Policy Institute Recap
On June 6, Mental Health America conducted its 2023 National Policy Institute: Tweens, Teens and Technology in Washington, D.C. The program explored policies that, if adopted, would support adolescent mental health and healthy behaviors online and eliminate manipulation and harmful behavior online. Experts discussed risk and protective factors for youth using social media, video gaming, and virtual reality.
Participants included Nora Volkow, Ph.D., director of the National Institutes of Drug Abuse; Mitch Prinstein, Ph.D., chief science officer at the American Psychological Association; Monica Anderson, director of research at Pew Research Center; Fred Dillon, head of advisory Services at Hopelab; Megan Moreno, M.D., chief medical officer at the Center of Excellence for Adolescent Social Media Use; and Juan Acosta, youth advocate.
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Affiliate Day Recap
More than 120 individuals from Mental Health America Affiliates across the country convened June 7 for the MHA Conference Affiliate Day. Twelve sessions covered topics such as 988 implementation, LGBTQ+ peer support, redefining Black masculinities, and making housing attainable. In-person and virtual attendees were able to engage and ask questions for dynamic and interactive presentations.
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Day 1
The opening day of the 2023 Mental Health America Conference, Next Gen Prevention, kicked off with nearly 700 people in Washington, D.C., and over 10,000 virtual attendees tuning in from across the country and globe.
Breakout sessions led by experts, advocates, and individuals from across the country covered a range of topics, such as the youth mental health implications of the climate crisis, 988, state courts’ response to mental illness, and the role of technology in preventative mental Health care.
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Day 2
The second day of the 2023 Mental Health America Conference saw a packed lineup of speakers, award presentations, and discussions and networking amongst in-person attendees.
Miriam E. Delphin-Rittmon, Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, opened the day. She gave a presentation on behavioral health data, promoting resilience and updates on SAMHSA programs.
Rachel Aviv, author and staff writer at The New Yorker, talked about her book “Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us” and her personal lived experience with mental illness. “I had a sense people with mental illness felt they had something that was impossible to communicate,” she said, adding that the words experts use are often inadequate.
Mental Health America Youth Mental Health Leadership Council members Crystal Widado, Rei Scott, Mariama Bah, and Jose Caballero took the main stage for a conversation with Kelly Davis, MHA associate vice president of peer and youth advocacy.
Annual MHA awards were presented throughout the day.
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Day 3
The final day of the 2023 Mental Health America Conference: Next Gen Prevention did slow down, but rather fired up attendees with energetic keynotes and sessions.
Dr. David J. Johns, executive director of the National Black Justice Coalition, had a conversation with Caren Howard, director of policy and advocacy at MHA, about mental health in the Black LGBTQ+ community, his policy work, and the importance of words.
Deb Haaland, U.S. Interior Secretary, addressed the audience via video. “Indigenous peoples continue to grapple with intergenerational trauma, which is a direct result of violent federal policies meant to eradicate or assimilate people like me,” Haaland said.
Autumn Rose Miskweminanocsqua (Raspberry Star Woman) Williams, former Miss Native American USA, shared two of her poems and her experiences as a Shinnecock woman and with suicidality and depression.
MHA President and CEO Schroeder Stribling, in her closing remarks, said, “This has been a profoundly inspiring week, and each of you has contributed to that. I want to thank you all for your presence here, for your advocacy, for your wisdom, and your good work in service of the most critical issue of our times – the health and well-being of individuals and communities.”
Learn more about the basis of this year’s conference theme and Mental Health America’s new strategic plan focusing on Next Gen Prevention.
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