Objectives: Explore the Intersection of Faith and Mental Health: Help participants understand how spiritual beliefs and practices can complement clinical approaches to mental wellness and addiction recovery, promoting holistic healing. Identify Faith-Informed Coping Strategies: Equip attendees with spiritually grounded tools and techniques—such as prayer, meditation, community support, and forgiveness—that support emotional regulation, resilience, and sustained recovery. Address Stigma and Build Bridges: Foster dialogue around the stigma of mental illness and substance use within faith communities, and offer actionable ways to create inclusive, compassionate spaces that embrace both faith and mental health support. Bio - Lindsay Malhotra is a committed professor at the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), blending her academic role with a deep passion for community issues and public policy. She holds a Master of Social Work degree from UTA and is licensed as both a Clinical Social Worker and a Chemical Dependency Counselor. Her career began with significant contributions at UT Southwestern in Dallas, where she worked extensively with pregnant and parenting women battling substance use disorders. Lindsay has spent her career working in nonprofits and a substance use treatment facility, where she has overseen programs such as Intensive Outpatient Programs (IOP), Recovery Support Services (RSS), and family-focused initiatives. She also serves as a peer specialist supervisor, championing the development of peer specialists and recovery coaches. Her expertise extends to program development, HHSC grants, and team leadership, driving the success and growth of these initiatives. Beyond her nonprofit work, Lindsay manages her own private practice, Cornerstone Counseling Center, in Plano and Dallas. Through Cornerstone, she continues her commitment to personal growth and recovery, providing tailored therapeutic services to meet her clients’ unique needs. She also offers social work clinical supervision across Texas as an LCSW-S, helping to guide and mentor the next generation of social workers. Lindsay is deeply engaged in her community, participating in the Emerging Women’s Leadership Network with D Magazine DCEO, the Callejo-Botello Leadership Academy where she focuses on policy and politics and as part of the cohort for Engage Dallas. She also serves on several community boards across various sectors in Dallas. Her professional journey reflects her dedication to leading with empathy, expertise, and a strong commitment to empowering individuals and communities, making a lasting impact through her multifaceted roles at UTA, Cornerstone Counseling Center, and beyond.

Hope Rising Conference Title of Presentation: From Stigma to Sanctuary: Bridging Faith, Mental Health, and Addiction Recovery Bio: Nick Overbeck, LPC-S, is a licensed professional counselor supervisor with over a decade of experience in mental health and substance use treatment. He currently serves as Clinical Consultant for Arise Recovery Centers and is the owner of Highway to Heal Counseling, where he specializes in trauma-informed mental health and substance use treatment for individuals loved ones affected by addiction and/or mental health concerns. EMDR-trained and experienced in developing innovative, campus-based and community programs, Nick brings a practical, compassionate lens to substance use treatment that bridges clinical expertise with real-world application. He regularly provides trainings and CEUs, and is passionate about helping clinicians expand their effectiveness, confidence, and humanity when working with substance use disorders. Three Objectives: Increase understanding of substance use disorders as medical and behavioral health conditions rather than moral or spiritual failures. Identify local and community-based resources that mental health and faith leaders can confidently refer to for substance use treatment and family support. Develop basic language and communication strategies for responding compassionately to disclosures of substance use.

The presentation will summarize the disease model of addiction, explaining that addiction is a chronic brain disorder characterized by compulsive use despite negative consequences. It would detail how alcohol alters neurological pathways, affecting brain circuits related to reward, memory, and decision-making, which drives the cycle of addiction. The presentation would also cover spirituality and how it plays a role and how your brain physically changes through 12 step recovery. Presentation at the Hope Rising Conference Fort Worth/Arlington Dr. James Boone's career is marked by a deep commitment to medicine and addiction treatment. After graduating with honors from Southwestern Medical School in Dallas in 1984, he completed his internal medicine internship and residency at Baylor University Medical Center. By 1987, he had earned board certification in internal medicine and embarked on his professional journey in a family private practice in Pasadena, Texas. His dedication to addiction medicine led him to become board certified in this field and join the American Society of Addiction Medicine. Since 2004, Dr. Boone has been an integral part of La Hacienda Treatment Center, where he contributes significantly to helping individuals recover from addiction as the Medical Director.

"The Blueprint for Mental Health/SUD Treatment!" The three learning objectives are: 1. Understanding the Journey Participants will understand the full continuum of care in mental health and substance use treatment, including how to identify the appropriate level of care based on patient needs. 2. Strategic Guidance & Placement Participants will learn how to assess clinical, psychosocial, and practical factors to effectively guide patients to the most appropriate treatment options. 3. Improving Outcomes Through Engagement & Collaboration Participants will explore how ongoing patient engagement and collaboration with providers, families, and community resources lead to improved treatment outcomes and sustained recovery.

Podcast by the Spiritual Care Network hosted by Jason Pullin. Episode 1 features an interview with the SCN President Eric Ayles. More about the Spiritual Care Network at www.SpiritualCareNet.org Eric founded the Spiritual Care Network out of a deep awareness that people facing mental health challenges and addiction often fall into the gaps between mental health care and spiritual support. Through his work with treatment professionals, faith communities, and families in crisis, he repeatedly saw that these groups cared deeply but were working in isolation, without a structure for collaboration or education. He recognized that when providers, recovery professionals, and spiritual leaders work together, individuals in crisis experience better support, continuity, and hope. But to make that possible, someone needed to build the bridge to bring together faith leaders, mental health professionals and community resources. The Spiritual Care Network began as Eric’s response to that need. He envisioned a community where mental health providers, addiction recovery specialists, and faith leaders could meet one another, learn from each other, and work side-by-side. From its beginning, the SCN has remained rooted in that simple purpose: to bridge the gap between mental health and faith.

Unmasking Innovative Approaches to Treatment Monthly Spiritual Care Network CEU Webinar hosted by Freed-Hardeman University Hosted by Jason Pullin By Dr. Agnes Kaufman, DC, BCN Agnes C. Kaufman is the Clinical Director at the Sandstone Center for Neurofeedback. She is a 1991 graduate of National College of Chiropractic in Lombard, Illinois. Her post graduate work and specialty is in acupuncture. She received her diplomat degree from the International Academy of Medical Acupuncture in December of 2011. Dr. Agnes became interested in brain health after she lost her mother to Alzheimer’s disease. In 2018, Dr. Agnes received her Certification in Neurofeedback at the Clinician level from the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance. In 2021, Dr. Agnes became a Certified Neurofeedback Mentor from the BCIA. Dawn Kuhn, MBA, BCN-T Dawn Kuhn is the Clinic Manager at the Sandstone Center for Neurofeedback. She was a client at Sandstone long before she became an employee. Dawn has an MBA in Business Administration from LeTourneau University and received her Neurofeedback Technician Certification through the Biofeedback Certification International Alliance in 2023. Dawn has two sons with mental health disorders, one with Autism. As a result, she has also been a dedicated mental health advocate for over 10 years.

Belly of the Whale Conference - Corpus Christi Aug 30, 2024, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM CDT Corpus Christi Country Club This conference will offer valuable insights into why people might feel consumed by mental health and substance use disorders. www.spiritualcarenet.org/event-details/belly-of-the-whale-corpus-christi