A Message from Conference Chairperson, Helene Silverblatt
On behalf of The National Association for Rural Mental Health I would
like to invite you to come to Albuquerque, New Mexico from June 17 through
June 20 to attend our 35th annual conference. You will be
with people from many backgrounds: consumers, clinicians, family members,
administrators, program/service providers, researchers, and policy makers--
who all share the goal of wanting to learn about, improve and promote
behavioral health care in rural and frontier settings.
The theme this year is “Connecting Neighbors: Finding Strength in
Community” and speaks to our basic commitment to build community among
ourselves as neighbors. We believe in building partnerships, breaking down
barriers to conversation and change, and learning from one another.
The goals for this year’s conference are to 1) Create a sustained dialogue
about rural and frontier behavioral health; 2) Highlight assets that exist
in rural communities; and 3) Foster an environment that encourages people to
make connections and lasting participatory networks.
The conference focus areas are workforce development; innovative
treatment modalities including the integration of traditional and western
healing practices; the use of technological and traditional resources,
evaluation and research; recovery and resiliency; cultural sensitivity;
co-occurring disorders, and collaboration and partnerships in a wide
variety of domains.
Our plenary speakers include the renowned experts Spero Manson, Wilma
Townsend, Ken Thompson, Mark Winne, Pam Roy, Caty Wilging and Maria Yellow
Horse Brave Heart. We will also have two plenary panels sponsored by SAMHSA
and NIMH. All plenary speakers and panel members will participate in “meet
and greet” breakout sessions after their talks to allow interested
conference attendees to ask questions in a more intimate setting. We
have over forty five workshops and papers to choose from as well. We
also invite you to consider our three pre-conference workshops. (Please see
the more detailed descriptions of all of these terrific sessions in the
conference brochure.) We will wrap up the meeting on Saturday with an
open discussion about what we have learned from this year’s conference and
how we want to build on our experiences at NARMH’s meeting next year.
On Thursday, June 18, we have planned a fun evening in “Old Town”
listening to music, enjoying each other and the many cultures of New Mexico
that will be reflected in some musical moments during the meeting. We invite
all authors to bring their books to share and display at an author’s table
and we are planning a consumer art gallery as well.
The conference will be held at the elegant and recently remodeled Hyatt
Regency Albuquerque that reflects the beauty of the surrounding Sandia
Mountains. The hotel is located downtown near shops, art galleries,
and “Old Town”, and is 10 minutes from the Albuquerque International
Airport.
Join us June 17-20, 2009 for the National Association for Rural Mental
Health’s Annual Conference in Albuquerque. Bienvenidos a todos!!!