sports, Academics, and Everyday Life
Summary: It is no secret that today’s youth struggle with managing stress and anxiety related to performance and perfectionism in multiple areas of their lives. As a result, kids are getting lost and desperately seeking help, hope, and encouragement. This workshop’s...
006. The Connection Between Non-suicidal Self-injury, Eating Disorders, and Body Image
Summary: The intricate relationship between non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), eating disorders, and body image is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that has garnered significant attention in psychological research. Non-suicidal self-injury involves deliberate...
007. Toxic Stress: The Effects of Childhood Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences
Summary: What is toxic stress, and how does it differ from tolerable and positive stress experienced in childhood? This workshop will define toxic stress resulting from childhood trauma and adverse childhood experiences and how it impacts a person not only in...
008. Ethical Dilemmas and Challenges in the Mental Health Treatment of Children and Adolescents
Summary: Mental health treatment of children and adolescents requires a greater emphasis on the ethics of the care being provided by all medical and mental health care professionals in the midst of complex, challenging, and often conflicting circumstances. This...
010. Hurt 2.0: Inside the World of Today’s Youth
Summary: In recent years, cultural shifts have significantly impacted the mental health of teenagers, emphasizing the urgent need for ministry leaders, coaches, and parents to comprehend the evolving dynamics and stressors that shape the adolescent experience. This...
012. Problematic Internet Use and its Impact on Anxiety, Depression, and Addictions
Summary: Youth today are tethered to their devices. A 2022 Pew Research Center study found that 95% of teens have access to a smartphone, and 90% have desktop or laptop computer access. In 2014, 92% of teens were daily Internet users, with an uptick to 97% in 2022....
013. Crisis Point: The Prevalence of Youth Suicide and Suicidal Ideation
Summary: Suicide is a growing threat to children and teens in the U.S. and is now the second leading cause of death in this age group. For every young person who dies by suicide, ten more seriously consider ending their lives. It is critical for psychologists,...
014. A Biblical and Clinical Approach to Homosexuality and Emerging Gender Identities and Ideology
Summary: Chances are good that most individuals who work in some mental health field may have never imagined talking with people about gender dysphoria or as many people about sexuality as they are. As with any issue, ministry leaders, coaches, and parents must help...
015. Opportunities and Challenges to Meeting the Mental Health Needs of Underserved Populations
Summary: Advancing mental health equity means working to ensure that every individual, no matter their age, situation, or circumstance, has the opportunity to be as healthy as possible. Making sure that all community members have access to quality services needs to be...
016. Healing through Play: Play Therapy Techniques with Traumatized Children
Summary: Play is the language of children. Children are not miniature adults and are done a disservice when adults assume they will rise to a developmental level beyond their years through verbal conversation and other developmentally inappropriate treatments. Play is...