2024 Conference Schedule (tentative)
Wednesday, June 26, 2024
Conference Social Event 6:00 pm at the Hays Arts Council (112 East 11th Street)
Thursday, June 27, 2024
Registration 7:00am-8:00am
Welcome, Introductions and Remarks 8:00am
Legislative Panel 8:30am-9:45am: (United States Senator from Kansas Roger Marshall, Kansas State Senator Rick Billinger-tentative, State of Kansas Representative Barb Wasinger, State of Kansas Representative Bob Lewis, Hays Mayor Shawn Musil)
Keynote Speaker Human Trafficking 10:00am-11:45am: Julie Hart, Kansas Attorney General's Office
Lunch 12:00pm-1:00pm
Individual presentations
- Session 1 1:00pm-2:30pm
- "Innovative Pathways to Addressing Gaps and Barriers in Rural Behavioral Health Services: A Multidisciplinary Approach"
- Tami Radohl, PhD, LSCSW; Steve Cagle, LSCSW; Holly Legg, APRN; Debra Moffitt, LSCSW
- In this presentation, panelists from an independent rural health clinic will describe a multi-disciplinary approach to bridging service gaps and reducing barriers to holistic mental health care.
- Tami Radohl, PhD, LSCSW; Steve Cagle, LSCSW; Holly Legg, APRN; Debra Moffitt, LSCSW
- "Social Work on the Frontier - Resources are Plentiful, but Rarely in Plain Sight!"
- Kim Darrough-Hayden, LMSW
- No matter where you reside, this is the perfect opportunity to locate community resources you never knew were available.
- Kim Darrough-Hayden, LMSW
- "The Interaction between Forgiveness and Resentment on Mental Health among College Students"
- Dong Pil Yoon, PhD, MSW
- With a non-clinical sample of 322 primarily undergraduate students, the results suggest the need to differentiate behavioral and affective dimensions of forgiveness, that religious beliefs may promote forgiveness but not reduce resentment, and that reducing resentment is important in promoting positive mental health.
- Dong Pil Yoon, PhD, MSW
- "Introducing the Black Transgender Child"
- Dr. Lulu, MD, CEO
- This interactive workshop will help attendees learn how to become hands-on active allies of the Black transgender youth in their care, to help promote better health and personal outcomes.
- Dr. Lulu, MD, CEO
- "Children with Problematic Sexual Behaviors: Who are they and how can we help?"
- Andrew Monroe, MSW
- Designed for professionals from a variety of disciplines (social work, law enforcement, juvenile justice, mental health), this presentation will provide research-based information on children with problematic sexual behavior and strategies to promote provision of comprehensive services to these children, child victims, and their families in a way that preserves the family and promotes effective healing.
- Andrew Monroe, MSW
- "Barriers faced by Hispanic immigrants in rural settings"
- Annette Clarke Jones, PhD, MS, MSW, RSW and Joanna Sanchez, BSW Student
- This presentation will explain how rural Hispanic immigrants confront many overlapping difficulties and possibilities. Social work and language affect Hispanic immigrants' social relationships and economic well-being, but current integration models ignore this. To successfully advocate for Hispanic immigrants, social workers must know these challenges.
- Annette Clarke Jones, PhD, MS, MSW, RSW and Joanna Sanchez, BSW Student
- "Understanding Challenges of Conducting Needs Assessment in Rural Areas: Examples from the Field"
- Mohammad Khan MSW, MPS and Kristin Bailey-Wallace, MSW, LBSW
- The session will discuss the challenges of conducting a needs assessment in rural areas with examples from the US and Bangladesh. It will also discuss various steps and the framework for assessing community needs.
- Mohammad Khan MSW, MPS and Kristin Bailey-Wallace, MSW, LBSW
- "Increasing Access to Behavioral Health through Student Training in Telehealth & Technology"
- Jason Matejkowski, PhD, MSW and Michelle Levy, MA
- Telehealth and technology are quickly becoming critical competencies for social workers, particularly in rural areas. This poster features a training program partnership that integrates telehealth knowledge and skill development.
- Jason Matejkowski, PhD, MSW and Michelle Levy, MA
- "Humanitarian Development is Crucial for Achieving Sustainable Rural Development"
- Mohit Prodhan, MSW, DSW student
- Developing guidelines for social work practice, emphasizing the importance of humanitarian development, and promoting sustainable rural development.
- Developing guidelines for social work practice, emphasizing the importance of humanitarian development, and promoting sustainable rural development.
- Mohit Prodhan, MSW, DSW student
- "Innovative Pathways to Addressing Gaps and Barriers in Rural Behavioral Health Services: A Multidisciplinary Approach"
- Session 2 3:00pm-4:30pm
- "Balancing Act: Challenges Creating & Providing Rural Crisis Services"
- Tina-Marie Brown, LCSW-C and Michelle Grigsby-Hackett, LCPC
- Providing behavioral health crisis services in rural areas creates a number of challenges. Serving 8 counties on Maryland’s Eastern Shore we have worked through the barriers and created a crisis continuum that supports behavioral health interventions across the lifespan.
- Tina-Marie Brown, LCSW-C and Michelle Grigsby-Hackett, LCPC
- "Offering Online Credentials to Social Workers in Rural Behavioral Health Settings"
- Tim McCarragher, PhD, LISW-S
- The University of Akron was recently awarded $420,000 to offer tuition-free online credentials for social workers already employed in behavioral health centers in rural communities throughout Ohio. This presentation will provide an overview of the program and lesson learned.
- Tim McCarragher, PhD, LISW-S
- "Innovative Approaches to Empower Rural Communities: Economic Justice, Victim Advocacy, Talent Development and Diversity in Rural America"
- Rachel Dolechek, MBA, Ed.S., DBA, and Ziwei Qi, PhD, M.S., B.A.
- This session highlights innovative collaborations between a rural Midwest university and community organizations, addressing challenges like rural poverty, limited services, and victim support. It focuses on economic justice, victim advocacy, and business communication to empower rural communities and foster resilience.
- Rachel Dolechek, MBA, Ed.S., DBA, and Ziwei Qi, PhD, M.S., B.A.
- "Integrating Community Spirit into Eco Therapeutic Interventions: Enhanced Efficacy"
- Amy Fischer Williams PhD, DSW and Lillian Marie Wallace, PhD, MSW
- This theory building paper and presentation outlines a way to conceptualize eco therapeutic interventions in rural reservation settings. The presenters argue for the integration of the concept of community spirit when working with rural populations situated on or near Native Nations.
- Amy Fischer Williams PhD, DSW and Lillian Marie Wallace, PhD, MSW
- "Using Experiential Learning to Increase Social Empathy of Educators in High Poverty Rural Region"
- Rebecca Davison, EdD, MSW
- To explore the intersection of social work, education, and poverty within the context of experiential learning and social empathy, research was conducted to understand the impact of a poverty simulation on educators' social empathy levels in a high poverty rural school district.
- Rebecca Davison, EdD, MSW
- "Social Workers Leading Change in Rural Communities"
- Renee White, PhD, and Lisa Street, PhD, LCSW
- Social workers are often intimidated by macro-level practice. This workshop identifies community roles for social workers and helps them transfer basic helping skills to participating in and leading community-level change.
- Renee White, PhD, and Lisa Street, PhD, LCSW
- "Rurality: A Paradigm Shift in Rural Social Work"
- Robert Villa, PhD, MSW
- Rurality Paradigm a shift in viewing rural Hispanic populations.
- Robert Villa, PhD, MSW
- "Investing in Rural Settings While Creating Interest in Marco Practice for Students"
- Arika Wiggins, PhD, LMSW and Kathie Miller, LCSW
- As a means of increasing interest in macro practice, students participated in a semester-long project, partnering with social services agencies in the poorest community in Missouri and wrote grants
- Arika Wiggins, PhD, LMSW and Kathie Miller, LCSW
- "Serving Veterans in Rural Settings"
- Kathryn Stefanowycz, LSCSW, LCSW, COR, and Rhonda Weimer, MSW, LCSW, LSCSW, B.A.
- Presenters will provide information about social work practice with veterans including how to understand warrior ethos, Veterans Health Administration (VA) eligibility, how veterans access VA services, and new tools such as Veteran Video Connect (VVC) through a whole health perspective. Presenters will discuss a strategy for shaping veteran health practices to the Whole Health approach. Lastly, they will discuss situations where the VA cannot fully meet the veterans’ needs and is obligated to pay for Care in the Community
- Kathryn Stefanowycz, LSCSW, LCSW, COR, and Rhonda Weimer, MSW, LCSW, LSCSW, B.A.
- "Balancing Act: Challenges Creating & Providing Rural Crisis Services"
Evening Social 5:00pm-6:00pm in the Sunset Lounge
Rural Caucus Meeting 6:00pm in the Stouffer Lounge
Friday, June 28, 2024
Panel 8:30am-9:45am: Kansas Department of Children and Families Staff members
Keynote Speaker 10:00am-11:45am: Kimberly Freese, Regional Director of Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA)
Lunch 12:00pm-1:00pm
Individual presentations
- Session 1 1:00pm-2:30pm
- "The RAISE Kansas Project"
- Lindsay Schmidt and Earl Legleiter, MSE
- RAISE Kansas provides career exploration programs to rural schools. It is expanding to guide the development of economy projects in six rural communities and developing a STEM educator support system.
- Lindsay Schmidt and Earl Legleiter, MSE
- "Large Animal Veterinarians in Rural Communities and a Social Worker's Role from a Veterinary Social Work Perspective"
- Cassidy Moreau, LMSW
- This presentation highlights the integration of mental health education into veterinary curriculum, promoting veterinary social work and trans-disciplinary collaboration to enhance mental health resource access and resilience among veterinarians and rural communities.
- Cassidy Moreau, LMSW
- "Churches as Assets for Older Adults Aging in Place in Rural Communities"
- Jessica Savell, Graduate Student
- This presentation covers social isolation and loneliness in older adults, particularly in rural communities, and the role of churches in meeting their needs. It addresses current trends, factors, and effects of social isolation, and how professionals can collaborate with congregations.
- Jessica Savell, Graduate Student
- "The Role of Rural Nonprofits: Meeting the Needs of Rural Poverty"
- Megan Whiteside, Graduate Student
- This presentation will focus on the vital role rural nonprofits play in meeting the needs of rural poverty and will identify social policy gaps to direct future social work advocacy.
- Megan Whiteside, Graduate Student
- "The Journey Toward Effective Community Engagement"
- Thabsile Lukhele, Doctoral Student, Shunale Oliver, Doctoral Student, Mohit Prodhan, BSW, MSW, Doctoral Student, and Lenola Wyatt, Doctoral Student
- Community members are the experts of their life experiences. Effective community practice is based on respectful engagement with residents. This results in sustainable community change. Community assessments and interventions give residents a voice which results in empowerment and independence.
- Thabsile Lukhele, Doctoral Student, Shunale Oliver, Doctoral Student, Mohit Prodhan, BSW, MSW, Doctoral Student, and Lenola Wyatt, Doctoral Student
- "The Power of Partnership: Leveraging Collaborations to Meet Rural Behavioral Health Needs"
- Jim Kuemmerle, MSW, BCD, LCSW
- Millions of Americans living in rural communities face significant barriers to accessing quality behavioral healthcare. Limited resources, stigma, and geographic isolation contribute to a growing crisis in rural mental health. This presentation explores the power of collaboration as a key strategy to bridge this gap and ensure all individuals, regardless of location, have access to the care they deserve.
- Jim Kuemmerle, MSW, BCD, LCSW
- "Paving the Way through Partnership"
- Pamela Beach, Tanya Becker, LMSW, Paige Beeson, BS, and Andrew Jacobs, BSW, MSW, LMSW
- This session will illustrate how the impact of collaborative partnerships can shape a robust and resilient workforce while also driving the efforts to build safety with families and children.
- Pamela Beach, Tanya Becker, LMSW, Paige Beeson, BS, and Andrew Jacobs, BSW, MSW, LMSW
- "Story & Song: An Introduction to Rural Social Work & the National Rural Social Work Caucus"
- Samuel Hickman, MSW
- Brief stories and songs, primarily from the folk and Appalachian traditions, performed live, are incorporated into lecture to provide perspective on rural social work, and to highlight the development and accomplishments of the National Rural Social Work Caucus.
- Samuel Hickman, MSW
- "Calming Techniques"
- Betsy Kent-Hickman, MSW, LICSW, DCSW
- We all experience stress or anxiety, but that doesn't mean we understand it! The negative effects of stress seem to have increased due to COVID-19, information overload, and expectations. Do you ever feel you can't take in anything more?
- Betsy Kent-Hickman, MSW, LICSW, DCSW
- "Better together: Brown v. Board of Education & the Future of Inclusion in Rural Areas."
- Scott Gregory, Ed.D
- Attendees will learn how Brown v. Board of Education and opposition to the decision, influence present rural realities and how to recognize positive and negative commonalities to inform future advocacy.
- Attendees will learn how Brown v. Board of Education and opposition to the decision, influence present rural realities and how to recognize positive and negative commonalities to inform future advocacy.
- Scott Gregory, Ed.D
- "The RAISE Kansas Project"
- Session 2 3:00pm-4:30pm (TBD)
- "Connect to End COVID-19"
- Mizuki Kojima, MSW, LICSW
- The presentation will examine how social workers are uniquely trained to work with diverse subgroups within the rural communities, including, but not limited to individuals of color, refugees, and immigrant populations who have significantly higher COVID-19 mortality rates.
- Mizuki Kojima, MSW, LICSW
- "Innovative Practice Guidelines for the Unique Culture of Rural Social Work"
- Amanda Lewis, LCSW
- This session examines issues unique to rural communities. Attendees will learn to address topics using social work skills while working through the dual relationships that inevitably occur in rural communities.
- Amanda Lewis, LCSW
- "Enriching Resources for Youth Mental Health: Bridging the Literature Gap"
- Amber Youngblood, PhD, DSW
- The mental well-being of juveniles is increasingly recognized as a critical component of overall health. However, there is a noticeable gap in the literature available to support the mental health needs of juveniles especially those who reside in a rural community.
- Amber Youngblood, PhD, DSW
- "Connect to End COVID-19"