11:00am
Mental Health in the Making
Melissa Eagan, Mental Health Advocate & Owner of Loops of Gray
Melissa Eagan recognizes that there is a lot of intersection between mental health and making, especially in crafts like quilting, knitting, crochet, and another hand crafts. This talk will explore how using your hands to make things can be a form of meditation, a way to encourage creativity, and to build a sense of community and belonging. She will also discuss the potential struggles related to mental health and making, including ways to combat negative thinking. Making is more than just the finished object, it is a connection to both ourselves and others.
1:00pm
Games Masterless and Solo Journaling Tabletop Gaming and Constructive Narrative Therapy
Britain Shaw, LPC, Owner of Ouroboros Counseling
Constructive Narrative therapy looks at the words we use and how they intersect with the ways we interact in our own reality. In this lecture, attendees will learn what this looks like and how it can intersect with therapeutic tabletop gaming! Participants will learn what Constructive Narrative Therapy is, what gamemasterless and solo tabletop gaming is, and how those two intersect. There is a game at the end when participants will learn the intertwining of these ideas firsthand!
2:00pm
Connection Over Correction
Molly Rush, MSW, LCSW, Clinical Team Lead and Child & Family Therapist at Bud to Bloom Play Therapy
This lecture that melds the brain science behind connection with actionable steps to deepen our understanding of children. This presentation pushes us to expand our understanding of the meaning of a child’s behavior, and what they may be trying to communicate to us. Then participants will briefly dive into the brain science of supporting connection and understanding between children and their grown-ups. This base will allow participants to explore strategies to respond to children’s behavior in a manner that is set on a foundation of care for connection and understanding. There will be opportunities for participation in individual reflective activities throughout, as well as a demonstration of the strategies presented applied to real world examples. At the end of this presentation, participants will have deepened their understanding of the importance of playfulness and connection in strategies to address children’s behaviors.
3:00pm
Rooted in Two Worlds: Understanding Immigrant Mental Health
Wasma Aliya, LPC, Masters in Clinical Psychology
Immigrants carry a weight that is rarely named or understood. The grief of leaving, the pressure to assimilate, the deep cultural dissonance of living between two identities. This talk brings those experiences into the light. At the center of this exploration is othering: the cognitive bias that divides the world into "Us" and "Them." For immigrants, othering operates on multiple levels. From the broader society, within their own communities, and even from within themselves. Drawing on clinical work with immigrant individuals and families and grounded in de-identified voices from real sessions, this presentation explores acculturation stress, intergenerational conflict, language barriers, and culturally specific expressions of distress. Attendees will leave with practical strategies for culturally humble, responsive care and a deeper empathy for this often-overlooked population.
4:00pm
Intimacy Beyond Sex: How Emotional Safety Shapes Desire, Connection, & Wellbeing
Rafaella Smith-Fiallo, LCSW, CSE, CST, founder and director of Healing Exchange
Many adults struggle with desire, intimacy, and connection. Not because something is “wrong” with them, but because we rarely learn how emotional safety, stress, and the nervous system impact our sexual and relational lives. This talk explores the foundations of healthy adult intimacy through a trauma-informed, sex-positive lens, focusing on how safety, trust, and communication shape the way we experience closeness and desire. We’ll discuss common intimacy blocks (stress, shame, performance pressure, relational patterns) and highlight tools that help people reconnect with themselves and their partners. This is a gentle conversation focused on emotional intimacy, nervous system regulation, and relationship wellbeing. Mature audience welcome.