Waynesburg University's Regional Counseling Symposium

Waynesburg University will host its Regional Counseling Symposium Friday, March 21, 2025, in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania.

The Symposium will focus on ways to foster connections among behavioral health and social service agencies.

About the Speaker

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Kami Anderson, Executive Director of the Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission, Inc.

Kami Anderson is the Executive Director of the Single County Authority (SCA) for the counties of Armstrong, Indiana and Clarion in Western Pennsylvania.  The Armstrong-Indiana-Clarion Drug and Alcohol Commission has a reputation of aggressively seeking additional funding for new innovative programs for the prevention, intervention, treatment, case management and recovery support services for those with substance use disorders.  She has been employed in the drug and alcohol field since 1993.

Ms. Anderson currently serves as the President of the Board of Directors of the Southwest Behavioral Health Management (SBHM) Corporation, providing oversight of the Pennsylvania HealthChoices Medicaid program for the Southwest Six Counties; and a member of the Executive Committee for the Board of Directors of the Behavioral Health Association of Rural Pennsylvania (BHARP), providing oversight of services for the HealthChoices Medicaid program for the NorthCentral 23 Counties.

Ms. Anderson is a graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania, with a BS degree in accounting.  Prior to being employed in the drug and alcohol field, she worked as an accountant for a public accounting firm and as an assistant controller for a major petroleum products distributor.  She resides in Indiana, Pennsylvania, with her husband, their black Labrador and English Bulldog, and enjoys shopping, traveling and spending time with her family.

Symposium Agenda

8-8:30 a.m. - Registration

8:30-9:15 a.m. - Keynote Speaker: Kami Anderson

9:30-10:20 a.m. - Three 50-Minute Sessions:

• Importance of the Mental Health Care of the Latino/Hispanic Immigrant
• Revolutionizing Family Engagement: Building Trust and Equity Through Trauma-Informed Listening
• Centering Intersectional Identities and Attachment in Clinic Supervision: Building Strong Supervisory Relationships

10:30-11:20 a.m. - Three 50-Minute Sessions:

• Diagnosis and Treatment of Perinatal Mental Health Conditions (PMH)
• Fostering the Needs and Connection of Marginalized Groups with Nature-Informed Therapy: Exploring Accessibility, Inclusivity, and Empowerment
• Rolling with resistance: The Power of Tabletop RPGs & Narradrama Therapy

11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. - Poster Presentations

• Poster Sessions

12-1 p.m. - Lunch

1-2 p.m. - Three 20-Minute Sessions and One 50-Minute Session:

• Harm Reduction and Recovery Support: Meeting people where they're at (20-minutes)
• Changing the Narrative for Mothers Dealing with Addiction (20-minutes)
• PA Navigate: Connecting Pennsylvanians to Needed Social Services (20-minutes)
• Too Much and Too Little: Understanding the Dialectics of Abuse and Dissociation (50-minutes)

2-2:50 p.m.

• Mindfulness: How to Stay Present & Regulate our Emotions
• Fostering School Connection: Understanding School Avoidance within Neurodiverse Student Populations.

3-3:50 p.m. - Panel Discussions:

• Human Services Approach to Addressing the Needs of Marginalized Groups
• Road to Recovery

3:45-4 p.m. - Wrap up and Adjourn

Guest Recommendations

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Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program

The purpose of the BHWET Program for Professionals is to develop and expand experiential training opportunities, such as field placements and internships, to improve the sustainability of the behavioral health workforce. The BHWET program emphasizes relationships with community-based partners to increase access to quality behavioral health services in high need, high demand, and medically underserved areas. Special attention is given to vulnerable populations, such as children, adolescents and transitional-aged youth, who are at risk for behavioral health disorders as well as individuals with substance use disorders.

The Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program for Professionals is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,069,240 over a four-year period from 2021 to 2025 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources.