1:45pm – 3:00pm

Concurrent Sessions

 

1. Addressing Complex Trauma with Children and Adolescents within a School-Based Day Treatment Program

Andrea Joy Cimino, LCSW, Program Supervisor, JCCA
Budy Garcia-Whitfield, LCSW, Assistant Vice President of Behavior Health and Wellness, JCCA
Hannah Sperber, LMSW, Clinician, JCCA

 

This presentation will focus on the methods, strategies and implementation of trauma-informed treatment for youth enrolled in school-based mental health services and day treatment programs. The presenters will identify the barriers of treating trauma symptoms within a school-based setting and the ways in which the clinicians have adapted to address these barriers and provide deliverance of services within the time limits of the school day.

 

2. Supporting  Youth in Crisis with Co-Occurring ASD/IDD and Mental Health Needs: Understanding  the Language of Behavior and Adapting Interventions for Maximum Effectiveness

Michael Harris, LMHC-D, HBCI Program Director, Astor Services
Allison Schmandt, B.S. Ed., Assistant Director of the Intensive Treatment Program, OLV Human Services

 

OMH residential and crisis programs are experiencing a surge in referrals for ASD/IDD youth with co-occurring mental health conditions and behaviors with significant safety concerns. Research finds Autistic youth are more likely to struggle with suicidal ideation, physical aggression, and school avoidance than neurotypical peers, resulting in unique challenges for children and their caregivers, as well as clinicians providing treatment. Leader's from New York's first co-occurring ASD/IDD residential treatment program and largest Home Based Crisis Intervention (HBCI) program will provide practical guidance for what works in treatment and why.

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3. When the Conversation Is Hard: Family-Driven Care Through Conflicting Perspectives

Megan Henry, FPA-C, PMP, Program Manager, Peer Support Services, Hillside
Amanda Marie, FPA-C, Supervisor, Peer Support Services, Hillside
Lacey Packard, FPA-C, NYSPEP-CPE, Program Manager, Peer Support Services, Hillside
Michele Hoffman, FPA-C, Family Peer Advocate II, Hillside

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Family voice is easiest when everyone agrees. Family-driven care is tested when they don’t. This interactive, scenario-based session explores what meaningful family partnership looks like when difficult information must be shared, perspectives conflict, or youth, families, and providers disagree. Participants will work through realistic situations from multiple perspectives and identify practical approaches to transparency, communication, shared decision-making, and how to maintain relationships through difficult conversations.

 

4. Your Wellness is Important to Us: Please Complete this Survey by 4pm     

Jessica Luquis, LMCH-D, Associate Executive Director of Clinical Services, St. Catherine’s Center for Children
Phyllis Adler, LCSW-R, Program Director, CTFSS, St. Catherine’s Center for Children

 

You teach coping skills, preach boundaries, and can spot burnout a mile away-so why are so many of us still running on empty? "Practice self-care" only goes so far when the problem is bigger than bubble baths and yoga. With humor and honesty, we'll explore burnout, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue and rising mental health related leave-and what clinicians, supervisors and organizations can actually do to make this work sustainable.

 

5. Grief Doesn’t Check Zip Codes: Scaling a Citywide Bereavement Program and Leveraging Funding Pathway

Cyndi Carnaghi-Collins, LCSW, Deputy Executive Director, Jewish Board
Crystal Gauen, LCAT, Program Director, Jewish Board

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Since 1989, The Jewish Board’s Loss and Bereavement Program has served grieving children ages 3–18 across New York City introduced by Nina Koh, MD, after she observed a correlation between depression and unresolved parental bereavement in her child patients, and expanded into schools in 2002 in the wake of 9/11. For over three decades, this program has operated as a de facto public health model of bereavement care universal community psychoeducation, selective school- and community-based grief groups, and, as of FY26, a new indicated clinical tier without ever naming it that way. Layering a new Medicaid-anchored clinical tier onto a 35-year-old, citywide grief program for children, this session covers program history, the pandemic-era pivot, CFTSS integration, and a training pipeline reaching roughly 800 community members and clinicians a year. The session will offer replicable takeaways for programs weighing how to fund a continuum of care to serve our most vulnerable children.

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6. OMH Community Workforce Development: Strategies for Recruitment and Retention

Sam Fletcher, Ph.D., MSW, Director of Workforce Development/ Indigenous Nation Liaison, New York State Office of Mental Health
Olivia Knox, MSW, Mental Health Program Specialist, New York State Office of Mental Health

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This presentation will be facilitated by staff in the Office of Mental Health’s Workforce Development unit. The unit is charged with addressing the public mental health workforce crisis. This crisis is complex with multiple causes that call for a multitude of solutions. The presentation will focus on workforce initiatives and will be interactive as the facilitators will solicit feedback to ensure the interventions match the needs of children and families in New York.

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3:00pm – 3:15pm

Break

 

3:15pm – 4:45pm

Concurrent Sessions

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1. Reading Between the Behaviors: Honoring the Story Behind the Need

Antwan Cook, MA, Staff Training and Development Coordinator, Jewish Child Care Association

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This interactive presentation challenges professionals to look beyond difficult or disruptive behavior and consider the experiences, trauma, and unmet needs that may be shaping a young person’s response. Participants will learn how to recognize the story behind the behavior, reduce power struggles, respond more effectively during moments of crisis, and build safer, more supportive relationships with youth. Through real-world residential-care scenarios, guided discussion, and practical strategies, attendees will leave with tools they can immediately apply within their programs.

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2. Building Better Productivity: From Measurement to Meaningful Action

Daniel Korovikov, PsyD, Director of Analytics & Outcomes, Astor Services

 

A well-designed productivity model turns “We missed the target” into “Here is where we need to focus.” This presentation will explore how to effectively define productivity, understand the factors that influence it, and present that information in ways that support action at the clinician, supervisor, and program leadership levels. Participants will leave with an adaptable framework for establishing reasonable expectations, guiding performance discussions, and evaluating productivity bonus programs across outpatient, school-based, and community services.

 

3. Understanding Families Through the FPA Lens

TJ Curtis, FDC, FPA-C, Family Training Coordinator, Families Together NYS

 

This training helps Family Peer Advocates recognize that what we see during an interaction may not reflect the full experience of a family. Using the five trauma-informed principles of Safety, Trustworthiness, Choice, Collaboration, and Empowerment, participants will explore how trauma, past system experiences, culture, power dynamics, and everyday barriers can influence family engagement and behavior. Through discussion, scenarios, reflection, and practical strategies, FPAs will learn how to look beyond assumptions, support family voice and choice, strengthen partnerships with providers, shift conversations from compliance to curiosity, and recognize lived experience and family strengths as essential components of family-driven care.

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4. More Than a Reminder: What One Missed Visit Taught a Youth ACT Team About Care, Coverage, and Sustainability

Alyssa Colon, LMSW, Social Work Supervisor, The Jewish Board
Irmine Celstin, LCSW, Director, Staten Island Youth ACT, The Jewish Board
Terrance Martin, LMHC, Director, Bronx Youth ACT, The Jewish Board
Natalie Tseng, LMHC, Director, Queens Youth ACT, The Jewish Board

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Every missed visit in a Youth ACT program is a missed opportunity to help a young person remain stable in their home, and each one carries real weight for a team that understands the stakes. When the Staten Island Youth ACT team discovered that nearly one in five clients each month was not receiving the full level of contact intensity the model requires, the concern was not primarily about billing. It was about understanding which youth and families were not being reached consistently, and why.  That question led the team into a structured quality improvement process using DMAIC and Lean Six Sigma methodologies. The team piloted a standardized process of sending automated reminders through Lumeon, integrated with the electronic health record, to every client rather than only those considered at risk. The results were substantial and will be shared. The session will also demonstrate how Youth ACT leadership uses operational dashboards to sustain and scale these gains across programs.

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Wednesday, December 2, 2026

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8:00am - 9:00am

Breakfast

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9:00am – 10:00am

Opening Plenary: Doug Golub, Data Potato, LLC

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10:15am – 11:30am

Concurrent Sessions

 

1. 2026 Family Peer Support Toolkit Review and Distribution

Michael Johnan, BS, President, Power of Family NY
Barbara Callahan, FPA, Vice President, Power of Family NY
Trish Luchnick, FPA, Director, Aster Home, Ford Member POF

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Hot off the press! Be among the first to explore the new Comprehensive Family Peer Support Toolkit, completed in September 2026. Designed to strengthen authentic Family Peer Support, it includes sections for Peers, Family Peer Supporters, Supervisors, and Programs/Agencies, plus practical informational handouts for families. Every workshop participant will receive a printed copy of the complete Toolkit to take back to their program or agency.

 

2. Understanding and Responding to Youth with Problematic Sexual Behaviors

Jessica Shutte, Psy. D., Staff Psychologist and CFH Trainer, JCCA
Kerry Dawyot, LCSW, Assistant Director, JCCA

 

Youth with problematic sexual behaviors (PSB) are at increased likelihood of contact with Children’s Advocacy Centers (CACs). As such, CACs and multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are uniquely positioned to support early identification, prevention, and intervention. Early, evidence-based responses that engage both youth and their caregivers are critical to reducing risk, preventing future harm, and promoting healthy development.

This presentation provides an overview of normative sexual development in children and adolescents and explores the continuum of sexual behaviors, from developmentally expected behaviors to those that are concerning or problematic. Participants will examine key risk and protective factors associated with problematic sexual behaviors and learn developmentally appropriate and trauma-informed responses. Research on the treatment of problematic sexual behaviors (PSB) in children and adolescents remains limited. However, existing research supports several promising, developmentally appropriate interventions and the following will be discussed during the presentation: CBT-PSB, MST-PSB, and TF-CBT.

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3. Connecting Care for Children and Families: An Integrated Model Across Primary Care, Behavioral Health, Health Homes and Schools

Lynette Green, LCSW, Senior Behavioral Health Officer, HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services
Denise Woodall-Ruff, MD, Medical Director, HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services
Colleen Jones, MSW, Director of Children & Adult Health Homes, HeartShare St. Vincent’s Services

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Children and families with complex needs rarely interact with just one system. A child may receive primary care in one setting, behavioral health treatment in another, care management through a Health Home, support through foster care, and services at school. Each program may be doing good work, yet the family can still experience care as fragmented. A referral may be made, but was the family contacted? Was an appointment scheduled? Did the child actually receive services? Did the referring provider ever learn what happened? This presentation challenges organizations to consider a fundamental question: Are our programs truly integrated, or are they simply located within the same organization?

HeartShare St. Vincent’s Family Services will share its developing approach to connecting four distinct points of care: the Pediatric and Adolescent Health Center (PAHC), State Street Healing outpatient behavioral health clinic, Children’s Health Home, and a school-based mental health program. Participants will explore how to move from traditional referrals to a closed-loop model built around clear ownership, warm handoffs, defined response expectations, communication between programs, escalation of unresolved referrals, and documented outcomes. Rather than asking families to navigate organizational boundaries on their own, the model asks programs to share responsibility for helping families move through them. The presenters will demonstrate how simple operational changes—assigning ownership, defining referral status, establishing feedback loops, reviewing stalled referrals, and measuring the full pathway from referral through connection—can turn separate services into a more coordinated system of care. Case Scenarios will be used.

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4. Mindful Media: Posting Online and Engaging Youth Virtually with Purpose

Camerin Rivera, YPA-C, Youth Power Program Manager, Families Together in NYS Youth Power
Precious Lugo, YPA-C, Youth Engagement Specialists, Families Together in NYS Youth Power

 

This training equips both youth and providers with the tools to use social media safely, responsibly, and purposefully. Participants will learn how to protect their privacy, recognize and address cyberbullying, and develop healthier digital habits that support mental health and well-being. This training expands to include guidance on supporting youth and families in safe online engagement, setting professional boundaries, and managing organizational digital presence. Providers will also practice strategies for responding to online challenges, fostering critical media literacy, and using social media effectively for outreach and this session will offer providers and organizations needed tools to guide youth in safe and responsible social media use.

 

5. Making CFTSS Work Through Strong Partnerships

Representatives, ICAN and Children’s Home of Wyoming Conference

 

This presentation will highlight how ICAN and Children’s Home successfully implement Children and Family Treatment and Support Services (CFTSS) through strong partnerships, collaborative workflows, and family-centered care. We will explore how ICAN works in partnership with its Independent Practice Association (IPA), alongside the experience and practices of Children’s Home, to navigate program requirements, coordinate services, address operational challenges, and promote effective service delivery.

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Through real-world examples and shared strategies, we will discuss the approaches that support successful CFTSS implementation, including building strong provider relationships, streamlining communication, supporting staff, engaging families, and ensuring services are accessible and responsive to children’s individual needs. By highlighting the experiences of both organizations, this presentation will offer practical insights into how collaboration, flexibility, and a shared commitment to families can turn CFTSS requirements into meaningful, effective, and sustainable services.
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11:45am – 1:00pm

Concurrent Sessions       

 

1. Supporting Exceptional Needs Youth Across Home, School, and Community

Kylie Schell, LCSW, ASD-CS, Clinical Supervisor, Children’s Home of Jefferson County

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Children and adolescents with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other exceptional needs often experience challenges across multiple environments. Professionals and caregivers frequently encounter behaviors that can be misunderstood as noncompliance, defiance, or lack of motivation when they may instead reflect skill deficits, communication differences, sensory needs, or difficulties with emotional regulation.

This interactive presentation provides practical, neurodiversity-affirming strategies for supporting exceptional needs youth across home, school, and community settings. Participants will learn how to recognize the impact of sensory and developmental differences, implement effective co-regulation techniques, and use strengths-based interventions that promote success while preserving dignity and autonomy. Real-world examples and actionable tools will be provided to help attendees better understand behavior, reduce conflict, improve engagement, and strengthen outcomes for youth and families.  Attendees will leave with strategies that can be immediately applied in educational, clinical, family support, and community-based settings to foster connection, skill development, and meaningful participation for exceptional needs youth.

 

2. Focus on Families: A Systemic Approach to Treatment

Melissa Brennan, LCSW, Executive Program Director of Crisis Services, Northern Rivers
Matt Crave, LCSW-R, Chief of Crisis Services, Northern Rivers

 

This breakout session will help practitioners to zoom out from an individual patient lens to a broader, family-focused view. The importance of creating new external, family-based experiences to help shape each individual's internal model will be the focus as we explore interventions and strategies to help resolve family conflict and create healthier, more functional patterns. The session will deconstruct the identified patient myth, apply systemic concepts in real-time, enhance interventions with genograms and structural mapping and facilitate family-level interventions.

 

3. Foster Home Services and Behavioral Health and Wellness: How a Continuum of Care Protects Foster Care Youth

Abby Jeffrey, LCSW, Assistant Vice President, Behavioral Health and Wellness, JCCA
Lauren Pack, LMSW, Director, Health Homes, JCCA

 

JCCA has leveraged its Behavioral Health and Wellness (BHW) division to provide integrative, trauma informed services to its foster youth clients. Like most multi-system involved, vulnerable youth, our clients need a comprehensive approach to manage their behavioral and mental health needs. JCCA's BHW city division is geared to addressing youth's social determinants of health by offering supports such as mental health counseling, care management, peer support, psychotropic medication management and psychological services. The workshop will share the framework of this continuum of care, information about the programs involved, the collaborative aspects of the relationships between foster care and BHW, and outcomes.

 

4. Treatment With Purpose: Focusing Interventions Using Clinical Pathways

Stephanie McCoubrey, LCSW-R, Regional Director of MHOTRS-Hudson Valley, Astor Services

 

Astor Services has implemented a clinical pathway model to enhance treatment planning and promote evidence-informed care. Each pathway is aligned with a specific symptom presentation, helping clinicians prioritize interventions based on symptom severity, functional impairment, and clinical need. By structuring treatment through progressive levels of care, the model supports more targeted service delivery while providing clinicians with a clear framework for clinical decision-making. This presentation will explore the development and implementation of the model, highlight the lessons learned, and discuss its potential to improve treatment consistency, support workforce development, and strengthen clinical practice in outpatient mental health settings.

 

5. Suicide Prevention Presentation TBA

Presenters TBA

 

Description Coming Soon

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1:00pm

Adjournment