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2023 Connection Session

Connecting adolescent health professionals

AHI’s Connection Sessions

Connection Sessions are day-long conferences focusing on one specific topic in adolescent health for an interdisciplinary audience of health care professionals, including physicians, nurses, social workers, health center managers, and other youth-serving community professionals. These professional development opportunities aim to connect health professionals to community resources and others in the field.

The 2023 Connection Session, Intersections: Supporting youth, their identities, and their mental health needs across disciplines, took place on Wednesday, September 20, 2023. This event worked to increase adolescent health professionals’ capacity to support adolescents’ mental health needs through culturally responsive, youth-centered practices. The event supported attendees in developing actionable strategies around being an “askable adult” as it relates to mental health, acquiring community-centered resources, and building cross-discipline collaboration. Centering the voices of communities marginalized by systems of power was at the core of the event and equipped attendees to better understand mental health in the context of intersectionality.

Highlights included a spoken word youth performance by Tyshae Brady (she/they), a grounding activity with members from AHI’s Teen Advisory Council (TAC TAC) and Amorie Robinson (she/her) Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, and a Culturally Responsive Practices Panel with Anthany Beasley (he/him), MSW, LMSW; Avida Johnson (she/her), MSW, TIY (Trauma Informed Yoga Therapist), Chef; Jonathan Edwards (he/him), LMSW, Mental Health Therapist; and Brandie Schulz (she/her), LMSW, Clinical Social Worker. TAC TAC also premiered their video where they discuss the importance of adolescent mental health.

As a result of the 2023 Connection Session, AHI created a new Spark training, Principles of Trauma-Informed Care for Adolescent Patients, which is meant to deepen your understanding of how trauma impacts adolescent patients and show how to create trauma-informed spaces to support their health and well-being.

Access the training and recordings below.

Check out what past attendees had to say about the event:

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In efforts to continue infusing youth voice into our work, we are contracting an adolescent to design the graphics for this year’s Connection Session. If you are interested in working with the designer, Caleigh Crandall (she/her), please contact her at ccranda3@emich.edu.

2023 Connection Session, Intersections: Supporting youth, their identities, and their mental health needs across disciplines

The 2023 Connection Session will work to increase adolescent health professionals’ capacity to support adolescents’ mental health needs through culturally responsive, youth-centered practices. The event will support attendees in developing actionable strategies around being an “askable adult” as it relates to mental health, acquiring community-centered resources, and building cross-discipline collaboration. Centering the voices of communities marginalized by systems of power will be at the core of the event and will equip attendees to better understand mental health in the context of intersectionality.

Objectives

At the end of this session, participants will:

  • Learn about how to be an “askable adult” around mental health issues
  • Practice developmentally responsive care to meet the unique needs of adolescents
  • Gain youth-friendly and culturally responsive screening and support strategies
  • Acquire community, state, and national resources
  • Build cross-discipline collaboration to promote adolescent mental health
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Agenda

Here is the agenda overview for the 2023 Connection Session:

  • Grounding Activity with members from AHI’s Teen Advisory Council (TAC TAC) and Amorie Robinson (she/her) Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist
  • Culturally Responsive Practices Panel with Anthany Beasley (he/him), MSW, LMSW; Avida Johnson (she/her), MSW, TIY (Trauma Informed Yoga Therapist), Chef; Jonathan Edwards (he/him), LMSW, Mental Health Therapist; Jess Miller (they/he/she), LLMSW, Mental Health Therapist; and Brandie Schulz (she/her), LMSW, Clinical Social Worker
  • Role Specific Activity with AHI Team members

Registration Rates

Since the 2023 Connection Session will be held in a hybrid format, we have adjusted attendance fees accordingly. If you cannot cover the event’s cost, please reach out to adolescenthealth@umich.edu for scholarship opportunities.

Registration Type Rate
Virtual $35.00
In-Person $75.00

*CEU statements

CME: The University of Michigan Medical School designates this enduring material for a maximum of 5.25 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s) ™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

SW: This course has been approved by the Michigan Social Work Continuing Education Collaborative Course, approval number: 020723-07. The Collaborative is the approving body for the Michigan Board of Social Work. Based on attendance, up to 4 Social Work CE Hours can be provided for your participation in the program.

CECH: Sponsored by the UMHS Adolescent Health Initiative, a designated provider of continuing education contact hours (CECH) in health education by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. This program is designated for Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES) to receive up to 4 total Category I continuing education contact hours. Provider number 101853. Program Number 37292.

NCPD: The University of Michigan Health Nursing Professional Development & Education is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation. 4.0 NCPD credits will be provided

Thank you to our funder!

This project is supported by the Naveed Arif Iqball Award for Mental Health Advocacy and Stigma Reduction established by Mr. Arif Iqball in memory of his son, Naveed Arif Iqball. Mr. Iqball supports efforts to reduce stigma in our communities since he believes stigma prevented Naveed from sharing his struggles with his family, coworkers or friends and from seeking treatment.