Welcome
The National Association for Rural Mental Health invites you to come explore the changes in rural mental health in Burlington, Vermont at their 34th annual conference. Located in New England, Burlington is an ideal location for rural mental health providers and consumers to gather together to share ideas and exchange knowledge. The conference will be held in the conveniently located Sheraton Burlington Hotel and Conference Center. It is minutes by bus to downtown Burlington, Church Street Marketplace, Lake Champlain, the Lake Champlain Basin Science Center, restaurants, shops, and theatres. Shelburne Museum and Farms, five golf courses, and other area attractions are a short distance by car.
The theme for this 34th annual conference is Changing Practices – Changing Rural Environment. We have invited Congressman Patrick Kennedy to present a plenary session about his on-going fight for comprehensive mental health parity. We will also hear from Dr. Terry Cline, Ph.D., SAMHSA Administrator, Dr. Kenneth Minkoff, M.D., recognized as one of the nation's leading experts on integrated treatment of individuals with co-occurring psychiatric and substance disorders (ICOPSD) or "dual diagnosis", and on the development of integrated systems of care for such individuals, as well as Dr. Daniel Fisher, M.D., Ph.D., Co-Director of the National Empowerment Center and practicing psychiatrist at Eastern Middlesex Outpatient Center/Riverside. We will also have several outstanding workshops covering a broad range of topics that you won’t want to miss such as: “Statewide Implementation of Integrated Co-occurring Treatment”; Addictions and Family Violence – A Collaborative Approach”; “If Disney Ran Your Organization”. There will also be a Lake Champlain dinner cruise for you to relax and enjoy.
The conference and its breakout sessions are an intriguing mix of workshops, paper presentations, panels and roundtables that will provide opportunities for clinicians, administrators, consumers, family members, program/service providers, researchers, and other involved in rural mental health care to continue paving the road towards a system where rural mental health services that are research and evidenced based are available, affordable, and fundable. This year’s conference will also offer a pre-conference workshop entitled: The Impact of Psychological Trauma on Children & Families. We hope you will join us at this year’s conference and help us meet the changing needs of the people and communities that make up rural mental health!