claritycon2025: Full Schedule

9:45am CDT

Risk Need Responsivity for Justice-Impacted Youth LIMITED

Wednesday July 16, 2025 9:45am - 10:40am CDT

Learning Objectives:

Understand basic elements of criminogenic risk assessments
Identify most prevalent stabilizing needs of justice involved youth
Recognize potential outcomes within Risk Need Responsivity

Abstract:
This presentation examines the intersection of mental health conditions and the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model within the juvenile justice system. It highlights differences between adult and juvenile justice frameworks, emphasizing the unique needs of youth and the prevalence of untreated mental health issues among this population. Key factors influencing youth mental health and behavior, such as trauma, peer influence, and family dynamics, are discussed alongside common diagnoses like ADHD, depression, and PTSD. The presentation underscores the importance of targeted, evidence-based interventions to reduce recidivism, focusing on criminogenic risks, dynamic needs, and responsivity through cognitive-behavioral approaches. Additionally, it cautions against intensive treatment for low-risk youth, which can inadvertently increase antisocial behaviors, advocating for tailored, developmentally appropriate strategies.

Statement of Need: Find out what works to keep kids from getting into further trouble. It may surprise you.

Speakers

Jeannie Von Stultz, PhD

Deputy Chief of the Mental Health Services Division, Bexar County Juvenile Probation

Jeannie Von Stultz, Ph.D., is the Deputy Chief - Mental Health Services Division for Bexar County Juvenile Probation and a licensed psychologist. She provides administrative oversight for the probation supervision of specialized populations including juveniles with mental health needs... Read More →

Wednesday July 16, 2025 9:45am - 10:40am CDT
301A

Breakout session

11:00am CDT

Making Sense of Brain Development in Children and Emerging Adults LIMITED

Wednesday July 16, 2025 11:00am - 11:55am CDT

301A

Learning Objectives:

Participants will recognize the general stages of brain development.
Participants will identify differences between the adolescent and adult brain.
Participants will acquire 3 strategies that can foster brain development.

Abstract:
This presentation explores the complexities of brain development in children and emerging adults, emphasizing the distinct stages and their impact on behavior and decision-making. Key areas of focus include emotional recognition and the role of the frontal lobe in executive functions such as planning, reasoning, and impulse control, which remain underdeveloped until young adulthood (18-23). The presentation highlights the increased risk-taking tendencies and heightened peer influence characteristic of adolescents due to biological and environmental factors. Additionally, the discussion addresses the effects of toxic stress on brain development and presents evidence-based interventions like Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. These strategies aim to enhance decision-making, build connections, and support positive developmental outcomes.

Statement of Need: Have you ever had a moment with a child/youth where you wondered “What were they thinking?”

Speakers

Jeannie Von Stultz, PhD

Deputy Chief of the Mental Health Services Division, Bexar County Juvenile Probation

Wednesday July 16, 2025 11:00am - 11:55am CDT
301A

Breakout session

1:30pm CDT

Children Who Run LIMITED

Wednesday July 16, 2025 1:30pm - 2:25pm CDT

301A

Objectives:

Discuss the external factors which impact the likelihood of children to attempt to run away from foster care placements
Identify which demographics are statistically most likely to run away
Explore which techniques and strategies in case management can effectively address runaways

Abstract:
This session is offered from the perspective of a former foster child who attempted to run away, witnessed other children running away while growing up, and, as a children's rights policy advisor and lawyer, who has worked with youth on the run and with youth who have later returned. Running is one of the worst outcomes for a child in foster care, and our foster care systems need to do more to address this risk. We often blame the child for running and fail to confront the underlying issues. When asked why they ran, children talk about missing their siblings, feeling unheard or unfairly treated in their placement, or simply wanting to be like other kids. Running should be regarded as a failure in the child's case plan, and it is the responsibility of adults to resolve that failure. Once a child runs, they are more likely to do so again. They become what departments call "runners." Good case planning can help prevent these issues from arising or address them when they do occur. Ignoring the problem won't make it go away; in fact, it will only worsen.

Statement of need: Seventeen percent of foster youth aged 13 to 17 are reported to have run from their placements at least once and child welfare continues to struggle on how to address the problem effectively

Speakers

Andrew Bridge

Author, Consultant

Andrew Bridge spent 11 years in Los Angeles County foster care. After aging out, he attended Wesleyan University, then graduated from Harvard Law School and was awarded a Fulbright Fellowship Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Residency. He began his legal career representing children... Read More →

Wednesday July 16, 2025 1:30pm - 2:25pm CDT
301A

Breakout session

2:55pm CDT

Cultural Insights: Understanding Arab American Mental Health through the Lens of Cumulative Cultural Trauma LIMITED

Wednesday July 16, 2025 2:55pm - 4:45pm CDT

301A

Objectives:

Develop a better understanding of the mental health challenges facing Arab and Arab American individuals in the United States.
Develop an understanding of the Micro- and Macro-level factors leading to cumulative cultural trauma for Arab American immigrants and refugees.
List and dispel three negative generalizations (i.e., stereotypes) about Arab, Muslim, and individuals of Middle Eastern and North African descent.
Understand the impact of degrees of acculturation and generation status on psychotherapy process and outcomes for AMENA individuals

Abstract:
The dynamic growth of the Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (AMENA) immigrant and refugee populations in the United States makes the need for multicultural competence and consciousness more urgent than ever. Yet, there is confusion and anxiety about who Arabs, Muslims, and Middle Easterners really are, particularly in the context of the current global climate. How large is that population in the United States? What are their needs and what barriers prevent these needs from being met? What challenges do they face? What negative generalizations has American society implicitly adopted about them? The current seminar will delve into these questions, as well as examine the cumulative cultural trauma facing the AMENA community by utilizing a model developed by Awad et al., 2019. The model allows for the exploration of both micro- (e.g., interpersonal discrimination) and macro-level (e.g., historical contexts) factors that contribute to mental health challenges and disparities experienced by AMENA individuals in the United States. With an understanding of the impact of cumulative cultural trauma on AMENA immigrants and refugees, attendees will then be invited to explore frameworks for determining appropriate therapeutic strategies within the context of treatment informed by family systems and attachment theories.

Statement of need:
The dynamic growth of the Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (AMENA) immigrant and refugee populations in the United States makes the need for multicultural competence and consciousness more urgent than ever. The first step to developing multicultural competence and knowledge of diversity issues is to gain an awareness of the barriers and systemic challenges facing these minority communities. The presentation will examine these barriers and challenges that are facing individuals of Arab, Middle Eastern, and North African (AMENA) descent. Effective psychotherapy with AMENA individuals must incorporate a broad view of the historical, global, national, societal, and institutional contexts that shape these individuals’ lived experiences. The proposed presentation also aims to raise awareness of the cumulative cultural trauma impacting these communities in various contexts. Knowledge of barriers and biases impacting the communities help mental health providers to prevent perpetuation of insidious trauma and to create a safe space for AMENA individuals to receive care.

Speakers

Reem Eissa, PhD

Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Clarity Child Guidance Center

Reem Eissa, Ph.D. obtained her doctoral degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Detroit Mercy. She then completed her pre-doctoral internship at UT Health San Antonio in the Department of Psychiatry where she trained in the Child, Adolescent, and Family track before completing... Read More →

Wednesday July 16, 2025 2:55pm - 4:45pm CDT
301A

Breakout session

9:45am CDT

Commonly Used Psychotropics on Children LIMITED

Thursday July 17, 2025 9:45am - 11:40am CDT

301A

Objectives:

Identify the most common mental health issues in children and adolescents
Explore the risks and benefits of commonly used psychotropics in children and adolescents
Discuss medication compliance and evaluations

Speakers

Lizmarie Gonzalez-Vega, MD

Senior Medical Director, Clarity Child Guidance Center

Lizmarie Gonzalez-Vega, M.D., is the Senior Medical Director at Clarity Child Guidance Center and Vice President at Southwest Psychiatric Physicians. She is a Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist and offers bilingual inpatient and outpatient psychiatric services at the main campus since... Read More →

Lauren Weik, RN, BSN

Clinical Informatics Registered Nurse, Clarity Child Guidance Center

Lauren Weik is a registered nurse, with over ten years of experience working in mental health with pre-adolescents and adolescents at Clarity Child Guidance Center. She provided patients and families education on psychotropic medications and psychiatric symptoms, as well as individualized... Read More →

Thursday July 17, 2025 9:45am - 11:40am CDT
301A

Breakout session

claritycon2025

From $306.69