IU South Bend holds virtual Spring Symposium on mental health

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Indiana University South Bend's School of Education is holding its 2022 Spring Symposium, “Making Meaning in Mental Health: Working Relationally in Schools and Communities,” virtually over Zoom on Friday, March 25, from 9:15 a.m. to 2 p.m. EST.

The dual-session panel begins with an introduction from South Bend Mayor James Mueller and keynote address by Dr. Bernadette Sánchez, professor of educational psychology at the University of Illinois.

“The theme throughout the day will be ways of working with people relationally,” said the program’s organizer and IU South Bend assistant professor. “Dr. Sánchez will be talking about how mentoring relationships helps students and adults thrive”.

A second session is hosted by Dr. Linda Michaels, therapist and co-founder of the Psychotherapy Action Network, in their keynote address, “Going Beneath the Surface: What People Want from Therapy”. This session covers more complex methods of psychoanalysis that hope to repeal the quick fixes of many modern therapies.

This session, "Mental Health in the Community: Counseling through Insight, Depth, and Relationship", will be moderated by Vanessa Kelleybrew, a visiting lecturer from IU South Bend. It will include representatives from the Michigan Psychoanalytic Institute, the Christian theological Seminary, the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago, and the Center for Psychoanalytic Studies in Houston. 

“Although it’s sponsored by the Department of Counseling and Human Services, the appeal is interdisciplinary,” said Dr. Hanus. “Psychologists, social workers, counselors, therapists, psychiatrists, educators – it’s for anybody who has an interest in working with people. It’s about much more than mental health counseling”.

You can attend this free symposium at either or both sessions with the following department link.