The 2008 Conference Program Committee invites submissions for NARMH’s 34th Annual Conference to be held in Burlington, VT August 6-9, 2008. This annual conference brings together clinicians, administrators, consumers, family members, program/service providers, researchers, policy/decision-makers, government and private sectors who share concerns about rural/frontier mental health. The meeting will provide a unique venue where participants from diverse backgrounds and experience can share ideas, exchange knowledge, and develop networks to promote behavioral healthcare services in rural settings.
Rural Mental Health practice continues to evolve to meet the changing needs of the people and communities we work with and serve. Practitioners and systems need to address increasingly diverse rural and frontier populations with differing backgrounds and a wider range of differing abilities. Effectiveness in the new rural environment means practice must occur within the context of the wider community and include a broad range of collaborations and partnerships. This year’s conference will focus on practices and programs that lead the way in responding to service delivery in our evolving rural communities. The theme of this conference is: Changing Practices – Changing Rural Environment. The goals of the 2008 conference are:
- To understand the ever changing rural and frontier identities
- To meet the challenges of providing practice patterns that meet the needs of our changing rural and frontier environments
- To come together and share what works, learn how to fund, staff and evaluate services and how to network with other rural providers, researchers, consumers and their families
Special focus areas this year include: Providing mental health services for people with developmental disabilities, for people with co-occurring substance abuse conditions, for people leaving incarceration, for the elderly, for children within schools, for children and youth with autism spectrum disorders, and for transition age kids ages 18 to 22; integration and support of “non professionals” in the workforce; collaborations to develop housing for persons with mental health challenges; trauma informed services, employment services; and bio-ethics and other ethical concerns in the delivery of care and treatment.
We are seeking proposals for workshops, papers, posters, and roundtable presentations from researchers, policy analysts, consumers, family members, service providers, and volunteers. The focus of the presentations may be on research, innovative programs, policy development, organizational management strategies, communicating ideas and knowledge, applying new learning in practice, effective partnerships, and demonstration/model projects. Formal research and outcome studies as well as those from junior researchers are strongly encouraged.
The conference planning and program committee is committed to an inclusive, barrier-free conference that respects the diversity of cultures, peoples and identities. We also respect and value the roles of consumer/survivors, family members and service providers in the journey of care, recovery and healing and look forward to embracing the rich diversity in our society.