North Dakota Human Services Mental Health Conference

NEWS from the North Dakota Department of Human Services

600 East Boulevard Avenue – Department 325, Bismarck ND 58505-0250



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 13, 2010



Contact: Heather Steffl, N.D. Dept. of Human Services, Public Information Officer, 701-328-4933



Agency to host Mental Health Conference May 19-20 in Bismarck



BISMARCK, N.D. – The N.D. Department of Human Services is sponsoring the sixth annual Clinical Forum on Mental Health: Turning Knowledge into Practice conference on May 19-20 at the Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck with pre-conference workshops on May 18. The forum will feature national, regional, and local speakers on mental health topics that promote the well-being of children, adults, and the elderly.



“Serious mental illnesses directly affect about 26,800 North Dakotans each year. Mental illnesses also affect family members, friends, employers, and others,” said JoAnne Hoesel, director of the department’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services Division. “This Forum is an opportunity for the department to address important topics and to share information about treatment methods that support recovery.”



Hoesel said the forum is intended for mental health and addiction treatment professionals, students, consumers of mental health services, and other interested individuals.



Presenters will focus on a variety of topics including: religious and spiritual concerns in psychotherapy, juveniles with sexually abusive behavior, elderly victimization, suicide prevention, type two diabetes, geriatric mental illness and dementia, compassion fatigue, the effects of substance abuse on brain development and behavior, hoarding, mental health disorders, psychiatric emergency trauma, loneliness, treating online compulsive and offending sexual behavior, and more.



People can register and obtain a conference schedule and other details online at http://conferences.und.edu/clinicalforum/index.html.



Continuing education units are available. Preregistration is encouraged but registrations will be accepted at the door for pre-conference sessions on May 18, or one or both days of the Clinical Forum. About 200 people have already registered.



Featured Keynote Speakers:



May 19, 2010

Michael Rosmann, Ph.D. the executive director of AgriWellness, Inc., will give the opening keynote address on May 19, from 9 – 10 a.m. about understanding the culture of rural North Dakota and delivering behavioral health services in rural settings.



May 20, 2010

Derrick Dufresne, the founder and President of Community Resource Associates, Inc., who works to promote the full inclusion of all individuals in their communities, will give the keynote presentation titled “Loneliness Kills; Friendship Saves” at 8:45 a.m.



Michael Hingson, a Sept. 11, 2001 World Trade Center Survivor, will give the keynote presentation “Out of the Ashes – Learning to Survive in a Changing World” from noon to 1 p.m. He’ll share his story about how he and his guide dog “Roselle” escaped the 78th floor and how people can overcome life’s challenges.



Matt Bellace, Ph.D., a motivational speaker and comedian who has a doctorate in clinical psychology, will give the closing keynote address from 3 to 4 p.m. It is titled “A Better High: A Humorous Look at Getting High Naturally Everyday,” and focuses on how to help young people build healthy lifestyles and become leaders in promoting prevention.

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Heather Steffl, Public Information Officer

N.D. Department of Human Services

701-328-4933 / hsteffl@nd.gov

www.nd.gov/dhs







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