2020: The Dawn of a New Decade - Innovations in Intervention

September 17-18, 2020
Virtual Conference via Zoom

To view breakout sessions, please click on the drop downs below. 

Thursday, September 17, 2020

 8:15-9:45 a.m. - Welcome and Opening Keynote: Tony Thrasher


Welcome and Keynote: Triage and Assessment of the Patient in Crisis: Advances, Advocacy, and Awareness!

Presenter: Tony Thrasher, D.O., DFAPA Medical Director of Crisis Services 

An entertaining overview of the challenges facing assessing and assisting persons during crisis periods. Advances in the field and techniques pertaining to trauma informed processes will be prioritized. Additionally, thoughts on newer evidence based options that prioritize crisis resolution in not only a rapid fashion but also utilizing internal personalized strengths will also be discussed. 

Learning Objectives:
  1. Process the needs and complications of assisting someone in crisis.
  2. Note how the topics of co-morbid medical illnesses, agitation, legal quandaries, and involvement with law enforcement all have a measurable contribution to the crisis episode. 
  3. Manifest how trauma and inherent coping mechanisms can have an effect upon the time to resolution of said crisis. 

 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. - Breakout Sessions 1-9

1
Supporting the Chronically Suicidal

Presenter: Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Director, Suicide Prevention and Research Collaborative (SPARC), University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

This interactive workshop will review what is known about supporting persons who experience chronic suicidality and how to gauge risk conceptualization. Tips for responding to and assessing suicide risk among clientele who are chronically suicidal and frequently contact crisis services will be explored. Participants will also have opportunities to interact with each other and engage in a question-answer period to ensure a collective learning experience from all.

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Participants will be able to identify features of chronic suicidality linked to escalating risk for suicidal behavior.
  2. Participants will be able to describe assessment questions that enhance risk assessment and conceptualization for those with chronic suicidality.
  3. Participants will be able to identify strategies for support and crisis intervention of clients who repeatedly utilize crisis services.
2
The Pandemic and People with Mental Illness: What to Expect


Presenter: David Mays, MD, PhD 

The global COVID-19 pandemic will continue to take its toll through 2020 and beyond. Every week brings new data and new speculation. Researchers are increasing our knowledge about this coronavirus daily, but there is a lot to learn. This breakout session will summarize our latest knowledge about this pandemic, and past pandemics, in relationship to mental illness. We will look at how are vulnerable populations are affected by the virus and the mental health toll it is taking on our communities. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Participants will be aware of the known, and anticipated effect, of the virtus on community mental health.
  2. Participants will hear about the neurologic and psychiatric effets of the virus in the brain.
  3. Participants will be presented with a brief history of past global plagues and pandemics. 
3
Working Past White Fragility


Presenter: William Hutter, PsyD, LMFT Associate Dean for the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Edgewood College

This workshop will begin to look at how white people may be challenged when discussing racism. Attendees will assess the role race shows up in their work and evaluate what resources are available to them combat racist sentiments. They will be encouraged to look at their own social identities and the impact it may play in their work with persons experiencing crises. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Attendees will learn what white fragility refers to. 
  2. The workshop will provide space to look at our emotional reactions to racism. 
  3. Attendees will experience the idea of being comfortable being uncomfortable. 
4
Processing Physical Abuse


Presenter:  Pat Ellis, PhD, Adult Psychologist, Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Marshfield Clinic Health System and Myra D. West, Clinical Psychologist (PsyD), Marshfield Clinic Health System

This presentation focuses on working with individuals in a crisis situation who have a history of physical abuse. Participants will learn how to identify individuals with a possible history of physical abuse, how to prevent triggering an individual in the crisis, or to reduce the impact of potential triggers, and how to look for strengths or resiliency factors the person has already utilized with success to support movement through, and beyond, the crisis while promoting growth and healthy choices. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Identify cues of potential history of physical abuse.
  2. Reduce or prevent triggering of an individual in a crisis situation. 
  3. Identify strengths and resiliency factors to promote growth and health following the crisis.
5
*How to Recognize and Respond to Common Ethical Dilemmas in Crisis Work - Part 1


Presenters:  Ron Diamond, Professor Emeritus University of Wisconsin, Psychiatrist and Nancy Pierce, Advanced Clinical Practitioner, MS, LCSW Mental Health Crisis Consultants

How to recognize and respond to common ethical dilemmas in our clinical work This workshop will present a framework that will help address those ethical issues that we all face day-to-day in our clinical work. When should we do what our clients want, and when is it justified to follow our own judgment? What rights does the family have, and how do we resolve conflicts when the family and client disagree? When is it justified to breach confidentiality? The workshop will not provide answers, but will provide a way of thinking through these and other common dilemmas. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. A better understanding of the justification for and limits of our paternalism or “clinical authority.
  2. A fuller understanding of why boundaries are important, and how they can be used for safety of both clinician and client. 
  3. How issues of confidentiality can be balanced with other needs in a crisis situation. 
*To receive credit for this Ethics and Boundaries training, registrants MUST attend both Part 1 and Part 2 (Session 12)

6
Crisis Stabilization Centers: Innovative Models for 21st Century Crisis Care


Presenter: Travis Atkinson MS, LPC

Advances in emergency medical treatment have transformed healthcare over the past 70 years. While ER and EMS systems create access to high-quality, efficient care, for decades they have also carried the weight of people experiencing a mental health crisis, a challenge for which the system was not designed to manage. In this workshop, learn about the innovative crisis stabilization models that are changing how people receive emergency psychiatric care, and how these services can be brought to your community. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Participants will understand the critical components of a healthy behavioral health crisis system. 
  2. Participants will be able to identify three steps for designing and building an effective crisis stabilization facility in their country. 
  3. Participants will expand their knowledge of the 23-hour crisis stabilization model and its iterations across the country. 
7
One Step Further


Presenter: Jessica Beauchamp, MSW, LCSW, SAS, CSOTS, Off The Couch Counseling & Consultation, Marinette, WI 

This presentation will discuss what information to obtain from a person in crisis to allow you to use the LOSS Model for the next steps in providing effective help and resources. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Learn "the what."
  2. Learn about chronological inquiry.  
  3. Learn the LOSS Model.
8
Trauma and Its Impact on Children and Families


Presenter: Dr. Eileen Abrams, Chief Psychologist Milwaukee Secure Detention Facility

Dr. Abrams will discuss social developments and the impact that trauma has during it's various stages. She will discuss the ACE's assessment of Trauma and some helpful interventions. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Understand "What is trauma?"
  2. Learn some helpful interventions.
  3. Understand what trauma can look like in a developing child.
9
Suffering in Silence: A Story of Male Sex Trafficking


Presenter: Joel Filmore, EdD, LCPC, Counselor Educator, Owner/CEO, Lighthouse Professional Counseling Center, Dekalb, IL

It is not difficult to find examples of trauma, abuse, and/or assault of a sexual nature in our everyday lives, we simply need only turn on the news. What we don’t often hear about are the survivors and what happens to them ‘after’ the news stories and the cameras go away. This presentation is the incredible story of Dr. Joel Filmore, a professor, a clinical therapist, the owner of the largest minority-owned, Queer-friendly and Affirming group private practice in northern Illinois, an adult survivor of childhood sexual abuse, as well as a formerly homeless-cross-dressing-drug addicted-sex trafficking victim who went to prison. Dr. Filmore shares with us his incredible journey from victimhood, to survivor, to thrive, all through a lens of humor (his personal childhood coping mechanism). This presentation will give you an insight into the lived experience of not only a survivor of sexual abuse/assault, but someone who was able to then thrive.

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Awareness: This presentation is expected to introduce, and/or increase, participant’s awareness of the frequency, severity, and potential impact of male sexual abuse/assault.    
  2. Knowledge: This presentation is expected to increase participant’s knowledge of male sexual abuse/assault and to add a human face to what, for many, is an invisible population.                       
  3. Skills: While this presentation will not, per se, increase the participant’s skills, it will, however, potentially spark the embers of a constructivist conversation in hopes of addressing the gaps in services to this population.

 1-2 p.m. - Afternoon Keynote: Jennifer Muehlenkamp

Afternoon Keynote: Defining the Crisis: NonSuicidal Self-Injury and Suicidal Behaviors


Presenter: Jennifer J. Muehlenkamp, PhD, Professor of Psychology, Director, Suicide Prevention and Research Collaborative (SPARC), University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire

The connection between these behaviors poses a challenge to crisis responders who need to triage decisions about safety and next steps of care. This keynote will provide an overview of self-injury and its relationship to suicide, highlighting both similarities and differences that can guide assessment and risk conceptualization. Assessment strategies to help discern non-suicidal self-injury from suicidal behavior will be shared along with recommendations for triage decisions and safety planning. Practical information based on current research that can be integrated into one’s work immediately will be provided. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Participants will be able to differentiate NSSI from suicidal behavior.
  2. Participants will be able to identify specific assessment strategies to aide triage decisions. 
  3. Participants will be able to describe elements to consider in safety planning for self-injury and/or suicidal behavior.

 2:30-4:30 p.m. - Breakout Sessions 10-18

10
Risk Assessment, Management, and Mitigation: Hard Choices, Smart Choices!


Presenter: Tony Thrasher, D.O., DFAPA Medical Director of Crisis Services 

A global overview on the topic of risk! However, instead of only focusing on "assessment", this will be a deeper, more therapeutic "dive" into the world of management and mitigation. This interactive conversation will look at risk tied to not only suicide but also that of homicide and mass shooting events. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Note the statistics and research surrounding suicide, homicide, and violence. 
  2. Process the differing methods of assessment including a focus on best practices in documentation, handoff communication, and collaboration with third parties. 
  3. Manifest the role that teamwork, interdisciplinary programming, and interventions can play in outcomes of not only imminent risk but also that of chronically elevated risk.
11
Mental Health in Cyberspace                        


Presenter: David Mays, MD, PhD 

The internet has made an impact in numerous ways in the field of behavioral health care. This presentation will explore the various mental health apps, internet based treatment research, and the impact of social media. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Learn about the risks of mental health apps on the internet.
  2. Understand the research basis of internet mental health treatment.
  3. Discuss the impact of social media on mental health. 
12
*How to Recognize and Respond to Common Ethical Dilemmas in Crisis Work - Part 2                      


Presenter:  Ron Diamond, Professor Emeritus University of Wisconsin - Psychiatrist and Nancy Pierce, Advanced Clinical Practitioner, MS, LCSW Mental Health Crisis Consultants

How to recognize and respond to common ethical dilemmas in our clinical work This workshop will present a framework that will help address those ethical issues that we all face day-to-day in our clinical work. When should we do what our clients want, and when is it justified to follow our own judgment? What rights does the family have, and how do we resolve conflicts when the family and client disagree? When is it justified to breach confidentiality? The workshop will not provide answers, but will provide a way of thinking through these and other common dilemmas. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Participants will gain a better understanding of the justification for and limits of our paternalism or “clinical authority.
  2. Participants will learn how issues of confidentiality can be balanced with other needs in a crisis situation.
  3. Participants will develop a fuller understanding of why boundaries are important, and how they can be used for safety of both clinician and client.
*To receive credit for this Ethics and Boundaries training, participants MUST attend both Part 1 (Session 5) and Part 2

13
Continuing the Conversation: How Organizations Can Support Clinician Survivors of Suicide    


Presenter: Sarah Danahy, Executive Director Community for Hope Oshkosh 

A continuation of last year's presentation on clinicians as survivors of suicide, this session will focus on organizational management of supporting a clinician after a loss by suicide. Specific for managers, directors, and supervisors, we will examine national best practices of supporting a clinician who has had a patient die by suicide, and how to preserve a culturally competent and empathetic environment. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1.  Attendee will learn 2-3 best practice strategies for managing clinicians who have a patient die by suicide. 
  2. Attendee will understand how to competently ensure that cultural factors are considered when implementing best practice strategies. 
  3. Attendee will understand the special circumstances and factor when managing a clinician who has lost a patient to suicide, as well as how this loss affects an entire agency.
14
Improving Outcomes for Elder Adults and Persons with Dementia in Crisis


Presenter: Jennifer Harders, Dementia Care Specialist for the Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) of Waukesha County and Laurie Kohler, LCSW, Adult Protective Services Supervisor 

Crisis Staff are increasingly being called to intervene with elder adults and adults with dementia experiencing a behavioral or psychiatric crisis. This presentation will address strategies for providing a dementia capable response by reviewing factors that place elder adults and adults with dementia at risk. Focus will be placed on considerations and information to be included when assessing an elder in crisis. Strategies for crisis interventions including de-escalation, working with frustrated caregivers, review of Wisconsin systems of Care (CH 51 and 55), safety planning and resources for Crisis staff will be provided. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Improve crisis assessment of elders adults and adults with dementia through improved assessment. Review of aspects of assessment needed to appropriately response to an elder adult or person with dementia in crisis.   
  2. Improved crisis intervention to elder adults and adults with dementia through reviewing strategies of de-escalation, techniques in working with stressed caregivers, and overview of services in Ch. 51 v. Ch. 55 systems.   
  3. Resources for working with persons with dementia in crisis. 
15
Utilizing Peer Supports                      


Presenter: Peter Brunzelle, WisHope, Inc., Waukesha, WI

A Peer Coach/ Specialist is someone with lived experience, from Mental Health, Substance Abuse, or has an affected family member. A Peer Recovery Coach has been trained in and provides: support, mentor-ship, advocacy, resources, recovery wellness planning, trauma informed, multiple pathways to recovery, education, and a person centered approach. Trained peer specialist and recovery coaches have expertise that professional training cannot replicate. Their lived experience is the foundation of their effectiveness, offering a bridge of understanding and hope to someone seeking or in need of help. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. The Role of a Peer Support.
  2. Effectiveness of Peer Supports.  
  3. Supervising Peer Supports.
16
Telephone Crisis Services: Interfacing with Crisis Response Systems


Presenter:
 Ashley Williams, MSW, LCSW, Director, Northwest Connections, Menomonie, WI

Telephone crisis services are a vital component within a comprehensive crisis response system. Effective telephone intervention begins with adequate training, key resources, and integrated community collaboration. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Expressed understanding of effective telephone crisis service components. 
  2. How to interface telephone crisis services with mobile and other community-based response systems.
  3. Lessons learned from televideo-conferencing and remote workforce innovations to support crisis programs.
17
Compassion Fatigue and Self Care


Presenter: William Hutter, PsyD, LMFT Associate Dean for the Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Edgewood College

This workshop looks at some of the main proponents for burnout and compassion fatigue for caregivers. It will also involve tips for improving self-care and will end with an exercise intended to promote relaxation and growth. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1.  Attendees will learn what are the signs and symptoms of burnout. 
  2.  Attendees will learn the ways in which burnout and compassion fatigue are similar and have distinct differences. 
  3. Attendees will learn tips for better managing these symptoms and how to improve overall self-care.
18
Recognizing Moral Injury in Crisis Intervention and How to Heal from It                        


Presenter: Greg Young, Chaplain, FBI, Germantown Police Department, M.Div. 

In this session Greg will clearly define what moral injury is in crisis intervention, and share examples of moral injury. He will discuss how moral injury is different than PTSD. He will also discuss risk factors which can lead to moral injury, and what is helpful in healing from the deep wounds caused by moral injury. 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. The person attending his session will be able to articulate what moral injury is and how it is different than PTSD. 
  2. The person attending will be able to identify risk factors in crisis intervention which can cause moral injury. 
  3. The person attending will be able to articulate and utilize strategies to help them heal from moral injury wounds. 

 5:30-6 p.m. - Social Hour *Optional

Social Hour Via Topic-Specific Zoom Chat Rooms                  


More Information Coming Soon!

 ​6:30-7:30 p.m. - Evening Yoga *Optional


Evening Virtual Yoga                    


Presenter: Julia Smith, LMFT C-IAYT 

This evening yoga class will focus on relaxation and unwinding from the day, calming the mind and stretching the body.

Friday, September 18, 2020

 6:45-7:45 a.m. - Morning Yoga *Optional


Morning Virtual Yoga


Presenter:  Julia Smith, LMFT C-IAYT 

This morning yoga class will focus on waking up the body and mind, bringing focus and attention. The class will set us up for a day of learning. 

 8:30-10:30 a.m. - Breakout Sessions 19-26

19
Perceptual Biases


Presenter: Pardeep Singh Kaleka, Executive Director of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Founder of Serve2Unite, Published Author, and Clinician

This workshop will focus on the way our brains manufacture our personal truths and how these truths shape our current state of realty. Participants will also discuss how we must have the courage to challenge our own lens, and productively challenge others in order for us to connect a divided world. 

20
Crisis Intervention in the Era of Covid-19 


Presenter:  Pat Ellis, PhD, Adult Psychologist, Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Marshfield Clinic Health System

This workshop will be a virtual, yet interactive, workshop to discuss factors/issues resulting from COVID-19, the changes and adjustments faced in the provision of mental health and crisis intervention services during the national emergency, and in light of the challenges mental health providers themselves face while adjusting on a professional and personal level.  Included in the discussion, will be a conversation about the concept of "moral injury" and the impact of it on psychological well-being, as well as on resource for countering its potentially negative effects.  

Learning Objectives:
  1. Identify mental health and other factors affecting patients and providers in the wake of COVID-19. 
  2. Identify changes that have occurred or continue to occur related to the pandemic and mental health. 
  3. Idntify and discuss ways to proactively meet the challenges of the pandemic and lessons learned.
21
Community-Based Veteran Support


Presenters: Will Atkinson, Community Engagement Coordinator for Team RWB; Member, Board of Directors, Veterans Community Action Network of South-Central Wisconsin (VetsCAN), Natalie Isensee, PMP, MSPM  Community Engagement Coordinator for Team RWB; Secretary, VetsCAN, Kieth Lang, MSW, CISW, Lieutenant Colonel, U.S. Army (Ret.) Member, Board of Directors, VetsCAN, James M. Quattromani,  J.D. Deputy Director of Veterans Services, Dane County Veterans Service Office; Co-Chair, VetsCAN, Brad Schlough, MS, LPC Clubhouse Director of Yahara House; Member, Board of Directors, VetsCAN, and Connie Walker, MSEd.; Captain, U.S. Navy (Ret.);  Co-Chair, VetsCAN; 2017 WI Woman Veteran of the Year

Effective crisis intervention for the Service Members, Veterans, and their Families (SVMF) population requires an informed, coordinated, and comprehensive response. More than half of military Veterans do not receive health care through the VA system and instead seek care in community settings. Screening for military service, knowing what community, state, and federal VA resources are available, where to find them, and how to access them are all vitally important parts to crisis intervention for members of this special population. 

Learning Objectives:
  1. Discuss opportunities and gaps in crisis intervention responses for the SMVF population. 
  2. Introduce and explain existing community based SMVF supports. 
  3. Promote collaboration between SMVF crisis intervention community stakeholders and federal, state, and county VA partners and agencies, including through the Community Veterans Engagement Board (CVEB) model.
22
Crisis Intervention and Community Partners: Steps for Building a Strong System


Due to unforeseen circumstances, this session is no longer available.  

23
What Color Are You Today?                   


Presenter: Joel Filmore, EdD, LCPC, Counselor Educator, Owner/CEO, Lighthouse Professional Counseling Center, DeKalb, IL

We live in concerning times. From the Pandemic to the protests, riots, and lootings to the rise in race-related assaults, Dr. Filmore will discuss how we can all use our privilege in a way that has the maximum impact for minimum effort. While most people can agree on the concept of equality between the races, we will look at the challenges faced by people of color as well as by those of non-majority, as we strive to break through this wall of apathy that seems to have gripped our nation.

Learning Objectives:
  1. Understanding of the impact of racism on people of color.
  2. Participants will learn best practices in establishing and sustaining professional relationships within local government, law enforcement, hospitals and other community partners.
  3. Participants will learn different tools to keep their crisis program fluid to better meet the needs of the community.
24
TeleHealth and Community-Based Crisis Innovations


Presenters: 
 Bridget McConnell, MSW, LCSW, Program Supervisor, Hudson Hospital, Hudson, WI and Ashley Williams, MSW, LCSW, Director, Northwest Connections, Menomonie, WI

Community-based crisis services benefit from continual examination of how to be innovative in the field, searching for opportunities to further excel in serving those living with mental health.  TeleHealth services do offer such an opportunity to enhance existing crisis services.   

Learning Objectives:
  1. Identification of gaps in services and examining how TeleHealth services could be beneficial.  
  2. How to interface TeleHealth and community-based crisis response systems. 
  3. Lessons learned from a current TeleHealth innovation project between Hudson Hospital and Ierce, Polk, and St. Croix Counties in Wisconsin.
25
La Crosse Youth System of Care: The Role of Early Intervention in Meeting Youth Needs


Presenter: Bridget Todd-Robbins, La Crosse Youth System of Care Administrator 

The La Crosse System of Care (SOC) was designed to ensure youth remain in school and ready to learn through the provision of interventions and supports designed to keep them out of the youth justice system and mentally healthy. This session will provide an overview of how the La Crosse SOC identifies and supports youth grades 6-12 struggling with mental health and other needs. The impacts of poverty, race, and system gaps will be discussed and how community collaboration has led to improved access to services, trauma informed care practices and the creation of informal supports. 

Learning Objectives:
  1. Describe a youth system of care model. 
  2. Discuss the impacts of poverty and race on youth mental health. 
  3. Provide examples of community collaboration around youth mental health.
26
Readin', Ritin', and Reduction of Risk: The Art of High Acuity Documentation


Presenter: Tony Thrasher, D.O., DFAPA Medical Director of Crisis Services, Milwaukee County Behavioral Health Division

While the earlier workshop is focusing on risk assessment and mitigation, this particular offering will look primarily at documentation. We will go over myths/truths about this complicated topic as well as processing concrete examples from real life records and instances. This conversation will focus not only on what "not to do" but even more importantly help the audience brainstorm on more effective, safe documentation in the face of high risk situations! 

Learning Objectives: 
  1. Learn why the topic of documentation is so important in the field of risk management, both legally and ethically. 
  2. Practice actual sentences and phrasing that will empower the individual to provide accurate, patient centered language that also mitigates against future legal involvement.
  3. Discuss the myths and truths around many specific examples pertaining to crisis episodes.

 11 a.m.-Noon - Closing Keynote: Pardeep Singh Kelaka

Closing Keynote: Healing in the Aftermath of Hate


Presenter: Pardeep Singh Kaleka, Executive Director of Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee, Founder of Serve2Unite, Published Author, and Clinician

Our story is one of many who journey to a new land in the hope that our life will be better then the one we would have led if we stayed in our homelands. It is the story of the immigrant and the "American Dream" Only thing was that our American Dream was severely interrupted on August 5, 2012 when a white-supremacist neo-Nazi skinhead entered our most sacred spiritual center and killed 6 worshippers that day, one of them being my father and Temple President, Satwant Singh Kaleka.

While this attack at our most vulnerable devastated our small minority community, it also galvanized us and connected us to a broader spiritual community and taught us the importance of not letting this 'Dream’ die. This transformation however did not happen over night. We engaged in a process of communal healing in an effort to teach the world that we are more then what happens to us. 

In collective grief, we realized that healing is both individual and communal. I also learned that in order to heal, we must be lovingly challenged to get to a better space. The man who challenged my personal trauma was the most unlikely ally, Arno Michaelis, the man who started the skinhead neo-Nazi organization that the shooter pledged allegiance to. The greatest lesson that I learned from Arno is that “hurt people, hurt people,” because pain that is not processed is either transferred or consumed. This understanding allowed for a forgiveness to settle in my heart which in turn allowed me to be free and regain power over my life. 

Today, I am a husband, a father of 4 beautiful children, a community leader, trauma therapist, author, and Director of the Interfaith Conference of Greater Milwaukee. It is clear that the journey to post traumatic growth requires a process that we co-create with the world. And while I can not say what another person’s healing journey should look like; I can tell you that maybe we need to give genuine forgiveness a chance in our spiritual journeys as individuals and communities. 

In a world that seems to be tearing itself at the seams, divided by identity, becoming more intolerant, xenophobic, and spiritually ill, it is essential that we need healers. This is done with the steadfast belief that the moral arc of the universe bends to the good, the light. 
We must all embody that light and remain committed to betterment.
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