Leadership Institute Seeks Mental Health, Developmental Disability Professionals

A national leadership institute at Utah State University will bring together professionals who work in mental health and/or in serving those with developmental disabilities. It aims to inspire and them as they work in their own communities, long after the event is over.

The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Leadership Institute takes place May 11-15 at Utah State University. It includes a 12-hour, online pre-institute that allows participants to orient themselves to issues surrounding mental health and developmental disability.

After the conference, a post-institute cohort action group will meet via weekly video conferencing for three months after the event. It will allow members to help troubleshoot their action plans, gain support from others across the country and continue developing leadership where they live and work—including rural areas.

“Right now in the field, mental health supports for individuals with mental health and developmental disabilities are very, very lacking,” said Ty Aller, training coordinator with the Mental Health and Developmental Disability National Training Center, which is hosting the institute. “Our hope is to encourage university centers on developmental disabilities and other community agencies to build services that more appropriately meet the mental health aspects of individuals with developmental disabilities.”

Ten keynote speakers will headline the event, including Center for Persons with Disabilities Executive Director Matthew Wappett and CPD Policy Director Sachin Pavithran.

The MHDD National Training Center is a collaboration between the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at the University of Kentucky, the University of Alaska Anchorage, and Utah State University (the Center for Persons with Disabilities).

Registration is open now through February 28. More information is available on the MHDD National Training Center website.