Program Schedule

From Overwhelm to Renewal: Reimagining Well-Being on Campus

How can one navigate a path forward through such challenging and confusing landscapes? Campus administrations feel like they’re under attack and circling the wagons. Students are experiencing significant levels of stress and distracting themselves with social media and other escapes. Faculty and staff are feeling out of control and burning out, leaving our campuses for greener pastures. Amidst it all counseling center directors are expected to be a calming presence and to hold it all together. I aspire, within this keynote discussion, to help us all better understand this challenging landscape we find ourselves in and how to best move forward in an effective and healthy manner.

Bio:

Charlie Morse is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor who worked in the Counseling Center at Worcester Polytechnic Institute for 32 years, formerly Director of the Center for 16 years. He recently retired from WPI as Dean of Student Wellness, overseeing Directors of Health, Counseling, and Well-Being. This position allowed Charlie to focus on the integration of overall healthcare to reflect a holistic emphasis on well-being and to develop and support campuswide approaches to elevating health and well-being within the campus community. Charlie’s areas of interest include campus community mental health education and suicide prevention, Acceptance & Commitment Theory based clinical and community development approaches, and team cohesiveness and development strategies. Charlie has served in leadership positions in national and regional organizations focusing on college mental health and has published several peer reviewed articles and book chapters pertaining to various aspects of college student mental health.

Creating a University Critical Response Team for Post-Traumatic Socio-Emotional Support

Presenters:

Barbara Lewis, MD – Chief of Counseling and Mental Health Services at Harvard University

Daniel Moreno, LMHC – Urgent Care Coordinator at Counseling and Mental Health Services at Harvard University

Steven Catalano – Harvard University Police Department

Katie Mulroy – Director of Student Services at Harvard GSAS

Description:

Colleges and higher education campuses frequently contend with the psychological and emotional aftermath of large-scale incidents that affect their communities. Establishing a university-based Crisis Response Team trained in psychosocial interventions can play a critical role in supporting students, faculty, and staff during times of crisis. Incidents such as unattended deaths, acts or threats of violence, and fatal accidents occur unpredictably and often elicit acute and chronic stress reactions, which may be potentially traumatic for individuals and the broader campus community. Research indicates that timely interventions such as the use of Psychological First Aid (PFA)—can significantly reduce immediate distress and lower the risk of long-term psychopathology (Vernberg et al., 2008). Although PFA does not prevent a PTSD diagnosis, it decreases its symptoms in the short-term through immediate distress relief (Figueroa et al., 2022). Additionally, group-based approaches like Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD), when provided voluntarily, can offer valuable support and promote collective learning following a critical event (Solomon, 2008). This session will provide insight into the formation, training, and development of a university-based Crisis Response Team, as well as its integration within existing campus emergency management protocols. Response scenarios will be presented to identify the possible interventions that may be provided by a university-based Crisis Response Team.

Learning Objectives:

1. 1. Analyze the structure and scope of a university-based crisis response team.
   2. Examine the possible scope of a university-based crisis response team.
   3. Identify two interventions that can be provided by university-based crisis response team.

Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen: Ethical and Clinical Dilemmas in Therapy and Supervisory Work When AI Chatbots are Involved

Presenters:

Karen Singleton, PhD, Deputy Chief Health Officer, MIT Health

Renee Rosado, PsyD, Director of Training, MIT Health

Description:

The use of AI chatbots is becoming commonplace in student populations. Clinicians often find themselves playing catch-up when clients present this material in session. This presentation will focus on the challenges clinicians and supervisors face when clients report using AI chatbots for advice, support, companionship and therapy. Case examples of supervising such cases will be presented as well as clinical vignettes from group therapy where AI surfaces as a central topic. The presenters will also share best practices for inquiring about AI use in supervision and therapy and increasing one’s AI literacy as a counseling center director.

Learning Objectives:

1. 1. Participants will be able to describe how AI is being used by clients in college mental health settings, including the advantages and disadvantages of such use.
   2. Participants will be able to plan how to engage clinical staff in informed, ethical conversations about the ways in which counseling center clients are using AI tools.
   3. Participants will be able to identify ways to create guidelines for the ethical use of AI at college counseling centers

Fireside chat facilitated by:

Barbara Lewis, MD – Chief of Counseling and Mental Health Services at Harvard University

and

Karen Singleton, PhD, Deputy Chief Health Officer, MIT Health

Centering the Margins in the Path Forward: Lessons from Our Communities.

Many of our current challenges have been tackled by our marginalized communities for decades. What have they done, and what can we learn from them to keep moving forward? In this talk, I will present opportunities for transformation by centering the voices and actions of marginalized community members. I will discuss the lessons learned from my community-engaged research with LGBTQIA+, immigrant, and Latine groups. Our conversation will be framed by critical feminist forms of analysis and interventions applicable to counseling centers.

Bio: 

Dr. Luis R. Alvarez-Hernandez is originally from Puerto Rico, where he started his studies in social work. He completed a BSW from Dalton State College and an MSW with a Clinical Concentration and a PhD in Social Work, both from the University of Georgia. He also has had the opportunity to engage in global social work experiences in various Latin American countries.

Dr. Alvarez-Hernandez’s research focuses on the social determinants of health of Latinx, LGBTQ+, and immigrant communities with a particular attention to the liberatory experiences of people living at the intersections of these identities. His teaching and research are informed by over 10 years of experience as a bilingual (English and Spanish) clinical social worker in mental health and healthcare settings, and by critical and feminist theories. Dr. Alvarez-Hernandez teaches courses on direct practice with individuals, families, and groups.

The Digital Dilemma: Exploring Student Loneliness, Mental Health, and Wellbeing in the Age of Social Media and AI.

Presenter:

Nick Pinkerton, PsyD | Associate Dean of Counseling Services and Wellbeing, Southern Connecticut State University

Description:

As Artificial Intelligence accelerates, human mental health and wellbeing is falling behind. In this transformative session, Dr. Nick Pinkerton explores “The Great Divergence”—the widening gap between our technological capabilities and our mental health and flourishing. Beyond simple screen-time warnings, this presentation offers a roadmap to reclaiming connection and purpose, empowering participants to become “Cultural Architects” who build human-first zones in a digital-first world.

Learning Objectives:

1. 1. Analyze the “Great Divergence” between technological advancement and human flourishing, specifically identifying how the “Attention,” “Attachment,” and “Automation” economies impact student mental health.
   2. Differentiate between the psychological fallout of “First Contact” (Social Media/Curation AI) and the emerging existential challenges posed by “Second Contact” (Generative AI/Companions).
   3. Apply the “Cultural Architect” framework to design actionable personal and community boundaries that prioritize authentic human connection over digital convenience

Mindful Morning; The Neuroscience of Calm 

Presenter:

Noelle C. Harris, PhD, LMHC, RYT, Assistant Dean and Director of Counseling, Religious, and Spiritual Life, Bryant University

Description:

Neuroscience of Calm is an integrative program exploring how contemplative practices and embodied movement regulate the nervous system, enhance emotional resilience, and promote long-term psychological well-being.

Learning Objectives:

1. 1. How to use contemplative practices to regulate the nervous system.
   2. How embodied movement helps regulate the nervous system.
   3. How psychological well-being and resiliency is enhanced by regulating the nervous system

Mental Health Issues Don’t End When You Graduate: The Unique Mental Health Concerns of Graduate Students

Presenters:

Martha Peaslee Levine, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health and Humanities
Director, Office for Professional Mental Health, Penn State College of Medicine

Coreen C. Bohl, MSW, LCSW, ACSW, Director of Counseling, Clarkson University

Description:

Undergraduate students experience transitions and pressures that impact their mental health. In 2025, the American Council on Education reported that nearly eight in 10 students (77 percent) said that mental or emotional difficulties negatively impacted their academic performance. Yet, the risk of mental health difficulties affecting performance does not stop when students graduate. According to Inside Higher Ed, a graduate student’s risk of anxiety and depression is more than six times higher than that of the general public. While many mental health issues overlap between undergraduate and graduate students, for example academic concerns and social interactions, graduate students struggle with additional pressures. Graduate students need to tackle much larger amounts of information than they experienced in their undergraduate education. There are times that individuals have been able to overcome psychiatric issues, such as ADHD, based on their intellect and coping strategies. However, when they are required to tackle this large amount of information, they cannot keep up with the demands and require additional tools. Graduate students need to be experts at time-management as they are expected to complete projects, such as a thesis, on their own timeline. They are often in a different life stage and have to navigate educational challenges while trying to balance family obligations. Nature (2022) reported that 68% of graduate students reported difficulties in maintaining work-life balance.

This presentation will focus on factors that need to be considered when working with graduate and/or professional students to improve their mental health. This group struggles with unique challenges that clinicians need to recognize in order to provide the necessary care. The presenters will provide an overview of current literature related to this topic, but will also bring their many years of experience working with graduate and professional student clients. Discussion will be facilitated to allow participants to share their experiences and to ensure that everyone leaves with a deeper understanding of the pressures that this population faces and techniques to help them achieve improved work-life balance and mental health.

Learning Objectives:

1. 1. Participants will understand the scope of mental health issues for graduate students.
   2. Participants will be able to discuss unique factors that affect the mental health of graduate students.
   3. Participants will be able to formulate treatment plans that target the mental health challenges.

From Compliance to Collaboration: A Restorative Approach to Peer Review

Presenter:

Marin Smith, LICSW, Associate Director, Counseling Services
Emerson College

Stephanie Wong, LMHC, Assistant Director, Counseling Services
Emerson College

Description:

In many college and university counseling centers, clinicians experience peer review of documentation as a bureaucratic hurdle at best or a “sneak attack” evaluation at worst. Performative task-completion can lead to clinician mistrust and anxiety, burnout, and turnover, while directors and other leaders struggle to meet real demands around accountability, compliance, and liability. This session will present a model for developing and integrating a collaborative peer review process that promotes professional growth, enhances mutual accountability, and strengthens collegial trust and support for clinicians. This approach also offers strategic benefits for leaders: improving staff retention, reducing administrative burden, and building a self-sustaining culture that better serves our students and institutions. Presenters will outline a framework for shifting from top-down oversight to reciprocal, growth-oriented feedback. Participants will learn to implement a process that strengthens clinical skills and reduces the ‘policing’ burden on leadership.

Learning Objectives:

1. 1. Define collaborative peer review in context of college counseling centers and distinguish it from traditional hierarchical or compliance-based models
   2. Identify key components of a collaborative peer review model that balances administrative accountability with clinical skill-building and staff development
   3. Develop a preliminary implementation plan for a collaborative peer review process that aligns with your center’s size, staffing, utilization and institutional culture