We are pleased to make available to you recordings of Keynote Addresses given at past STAR-Center Conferences. We look forward to making additional conference presentations available to you.
2022 STAR-Center Conference – Health Equity and Youth Suicide
Keynote Addresses:
View recordings for both Keynote Addresses
Preteen Suicide and Suicidal Behavior: Assessment and Prevention
Presented by Arielle H. Sheftall, PhD, Principal Investigator, Center for Suicide Prevention and Research, Center for Health Equity and Outcomes Research, Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics, Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
This presentation will discuss the current trends, research findings, and racial disparities concerning preteen suicide and suicidal behavior. The presenter will also suggest assessment for this age group as well as opportunities for prevention.
Download a copy of Dr. Sheftall’s powerpoint presentation
This Can’t Wait… Giving Educators the Tools: The Need to Understand and Address Students’ Mental Health Concerns
Presented by Mary Margaret Kerr, EdD, Professor of Health and Human Development, University of Pittsburgh
This presentation offers evidence-informed strategies for helping educators understand and address their students’ mental health. Specifically, we review a) oversights in educator preparation programs, b) missteps in professional development and coaching, c) confusion in the selection of mental health programs and services, and d) resources for addressing these critical problems.
Download a copy of Dr. Kerr’s powerpoint presentation
Workshops:
Recovery, Rights, and Risk in Violence Prevention: The Role of Threat Assessment
Presented by Jack Rozel, MD, MSL, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital and Rob Ambrosini, PsyD, Southwestern Pennsylvania Regional Threat Assessment Hub
More than 300,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, with many additional “excess deaths” also associated with the pandemic. Youth may develop childhood traumatic grief (CTG) due to pandemic-specific traumatic aspects of these deaths. This presentation will describe the application of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for COVID-19-related CTG for youth and their surviving caregivers. The recovery model is uniquely well suited to understanding and preventing violence – not because of recovery’s link to living with mental illness, but because of recovery’s emphasis on understanding and working with the whole person and family. Schools and communities are increasingly using threat assessment as a tool to understand and manage violence risk. Done properly, the multidisciplinary threat assessment approach is person centered, recovery oriented, and protective of the rights of the student while attending seriously to the need to prevent targeted violence.
This presentation will explore – and hopefully – demystify threat assessment and how it is used to prevent school violence. Threat assessment is an increasingly common tool being used by schools to evaluate threats and one actively promoted by the Pennsylvania Safe2Say program. Similar models have been broadly endorsed by mental health advocacy groups along with law enforcement professionals. Identifying untreated or undertreated mental illness and providing linkage for effective services is an important part of the process, but only one element of the process. Threat assessment provides an opportunity to build multidisciplinary plans to support students at risk for violence.
This presentation will explore these topics, using illustrative case examples, and, if done live, polling for interaction with the audience in addition to Q&A. Ethics, risks, and limitations of threat assessment will be addressed as well.
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Having the Conversation: Strategies for Effective Communication with Adolescents about their Social Media Use
Presented by Candice Biernesser, PhD, LCSW, Postdoctoral Scholar, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh
This presentation will aim to aid parents, teachers, and clinicians in navigating conversations about social media use and monitoring with adolescents through providing updated information on social media trends and their impact on adolescent suicidal risk and effective strategies for monitoring at-risk adolescents.
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in Schools
Presented by Carla D. Chugani, PhD, LPC, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Psychiatry, and Clinical and Translational Science, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
This presentation will provide an overview of models (and their associated research) for delivering DBT in secondary and post-secondary school settings.
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Substance Use in Adolescents and Young Adults
Presented by Antoine Douaihy, MD, Professor of Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Rebecca Miller, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Substance use is pervasive and endemic among adolescents and young adults (AYAs). The approach to the screening, assessment, and treatment of AYAs with SUDs is similar in some respects to adults; however, developmental considerations require an approach tailored to the psychological, cognitive, legal, and social context. This workshop with discuss substance use and SUD in AYAs.
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Safety Planning with Pre-Teens
Presented by Kelsey Bero, LPC, NCC, Behavioral Health Therapist II, STAR-Center, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
This presentation will review the elements of safety planning with special consideration to the needs of the pre-adolescent population. Skill development will focus on adjustments to the assessment of suicidal ideation, introduction of safety plan, and collaborative creation of safety plan with the pre-teen. Additional discussion of how to the present safety plan to parents and caregivers will be reviewed.
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Mindfulness in Times of Stress, and How to Introduce it to Teens
Presented by Danella Hafeman, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh
Mindfulness has become a hot topic in recent years. In this workshop, we will (1) provide an introduction to mindfulness; (2) discuss how mindfulness interventions might impact brain and emotions, particularly in high-stress environments; and (3) introduce some practical exercises that can be used to integrate these concepts in various settings with adolescents.
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Identifying and Managing Workplace Stress: Tips for Educators While Coping with Stress Through a Pandemic
Presented by Toya Jones, EdD, LCSW, BASW, Program Director, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work
Educators have very challenging jobs. Never have educators faced more stress than during this current pandemic, upheaval in traditional school practices, racial turbulence, and let’s not forget that you have your own lives to manage. If you are stressed, you’re right on track! You may be wondering about the best ways to manage your stress as you return to school, online, or in person. This seminar is for you. We will first learn what stress is and how unproductive stress affects our brain, body, mood, and behavior. Next, we’ll explore easy to use, yet effective strategies, to reduce our stress and get us back on track. Lastly, we’ll discover useful tips, I like to call them “Dr. Toya’s Tips” on how to customize a stress conquering plan just for you!
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Giving Children the Tools to Tame the Monster: Talking to Students About the Trauma Associated with Loss Events in Schools
Presented by Mark Lepore, EdD, LPC, LCSW, Clarion University of Pennsylvania
While being honest with children about something as frightening and upsetting as death, illness, or injury may feel callous and damaging, it is actually very important to be straightforward and truthful. This presentation will concentrate on means and methods for providing the support children need when dealing with loss events.
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Clinician Well-Being in 2022: Trading Perfection for “Good Enough”
Presented by Sansea L. Jacobson, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, STAR-Center, Program Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, and Dominique Dove, MSCP, Behavioral Health Therapist I, STAR-Center, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
The last two years left many mental health professionals languishing. This immersive, interactive session will acknowledge the consequences of unrelenting stress, disconnectedness, and frustration with telehealth and broken systems. We will define the concept of being “good enough” and explore ways to support our colleagues and ourselves differently going forward.
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Understanding and Treating Children and Adolescents with Chronic Pain and Other Somatic Symptoms
Presented by Alisha Miller, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, Western Psychiatric Hospital and Kaycee Weir, PhD, Licensed Psychologist, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
Chronic pain and other somatic symptoms are a common experience among children and adolescents and persistent pain has been linked with significant physical, social, and psychological impairment and distress. This presentation will provide an overview of chronic pain and other somatic symptoms in youth as well as discuss specific tools and strategies for working with this population.
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Addressing the Mental Health Needs of Transgender and Non-Binary Youth
Presented by Dana L. Rofey, PhD, FTOS, Associate Professor, University of Pittsburgh, Department of Psychiatry, Pediatrics, Psychology
Transgender and non-binary youth (TGNB) experience disproportionate disparities such as higher rates of mental illness, multiple chronic diseases, and higher rates of disability compared to their cis-gender peers. Due to stress and discrimination that TGNB face, our youth are at increased risk for depression, anxiety, and suicidality. Studies show that approximately 50% of TGNB will contemplate suicide, with risk being much higher if rejected by their families. Clinicians need to provide a safe space to explore identity and recognize that providing gender-affirming behavioral and medical healthcare decreases these inequities.
Recording unavailable
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2021 STAR-Center Conference – Preventing Suicide in Children and Youth: Building Resilience in the Face of Adversity
Keynote Addresses:
Black Youth and Suicide Risk
Presented by Tami D. Benton, MD, Psychiatrist and Chief, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Frederick Allen Endowed Professor of Psychiatry, The Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
This presentation will focus upon emerging data about Black youth suicide and exposomal factors contributing to its rise among black youth. Existing evidence about risk and protective factors, interventions and future directions for research will be presented.
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Next Time We’ll Be Ready: What’s Wrong with School Crisis Preparation Today
Presented by Mary Margaret Kerr, EdD, Professor of Health and Human Development, University of Pittsburgh
This presentation offers a practical look at evidence-informed strategies for crisis team preparation and training in school settings. Specifically, we review a) risky oversights in pre-service educator preparation programs, b) missteps in convening crisis teams, c) failures in crisis team training, and d) school-based practices for addressing these critical problems.
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Workshops:
Treating Childhood Traumatic Grief with a COVID-19 Focus
Presented by Judith Cohen, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Medical Director, AGH Center for Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents, Allegheny Health Network and Drexel University College of Medicine
More than 300,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, with many additional “excess deaths” also associated with the pandemic. Youth may develop childhood traumatic grief (CTG) due to pandemic-specific traumatic aspects of these deaths. This presentation will describe the application of Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) for COVID-19-related CTG for youth and their surviving caregivers.
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Traversing the Transition to College: Assisting Students with Mental Health Concerns
Presented by Kym Jordan Simmons, PhD, Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Carnegie Mellon University
This presentation will provide an overview of the state of mental health services on college campuses, shifts in counseling center services during the COVID pandemic, ways to examine the mental health services being offered, and concrete tasks to help prepare students and caregivers prior to the launch to college.
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Suicidality among Transgender Youth: An Introduction to the Health Sciences Literature and Recommendations for Validating Care
Presented by Brian Thoma, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Pittsburgh, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
This workshop will provide clinicians with: (1) an introduction to transgender identities among teenagers (2) an overview of the research literature describing suicidality among transgender adolescents, and (3) an in-depth discussion of how treatment providers can interact with transgender clients to foster a validating and accepting environment.
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Self-Care and Mindfulness in the School
Presented by Sara Goodyear, MsEd, LPC, NCC, STAR-Center, and A.W. Beattie Career Center
This session will provide school and community professionals with a variety of self-care and mindfulness strategies to utilize on an individual, classroom, and school-wide level. Highlighted will be teaching coping skills techniques and ways to present the concept of self-care and mindfulness in a meaningful manner to secondary students.
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Social Determinants and their Impact on Childhood Mental Health
Presented by Paula Marie Powe, MD, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Medical Director, Matilda Theiss Early Childhood and School-Based Behavioral Health Center, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
This presentation will discuss social determinants of mental health and ways that they contribute to early childhood adversity, toxic stress, and clinical outcomes. Resilience, protective factors, and considerations for policy change will also be reviewed.
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Autism Spectrum Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Assessment and Treatment Considerations for the School Setting
Presented by Benjamin L. Handen, PhD, BCBA-D, Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder have social and communication deficits along with stereotyped interests and behaviors. Many have co-morbid disorders such as ADHD and anxiety. This session provides an overview of autism and comorbid disorders, followed by discussion of specific tools and strategies for working with this population.
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Approaching Social Anxiety: Leading an Exposure-Based Group
Presented by Christina Kirsch, PsyD, Licenses Psychologist, Center for Pediatric Neuropsychology, and Kelsey Johnson, LPC, NCC, Behavioral Health Therapist, STAR-Center, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
This presentation will review the application of exposure-based interventions as a group treatment for social anxiety in adolescents. Special attention will be given to relevant skill development, the logistics of identifying, planning, and conducting exposures, engaging parents in exposures, and challenging patterns of family dynamics that may reinforce avoidant behaviors.
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Identifying and Responding to Cybervictimization among Adolescents
Presented by Candice Biernesser, PhD, LCSW, Postdoctoral Scholar, University of Pittsburgh and Karla Joyce-Good, LSW, MSW, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Cyberbullying is a growing concern among young people with reports of cyberbullying doubling over the past decade. Youth who are cyberbullied are approximately twice as likely to exhibit suicidal thoughts and behaviors. This presentation will offer practical guidance for understanding and responding to cyberbullying among adolescents.
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Provider Well-Being: We Need Not Always Be Heroes
Presented by Sansea L. Jacobson, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, STAR-Center, Program Director of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Training, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
Wellness is an unspoken shared responsibility between patient and provider; now even more poignant during the COVID-19 pandemic. This session will guide the audience to a better understanding of how to conceptualize and approach our own well-being and its impact on our personal and professional identities.
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2020 STAR-Center Conference – Bringing Treatment into Focus: Being Virtually Present
Keynote Addressses:
Focus on Virtual Assessment and Treatment
Presented by Tina R. Goldstein, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, and Associate Director, STAR-Center (Services for Teens at Risk), UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital.
This presentation will discuss the use of technology to conduct assessment and treatment with at-risk youth. We will review data on effectiveness, and highlight lessons learned from our current experiences implementing telemedicine at STAR-Center. We will explore practical ways that measurement-based care (MBC) can be incorporated into virtual delivery of mental healthcare for youth.
Trauma-Informed Awareness in Schools
Presented by Mary Margaret Kerr, Ed.D., Professor, Psychology in Education and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh.
This session helps school-based professionals in their implementation of the new requirements of Act 44 for trauma-informed education. Highlighted will be controversies in the field as well as on-line professional development for classroom teachers and other staff who may not have prior background in behavioral health. Participants will receive resources for use in their own schools.
Workshops:
Trauma-Focused CBT for Childhood Traumatic Grief
Presented by Judith Cohen, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Medical Director, AGH Center for Traumatic Stress in Children and Adolescents, Allegheny Health Network and Drexel University College of Medicine.
This presentation introduces participants to Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT, https://tfcbt2.musc.edu), an evidence-based treatment for youth ages 3-18 years and their parents or primary caregivers, and the model’s applications for youth with traumatic grief, defined as developing trauma and maladaptive grief responses to the death of an important attachment figure.
Media and Youth Suicide: Through the Lens of Thirteen Reasons Why
Presented by Sansea L. Jacobson, M.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, STAR-Center, Western Psychiatric Hospital, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Beth Hoffman, MPH, Ph.D. Student, Graduate Research Assistant, Center for Research on Media, Technology, and Health (MTH), Graduate School of Public Health.
In the month following the release of the controversial Netflix series, 13 Reasons Why, there was a 28.9% increase in youth suicide in our nation. This session will guide the audience to a better understanding of suicide contagion and related concepts as they pertain to media and adolescent menta health.
- View video recording of presentation »
- Download a copy of Dr. Jacobson and Ms. Hoffman's powerpoint presentation »
Borderline Personality Disorder in Teens
Presented by Stephanie D. Stepp, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Psychology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Amy Byrd, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.
Early identification and treatment of borderline personality disorder during adolescence can mitigate long-term negative consequences of this illness, yet clinicians face many barriers when working with this population. We will dispel common myths about borderline personality disorder in teens to raise awareness in clinicians and educators, and review best practices in assessment diagnosis, and general treatment strategies.
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- Download a copy of Dr. Stepp and Dr. Byrd’s powerpoint presentation »
2019 STAR-Center Conference - Students, Sleep and Safety: Evidence-Based Approaches to Reducing Teen Suicide Risk
Improving Teen Sleep to Prevent Suicide: Promising Strategy or Impossible Dream?
Presented by Tina R. Goldstein, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, and Associate Director, STAR-Center (Services for Teens at Risk), UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital.
This presentation will discuss common sleep difficulties among youth, and review studies that support an association between sleep and suicidality. We will explore ways that sleep difficulties may affect suicide risk and describe sleep-related assessment and treatment approaches that may aid in identification and treatment of suicidal youth.
Overcoming Implementation Barriers in Addressing Depression and Suicidality in Schools
Presented by Mary Margaret Kerr, Ed.D., Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies, Psychology in Education and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh.
This presentation offers a practical look at evidence-informed strategies for preventing, identifying, and addressing depression and suicidality in school settings. Specifically, we review the a) specific implementation challenges associated with school mental health initiatives (universal, targeted, and intensive) and b) ways to avoid the obstacles in school-mental health interactions.
2018 STAR-Center Conference - Modern Times: Assessing, Supporting, and Engaging Youth at Risk for Suicide In a Digital Era
Youth Suicide in the Digital Age: Impact of Social Media on Teen's Suicidal Risk
David A. Brent, M.D., Academic Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Endowed Chair in Suicide Studies, Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics & Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, and Director, STAR-Center (Services for Teens at Risk), Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.
This talk reviews the harmful and potentially positive effects of exposure to social media on youths' suicide risk and discusses methods for detecting and mitigation of suicidal risk based on social media postings and use.
Supporting Students with Anxiety and Depression at School: What Works?
Presented by Mary Margaret Kerr, Ed.D., Professor, Administrative and Policy Studies, Psychology in Education, and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh.
Often overlooked as members of a treatment team, teachers spend many hours with children who experience anxiety and depression. Yet, most surveys reveal that teachers feel inadequately prepared to support such students. To facilitate clinic-school communications and increase educators' involvement, this presentation offers evidence-based, practical approaches for teachers, including mobile apps.
2017 STAR-Center Conference - "Treatment of Suicidal Youth: A Glimpse into the Future" - STAR-Center Annual Conference - Pittsburgh, PA - May 5, 2017
Fast Forward: Innovations in the Assessment and Treatment of Suicidal Youth
Presented by David A. Brent, M.D., Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics & Epidemiology, University of Pittsburgh, School of Medicine, and Director, STAR-Center (Services for Teens at Risk), Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic.
Advances in technology and neurobiology create new opportunities for novel approaches to the assessment and treatment of suicidal youth. With respect to assessment, we will review adaptive screening, computerized tasks, and neuroimaging approaches to detecting suicidal thinking, the use of mobile phone and speech analyses to detect suicidal individuals, and interventions of suicidal behavior and self-harm involving texting to encourage treatment follow-up, and games to alter cognitive bias about suicide.
The Role [and toll] of Educators' Involvement in Suicide Prevention, Treatment and Postvention
Presented by Mary Margaret Kerr, Ed.D., Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology in Education, and Administrative and Policy Studies, University of Pittsburgh.
Once overlooked in the delivery of mental health services, both K-12 and university educators now assume a prominent role. This session first will offer an historical perspective on educators' involvement in suicide-related work. Next, it will examine what the literature says about the impact on educators when they confront students at risk for suicide. Lastly, this presentation with highlight lessons learned through STAR-Center's collaborations with schools and universities, and offer recommendations for educators' involvement in the future.