2026 Yellowstone Conference Mental Health in Motion****CEU & OPI Credits

Join us for a dynamic conference exploring the evolving landscape of mental health care, where forward-thinking practice meets compassion.
About this Event

Join us for a dynamic conference exploring the evolving landscape of mental health care, where forward-thinking practice meets compassionate service. This year's sessions bring together clinicians, researchers, and advocates to examine the field's most pressing challenges and opportunities.

Our panels dive into critical topics shaping mental health work today: understanding and supporting neurodiversity and special populations with more inclusive, individualized approaches; addressing vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue to help practitioners sustain their own wellbeing while caring for others; and navigating the fast-changing role of expanding technology in treatment, weighing both the risks and the promise of these tools while collaborating toward better outcomes for the people we serve.

Whether you're a clinician, educator, or community provider, this conference offers practical insights and meaningful conversation to help you move mental health care forward — with innovation, compassion, and purpose.

5.75 CEUs available

6 OPI Credits available

Agenda

🕑: 08:30 AM - 04:30 PM
2026 Yellowstone Conference
🕑: 08:30 AM - 09:00 AM
Check In
🕑: 09:00 AM - 09:15 AM
Welcome Address
🕑: 09:15 AM - 10:30 AM
Neurodiversity and Special Populations Panel
Host: Rose Smith, Disabilities Coordinator & Teacher Coach

Info: As neurodivergent and special-needs youth approach adulthood, many face a critical and often overlooked transition: aging out of the services, structures, and supports that once held them steady. This panel brings together voices with both lived and professional experience to explore what that transition really looks like — the gaps, the challenges, and the opportunities for building stronger bridges between systems and the people they're meant to serve. Panelists will draw on personal insight and clinical expertise to foster honest, collaborative conversation, with meaningful space for audience participation, shared problem-solving, and practical resources. Whether you're a mental health professional, a family member navigating this transition, or simply someone who wants to better support the neurodivergent people in your life, this session offers a grounded, community-centered space to learn, reflect, and connect. Moderator: Melody Lark, LCPC, YBGR Regional Clinical Manager.

🕑: 10:30 AM - 10:45 AM
Break
🕑: 10:45 AM - 12:00 PM
Vicarious Trauma & Compassion Fatigue Panel
Host: MarCee Neary, Director of Community Crisis Center

Info: Working in the mental health field means bearing witness to the pain, trauma, and struggles of others—an experience that can profoundly affect our own well-being. This panel will explore the realities of vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue, how they contribute to burnout and emotional encapsulation, and the ways these experiences can impact our ability to remain present, connected, and effective in our work. Through an honest and inspiring conversation, panelists will discuss practical strategies for recognizing these challenges, strengthening resilience, and prioritizing self-care so we can continue providing compassionate, ethical, and sustainable care to those we serve. Moderator: Bryce Clifton, YBGR Training Specialist.

🕑: 12:00 PM - 01:00 PM
Lunch
🕑: 01:00 PM - 02:15 PM
Technology and Treatment Panel
Host: Dr. Corwin Sutherin, Director of the RMC OTD program

Info: Technology is rapidly transforming mental health care, offering new opportunities to improve access, efficiency, and personalization of treatment. From AI-powered chatbots and digital therapeutic tools to predictive analytics that identify individuals at risk for mental health crises, technology has the potential to expand support for patients and clinicians alike. However, these advancements also raise important concerns regarding privacy, bias, accuracy, ethical decision-making, and the preservation of the human connection that is central to effective mental health treatment.
Moderator: Leslin Ossoff, PhD, LCPC, NCC, YBGR Regional Clinical Manager.

🕑: 02:15 PM - 02:30 PM
Break
🕑: 02:30 PM - 03:45 PM
Collaborating for Outcomes Panel
Host: Sierra Riesberg, Executive Director for BHAM

Info: The conversation will center on practical innovations already reshaping the state's approach: shared data and referral systems, co-located services, culturally responsive partnerships with tribal nations, and policy shifts that have opened doors for more integrated care. Attendees will come away with grounded, replicable ideas for turning innovation and compassion into lasting change. Moderator: Mike Chavers, YBGR CEO

🕑: 03:45 PM - 04:30 PM
Keynote Speaker: Daniel Champer, MA LCPC

Info: Daniel currently serves as the Director of Clinical and Residential Services for Florence Crittenton. He has worked for over 15 years in the mental health field and has served as a direct care staff, therapist, clinical supervisor, and clinical director in programs specializing in lockdown residential treatment, sex offender treatment, group home care, school-based services, and outpatient services. He earned his Masters of Arts in Counseling from Waynesburg University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Daniel one of a small number of certified Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Consultants in Montana. This program is developed by the Center of Excellence for Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Georgetown University Center for Child and Human Development.
Experienced trainer and clinician with a passion for trauma-informed care, resilience, and helping professionals stay connected to the work that matters.