The UNC Charlotte Department of Counseling and the Office of School and Community Partnerships are pleased to host the 16th Annual Dr. Bob Barret Lecture Series and the Multicultural Issues in Counseling Conference on November 2 and 3, 2023. 

LPCs, school counselors, and social workers may earn up  1.5 CEUs  for attending on  November 2 (NBCC Approved Provider #4208).   

Registration is required, even if you are only attending the free lecture on Thursday evening! A pizza reception will follow the lecture. 

If you are coming from off campus, please park in the Union Parking Deck. We will validate parking for our community stakeholders, but you must retain the ticket you get from the parking deck upon entrance.  If you park on the top floor of the parking deck, you can cross the walkway into the Student Union. Once inside, head straight through the Union, past the bookstore and Starbucks, then exit the doors on your right. Head outside and across Craver Street. The College of Health and Human Services is the building to the left.  The lecture will be in CHHS 281. 

Multicultural Issues in Counseling Conference

Friday, November 3

From 9 AM to 4 PM in the Cone Center

9:00- 10:30 Keynote Address 

Cone 210

Building Resilience: Working with Gender Expansive Clients (Dr. Clark Ausloos)

All participants

Transgender (trans) and gender expansive people experience pervasive abuse and assault, discrimination, and marginalization (Grant et al., 2011; Herman, Flores, Brown, Wilson, & Conron, 2017; Whitman & Han, 2016), leading to severe physical and mental health disparities (Herman et al., 2017; SAMHSA, 2012). Historically, gender expansive clients have avoided seeking care or assistance from professionals (health professionals, counselors, educators) due to discrimination and lack of provider knowledge (Bidell, 2012; Benson, 2013; Farmer, Welfare, & Burge, 2013; Grant et al., 2011; Reisner et al., 2014; Riley, Shi & Doud, 2017; Whitman & Han, 2016). It is therefore of paramount importance for counselors to familiarize themselves with evidence based, affirming, and individualized strategies that empower and support the overall development of gender expansive people (Sinclair-Palm & Gilbert, 2018).

10:45-12:00 Presentations

Considerations for Small Groups in Schools (Dr. Sejal Foxx)

Cone 210

School Counseling

As a tier 2 intervention, small groups can be a culturally responsive way to meet the needs of students. Learn specific strategies for designing and implementing effective small groups in schools.

Counseling International Students (Candice Desouza & Dr. Kristie Opiola)

Cone 111

Clinical Mental Health

Studying abroad can be a dream come true and a privilege for so many international students. They leave their home, friends, and loved ones behind and everything they have known in the hope of a better education and possibilities in life. Yet, this journey is often a daunting and overwhelming one that can bring up a host of feelings- from hope and excitement to anxiety and grief. This presentation discusses the unique challenges and stressors faced by international students, particularly students of color, who come to the United States. These challenges ranged from the ambiguous losses that come with immigration, to the demands of acculturation and adapting to a different country and academic system. Reflecting on the first author’s own journey of coming to the United States as an international student of color with a disability, this presentation aims to discuss helpful practices when counseling students from diverse cultural backgrounds; their mental health support needs; psychological distress as it varies from culture to culture; and how best to identify and support students, especially in the early months of the international student experience.

Moving the Margins in Crisis Intervention: A Relational Cultural Approach (Dr. Tabitha Haynes)

Cone 112A

Clinical Mental Health

No description provided

Person-First Language and Addictions Literature: The Continued Presence of Pejorative, Labeling, and Disorder-First Language in Published Counseling Articles and How Counselors Talk about Addictions (Dr. Natalie Riccuitti & Willough Davis)

Cone 112B

Addictions

The frequent use of disorder-first and labeling language has a negative impact on clients, their families, her students, and colleagues. To challenge the history of disorder-first language and advocate for person-first language, the presenter has done extensive research and reading on the potential benefits of adopting a new, appropriate language in the Counseling and Counselor Education professions. This presentation will examine the data about the frequency of disorder-first and labeling language used in counseling peer-reviewed journals. It is the presenters’ goal to encourage change in how individuals with substance use disorders and addictions are addressed as clients and in the research.

12:00-1:00 Lunch (provided) with panel of UNCC grads

Cone 210

PANEL: Supporting and Advocating for LGBTQIAS+ in our Mental Health Communities

·         Moderator: Justina Floyd (she/hers)

·         Becky Stamler, MA, LCHMC (she/her) is a licensed clinical mental health counselor and helped co-found Charlotte Trans Health. Her primary focus is to provide services to Transgender clients.

·         Aliyah Saulson, LCSW (she/hers) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who works with adults to help create safety, trust, and inspire clients to have the ability to change once those conditions are met.

·         Cindy Lemberg, MSW, LCSW (she/hers) is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker who focuses on supporting members of the LGBTQIA+ community and survivors of complex trauma in private practice. She has additionally had experience providing in-home therapy to children and families experiencing crisis situations.

·         Dr. Mike Tanis, PhD., LMFT-S (he/his) is a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist Supervisor who enjoys working with and has extensive training in working with persons experiencing a variety of life's challenges, including LGBTQIA+ issues.

1:15-2:30 Presentations

The impact of social desirability on the practice of counseling (Dr. Lyndon Abrams)

Cone 112A

Clinical Mental Health

No description provided

SAD CHILD: Suicide Assessments for Young children (Mia Garcia)

Cone 210

School Counseling

Child suicide has increased substantially over the last decade and is among the ten leading causes of death in children between the ages of 5 and 11. The risk is even higher for marginalized children. This presentation aims to give a brief review of current trends in suicidality among children aged 5-11, including risk factors, assessment tools, and counselor training(s). In response to review of literature showing gaps in counselor training on childhood suicide both for clinical mental health counselors and school counselors, this presentation aims to demonstrate the need for clinicians to use a growth mindset in adapting current suicide procedures to ones that more accurately fit the need of children under 12. Lastly, a new acronym specific to childhood suicidal risk factors will be proposed. 

A new age under Medicare: Addressing discrimination and lifelong marginalization in Aging LGBTGEQIA2S+ individuals and communities (Dr. John Nance)

Cone 112B

Clinical Mental Health

Throughout lifespan and into older adulthood, LGBTGEQIA2S+ individuals experience stigmatization and individuals are often the victims of prejudice and discrimination (Meyer, 1995). Describing Discrimination within the LGBTGEQIA2S+ community holds unique complexities and is deeply diverse based upon minority status as well as multiple intersectionalities. As the LGBTGEQIA2S+ community ages into elder life, lifelong minority stress creates unique considerations for treatment. Seeking out services might be difficult for the elder LGBTGEQIA2S+ population resultant from their own or their peers’ past negative experiences. The complexity of intersectionalities with each marginalized individual in combination with normative discrimination (e.g., ageism or genderism) can create an atmosphere of disparity for the elder population.

Grief Issues in Addictions Counseling (Dr. Susan Furr)

Cone 111

Addictions

 Recovery from Substance Use Disorders often involved addressing issues of grief. Loss occurs on multiple levels beginning with the losses that occur upon entering treatment. As clients progress through treatment, they face losses that occurred while using substances and may not have recognized the grief created by their actions. In addition, early life losses may be contributing factors to their use of substances. Cultural variables related to the intersection of grief and addiction will be examined. This presentation will focus on the importance of addressing and grieving losses throughout the recovery process.

2:45-4:00 Presentations

Multilanguage Learners in 2023 (Jennifer Ruiz)

Cone 210

School Counseling

A student whose primary language or languages of the home, is other than English and would require additional English language support to develop reading, writing, listening and speaking skills. There are no typical ESL students. They come from many linguistic and cultural backgrounds and have had a wide variety of life experiences, attributes that can significantly enrich the life of the school and help enhance learning for all students. This presentation will discuss how one county serves novice, intermediate, and transitional students and how they monitor students after they have exited the program for four years. The current challenge is how do we teach students who are not only English learners, but do not have an educational foundation. This situation creates a very complex conversation with no easy answer or cookie cutter outline.

Counseling Refugees: Trauma-Informed and Culturally Sensitive Approaches to Healing (Dania Fakhro)

Cone 112

Clinical Mental Health

This presentation provides attendees with the opportunity to develop a profound understanding of the refugee experience, emphasizing the complexity of trauma and the multitude of losses experienced by this population. Participants will gain insights into the unique challenges refugees face when adapting to their new communities and the impact on their mental health. By emphasizing trauma-focused and culturally responsive approaches, attendees will acquire practical strategies for addressing the mental health needs of refugees who have experienced trauma. The presenter will underscore the importance of culturally responsive counseling, encompassing cultural humility and sensitivity. Participants will also learn how to tailor counseling techniques to align with the diverse cultural backgrounds of refugees.

Working with LGBTQ+ Youth: Issues of Suicide and Substance Abuse Disorder (Michael Spivey)

Cone 111

Addictions

In this presentation, participants will become aware of rates of suicide and substance use disorder among the LGBTQ+ population. Participants will also learn predictors and stressors unique to the population as well as obtain resources and applications available for immediate use.