First Annual Rural Behavioral Health Practice Conference

Online registration for this event has closed. You may register at the event.

Friday, September 11, 2009, 8am to 5pm
Oyate Hall, Student Center, University of Minnesota–Morris • 600 E. 4th Street • Morris, MN 56267

Sponsored by The Rural and Greater Minnesota (R&GM) Division of the Minnesota Psychological Association

Approved by the MN Board of Psychology for 7.0 continuing education hour, #0909-8403.

You may register to attend this session in person or via simultaneous webcast.
Click here for webcast information.

To pay by check, please download the event pdf here.

Registration Fees:
R&GM Division members: $50
MPA members who aren’t R&GM members: $60
(Join the R&GM Division for $10 and register as a R&GM member)
Non-members: $80
Full-time students: $20

Registration includes either lunch and refreshments or webcast costs.

Directions:
From US Hwy 59, the turn is north of MN Hwy 9 and south of MN Hwy 28. Turn west onto Prairie Lane, then left onto Alumni Drive. Follow it along the curve as it becomes Second Street. Past the Regional Fitness Center (RFC) Parking Lot, turn left into the South Parking Lot (free parking). Walk across Second St. and continue north between the Education Building on the right and the Multi-Ethnic Resource Center on the left. The Student Center is just across the street (Cougar Circle), with a big grassy mall in front (east) of it. Oyate Hall is on the first floor along the east side.

Directions to Morris Campus: www.morris.umn.edu/visitors/directions
Directions to Morris: www.morris.umn.edu/prospective/forms/printabledirectionsUMM.pdf
Morris Hotels: www.morrismnchamber.org/for-morris-visitors/hotels-and-restaurants

Conference Schedule

Ethical Issues in Rural Behavioral Health

Life can be challenging for health and human service professionals in rural areas and small towns, where most people know each other and interact in a variety of settings. It is easier for people receiving social, mental health, or physical health services to remain anonymous in metropolitan areas. But in rural areas and small towns, issues of confidentiality, multiple relationships, and other ethical dilemmas can often be at the forefront of client/practitioner interactions. In this workshop, Janet Schank will describe the unique components of ethics in rural and small-town settings. She will also present typical scenarios and strategies for maintaining privacy and dignity for clients, practitioners, their families, and other members of the community.

Janet A. Schank, Ph.D., LP is a licensed psychologist in Minnesota and has been a member and chair of the Minnesota Psychological Association Ethics Committee. Her professional publications and presentations in Minnesota, other states, and nationally have focused on rural mental health, including ethical practice issues and stress/burnout in small communities. She has co-authored the book, Ethical Practice in Small Communities: Challenges and Rewards for Psychologists, published in 2006 by the American Psychological Association.

Dr. Schank has directed and coordinated mental health services in several settings, including a liberal arts college, a community mental health agency, and a large suburban school district. She maintains an independent therapy and consulting practice in the Minneapolis - St. Paul, Minnesota area. She has consulted and presented over the past 21 years on ethical issues in mental health, small community practice, dual relationships, and professional boundaries. Dr. Schank is a native of rural Nebraska.

Mental Illness, Primary Care, and Rural Communities: Promoting Effective Integration of Medical and Mental Health Care to Support Minnesota’s Rural Populations

The President’s 2003 New Freedom Commission on Mental Health examined the state of mental and behavioral health in the United States. Specific concerns raised about rural communities highlighted disparities in access to care, provider shortages, greater stigma than in urban areas in seeking mental health care, and the need to establish models of care that address the unique needs of rural communities. Rural communities, as compared to the metropolitan areas of Minnesota, have higher unemployment, a higher percentage of people who are uninsured or underinsured, more acute transportation difficulties, and a paucity of mental health providers. As such, the majority of mental health care is either never delivered or falls to the primary care physician to manage. This presentation describes the mental health problems in rural Minnesota and discusses the need for improved collaboration of physicians and behavioral health professionals to effectively identify and treat this public health concern.

Jeffrey Leichter Ph.D., LP, is a practicing psychologist in a rural primary care medical clinic in Detroit Lakes, MN. where he has lived for 19 years. He is licensed to practice in Minnesota, Arizona, and Michigan. He directs the MCARPT program which prepares newly graduated psychologists for practice in rural communities. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, Minnesota Psychological Association, and Arizona Psychological Association.

Providing Behavioral Health Services to Rural Veterans

This will be a panel presentation led by Ona Hanson-Gustafson. On the panel will be Michelle Gatz, Yellow Medicine County VSO; Jeffrey Gay, Military Family Assistance Specialist, Minnesota National Guard; and Chris Syltie, from the Southwest Centers for Independent Living.

Ona Hanson-Gustafson, MSW, ACSW, LICSW, is a practicing social worker in west central Minnesota. She is currently employed by the Veteran's Administration to provide mental health services and medical social work to the veterans in this region served by the Montevideo Clinic. She does outreach as well to the community regarding veteran's issues. She has served in rural settings for the 33 years of her professional career in mental health as a therapist and case manager. She currently resides in Benson, MN. She is a member of NASW.

Tailoring Behavioral Health Services to Rural People

Rural people comprise a set of diverse populations who have a number of characteristics that require consideration in providing behavioral health services to them. After describing rurality as a subculture, the presentation will involve participants in discussing ways that behavioral health providers can customize their services for rural clients. It will also cover the needs of providers of these services, including training, professional networking, and research.

Katherine M. (Kay) Slama, Ph.D., LP provides mental health and business consulting services through Slama Consulting. A clinical psychologist who has served rural people in several states, she has written about providing services to rural people and has presented on that topic. She is currently involved in developing web-based stress education workshops for people in agriculture and in disseminating appropriate behavioral health services for them. Slama is Chair of the Rural and Greater Minnesota Division of the Minnesota Psychological Association, and she serves on MPA’s Governing Council and its Executive Committee.

Webcast information

Before the day of the conference: You will need a computer with an internet connection, as well as a set of headphones or speakers in your computer or attached to it in order to hear the audio. You can ask questions during the meeting by typing into the chat window within the meeting layout, and the presenter or assistant will be able to read the questions and answer them. You should test your computer in advance of the meeting, at least by the day before it. Make sure that you have the Flash Player installed and that you have the appropriate Internet connection speed. To test your computer, go to the Meeting Connection Diagnostic page at:
https://umconnect.umn.edu/common/help/en/support/meeting_test.htm .
If you cannot complete the test successfully or have other questions about UMConnect, email Pamela Gades at pam@morris.umn.edu or call 320-589-6376.

If you sign up for the webcast, you will receive a confirmation email with login information.

After each segment (1-1.5 hr) of the conference, you will be requested to fill out an evaluation form electronically. Instructions will be given you during the conference. A few days after the conference, you will receive a printable continuing education certificate by email for the number of hours for which we receive an evaluation form from you.