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7th Annual Mental & Behavioral Health Conference
Supporting LGBTQ+ Mental & Behavioral Health in Times of Uncertainty: Healing Collective Trauma Through Belonging, Joy, and Resistance
Friday, February 6, 2026 | 9:00AM – 3:00PM (MST)
Hybrid: Zoom & MSU Denver
The Mental & Behavioral Health Conference (MBHC) is a virtual gathering for students, professionals, and community partners interested in transformative approaches to mental and behavioral health. This year’s conference is hybrid with a theme that draws inspiration from our Keynote Alok Vaid-Menon’s work exploring healing beyond trauma, emphasizing creative and communal responses like poetry and storytelling to adversity and isolation, and building resilience, belonging, and joy, especially in LGBTQ+ communities.
Early Bird Registration Pricing (ends January 11 at 11:50PM MST, 2026):
- $25 – Students
- $75 – MSU Denver faculty & staff
- $100 – Community partners; faculty & staff of other institutions
Regular Registration Pricing (January 12 – February 2, 2026):
- $30 – Students
- Want to attend but can’t afford it? If you’re an MSU Denver student, please apply to the C2Hub Student Travel and Professional Development Funding here. If you are not an MSU Denver student and/or you’re unable to get funding through C2Hub, please fill out this MBHC student scholarship form!
- $85 – MSU Denver faculty & staff
- $120 – Community partners; faculty & staff of other institutions
2026 Conference Schedule
| 9:00 AM | Conference Welcome |
| 9:10 – 10:10 AM | Concurrent Workshops Session 1
★ Advocating for Policies and Systems that Support LGBTQ+ Inclusive and Accessible Sexual Health — Hal Lersch (they/them) & Megan R. Westmore (she/her), PhD, LMSW |
| 10:10 – 10:15 AM | 5 Minute Break |
| 10:15 – 11:20 AM | Virtual Keynote with ALOK
A 45 minute conversation moderated by Bleu Vargas (she/they), followed by 15 minutes of answering submitted attendee questions. |
| 11:20 AM – 12:10 PM | Lunch Break |
| 12:10 – 1:10 PM | Concurrent Workshops Session 2
★ Meaning, Scope, and Scale – Resisting the Intrapersonal Impacts of Moral Injury and Fascism for Therapists — Janelle Peters (they/them), LCSW |
| 1:10 – 1:25 PM | 15 Minute Break |
| 1:25 – 2:30 PM | Concurrent Workshops Session 3
★ From Silence to Sound: Integrative Healing for Trauma, Addiction, and Queer Resilience — Alanna Bell (she/her), MA, LPC, CCH, AChT |
| 2:30 – 2:35PM | 5 Minute Break |
| 2:35 – 3:00 PM | Conference Closing Session/Networking |
Support Meaningful Impact in Mental & Behavioral Health
Your sponsorship directly supports high-quality, CEU-eligible professional development for those working at the frontlines of mental and behavioral health care. Together, we can foster belonging, resilience, and collective healing while equipping professionals with tools to better serve diverse communities.
Sponsorship Levels
Emerging Leader Sponsor — $250
- Recognition as an Emerging Leader Sponsor in the conference program
- Thank-you post on MSU Denver’s Department of Social Work social media (IG, FB & LI)
Education Sponsor — $500
- Recognition as an Education Sponsor in the conference program
- Thank-you post on MSU Denver’s Department of Social Work social media (IG, FB & LI)
- An exclusive Department of Social Work t-shirt for up to 5 staff members
Access Sponsor — $750
- Recognition as an Access Sponsor in the digital program
- Thank-you post on MSU Denver’s Department of Social Work social media (IG, FB, LI)
- An exclusive Department of Social Work t-shirt and Yeti mug for up to 2 staff members
- 2 Conference registrations
Mental Health Champion — $1,500
- Recognition as a Mental Health Champion in the digital program and website
- Verbal acknowledgement during opening & closing remarks
- Logo featured on the digital program and social media posts
- An exclusive Department of Social Work t-shirt and Yeti mug for up to 4 staff members
- 4 Conference registrations
Past Events
Date: Friday, February 7, 2025
Time: 9:00AM – 2:00PM MST
Location: Zoom Webinar 2025 MBHC CONFERENCE
Welcome Address (presentation)
Dr. Dawn Matera Bassett, MSW, LCSW, PhD., Grants Director at MSU Denver
Breakout Sessions 1
Bridging the Gap: Merging Indigenous Wisdom and Contemporary Perinatal Care | Tonya Myles-Day, DSW, LMSW, University at Buffalo, School of Social Work (presentation)
Self Disclosure: A Clinical Elder’s Perspective on its Power for Healing and Power for Wounding | Judith Kay Nelson, MSW, Ph.D. (presentation)
Feature Presentation
RMTAC: Refugee & Migrant Technical Assistance Center for Behavioral Health | Luz Chapa, M.Ed, LPC & Esther Rodriguez, M.S., Clinical Consultant
MINDFULNESS MEDITATION with JaLisa Williams MSW, LCSW
Breakout Sessions 2
Navigating Oppression and Adversity: Resilience and Mental Health Among Indigenous Women During COVID-19 | Kristi Ka`apu, LCSW, DSW Candidate, Tulane University & Rory Glover, MSW, PhD Candidate, Tulane University & Catherine E. O’Connor, PhD, LMSW, Tulane University (presentation)
Decolonizing Sex: Resisting settler sexuality through a sex positive lens. | Kristin Spooner, DSW, Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker, Board Certified Sex Therapist, The Radical Social Worker (Private Practice)
EMDR Therapy Approaches with BIPOC Clients and Addressing Culturally Based Trauma and Adversity | Mark Nickerson, LICSW, EMDR Institute Trainer and Clinical Consultant (presentation slides)
(presentation recording)
Closing Address
Dawn Matera Bassett, LCSW, Ph.D. and Teiriana Ibarra Event Planning Specialist
Date: February 16, 2024
Time: 10:00am – 2:00pm MST
Location: Zoom Webinar 2024 MBHC CONFERENCE
Keynote Address Presentation
With Dr. Loretta Ross, with The Institute for Democratic Education and Culture
Breakout Sessions 1
Culturally Adaptive Mental Health Practices: Centering the Counter Narrative
Sense-Making: Using Narrative Storytelling Across the Lifespan with Althea Simpson, LCSW, RPT-S
Embodiment Healing techniques with Dr. AT
Building Bridges: The utilization of a narrative humanization approach in the fight to reduce and unlearn stigmatizing belief with Dr. Kristin Spooner, DSW, LICSW,
Breakout Sessions 2
Supervision and the Healing Process
Using Storytelling as a Supervisory Technique with Dr. Omekio Riggins, DSW, LCSW, LCAS-A, CCTP-II, LPN
Authenticity in Practice with Dr. Andrea Daniels, DSW, LCSW-S
Infusing Cultural Humility into your supervision session; promoting Brave Spaces with Manasseh Begay,
Closing Address
Dawn Matera Bassett, LCSW, Ph.D. and Teiriana Ibarra Event Planning Specialist
Friday, February 17, 2023 | 10:00 AM to 2:15 PM (MST)
Auraria Campus | Denver, CO
The 4th Annual Mental & Behavioral Health Conference consisted of three (3) hours and provided knowledge regarding the emerging mental and behavioral health trends in the State of Colorado since the Pandemic. Participants acquired knowledge about workforce resilience and how to best support LGBTQ+ and BIPOC populations.
Participants were:
- Able to discuss the state of the mental and behavioral health crisis in Colorado
- Able to describe services to support mental and behavioral health needs in Colorado
- Learned about emerging Mental and Behavioral Health services to support LGBTQ+ and BIPOC populations
- Understood the importance of addressing Work Force Resilience
This project is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1.9M with no funds financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
Conference Schedule
10:00 AM – Welcome Address
10:10 AM – Keynote Address: State of Mental and Behavioral Health Crisis in Colorado
10:30 AM – Keynote Panel Discussion: Crisis in Care(moderated by Dr. Tanya Greathouse)
- Speakers:
- DJ Ida, Asian Pacific Center
- Chris Richardson, Mental Health Center of Denver
- Leanne Rupp, National Association of Social Workers – CO Chapter
11:35 AM – Morning Breakout Sessions: The Macro Perspective of the Mental Health Crisis
- State Trends in Mental Health Services Needs Through a National Lens Since the Pandemic with Kim Patton, PsyD
- Emerging Trends in Mental and Behavioral Health Due to the Pandemic with Kate Parker, LCSW VP Clinical Care, COO, and Sara Reid, M.A., MHP Grants and Program Evaluation Manager
- Professional Development: The Ins & Outs of Licensure, Continuing Education in CO, & ASWB Exam Developments with Leanne Rupp, MSW, LCSW Executive Director
12:30 PM – Lunch and Student Tabling
1:10 PM – Afternoon Breakout Discussion: Emerging Issues in Mental and Behavioral Health
- Being Hopeful and Resilient in the Workplace with Susan Archuleta, Grants Community Liaison Specialist
- Emerging Issues in the LGBTQ+ Community: ‘Til Death Do Us Part with Li Brookens, LCSW, CGP, WPATH GEI SOC7 Certified Member, and Virginia Sanford, LPC
- Supporting BIPOC Communities Through Mental and Behavioral Health Crises with Sarah Naomi Jones, Center for Trauma and Resilience
2:05 PM – Closing Address
Sponsored by the MSU Denver College of Health and Human Sciences, MSU Denver Department of Social Work, and MSU Denver Health Institute
Friday, January 29, 2021 | 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM (MST)
Virtual Webinar | Denver, CO
The 3rd Annual Social Work Mental & Behavioral Health Conference was an opportunity for students, faculty, and community members to connect virtually with community and national experts on their response to the mental and behavioral challenges communities are experiencing due COVID-19, the exposed racialized tensions, and this country’s political divide.
Two (2) hours of CE credits pending approval by NASW-CO
Presenters
Welcoming Address: Dr. Dawn Matera-Bassett, MSW, LCSW, HRSA Principle Investigator & Associate Professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver
Keynote Speaker & Moderator: Dr. Julie Clockston, LCSW, National Association of Social Workers Colorado (NASWCO) Chapter President
Presenters:
- Dr. Liz Mendez-Shannon, MSW, Vice President of Program Development at Sewall Child Development Center
- Dr. Pam Begay, LCSW, Psychotherapist, Farmington, New Mexico
- Dr. Larry Curry, LCSW, CAC III, Founder and CEO, Clinical Director of The Curry Center LLC
- Enid Nieves, MSW Candidate, Director of Hotline Services at the Center for Trauma and Resilience
- Sonam Khanal, LCSW, Asian Pacific Development Center
Closing Keynote: Dr. Judith Kay Nelson, MSW, LCSW, Dean Emerita at the Sanville Institute for Clinical Social Work
Closing Remarks: Dr. Joni Handran, LCSW, CAC III