2025 Keynote and Breakout Presentation Descriptions
988: Hope Through Innovation
Jennifer Piver
9:05 - 10:05 am
Since its launch in July 2022, the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline has become a vital national resource for anyone experiencing emotional distress or a mental health crisis. In just three years, millions of people across the U.S. have connected through calls, texts, and chats, finding immediate support, compassion, and lifesaving help.
988 has helped normalize conversations around mental health, increased awareness of crisis resources, and provided a simple, memorable way to reach support in urgent moments. With growing recognition and strong early outcomes, the Lifeline is shaping the future of how our nation responds to mental health emergencies.
Learning objectives:
Participants in this session will be able to:
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Describe 988’s growing impact and reach.
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Identify rising public awareness and effectiveness.
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List two powerful evidence of its life-saving impact.
Innovation, Stabilization, and Integration: How Our Brains are Wired for Progress
James Campbell, LPC, LAC, MAC, AADC, EOLD
10:10 - 11:10 am
Innovation is often a discussed as though it is unique trait reserved for a select few with a spark of creative genius. In reality, however, creativity and innovation are inherent bi-product of our humanity and brain physiology. In this session we will explore the pattern of stabilization, innovation, and integration as through a neuroscience lens. Suggestions to enhance innovation work will also be discussed as well as the specific need for it in behavioral health.
Learning objectives:
Participants in this session will be able to:
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Identify the primary function of the brain and the two main systems related thereto.
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Describe how learning occurs and the progression from stabilization, innovation, and integration.
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List three ways they can enhance their creativity and innovation in their workplace.
The Werther Effect vs The Papageno Effect
Dr. Casey Berson
11:15 am - 12:15 pm
In this session, attendees will learn the current media habits of youth and specifically in entertainment media. They will also learn about the Papageno effect, in contrast to the Werther Effect. Finally, we will review the current literature in regards to the Papageno effect (the suicide protective influence of media) and discuss current guidelines for entertainment media with suicide content.​
Learning objectives:
Participants in this session will be able to:
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Identify the current media habits of youth.
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Discuss theories of how media impacts behavior.
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List two ways media can positively impact suicide outcomes.
Lunch and Networking
12:15 - 12:45 pm
Beyond Protocol: Reclaiming Creativity in Mental Health Care
Justine Dunnavant
12:45 - 1:45 pm
This session explores the essential role of creativity and innovation in mental health care through the integrated lens of a licensed professional counselor and board-certified music therapist. Participants will examine how creative engagement supports healthy brain functioning, emotional regulation, and psychological resilience—and how its absence often manifests in the symptomology of depression, trauma, and related disorders. The presentation also addresses the impact of creative deprivation on clinician burnout, alongside the systemic challenges of sustaining innovation within evidence-based practice (EBP) frameworks. Through guided experiential reflection, attendees will consider how creativity enhances outcomes for clients, revitalizes clinicians, and strengthens agency culture—while also exploring its broader ripple effects across communities and society.
Learning objectives:
Participants in this session will be able to:
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Identify at least three neuropsychological or emotional benefits of creative engagement in clinical populations.
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Describe the impact of creativity suppression on clinician burnout and organizational health.
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Apply at least two strategies for integrating creativity and innovation into clinical practice within EBP constraints.
Culturally Adapted Interventions to Support Marginalized Youth
Dr. Anita Abure & Dr. Gabe Clark
12:45 - 1:45 pm
This session will offer an overview of approaches aimed at better meeting the needs of young people from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. It will explore the importance of cultural relevance in programs and practices, highlight key considerations when working with marginalized populations and encourage reflection on how systems and services can be more responsive. Participants will engage with general strategies and ideas for more effective culturally aware support.
Participants in this session will be able to:
1. Define and explain the concept of culturally adapted interventions in supporting marginalized youth.
2. Identify key challenges faced by marginalized youth in accessing and benefiting from traditional support systems. (mental health, education, and community services).
3. Analyze case studies or real world examples of successful culturally adapted interventions across different cultural groups.​
4. Describe how personal and institutional biases may hinder competent care or support of individuals served.
The Art of Breaking Stigma: Innovative Approaches to Changing the Conversation on Mental Health
Tiffney Davidson-Parker
2:00 - 3:00 pm
This presentation explores how NAMI Greenville is leading the charge to break down the stigma surrounding mental health. By combining evidence-based strategies with creative, community-driven innovation, we will highlight the ways individuals, families, and organizations can shift perspectives, foster inclusion, and normalize mental wellness. From schools and workplaces to faith communities and social media, you’ll see how storytelling, lived experience, and local partnerships can change culture and open doors to help, hope, and healing.
By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
1. Define public, self, and structural stigma and describe their impact on individuals and communities.
2. Identify innovative methods: Identify creative strategies that NAMI Greenville is implementing—such as lived-experience ambassadors, youth media projects, workplace playbooks, and arts-based advocacy—that effectively challenge stigma.
3. Connect to NAMI programs: Map anti-stigma innovations to existing NAMI Greenville initiatives like In Our Own Voice, Ending the Silence, and Chair &Chat, and peer-led support groups.
4. List two ways NAMI Greenville is collaborating with schools, employers, faith communities, healthcare providers, and civic leaders in Greenville County.
5. Apply practical tools: Provide participants with messaging tips, storytelling frameworks, and a 90-day action plan to activate stigma-reducing strategies in your own networks.
Creativity in Treatment
Timothy Cunningham
2:00 - 3:00 pm
Objectives:
Participants in this session will be able to:
1. Identify three therapeutic benefits of art.
2. Differentiate between innate and cultivated skills.
3. Describe the role of art in exploring personal purpose.
4. Articulate the brain system that primarily relates with art and its relevance in healing.
Hope Connects You: Reaching Communities in the Age of the Internet
Maranda Beaver, LMSW
2:00 - 3:00 pm
While some individuals seeking help prefer face-to-face connection, others are more comfortable starting their help and healing journey anonymously online. The BHDD Office of Mental Health utilizes the Interactive Screening Program and Credible Mind platform to reach people across South Carolina and connect them to resources.
Objectives:
Participants in this session will be able to:
1. Identify the statistics related to suicide in South Carolina and the Upstate.
2. List two benefits and limitations of offering online, anonymous resources.
3. Describe the difference between mental health resources and crisis resources.
4. List three steps for guiding someone struggling with mental and behavioral health to community resources.