Contemporary Issues in Mental Health Annual Conference New to Southern Miss

The Southern Miss Department of Psychology through the Office of Professional Development will offer a Contemporary Issues in Mental Health Annual Conference April 14-15, at the Thad Cochran Center on the Hattiesburg campus. This conference will provide evidence-based practices for both adults and children affected by mental health problems.

“Mental health issues have the potential to adversely impact many areas of our lives from the family, to education, to functioning in the occupational arena,” says Joe Olmi, chair of the Southern Miss Department of Psychology. “Unless treated with effective research-based practices, these issues can impact child and adult functioning in irreparable ways. In this day and time, it is essential to effectively address mental health issues.”

Dr. Robert Lyman, Southern Miss provost, will kick off the conference Thursday morning as the keynote speaker. His address is titled, “Barriers to the Movement of Evidence Based Practice from the Lab to the Clinic.” Faculty from both the Southern Miss Department of Psychology and Marriage and Family Therapy will serve as presenters for this conference.

Additional sample topics for the conference will include:

• Ethics in mental health issues
• Functional behavior assessment for school-based professionals
• Family engagement in treatment
• Criminal thinking: It’s not just for criminals anymore
• Together alone: Triumphs and pitfalls of couples therapy
• The causes and consequences of addiction
• Compliance training in young children with significant behavior problems
• School-wide positive behavior interventions and supports and effective classroom management
• Introduction to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form

Early registration is $295 for registrations that are received on or before March 31. Full-time students, who present student identification at registration, can attend the conference for $75. Southern Miss psychology and marriage and family therapy graduate students’ fees will be waived.

This conference is available for 1.0 Southern Miss educator continuing education units and 10 psychology CEs. Continuing education unit fees will be included in registration fees.

For more information or to register, call the Office of Professional Development and Educational Outreach at 601.266.4186. Registration forms can be downloaded online at www.usm.edu/profdev_edoutreach/PSYCH.html.