Mary Cline-Stively is the CEO of ChildStrive. Prior to her current role she supported ChildStrive as the Chief Strategy and Programs Officer and the Director of Programs. She began her career in mental health supporting individuals, but after 15 years she transitioned to supporting organizations as a consultant.  Mary supports early learning for all children and families in our community. She is a longtime leader in early intervention services locally and statewide, and partners with many community groups and organizations to ensure that the youngest among us are supported. Mary has been our dedicated partner and Master Emcee over the years. Many thanks to Mary for her support.

In this presentation, IntraConnected: Integrating Identity and Broadening Belonging as MWe (Me + We) we’ll examine the notion of “connection” and its correlation with mental health.  When we feel disconnected from our inner life, we suffer; when we are disconnected relationally—from people and nature—we can become anxious, depressed, despondent.  What is this powerful “connection” actually made of, what is it, and how can we take the science of connection and inform the practice of psychotherapy? In many ways, the experience of a separate, solo-self may underly the many challenges we face, from racism and social injustice to environmental destruction.  The field of mental health can play a pivotal role in how we help our human family move toward a new way of living on Earth by addressing the modern cultural excessive focus on individuality in the separate sense of self.  These questions and their personal, professional, and public implications will focus our discussion on the nature of both interconnection—the links between parts of a system—and intraconnection—the wholeness of the system.  

Over two thirds of employees are feeling burnt out working from home due to COVID. There’s the stress of juggling childcare, the loss of routine, the anxiety that more layoffs are just around the corner. Research has shown us again and again that self-compassion is one of the most powerful sources of inner strength, and the key to the kind of emotional resilience required for focus, productivity, and mental well-being. It’s a superpower, says Dr. Kristin Neff, hidden in our own back pocket that we don’t even realize is there.

In this talk Dr. Kristin Neff explains the theory behind cultivating inner strength, and provides a set of concrete tools that employees can use to deal with the stress of the pandemic and their jobs, as well as increase motivation and productivity, and prevent burnout.

Understanding the psychological, emotional, and mental health of young people and adults is essential to building communities of success. The keynote focuses on helping social service staff and educators build tools to identify and cultivate mental health (for adults and young people alike) to co-design and maximize spaces of humanity, hope, and healing.  Particular attention will be opportunity-centered practices that address people’s inside and outside of school experiences. What is essential to building psychological, emotional, and mental health among students, educators, parents, families, and communities? How do we build mindsets and practices that are opportunity-centered and that build psychological and mental health? 

Children are experiencing trauma and severe stress at increasingly higher rates across our culture.  The effects of adverse childhood experiences echo across the lifespan and compromise healthy growth and development.  This session will focus on the fundamental needs of children who come from difficult places and strategies to help them heal.  

Awareness of suicide trends among youth is the first step in understanding and responding to the prevalence of this phenomena. Participants will learn a systematic approach to talking about and supporting youth around the topic of suicide and suicide prevention. Current statistics and trends of suicide and suicidal ideation among youth in the United States will be presented. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Theory will be utilized to unpack how our environment and experiences impact our youth’s development and the current state of our communities. Through this lens we will discuss practices and tools we can embrace to bolster sense of belonging and well-being for youth as a primary strategy for suicide prevention.

Young people’s engagement and interests tend to increase when they develop a sense of belonging in a community. The breakout workshop focuses on ways social service staff and educators can build and cultivate curriculum and instructional practices that connect with students’ cultures and experiences as mechanisms to build places where students feel a deep, robust, and sustained sense of belonging. Centering issues of diversity and equity, the workshop helps educators think about and construct tools where all students find value and connection to the learning environment to increase academic and social success. 

This presentation introduces an equitable, neuro-diverse- and trauma-responsive framework for social-emotional challenges that can be used across cultures and across the lifespan. The NeuroRelational Framework is a three-step process toward healing toxic stress (which is at the root of many disorders and diseases) and building resilience. Use it for the children you work with, their caregivers, and yourself!