October 26-27, 2019

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Thanks to our Empowerment Champion Sponsor, the Appalachian Telemental Health Network!

The Appalachian Telemental Health Network is a program that is funded by the General Assembly of Virginia to establish a behavioral/mental health network to the underserved Appalachian counties of Virginia via telehealth.

This project works in collaboration with the University of Virginia Center for Telehealth in Charlottesville to connect primary care physicians, nurse practitioners and physician assistants to the appropriate resources for their patients. Through the advanced technologies of telehealth, patients can connect with psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and counselors, not just at UVA but throughout the state in order to receive behavioral/mental health services.

For more information, please contact Madison Ferrell at mferrell@uvawise.edu or Derek Hubbard at dhubbard@uvawise.edu.

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Friday, October 25

Time Event Location

4:30 PM - 6:30 PM Exhibitor Setup Henrico Ballroom Lobby

Saturday, October 26

8:00 AM - 5:00 PM Registration and Exhibit Center open Henrico Ballroom Lobby

8:00 AM - 9:00 AM

Continental Breakfast Please enjoy the continuous refreshment break available throughout the day!

Henrico Ballroom Lobby

9:00 AM - 9:45 AM

Opening Session and Special Award Presentation NAMI Virginia at 35: 1984-2019 Lynda Hyatt, Ph.D., Board President Rhonda Thissen, MSW, Executive Director Elyse Hunt, Coordinator, Information and Support - NAMI Presentation of Joshua S. Collins Award of Excellence to Jim Martinez (1949-2019) Rhonda Thissen Kathy Harkey, Executive Director, Substance Abuse and Addiction Recovery Alliance of Virginia

Henrico Ballroom

9:45 AM – 10:00 AM Refreshment Break Henrico Ballroom Lobby

10:00 - 11:15 AM Breakout Sessions

Psychiatric Genetics: An Update Kenneth Kendler, M.D., Professor VCU Institute for Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics The goal of this talk will be to provide a selective overview of the field of psychiatric genetics. The first part of the talk will present results using genetic epidemiologic methods including an examination of the role of genetic and rearing effects in the risk for major depression and evidence for the infectious transmission of drug abuse. The second half of the talk we examine molecular genetic findings. Dr. Kendler will review recent advances in the molecular genetics of schizophrenia including clarification on how two different kinds of genetic variants – common sequence variants and copy number

Henrico Ballroom A

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

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variants – interact in predicting risk and what has been learned about the relationship of genetic risk variants for schizophrenia and bipolar illness.

State Mental Health Policy Updates from the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services Mira Signer, MSW, Acting Commissioner Bernnadette Knight, PhD, Coordinator, Virginia Mental Health Access Program (VMAP) Heather Norton, Assistant Commissioner, Developmental Services Gail Paysour, Alternative Transportation Coordinator In this session, staff of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) will offer updates on important state-level activities which are promoting changes to our public behavioral health system. Efforts to be discussed include comprehensive crisis transformation, STEP-VA, the state hospital census, mental health services for children in partnership with primary care, alternative transportation, and Medicaid behavioral health redesign.

Henrico Ballroom B

The Community Employment Recovery Project: The Power of Employment in Recovery Becky Graser, Peer Recovery Services Coordinator Rick Gilbert, Team Lead, Community Employment Recovery Project Middle Peninsula Northern Neck CSB Middle Peninsula Northern Neck CSB has one of the largest peer employment programs in the CSB system. In this workshop, presenters will describe how they have approached community employers to assist individuals with lived experience, including citizens returning to the community on probation, in securing commercial employment.

Hanover Room (on second floor)

11:30-12:30 PM Buffet Luncheon The Glen Restaurant

12:30 – 1:45 PM

Keynote Address: Collaborative & Proactive Solutions: Moving from Power and Control to Collaboration and Problem Solving Ross W. Greene, Ph.D., Founding Director Lives in the Balance Punitive discipline -- detentions, suspensions, expulsions, restraint, and seclusion -- does not meet the needs of our most vulnerable, at-risk youth. These interventions often contribute

Henrico Ballroom

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to the marginalization and alienation of these students, contributing to the pipeline to prison. The evidence-based Collaborative & Proactive Solutions can be a major part of transforming systems of discipline and improving life for these youth and their caregivers.

2:00 - 3:15 PM Breakout Sessions

Mental Health Dockets: Development, Implementation, and Considerations Anna Mendez, Executive Director, Partnership for Mental Health Nina-Alice Antony, Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney, City of Charlottesville In this session, members of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Therapeutic Mental Health Docket will discuss how their community quantified the need for a Mental Health Docket, developed the docket infrastructure, initially implemented the docket, and how the docket has been refined over the last 18 months. The importance of cross-system collaboration and funding strategies will be discussed. Participants will leave the session with a clear understanding of what Mental Health Dockets are, tools for conducting a feasibility study, and awareness of the Supreme Court of Virginia's requirements for Mental Health Dockets.

Henrico Ballroom A

Understanding Generational Trauma in African Americans Jessica Brown, PhD, LCP Choices to Change, LLC This workshop will focus on defining generational trauma and exploring how it impacts African Americans both in relationships and in internal experience. Participants will explore signs of generational trauma in African Americans and strategies for combating it.

Henrico Ballroom B

In Their Own Voices: Youth Experiences in Recovery and Advocacy Kaile Judge, Young Adult with Lived Experience Paige Long, Customer Experience, UniWellness Ryan Tempesco, CPS, National Youth Program Coordinator, Doors to Wellbeing, The Copeland Center Youth and young adults experience behavioral health conditions at higher rates but access care at lower rates than any other age group. This group of young advocates will discuss their experiences with recovery and advocacy, and talk from their perspective about how to get their peers active and

Hanover Room

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engaged.

3:15 PM - 3:30 PM Refreshment Break Henrico Ballroom Lobby

3:45 PM – 5:00 PM Breakout Sessions

Telehealth Services: The Future of Mental Health? Madison Farrell, Outreach Coordinator Rudy Collins, Network Engineer Appalachian Telemental Health Network The Internet is truly changing the world, but can it also change how we deliver and access behavioral healthcare? In this session, learn about the Appalachian Telemental Health Network (ATHN), a grant program funded through the Virginia General Assembly. The goal of the ATHN is to provide behavioral healthcare through telemedicine in the rural Appalachian counties of Virginia. Behavioral healthcare is much needed in this region, and ATHN hopes to close this gap through telemedicine supports.

Henrico Ballroom A

Cooperative Housing to Support Recovery: The Development of Hope Family Village W. Corey Trench, President, NAMI Williamsburg Sandy Mottesheard, Affiliate Lead, NAMI Mid-Tidewater Both caregivers and their loved ones living with a serious mental illness need housing, care, understanding, and support. The genesis of Hope Family Village was a mutual frustration, by NAMI Families, over the high cost of and lack of residential living options in Virginia. Nationally, there are nearly 8.4 million caregiving families who have a relative with a diagnosis who lives with them. To address the problem, the founding families decided to design and build a neighborhood. The Commonwealth of Virginia is providing 25 acres of surplus land on the campus of Eastern State Hospital for the project. Our presentation, which will be interactive, will describe our approach to a community living option where mental health support is the top priority.

Henrico Ballroom B

Individual and Family Experiences with Crisis Intervention Teams Donnie Randall, CIT Officer, Richmond Police Department Robin Church, Lead Family Navigator/Family Support Partner, Cameron K. Gallagher Mental Health Resource Center, Virginia Treatment Center for Children Christopher DiChristina, Parent of An Adult Child with Mental Health Challenges Wally Hogue, Program Volunteer, NAMI Central Virginia

Hanover Room

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The Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) program is a community partnership of law enforcement, mental health and addiction professionals, individuals who live with mental illness and/or addiction disorders, their families and other advocates. It is an innovative first-responder model of police-based crisis intervention training that is demonstrated to promote safety for officers and individuals in mental health crisis. In this workshop, panelists, including a Richmond Police Department CIT officer, will talk about their first-hand experiences with CIT during a mental health crisis.

5:00 – 7:00 PM Reception: Join us for heavy appetizers and your choice of beverage! Henrico Ballroom Lobby

5:00 – 6:30 PM NAMI Connection Support Group Hanover Room

NAMI Family Support Group Norfolk Room

7:00 – 9:00 PM

Film Screening and Discussion: The Kids We Lose The Kids We Lose is a 90-minute documentary film about the human side of being a child or student with behavioral challenges, and the struggles faced by parents, educators, staff in facilities, mental health clinicians, and judicial and law enforcement professionals in trying to ensure that these kids receive the help they need. The Kids We Lose also exposes the often brutal, inhumane ways in which kids with social, emotional, and behavioral challenges are treated in schools, inpatient psychiatry units, residential facilities, and prisons. Their hopelessness, misery, and frustration are palpable. The human toll is hard to fathom. But these are also the most expensive kids in our society. Doing the wrong thing costs a fortune. When we don’t help our most vulnerable kids, we all lose. There will be a discussion group following the film led by Beth Tolley, the mother and grandmother of children with lived experience and member of the NAMI Virginia Board of Directors.

Henrico Ballroom

Election Day 2019 is November 5!

Come on out and #Vote4MentalHealth in

Virginia!

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Visit our Exhibitors’ tables in the Henrico Ballroom Lobby!

With generous financial support from

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Sunday, October 27

8:30 AM – 2:30 PM Registration and Exhibitor Center open Henrico Ballroom Lobby

8:30 – 9:30 AM Continental Breakfast Henrico Ballroom Lobby

9:30 - 11:15 AM Breakout Sessions

Financial Planning Considerations for Families of Individuals with Behavioral Health Challenges Stephen Burns, Attorney-at-Law Parks Sensenig, LLC Planning for persons with mental illness or a mental health disorder encompasses more than just Special Needs Trusts, but this is the primary tool used to protect and manage assets for those who may not be able to do so themselves. Typical concerns may include sheltering an inheritance, a personal injury settlement, or accrued assets from a job from waste or exploitation. Failure to utilize a Special Needs Trust can result in quickly exhausting personal assets, leaving individuals to rely solely on public benefit programs. Learn about Special Needs Trusts, ABLEnow, and how they fit into your own estate planning and asset management.

Henrico Ballroom A

Being an Effective and Empowered Advocate Rhonda Thissen, MSW, Executive Director NAMI Virginia Advocacy is an essential component of NAMI’s mission, and developing empowered, effective advocates is essential to our success as an alliance. This workshop offers “everything you need to know” about using your story to make system change.

Henrico Ballroom B

Transitioning to Adulthood with Behavioral Health Challenges: Family Experiences and Lessons Learned Kim Barbarji, Parent of a Young Adult with Behavioral Health Challenges Cristy Corbin, Family Support Partner Supervisor, UMFS AnnMarie Paul, Young Adult with Lived Experience McKenzie Perdue, Young Adult with Lived Experience The teen and young adult years are a challenge for any child, and especially so for young people transitioning to adulthood while living with mental illness or addiction. In this workshop, young adults and parents talk about their experiences with

Hanover Room

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this transition process, their lessons learned, and the importance of hope for the future to developing resiliency.

11:30 AM - 12:30 PM Buffet Luncheon The Glen Restaurant

1:00 PM - 2:30 PM

Keynote Address: We Are Rivers, Not Statues Chacku Mathai, Mental Health Advocate and Consultant We may be more like rivers than statues. Chacku Mathai tells a variety of compelling stories eliciting key principles he uses to transform the limiting beliefs of his life, his work, systems, and communities, especially in mental health. What are the opportunities and challenges for mental health systems transformation? How can we work together to make a difference in our community? How do we grow and sustain the hope that we can transform, like the Rivers we are?

Henrico Ballroom

2:30 PM

Door Prize Drawings and Adjournment Don’t leave before our door prize drawing – must be present to win!

Henrico Ballroom

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Speaker Biographies Nina-Alice Antony is the Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney for the City of Charlottesville where she has served as an Assistant since 2011. She received her J.D. from the Catholic University of America: Columbus School of Law in 2011 and her B.A. from the University of Virginia in 2007. Ms. Antony spent her first six years in Charlottesville as the General District Court Prosecutor. Her current role with the Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office focuses on the prosecution of felony violent crime, including robberies and homicides, and drug and gun prosecutions. She also manages all cases assigned to the Therapeutic Docket in her jurisdiction. She is cross designed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney allowing her to practice in both state and federal court. In the past, she has served as the President of the Charlottesville/Albemarle Criminal Bar Association and as a Member-at-Large of the Charlottesville/Albemarle Bar Association. She currently serves as a Board Member for her local Community Corrections Agency, Offender Aid and Restoration, and as the Vice-Chair of the Advisory Board for the Charlottesville/Albemarle Therapeutic Docket. Kim Barbarji earned a Bachelor’s degree in International Studies from Old Dominion University, a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership from the College of William and Mary, and has spent the vast majority of her career in the non-profit arena, supporting at-risk families through her work in domestic/sexual violence, foster/adoptive/kinship care, and homelessness. She is the mother of three incredible young men, one of whom was adopted, exposed in utero to drugs/alcohol, and has struggled with mental illness and addiction. While she and her family are still navigating these sometimes difficult waters, Kim is always ready to share with other families what she has learned along the way. Jessica Young Brown is a licensed clinical psychologist in Richmond, Virginia. Her clinical and research interests focus on how people interpret mental health symptoms through the lens of faith traditions, with a specialty in working with African Americans. Stephen D. Burns is an elder law attorney who focuses his practice on estate planning, special needs planning, guardianship and conservatorship matters, and estate administration. Mr. Burns began in private practice representing financial institutions but his participation as a coach and volunteer with the Special Olympics led to an opportunity in estate and special needs planning. He regularly works with families who have children or other family members with special needs and mental health conditions and advises those families as to the creation and use of special needs trusts, Medicaid and Social Security issues, and guardianship or conservatorship issues. He is a graduate of Wake Forest University (BA) and Catholic University, Columbus School of Law (JD), and currently serves as a Board Member with the Virginia Academy of Elder Law Attorneys and for Commonwealth Community Trust. Robin Church is a single mom with two teenage boys ages 14 and 16. Her youngest has been diagnosed with ADHD, ASD, Sensory Processing Disorder, Depression, Anxiety, and a specific learning disability. He has a history of being aggressive, at which time Robin turned to 911 for help. Robin is a Lead Family Navigator/Family Support Partner at the Cameron K. Gallagher Mental Health Resource Center at the Virginia Treatment Center for Children where she uses her lived experience to help other families find resources. Cristy Corbin is the Family Support Partner (FSP) Supervisor at UMFS. Through her first-hand experience of navigating Virginia’s child mental health system, Cristy provides support, guidance, and education to help families find their way on their mental health journey. She supervises a team of Family Support

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Partners at UMFS who have a variety of experiences in navigating the child mental health system. Cristy and her team are trained in the High Fidelity Wraparound (HFW) model for FSPs. Cristy is a fully credentialed HFW FSP coach and provides training regarding the role of the FSP within in the HFW model to a variety of audiences across the state. She is a member of Magellan’s Consumer, Family and Stakeholder Advisory Group, was the family peer support voice on the review committee for the Certified Peer Recovery Specialist curriculum offered by the Department of Medical Assistance Services, and is now a trainer for this curriculum. Madison Ferrell serves as Outreach Coordinator at the Appalachian Telemental Health Network. Originally from Wise, in Southwest Virginia, Madison attended college at Virginia Tech, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree and learned about many valuable resources she could take back to her rural area. After returning to her hometown, she changed career paths and went more in an outreach direction. The Appalachian Telemental Health Network can provide many services for the area, and she could not be happier to be a major part of it. Rick Gilbert is a person in sustained dual diagnosis recovery since 2008. He conducted substance use disorder groups in jails and for probation and parole referrals for nine years prior to transferring to the Middle Peninsula Northern Neck CSB’s Recovery Services program to head up the Community Employment Recovery Project in 2018. Becky Graser currently serves as the Coordinator of Recovery Services at Middle Peninsula Northern Neck Community Services Board (MPNNCSB). As Coordinator, Becky develops and manages peer run programs and budgets; directly and/or indirectly supervises all individuals employed by the Recovery Services; guides the agency and serves as consultant and advocate to the agency staff in establishing recovery-oriented best practices; and develops new programs and employment opportunities for people in recovery from Mental Health Substance Use Disorder challenges. Recovery Services at MPNN consist of two Peer Run Resource centers providing safe recovery environments for the communities they serve and its people; a supportive employment program, currently employing over 60 peers in recovery; offers many training and peer support opportunities. Most importantly, Becky is a person in long term recovery from substance abuse challenges, with a willingness to publicly acknowledge and share her personal experiences, and serve as a recovery role model for others in recovery by representing their needs in the agency through the lens of lived experience. Becky serves or has served on the Board of Directors of NAMI Virginia, VOCAL and DBHDS. Ross W. Greene, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist and the originator of the innovative, evidence-based approach called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions (CPS), as described in his influential books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost & Found, and Raising Human Beings. He also developed and executive produced the award-winning documentary film The Kids We Lose, released in 2018. Dr. Greene was on the faculty at Harvard Medical School for over 20 years, and is now Founding Director of the non-profit Lives in the Balance. He is also adjunct Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at Virginia Tech and adjunct Professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Technology in Sydney, Australia. Kenneth Kendler, M.D. received his medical and psychiatric training at Stanford and Yale University, respectively. Since 1983, he has been engaged in studies of the genetics of psychiatric and substance use disorders, including schizophrenia, major depression, alcoholism, personality disorders and drug abuse and dependence. He has utilized methods ranging from family studies, to large-sample population-based twin and adoption studies to molecular genetic studies including linkage, GWAS and whole genome sequence aimed at identifying specific genes that influence the vulnerability to schizophrenia, alcoholism,

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depression, personality disorders and nicotine dependence. Data collection for these studies has been completed in Virginia, Ireland, England, China, Norway, Finland and Sweden. He has published over 1,100 articles, has received a number of national and international awards for his work, is a member of the National Academy of Medicine, is Editor of Psychological Medicine. He has been actively involved in DSM-III-R, DSM-IV and DSM-5 where he chaired the Scientific Review Committee and currently is Vice-Chair of the APA DSM Steering Committee. Since 1996, he has served as Director of the Virginia Institute of Psychiatric and Behavioral Genetics. His scientific work has been cited over 145,000 times. Bernnadette Knight, PhD, is currently the Virginia Mental Health Access Program Coordinator at the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Office of Child and Family Services. Prior to this role, she also worked at DBHDS on the “Bringing Systems of Care to Scale in Virginia” SAMSHA grant as the Data and Evaluation Coordinator. Bernnadette received both her PhD and Master of Science in Public Health from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health. Her first-hand experience with seeing the toll of chronic disease among family members in rural Mississippi inspired her to pursue a career in public health to understand how lifestyle behaviors such as lack of physical activity and poor self-care practice affect health outcomes. Dr. Knight has been actively involved in public health research and practice since 2002 in areas such as chronic disease prevention, understanding/eliminating factors which promote health inequalities and most recently child/adolescent mental health outcomes. She currently resides in Fluvanna County with her significant other Joseph and their cat Julia. Paige Long is the youngest-ever member of NAMI Virginia's Board of Directors. A May 2018 graduate of Christopher Newport University, Paige found her voice for mental health advocacy in college, where she led CNU's NAMI On Campus chapter to its largest membership, highest number of partnerships with other student organizations, and widest reach on campus. Today, she works with UniWellness, a telemental health platform that reduces barriers to mental health care access for college students in Virginia by connecting them to the services they need while they're at school. Paige was humbled to be NAMI Virginia's Young Leader Award recipient this year, and she anxiously awaits the waves of change she and her peers have yet to make in the mental health space. Chacku Mathai is an Indian-American, born in Kuwait, who became involved in mental health and addiction recovery advocacy when he was only 15 years old. Chacku’s personal experiences with trauma, suicide, and disabling mental health and substance use conditions, including psychosis, as a youth and young adult launched Chacku and his family towards a number of efforts to advocate for improved services, social conditions, and alternative supports in the community. He has since accumulated over thirty years of experience in behavioral health systems transformation in a variety of roles from youth leadership and community organizing to policy and executive leadership. Chacku currently works with the Center for Practice Innovations OnTrackNY team as the Project Director for the SAMHSA Healthy Transitions grant, Promoting Hope and Opportunities for Youth with Early Psychosis (ProHope) focused on achieving their goals for school, work, and relationships. Anna Mendez is the Executive Director of Partner for Mental Health, an advocacy and direct services organization located in Charlottesville, Virginia. She is the Board President of Mental Health America of Virginia and the chairperson of the Mental Health America Public Policy Committee. Ms. Mendez also serves on the Advisory Board of the Charlottesville-Albemarle Therapeutic Docket. She is committed to building a future in Virginia in which all people living with mental illness live self-determined lives in their home communities.

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Heather Norton serves as Assistant Commissioner for Developmental Services for the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Service. Heather has worked in the field of developmental disabilities for the past 25 years. Prior to working at DBHDS, she worked for Chesterfield Community Services Board, and prior to that in Pennsylvania where she supervised and developed children’s behavioral health programs and developmental disability behavioral and crisis programs. McKenzie Perdue is a young adult in recovery who adores being a mom to her daughter, Sophia, and proudly works at T.J. Maxx as a lead shift coordinator to provide for her family. She is passionate about spreading mental health awareness to combat the stigma surrounding mental illness. McKenzie enjoys spending time with her boyfriend, Ray; taking Sophia to the park, cooking, and spending time with her family. Mira Signer has been serving as Acting Commissioner of the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS) since August 2019. She combines her leadership experience and belief in the inherent dignity and worth of all people to enact systems transformation in the mental health, substance use, and developmental disabilities fields. Prior to serving as Acting Commissioner, Ms. Signer began serving as Chief Deputy Commissioner of the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services in January 2018. Prior to her service at DBHDS, Ms. Signer was the System of Care Director for Magellan of Virginia, the Behavioral Health Services Administrator working with DMAS, public and private providers, and community stakeholders on Medicaid financing and delivery of behavioral health services across the lifespan. From 2007 to 2017 Ms. Signer served as the Executive Director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Virginia where she led efforts to reform the mental health care system and transform public perceptions about people with mental illness. Ryan Tempesco, CPS and Advanced Level WRAP Facilitator, is an individual who has found peace and wellness through community support, connection and understanding. He is currently the National Youth Program Coordinator for Doors to Wellbeing National Consumer Technical Assistance Center. He is an advocate for wellness, as well as equal rights in his community, and always brings optimism with him wherever he goes. Rhonda Thissen has served as NAMI Virginia’s Executive Director since September 2018. R earned a Master’s degree in Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University, and in her role as a social work policy practitioner, has worked for both public agencies and not-for-profit organizations on a wide range of issues, including promoting access to primary medical and behavioral health care, improving economic opportunities in underserved communities, developing and coordinating affordable housing and homeless services, domestic violence intervention, and HIV/AIDS care. She also has been an adjunct professor of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University since 2012. W. Corey Trench is a graduate of William and Mary (W&M) and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI). For three decades, Corey consulted to the nation’s water and power industries on environmental matters. The President of NAMI Williamsburg, in 2017, he and NAMI Mid-Tidewater's Sandy Mottesheard co-founded Hope Family Village (510(c)3) to research and develop affordable housing options for caregivers and their loved ones living with serious mental illness. In two years, the group has opened (1) the first Fairweather Lodge in Virginia (autonomous living for 4 unrelated adults, living with a diagnosis) and secured 25 acres of Eastern State surplus property to develop a cohousing community for 25 families.

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