Program Schedule

Dr. Ben Locke is a licensed psychologist and the Chief Clinical Officer for Togetherall, a clinically moderated peer support platform available to millions of people globally where he oversees an international team of clinical staff who provide 24/7 coverage. Ben has worked in the mental health field since 1995 in a wide variety of settings including wilderness therapy, psychiatric hospitals, group homes, community mental health, and more than 20 years in college/university counseling centers with a focus on administration, operations, and research. Prior to joining Togetherall, Ben served as the Senior Director of Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) at Penn State University where he was also the founder and the Executive Director of the Center for Collegiate Mental Health, from 2004 to 2021) and an affiliate faculty member in Counseling and Clinical Psychology departments at Penn State University. Dr. Locke presents and consults widely about college student mental health, the intersection of mental health/technology, and has published dozens of peer reviewed articles in the field.

Take the time for yourself. Expand your awareness. Be kind to others. Be human. Together we will ground, center, and energize ourselves for the day ahead.

Join Kathryn Bruning, M.S., LMHC, Director, Curry College Counseling Center each morning for a brief meditation. Kathryn (she/her) is a first-generation American, raised in a bi-lingual household. She holds a Master’s of Science in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University with a focus on gender, culture, and political psychology, and is a trained yoga instructor.

Navigating the Impact of Technology on Student Mental Health: A Focus on Social Media and AI

Brooks Center – Seminar Room A

Presenter: Nick Pinkerton, Psy.D, Associate Dean, Southern Connecticut State University)

In recent years, technology has become an integral part of students’ daily lives, with social media and AI playing a significant role in shaping their experiences. While technology has brought many benefits, such as increased access to information and opportunities for connection, it has also led to some negative impacts on student mental health. This presentation aims to explore the ways in which technology, specifically social media and AI, can impact student mental health and discuss strategies for supporting students in navigating these challenges.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify the impact of social media on student mental well-being.
2. Identify the impact of artificial intelligence on student mental well-being.
3. Develop strategies for supporting students in navigating the impact of technology.

Expanding DEI Leadership in College Counseling Centers

Brooks Center – Seminar Room B

Presenters: Renee Rosado, Psy.D, LMHC, Director, American International College
Caroline Flowers, LMHC, Director, Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences

This presentation will address director leadership and center readiness for hiring and sustaining staff of diverse backgrounds and experiences, thereby improving treatment and care support for students of similarly diverse backgrounds and experiences. This will be a space for self-reflection and exploration with respect to leadership styles for creating inclusive workspaces. The presentation of models and engagement in activities during the session will provide strategies to bring back to your centers.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify traits of inclusive leadership.
2. Identify our strengths and growing edges as inclusive leaders.
3. Expand the definition of DEI in the changing landscape of college mental health center
4. Apply the cultural iceberg theory with inclusive leadership style

Neuro-diverse Populations: Resilience and Recovery

Brooks Center – Seminar Room A

Presenter: Gizelle Tircuit, Ph.D, Director, Mitchell College

This presentation will focus on the continuum of prevention: promoting well-being, preventing illness, increasing resilience, and fostering recovery.

We will discuss the experiences of supporting neuro-diverse college students in transitioning to college life and independence while overcoming mental health challenges. The session will share examples of students utilizing and learning how to access resources for recovery.

Learning Objectives:

1. Share strategies for supporting resilience with neuro-diverse populations.
2. Understand the diverse needs of neuro-diverse populations and focusing on the individual need while supporting a community consciousness for resilience and mental health.
3. Learn how strategies can significantly support mental health needs of individuals with complex and intersectional support needs.

Where Do We Go From Here? Navigating the Current Landscape in Collegiate Mental Health

Brooks Center – Seminar Room B

Presenter: David Walden, Ph.D, Director, Hamilton College

This presentation will provide an overview of the main themes and recommendations of an upcoming AUCCCD whitepaper on the future of mental health services in higher education. Now, more than ever, the role of university mental health professionals is changing and increasing in scope and responsibility. The landscape of how to address mental health on college campuses has changed, staff and directors are feeling increased levels of burnout, and professional staff are leaving at unprecedented rates. This presentation provides recommendations for institutions to strategically align roles, resources and service delivery in order to sustain the profession.

Learning Objectives:

1. List three of the current trends impacting college counseling centers.
2. Identify changes in the counseling center setting and how those changes have impacted both students and counseling center staff.
3. Describe workable solutions for staff retention and job engagement for counseling center staff.

Effective and Meaningful Engagement with Academic Partners

Panel Participants:

Karen Singleton, Ph.D,
Assoc. Medical Director, Chief of SMH&C
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

David Randall, PhD,
Senior Associate Dean
Student Support and Wellbeing
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Kate McCarthy, MA,
Associate Dean
Student Support and Wellbeing
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jimmy Doan,
Associate Dean, Office of Student Wellbeing
Student Support and Wellbeing
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Kester Barrow, M.Ed.
Associate Dean and Director
CARE Team
Student Support & Wellbeing
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn ways to develop and leverage cross-Institute partnerships to advance a strategic approach to creating a culture of wellbeing.
2. Discuss the importance of engaging a variety of stakeholders (including students, faculty, and staff) to meet the support needs of students.
3. Use examples shared by MIT staff to identify one concrete relationship to develop at your home institution.

Facilitator: Doug Johnson, Ph.D,  Director Emeritus, University of Maine

Join us for a casual gathering of personal reflection, sharing and connection.

The Fireside Chat is a unique event to the NECCCD Conference. It allows attendees an opportunity to develop authentic connections on a deeper, more personal level in our lives, together as directors. It is a time and space for directors to share and explore our very human experiences as we encounter transitions or events in our lives and careers. This is not a time for advice-giving or problem-solving, rather, a safe space to join each other around similarities and to make space to honor and explore our differences as we journey forward.

Take the time for yourself. Expand your awareness. Be kind to others. Be human. Together we will ground, center, and energize ourselves for the day ahead.

Join Kathryn Bruning, M.S., LMHC, Director, Curry College Counseling Center each morning for a brief meditation. Kathryn (she/her) is a first-generation American, raised in a bi-lingual household. She holds a Master’s of Science in Counseling Psychology from Northeastern University with a focus on gender, culture, and political psychology, and is a trained yoga instructor.

Embracing the Digital Arena: Social Media and Other Formats to Enhance Your Center’s Reach

Brooks Center – Seminar Room A

Presenters: Maria Kavanaugh, LICSW, Director, Stonehill College
Katie Crawford, LICSW, Director, Eastern Nazarene College

A benefit of the pandemic is the amount of technology available to us to further our reach in terms of mental health promotion, suicide prevention, and awareness of resources. Students are consumers of social media in general, and gain information about health, wellness, news, and campus events via social media consumption. In this session, basic strategies for utilizing social media, websites, video content, and learning management systems to reach students, faculty, staff, and beyond will be shared. Benefits as well as potential risks or consequences will also be explored.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize benefits of digital platforms for mental health promotion and outreach.
2. Understand strategy and structure for implementation of social media and digital mental health outreach.
3. Become acclimated with resources for content and creation of social media and other digital outreach formats for mental health promotion.

The Climate Crisis in Clinical Work: Engaging with Students and Beyond

Brooks Center – Seminar Room B

Presenter: Wendy Greenspun, Ph.D, Clinical Psychologist, private practice, NYC; formerly of Columbia University Counseling and Psychological Services

What exactly is entailed in becoming a climate-aware therapist and what inspires someone to do this professionally? How does one learn to navigate the emotional distress of the climate crisis with the clients, especially while managing such stress themselves? How do we begin conversations with our clients, our staff members and our colleagues when the subject of climate crises seems so insurmountable? Join us as Karen Singleton interviews Wendy Greenspun about her experiences. Wendy also explains why climate distress goes beyond concerns about Global Warming and provides tips for attentively listening for such distress in clients.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the multi-layered nature of the climate and environmental crisis and intersectional injustices.
2. Learn the mental health implications, including various forms of climate distress.
3. Develop a better understanding of the challenge of being embedded in the same problem as our clients and how to work with our own emotions.
4. Gain exposure to clinical work with climate anxiety, grief and distress

Racial Trauma and Clinical Work

Presenter: Alex L. Pieterse, PhD
Associate Professor & Director – Institute for the Study of Race and Culture
Boston College, Lynch School of Education
Dept. of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology

Dr. Pieterse is an Associate Professor of Counseling Psychology in the Department of Counseling, Educational and Developmental Psychology. He received his Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University. Dr. Pieterse’s scholarship focuses on psychosocial aspects of race and racism, racial trauma, and anti-racism training and self-awareness. He is a prior recipient of a NIH – Health Disparities Grant. Dr Pieterse is currently an Associate Editor for The Counseling Psychologist. Dr. Pieterse is a Licensed Psychologist and has experience as a Racial Diversity Consultant.

Presentation Summary

This Presentation will focus on racial trauma as a type of psychological outcome experienced by people of Color in response to experiences of racism. Various types of racial trauma will be identified and the assessment of racial trauma will be reviewed. The presentation will also identify will identity important elements for clinical practice when responding to racial trauma.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the program participants will be able to:

1. Identify 3 psychological outcomes associated with the experience of racism as informed by the empirical literature
2. Describe 5 elements of clinical practice associated with effective racial trauma intervention and prevention.
3. List 3 behaviors for developing critical consciousness and practicing from an anti-racist perspective

References (books, articles, etc):

1. Mosley, D. V., Hargons, C. N., Meiller, C., Angyal, B., Wheeler, P., Davis, C., & Stevens-Watkins, D. (2021). Critical consciousness of anti-Black racism: A practical model to prevent and resist racial trauma. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 68(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000430
2. Pieterse, A. L. (2018). Attending to racial trauma in clinical supervision: Enhancing client and supervisee outcomes. The Clinical Supervisor, 37(1), 204-220.
3. Williams, M. T., Osman, M., Gallo, J., Pereira, D. P., Gran-Ruaz, S., Strauss, D., Lester, L., George, J. R., Edelman, J., & Litman, L. (2022). A clinical scale for the assessment of racial trauma. Practice Innovations.Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pri0000178
4. Carter, Robert T., and Pieterse, Alex L. Measuring the effects of racism: Guidelines for the assessment and treatment of race-based traumatic stress injury. Columbia University Press, 2020.

Why Am I Still Doing This?

Presenter: Brian Krylowicz, Director, Springfield College

This session will provide an opportunity for attendees to reaffirm what draws us to our work and our institutions. This will be a group facilitated discussion.

Learning Objectives:

1. Reconnect with our motivations for serving and leading.
2. Focus on gratitude for the work we do and with whom we do it.
3. End the conference with a sense of connection and support.