Pierce County School-Based Mental Health Summit

Welcome to the Pierce County School-Based Mental Health Summit! Join us on Tue Oct 22 2024 at 9:00 AM at Pacific Lutheran University for a day filled with insightful discussions, workshops, and networking opportunities. This event aims to bring together educators, mental health professionals, and community members to discuss strategies for supporting the mental health needs of students in Pierce County schools. Don't miss out on this valuable opportunity to learn, connect, and collaborate!

Presentations:

A. LEARN Saves Lives

Presenter(s): Michelle Flores and Zoe Tapp

Organization: Forefront Suicide Prevention, UW School of Social Work

Overview: Many of us have confided in others during dark times and vice versa. But it can feel awkward, if not downright frightening, not knowing what to do when a loved one or a peer shows suicide warning signs. Developed by Forefront, the five simple and effective LEARN steps empower individuals to help others move in the direction of hope, recovery, and survival.Training Objectives:

· Explain the public health issue of suicide & why people consider suicide

· Identify, understand, and be ready to support someone who may be at risk for suicide using Forefront’s LEARN model

· Apply the LEARN steps in a practice scenario

B. “Psychiatric Hospitalization: When It Helps and When the Most Important Bed is at Home.”

Presenter(s): Dr. Lucas McIntyre

Organization: MultiCare Health System

Overview: The kids are not all right. Data continues to show concerning trends in pediatric mental health. While recent conversations focused on the impact of the covid-19 pandemic, the trends were already in motion well before that global health crisis. Complicating matters for our youth is a patchwork of services. Among those, acute psychiatric hospitalization can help youth during severe behavioral health crises such as after a suicide attempt or while experiencing mania or psychosis. Many youths are helped by their hospitalization, but it is not always the most appropriate use of community resources. While the trends are concerning, there are many reasons to be hopeful. During this talk you will learn:

• How acute psychiatric hospitalization fits into the continuum of care for youth.

• What happens during a psychiatric hospitalization. What it does and does not provide.

• The nuances of admission and discharge criteria. For example, why might a youth who is still suicidal be discharged? Or why might they not be accepted in the first place?

• Surprising ways psychiatric hospitalization can have a detrimental effect on a youth’s mental health.

• What steps you can take to improve outcomes for a youth that has been hospitalized.

• What are we doing well and where can we continue to improve. There is hope for our youth!

• And more! Bring your own thoughts and questions for the interactive portion of the talk

C. Empowering Educators and Youth Workers: Strategies to Reduce Burnout

Presenter(s): Tovah Denaro

Organization: Innovative Behavioral Counseling

Overview: This session is designed to equip any individual working alongside youth with practical tools and strategies to manage stress, improve work-life balance, and foster a supportive work environment. The goal is to reduce burnout, enhance job satisfaction, and promote overall well-being. Participants will engage in learning to recognize the signs and symptoms of burnout to prevent it and how to build deeper resilience, the role of leadership in preventing burnout, and the importance of various stress management techniques and practices to support themselves and others through varying burnout experiences. This session will be addressing systemic issues that contribute to burnout and how to build a culture of collaboration and mutual support among colleagues. By the end of the training, participants will:

• Have a deeper understanding of burnout and its effects on adults and the youth supported by adults.

• Be equipped with practical strategies to manage stress and prevent burnout.

• Have the knowledge and new skill set to create a healthier work-life balance.

Host or Publisher Kids Mental Health Pierce County