Spring Symposium

Innovations in Behavioral Health (2023 Symposium Information)

The 2023 Spring Symposium will provide attendees with the opportunity to come together and collaborate with experts in the fields of prevention, intervention, and treatment models of behavioral health for solutions-based practice. Our Symposium will be held in-person on March 31, 2023, from 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM at the North Carolina State University Club.

Provided by NC State University School of Social Work Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training (BHWET) Program.

This program has been approved for up to:

3.75 Continuing Education (CE) Hours by NASW-NC (3-202-3102023).

4 CE hours by the NC Addiction Specialists Professional Practice Board (NCASPPB). Approval code: 23-292-C. Up to 4 hours (3 SS & 1 GSB)

All CE Hours will be provided for FREE!

Program Agenda

8:00am: Registration

•  Complimentary Breakfast (8 AM – 9 AM) and Coffee (Served All Day)

9:00am: Welcome & Opening Remarks

• Presented by Dr. Yarneccia D. Dyson, Ph.D, MSW, Professor & Head of the School of Social Work

9:15am: Session One

• Spravato (esketamine): An Innovative Treatment Approach for Adults with Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with suicidal ideation. 
  • Presented by Andrew Heil, MSW, LCSW, LCAS, CSI & Olivia Meyerhoffer B.S.
    • This alternative intervention will be presented utilizing current scientific knowledge, peer-reviewed research, clinical trial efficacy, and emphasis on FDA approval. Treatment protocol will be thoroughly explored to identify implications for social work practice, including diagnostic criteria, client eligibility, treatment access & availability. Implications for future research and areas of further exploration will be discussed. A brief question + answer period will also be available for audience inquiry.

10:00am – Session Two

• Harm Reduction and Overdose Prevention and Survival
  • Margaret D. Bordeaux, BA, Harm Reduction Specialist & Kenisha Rodgers
    • This presentation will highlight criminal justice issues, risk behaviors, and efforts to prioritize marginalized individuals, especially Black women, who are often overlooked and even harmed by the systems that should be protective and useful. Margaret, a harm reductionist, specializes in community-based and justice system-based overdose prevention and harm reduction education. Margaret has dedicated her career to working in the intersections where social justice and public health meet. Margaret’s experiences with the criminal justice system, drug use, and risk behaviors empower her to advocate compassionately and fluently for marginalized individuals, their families, and communities.

10:45am: Break

11:00am: Session Three

• Cannabinoids: History, Treatment, and Our Current Situation
  • Presented by Scott Luetgenau, LCAS
    • This presentation will provide a wide survey of contemporary issues around cannabis in 2023, including innovative research gauging the impact of cannabis, a historical overview of policies and disparities in treatment around the substance as well as evidence-based strategies for treating cannabis use disorders and discussing cannabis use with clients in a rapidly changing legal landscape.

11:45am: Session Four

• Effects of Psilocybin in Alcohol Use Disorder: Beyond Reduction in Drinking
  • Presented by Gabrielle (Gabby) Agin-Liebes, Ph.D, Licensed Psychologist, Psychedelic Researcher
    • Dr. Agin-Liebes will present quantitative psychological effects observed in a recently completed randomized controlled trial of psilocybin-assisted treatment for alcohol use disorder. Questionnaires administered at multiple time points throughout the study demonstrated decreased alcohol consumption, craving, improved affective tone, and improved executive control following psilocybin treatment. She will present the results of a qualitative study, which used semi-structured interviews with study participants to capture their perspectives on psychological mechanisms of change, including improvements in self-compassion and affect regulation. The presentation will conclude with a discussion of possible next steps toward understanding how psilocybin and related drugs may reduce addictive behavior and how these effects can best be harnessed to yield safe and effective treatments for substance use disorders.

12:30pm – 1:00pm: Reflections, Closing Remarks, & Networking

• Presented by Dr. Jodi Hall, Ed.D, MSW, & Dr. Kim Stansbury, Ph.D, MSW

 Agenda subject to change