2026 UMHCA Annual Conference
Bridgeland Applied Technology College, Health Sciences Building
1301 North 600 West, Logan, UT
Tentative Schedule
Thursday
8:00 to 9:00am Conference Check In - “Coffee and Conversation”
9:00 to 10:30 Welcome and Keynote by President (1.5 hours)
- General Welcome - UMHCA Executive Director: Jim Macedone
- UMHCA President’s Message - President Elect: Adriana Zarate
10:45 to 12:00pm Breakout (1.5 hours)
- Poetry as a Therapeutic Tool - Margaret Bryden (LCMHC)
- Ethical Considerations When Working with Minors in a High Conflict Divorce - Sarah Stroup (LCMHC)
- BIPOC Processing Group - Juan Carlos Sebastian (LMFT) & Francesca Splattstoesser (LCMHC)
- Ethical Decision Making in the AI Era - Trent Landon (PhD, CRC, ACMHC)
12:00 to 1:30pm Lunch (ON YOUR OWN)
1:30 to 2:20pm Breakout (1 hour)
- Mental Health Crisis Response and Skills for Individuals & Groups During Community Crisis Events - Kristin Erskine (EdD, LCMHC)
- New Insights on Safety Planning to Reduce Persistent Suicidal Ideation - Rebecca Lynne Ray (LPC)
- Persons with Disabilities Processing Group - Jennifer Hunsaker (LPC-Idaho) and Michael Gerald (PhD, LCMHC)
- Title - Brian Phillips (PhD, CRC)
2:20 to 2:30 Break (10 minutes)
2:30 to 3:20pm Breakout (1 hour)
- Hormones and Mental Health: What You Need to Know about Hormone Replacement Therapy - Taylor Sublett (DNP, PMHNP-BC)
- That’s Me in the Spotlight - Losing My Identity - Kristal James (PhD, CMHC)
- LGBTQIA+ Processing Group facilitator - Kaitlin Bodily (LCSW)
- Complex Trauma in High Risk Occupations: Clinical Tools for Working with Veterans and First Responders - Joseph Gleed (LCSW)
3:20 to 3:30 Break (10 minutes)
3:30 to 4:20pm Breakout (1 hour)
- What Counselors Need to Know About Medication Management - Andrea Beckstrom (MSN, PMHNP-BC)
- Neuropsychology of Trauma - Zack Butterfield (LCMHC)
- Roots to Resilience: Counseling Latine Clients - Adriana Zarate (LCMHC) (part 1)
- How to Make Friends & Influence People: Advocacy Edition - Jen Hunsaker (LPC-Idaho, CRC, A-CMHC)
3:20 to 3:30 Break (10 minutes)
4:30 to 5:30pm (1 hour)
- Empathy: A Radical, Person-Centered Conceptualziation & Its Incredible Implications - Tage Gould (LCMHC)
- When Faith Becomes a Wound: Treating Religious Trauma and Faith Transition with Cultural Humility - Annelise Murphy (LCMHC)
- Multicultural Couples Trauma Reenactment - Gray Otis (PhD, LCMHC)
- Therapeutic Support for Adult Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse - Sarah Burton (LCMHC)
5:30-7:00 Self-care social
JED&I Post - Conference Social: 30 minute sound bath and 60 minute collaborative art activity - Bobbi Deal (CMHC) and Lys Snyder (LCSW) (No Distance Option)
Friday
8:00 to 9:00am Conference Check In - “Coffee and Conversation”
9:00 to 10:30 Keynote: Improv Comedy and Counseling Skills: What We Can Learn - John Robbins (PhD., LMFT) (1.5 hours)
10:40 to 12:00 Utah DOPL Updates - Brian Pedersen from Dept. of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) (1.5 hours)
12:00 to 1:30 Lunch (Catered Lunch) Poster Sessions and Awards Presentation
1:30 to 2:20 Breakout (1 hour)
- Preventing Sexual Boundary Violations: A Supervisor’s Role - Amy Edwards (PhD, LCMHC)
- Treating Suicidal Ideation Using IFS Principles - Alexander (Max) Dahmen (LCSW)
- Ethical DID Work: Avoiding Iatrogenesis, Suggestibility, and Harm While Still Naming What’s There - Annelise Murphy (LCMHC)
- Screening and Recovery in Sexual Addiction: From Assessment to Sustainable Change - Kathy Kinghorn (LCSW)
2.20 to 2:30 Break (10 minutes)
2:30 to 3:20pm Breakout (1 hour)
- Let’s Talk About Porn Baby! - Mason Krey (A-CSW)
- Using Role-Playing Tabletop Games in Therapy - Dwight Hurst (LCMHC)
- What are the New Laws and Rules You Have to Follow Now? - Jessica Black (LCMHC) (Part 1)
- Adjustment Counseling for Persons with Chronic Illness and Disability - Michael Gerald (PhD, LCMHC)
3:20 to 3:30 Break (10 minutes)
3:30 to 4:30pm Breakout (1 hour)
- Understanding TMS and Spravato as Treatment Options for Depression & PTSD - Julianne Landon (DNP)
- Ethical Considerations when working with Kids and Youth via Telehealth - Kristal James (PhD, CMHC and panel)
- What are the New Laws and Rules You Have to Follow Now? - Jessica Black (LCMHC) (Part 2)
- Between Sessions: Using Micro-Interventions to Build Emotional Regulation in Kids and Teens - John Watkins (A-CMHC)
4:30 to 5:30pm Conference Wrap Up - UCMHP Conference Preview (Fall 2026)
Total CEs: up to 13 CEs
Hybrid Available
This conference will be available in a hybrid format: in-person and online. Each session will be broadcast except for the social. Tech support will not be provided (please ensure your internet is live, your software is updated and your viewing device has a fresh reboot). It is recommended that you test your local connection and appropriate bandwidth speeds prior to the conference.
Registration will require you to choose in-person or virtual attendance.
Map
Parking
More info to come.
CEs approved for all licensed Mental Health Therapists under Utah Rule R156-60b&c
