Doug Wysockey-Johnson is the Executive Director of Lumunos Wellbeing (Lumunoswellbeing.org). Lumunos Wellbeing is a 90 year old nonprofit based in VT that creates resiliency programs for physicians, nurses and other front line health care workers around the United States . Lumunos Wellbeing has a particular focus on peer support, hospital culture, leadership, team building, resiliency strategies and work/life ‘balance’. In this work, Doug has worked in numerous hospital systems in Vermont and around the country.

Doug is a founding board member of the Coalition for Physician Well Being and the author of a weekly well being email that goes to over 5000 clinicians. Doug and a few others from the Coalition are the creators of the ‘Medicus Integra Award,’ an assessment and award process (similar to Magnet Status for nursing) that measures a hospital’s commitment to physician well being.

Doug is married and lives in Richmond VT. with his wife Kathryn and daughter Isabel. When he isn’t working or parenting, he enjoys being outside pursuing whatever activity the season calls for.

Merry Postemski is a Senior Investigator and Legal Advocate for Disability Rights Vermont (DRVT), Vermont's designated Protection & Advocacy System and our State's Mental Health Ombudsman. Merry has been employed with DRVT for over 20 years. She has a Master's of Science Degree in Counseling Psychology from The College of St. Joseph and has previously worked in the juvenile justice system, as a contracted mental health clinician for the Vermont Department of Corrections, and alongside her husband Clark was a Therapeutic Foster Parent with VT DCF for several years. Merry also serves in a volunteer capacity as the President of the Board of Directors for the Rutland County Restorative Justice Center.

Zach Hozid is the Legal Director at Disability Rights Vermont. He started as a Staff Attorney with DRVT in 2017, after graduating from Vermont Law School that year. Before law school, Zach worked in several social service positions include at a youth center, a youth mobile crisis unit, and with Meals on Wheels.

Jill Rudge is an Assistant Professor and Staff Attorney at Vermont Law School's South Royalton Legal Clinic. Their previous Vermont Poverty Law Fellowship at Vermont Legal Aid focused on legal strategies to address the housing instability faced by people with mental health challenges.

Charlotte Safran coordinates the “Patient and Family-Centered Care” program at UVM Children’s Hospital. She also works as a consultant with the division of Maternal and Child Health on developing consistent, sustainable Family Partnerships. In these two roles, Charlotte uses appreciative inquiry to highlight and implement mutually beneficial policy, program, and practice improvements.

Kirsten Murphy is the Executive Director of the Vermont Developmental Disabilities Council (VTDDC). A federally funded entity, VTDDC seeks to ensure the voices of self-advocates and family members are central to the design of supports and services, including traditional medical services.

Dr. Dana E. Crawford is a clinical psychologist who developed the Crawford Bias Reduction Theory & Training (CBRT), a systematic approach to reducing bias, prejudice, and racism. She has a thriving private practice in Manhattan and has treated patients with high incidences of trauma in Philadelphia, Cincinnati, New Orleans, San Antonio, the Bronx, and New York City. Dr. Crawford is a graduate of Howard, Temple, and Miami universities and has degrees in African American studies, education, and psychology. She has certifications in Practical Nursing, medical hypnosis, and biofeedback. Dr. Crawford completed her pediatric psychology residency at Tulane University School of Medicine, followed by a two–year clinical fellowship with the United States Department of Defense, and then a two-year fellowship with the Center for Early Connections at Tulane University. From 2016- 2020, she worked at Montefiore Medical Center, where she was Director of Education and Training for the Behavioral Health Integration Program, Director of the Trauma-Informed Care Program, and an Assistant Professor. In recent years, she conducted over hundreds of trainings and presentations in academic, private, non-profit, public, and government sectors focused on bias reduction and trauma-informed care. Finally, Dr. Crawford is currently a Scholar in Residence at Columbia University in the Zuckerman Mind Brain Behavior Institute.

Julie Davis, MS RD CD is a dietitian at Whole Health Nutrition, LLC. She obtained her bachelors and master's degrees at UVM in dietetics. She loves to cook, garden and enjoys running and hiking. She finds passion in helping her clients find a nutrition plan that will work for them and believes that nutrition is not “one-size-fits-all” and that everyone is on a personal journey with unique goals. Julie loves working with individuals to help personalize their nutrition plan and empower them to recognize and understand the preventative and restorative impact of food on their health and well-being.

Jennifer Haselman is a parent, special educator, and Family Partner with the Vermont Family Network.

Jamie Rainville is the Co-Director of Family Support at Vermont Family Network. Jamie coordinated and led the team that created and implemented Confident Care For Kids (CCFK). CCFK is a state-wide initiative to increase sensory supports for children with disabilities and special healthcare needs.

Melissa Houser, MD is a Board-Certified Family Physician with a passion for teaching kids about their brains. Diagnosed as autistic/ADHD at age 37, she is often an “interpreter” between two cultures – that of neurotypical individuals and that of the 1 in 5 people who have a brain difference in thinking, learning, or communicating.

Thema Bryant, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who has worked nationally and globally to provide relief and empowerment to marginalized persons. She is past president of the Society for the Psychology of Women and a past American Psychological Association (APA) representative to the United Nations, as well as the incoming president-elect of the APA. Bryant has been honored by the APA; the Institute of Violence, Abuse, and Trauma; and the California Psychological Association for her contributions to psychology. A professor at Pepperdine University, she earned her undergraduate and doctorate degrees in psychology from Duke University, and completed her postdoctoral training at Harvard Medical School. Bryant has served as a mental health media consultant for numerous print, radio, and television outlets, and is host of The Homecoming Podcast.

Melissa Brymer, Ph.D, Psy.D. is Director of the Terrorism and Disaster Program of the UCLA/Duke University National Center for Child Traumatic Stress and its National Child Traumatic Stress Network. In this capacity, Dr. Brymer been involved with the development of acute interventions, assessment, and educational materials in the area of terrorism, disasters, public health emergencies, and school crises. She is one of the primary authors of NCTSN/NCPTSD Psychological First Aid and Skills for Psychological Recovery and has served as a consultant for many Federal, state, and local agencies across the country and internationally after disasters, terrorism, school shootings, and other mass emergencies. Dr. Brymer was the lead advisor to the Newtown Public Schools Recovery Program, and has led the NCTSN’s response to COVID-19.

Mary Alice Favro is a speech language pathologist, Training Director, VT Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (VT LEND) program and Clinical Professor at UVM. She is a member of the VT Community of Practice (CoP) on Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Developmental Disabilities and the Health Disparities Cultural Competence Group.

Tedra Jackson manages and oversees the Michigan DD Council’s statewide grants program. She leads the Council’s Race, Equity, Access, Diversity, and Inclusion (READI) committee and facilitates Michigan’s Community of Practice on Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Developmental Disabilities. Ms. Jackson has been recognized for her leadership as well as her equity and inclusion work in a space.

As Chief Executive Officer of CMHA, Robert Sheehan leads an association that provides mental health, substance use disorder, and intellectual/developmental disability services to over 300,000 Michigan residents each year. Mr. Sheehan holds master’s degrees in Social Work and Business Administration. He is adjunct faculty at the Michigan State University School of Social Work.

Sheryl Weir works with CMHA of MI and Disability Rights Michigan on cultural competence and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. She is the former Manager of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Equity and Minority Health where she worked to improve health equity for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) in Michigan. Her public health work focuses on health equity, health disparities and social justice

As the Associate Vice President for Institutional Diversity and Equity, Dr. Dottie Morris is a member of the Keene State College President’s Cabinet. Her main foci are providing support and direction to the Executive, Academic Affairs, Enrollment and Student Engagement, Advancement, and Finance and Administration divisions of the college as the institution works to fulfill its commitment to diversity and multiculturalism.

For years, Dottie has worked with undergraduate and graduate students in the capacity of counselor, teacher, academic advisor, and advisor of student groups. She has demonstrated a consistent and persistent dedication and devotion to diversity, inclusion, multiculturalism and social justice over the past two decades. Prior to her position as Associate Vice President of Institutional Diversity and Equity at KSC, she served as the Associate Dean for Student Learning at World Learning School for International Training Institute (SIT) in Brattleboro, VT, the Director of Student Affairs for the Clinical Mental Health Counseling Program at Antioch University New England in Keene and staff counselor at the Colorado State University Counseling Center and the Coordinator of the Employee Assistance Program.

Wilda White is a psychiatric survivor, Mad activist, attorney and business woman who most recently is the founder of MadFreedom, a civil and human rights advocacy organization whose mission is to end the discrimination and oppression of individuals based on their perceived mental state. Her most recent publication is Re-writing the Master Narrative: A Prerequisite for Mad Liberation (The Routledge Handbook of Mad Studies, 2022).

Karen Topper is the Administrative Director for Green Mountain Self-Advocates. She manages the GMSA office, supervising employees, training persons with developmental disabilities in techniques of self-advocacy, and program development work. Topper is a co-author of Sexuality Education for Adults with Developmental Disabilities, a curriculum designed for self-advocates and allies to teach a sexuality education series together as a team. She has been working with people with disabilities for the past 40 years. She has created individualized supports for people moving out of institutions in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Topper has extensive experience in developing curriculums for self-advocates, providers, and families on Independent Living, Violence Prevention, Supportive Decision-Making, and Sexuality Education. Topper has been an ally of the self-determination, disability rights, and self-advocacy movements since the early 90’s.

Max Barrows is Outreach Director for Green Mountain Self-Advocates, a position he has held since 2007. He mentors youth and adults with developmental disabilities to speak up for themselves and become leaders. GMSA is a lead partner of the Self-Advocacy Resource and Technical Assistance Center (SARTAC). Max leads SARTAC’s technical assistance team assisting local and state self-advocacy organizations across the nation. Max connects with people on all levels advocating for true-inclusion of people with developmental disabilities. In his work, he advances the message that when you meet an individual with a disability, presume competence. He received a White House Champions of Change award for this work in 2015 and Champion of Equal Opportunity award from the National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities in 2019. Max is an accomplished self-advocate from Vermont who served as a board member for Self-Advocates Becoming Empowered from 2008 to 2016. On a personal level, Max has a very high interest in extreme weather and he likes to watch college and professional sports.

Hasan Ko is a leader of our work on including people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds. Hasan says, “No matter where we come from, we have the right to be ourselves in our own way.” Hasan mentors peers in his local self-advocacy group. He represents GMSA on national projects.

Health Care Workers and Community Providers continue to be at the epicenter of the pandemic promoting care in those they are charged to serve and support. But what about the providers? This workshop will present some of the strategies and practices that are effective to promote self-care and each other as we move together through COVID-19.

---

Learning Objectives:

• Participants will learn about the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic upon providers
• Participants will learn about the importance of self-care
• Participants will learn strategies for self-care and how to implement these strategies with others

Food can be used as a powerful tool for supporting one's mental health. Learn how to use your diet to help improve mental health and overall wellness. We will explore the nutrient gaps that can lead to increased anxiety and depression and discuss foods that support neurotransmitter production and enhanced mood. Eating well helps one take care of both the body and the mind. This presentation will also include a mood-boosting food demo.

---

Learning objectives:

1. Participants will learn about specific ways to improve their omega-3 fatty acid intake to help provide healthy building blocks that may improve mood.
2. Participants will learn quick and healthy snack and meal choices to support busy days and the need for sustained energy.
3. Participants will learn about mindful eating and how this practice affects food satisfaction and supports self care.

This “listening session” will stimulate a discussion on identifying barriers in the system of care as it relates to the provision of community based mental health, developmental, and substance abuse services, while brainstorming ideas to help overcome these barriers within Vermont's current system of care. Led by advocates for people with disabilities, the session will begin with a review of recent data, research, and advocacy efforts regarding Vermont’s continuum of care. We will then seek participants’ input into what is needed to enhance and sustain the workforce in Vermont necessary to provide robust community services, and to enhance and sustain home and community based services so that as many people as possible are able to thrive in their communities. We look forward to learning from you where our joint advocacy efforts may have the most positive impact to improve the lives of Vermonters and reduce the risks of unnecessary institutionalization.

---

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn about recent data regarding Vermont's system of care for individuals receiving or needing DA services, with a particular focus on preventing unnecessary institutionalization/hospitalization/emergency department visits.
2. Identify barriers to services preventing people from receiving the services they need in their homes and communities, including the current workforce crisis.
3. Identify barriers to services preventing people from receiving the services they need in their homes and communities, including the current workforce crisis.

Everyone has (a) biases related to their culturally held assumptions and values; (b) attitudes related to cultural identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender, etc.,); and (c) worldviews, which include their political, health, religious, financial, and moral values. The reactions individuals have when bias, prejudice, and racism are activated manifests internally through thoughts, feelings, physiology, and/or externally through various behaviors. Consequently, unprocessed, and poorly managed bias, prejudice, and racism reactions can be detrimental individually, interpersonally, and institutionally.

The Crawford Bias Reduction Theory & Training (CBRT) workshop series focuses on three core components, awareness, investigation, and reduction of bias. The awareness component introduces a theory of bias, prejudice, racism as a system to acquire and distribute human resources, which is maintain by fear and social norms. The investigation component examines how bias, prejudice, racism manifest individually, interpersonally, and institutionally. Finally, the reduction component teaching specific anti-bias skills such as internal regulation, implementing a bias reduction plan, and engaging in strategic sustainable anti-bias work. The goal of this training is for participants to have more awareness of their biases and concrete skills to reduce the impact of their biases. The skill building portion training focuses on LET-UP, a systematic approach to responding to bias. LET-UP is acronym for Listen, Empathize, Talk, Understand, and Plan. This training helps participants move from being reactive to the manifestations of bias, prejudice, and racism, to being mindful and strategic in responding.

---

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will obtain knowledge about the history and development of bias, prejudice, and racism.
2. Participants will practice being able recognizing when they are affectively, behaviorally cognitively, and physically triggered by bias, prejudice, and racism.
3. Participants will learn the coping responses used to manage affective, behavioral, cognitive, and physical reactions to bias, prejudice, and racism.
4. Participants will learn how to apply the LET-UP framework to reduce bias and respond effectively to challenging interactions

In this hands on, experiential workshop, we will briefly discuss the impact that a regular art making practice has on managing stress. There will be a brief opportunity to discuss how to implement these practices into your daily life, and then we will spend time together making art. You can use any materials you have nearby; pen and paper, crayons, found objects, natural objects from outside your home, etc. You do not need to have an art background to participate, or to make art in the world. We will have time for reflections at the end of the session.

---

Learning objectives:

1. Participants will develop a better understanding of the importance of art making in our lives as a tool to promote mental health and wellness
2. Participants will learn how to develop an art practice for the people they support
3. Participants will learn that art is for everyone!

At least 1 in 5 people have a brain difference in thinking, learning, or communicating. The traditional delivery of healthcare can exclude, and even traumatize, neurodivergent patients. This lesson was brought home during the pandemic when it became clear that for some, needle sticks are highly aversive.
This panel presentation describes how healthcare providers and their family partners are creating clinical settings informed by the needs of neurodiverse patients. The Empower Program at the University of Vermont Medical Center illustrates how family voice resulted in changes to clinical practice for children with sensory and other differences. Empower led to Confident Care for Kids, a unique campaign that provides training and sensory friendly toolkits for pediatric practices administering the Covid-19 vaccine. Finally, physician Melissa Houser, MD, who identifies as a neurodiverse individual, will share how she is building All Brains Belong, a neuro-inclusive primary care practice in Montpelier, VT.

---

Learning Objectives:

1. To share practical strategies that make clinical procedures and settings inclusive of the 1 in 5 people who have a brain difference in thinking, learning, or communicating.
2. To raise awareness of the barriers to receiving person-centered clinical care that are commonly faced by neuro-diverse individuals of all ages.
3. To illustrate the power of partnering with family members and self-advocates to understand the unmet needs of neuro-diverse people.

Join us to celebrate Washington County Mental Health staff significant achievement as a fully certified VCP Center of Excellence.

The COVID-19 has been overwhelming and difficult for everyone, including providers and caregivers. Understanding its impact upon individuals, communities and institutions is key for modulating its effects. Dr. Bryant will provide an overview of vicarious trauma and its warning signs, provide participants with strategies to promote self-care and reduce distress.

---

Learning objectives:
Attendees will be able to:

1. Describe warning signs of vicarious trauma and burnout
2. Describe three self care strategies to reduce distress
3. Describe three community care and/or Organizational care strategies to reduce distress

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted feelings of safety and protection for many adults, children, and families; led to elevated stress responses, potentially compounding the impact of other stressors; and added layers to experiences of trauma and adversity. This workshop will highlight how the pandemic has led to increased disruptions (grief, maltreatment/interpersonal violence, substance use/suicide) and will offer strategies and resources to mitigate these traumas. The workshop will also address the importance of provider wellness

---

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to identify 3 ways to adapt services for traumatized individuals during the pandemic.
2. Participants will be able to name evidence-based practices that address each level of a public health paradigm.
3. Participants will be able to describe ways to enhance wellness within their organization or practice.

Members of the BIPOC community are welcome to join this supportive discussion with Dr. Morris.

VT’s Community of Practice (CoP) on Cultural and Linguistic Competence in Developmental Disabilities is imagining new ways for DS agencies to become more culturally responsive in their work. Michigan’s CoP created a Learning Community of people who wanted to learn and work together. Three members of the Michigan CoP will share their Cultural and Linguistic Learning Community model in this session. Their program includes team-based learning with 8-10 different agencies. They explore principles, practices and actions the organizations must adopt to move toward cultural competence. A coach helps each team identify activities in their organization and community to become more culturally responsive. We invite you to learn about this Learning Community model and explore how it could be done in Vermont.

---

Learning objectives:

1. Learn strategies to explore principles, practices and actions in moving towards cultural competency
2. Understand the Michigan Learning Community Model - a team based approach to cultural competence
3. Envision (dream) how the model can be used in Vermont and form a working group

Historically, American society has equated race with mental illness. In the 1850s, psychiatrists believed that African slaves who ran away from their white masters did so because of a mental illness called drapetomania. At the turn of the 20th century, leaders in academic psychiatry claimed that “Negroes” were “psychologically unfit” for freedom. Today, doctors diagnose schizophrenia in black patients and particularly black men, four times as often as in white patients and black patients are more likely to be misdiagnosed with schizophrenia. In this presentation, Wilda White, a psychiatric survivor, will show how racism and the notion of mental illness intersect in the delivery of mental health services and cause harm to clients and patients. Through case histories, attendees will learn how racial biases play out in the consulting room and what practitioners can do to avoid them and what patients and clients can do to address them.

---

Learning Objectives:

1. To recognize one's own racial biases
2. To understand how racial biases harm patients and clients
3. To acquire tools to avoid inflicting or suffering harm from racial biases in a therapeutic alliance

In 2021, Green Mountain Self-Advocates co-wrote a booklet about ableism and violence. It is written in plain language. We wrote it for people with disabilities to understand ableism. Ableism may be a new word to many people. We often hear people use academic words to describe ableism. It is important for people with disabilities to be able to explain ableism. For too long, society has had negative ideas about people with disabilities. These beliefs breed harmful attitudes. They are used to justify violence. This booklet describes how ableism plays a role in violence against people with disabilities. We must understand the connection between ableism and violence. This opens the door towards achieving disability justice. We hope advocacy groups will read and discuss this booklet. If you are an ally, please share this information with people with and without disabilities. We want to lift up the voices of people with disabilities.

---

Learning Objectives:

1. Know how to use plain language to explain ableism to people with and without disabilities
2. Understand the connection between ableism and violence.
3. Experience activities that lift up the voices of people with disabilities

Jen Berger works as an interdisciplinary, and socially engaged artist/educator. She uses performance, painting, printmaking, & video to raise awareness and intervene in social issues. Jen works as a teaching artist and hosts creative and educational workshops through At the Root, LLC, and also provides project management, coaching, and consulting.