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10th Annual Wellness Together Conference has ended
Audience: Higher Ed Faculty clear filter
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Friday, September 11
 

7:30am PDT

Exhibit Hall & Networking
Friday September 11, 2026 7:30am - 11:30am PDT
Exhibit Hall - Ballroom 20 CD

Friday September 11, 2026 7:30am - 11:30am PDT
Exhibit Hall - Ballroom 20 CD
  Networking

8:00am PDT

Lighthouse Talk: I’m Glad You’re Here: How Unconditional Positive Regard Promotes Well-Being
Friday September 11, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
30 E
Join us for a dynamic 12-minute Lighthouse Talk, designed to showcase bold ideas, innovative practices, and inspiring stories shaping the future of student mental health and wellness. This presentation is one of four featured during this one-hour block. Due to the fast-paced format, there will be no formal Q&A, but we encourage you to connect with the speaker directly after the block to continue the conversation.

Let’s talk about how Unconditional Positive Regard for students and families cultivates a sense of belonging among students.  We’ll engage in a collaborative discussion format to explore the ways in which we may provide care and understanding to three historically marginalized communities (Newcomer students and families, Muslim students and families, & LGBTQIA+ students and families) and, in the process, improve student well-being and school culture and climate.
Speakers
avatar for Kassie Cardona

Kassie Cardona

Pupil Personnel Worker, Anne Arundel County Public Schools
My name is Kassie Cardona and I’m a Pupil Personnel Worker in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. I have worked for 20 years as a Mental Health Professional and Educator and I continue to learn as I serve children and families each day. The best way to explain my professional role is... Read More →
Friday September 11, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
30 E
  Breakout

8:00am PDT

Lighthouse Talk: Mind Out Loud
Friday September 11, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
30 E
Join us for a dynamic 12-minute Lighthouse Talk, designed to showcase bold ideas, innovative practices, and inspiring stories shaping the future of student mental health and wellness. This presentation is one of four featured during this one-hour block. Due to the fast-paced format, there will be no formal Q&A, but we encourage you to connect with the speaker directly after the block to continue the conversation.

Speakers
MO
Friday September 11, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
30 E
  Breakout

8:00am PDT

Lighthouse Talk: Navigating the Licensure Bottleneck: Accelerating and Diversifying the Youth Mental Health Workforce
Friday September 11, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
30 E
Join us for a dynamic 12-minute Lighthouse Talk, designed to showcase bold ideas, innovative practices, and inspiring stories shaping the future of student mental health and wellness. This presentation is one of four featured during this one-hour block. Due to the fast-paced format, there will be no formal Q&A, but we encourage you to connect with the speaker directly after the block to continue the conversation.

Communities nationwide face a critical shortage of licensed mental health clinicians—especially in underserved and rural areas—while early career professionals encounter financial, structural, and policy barriers to licensure. This Session shares a multistate, real world solution: the Mental Health Workforce Acceleration Program. Grounded in lived implementation across California and Hawaiʻi, this session will guide participants through a replicable workforce navigation framework that accelerates licensure, centers equity, and strengthens youth serving systems—without losing human connection at the core.
Speakers
avatar for Dr. Kristina Gordon

Dr. Kristina Gordon

Assistant Professor, California Baptist University
Dr. Kristina West Gordon is an Assistant Professor and Director of the Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) Program at California Baptist University. She also serves as the Director of the Kaiser Permanente Mental Health Career Accelerator in Southern California, leading efforts to expand... Read More →
Friday September 11, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
30 E
  Breakout

8:00am PDT

Lighthouse Talk: The AI Sandwich & Authentic Student Learning and Leadership
Friday September 11, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
30 E
Join us for a dynamic 12-minute Lighthouse Talk, designed to showcase bold ideas, innovative practices, and inspiring stories shaping the future of student mental health and wellness. This presentation is one of four featured during this one-hour block. Due to the fast-paced format, there will be no formal Q&A, but we encourage you to connect with the speaker directly after the block to continue the conversation.

Generative AI presents a profound challenge to youth mental wellness by tempting students to short-circuit their learning process, subvert their unique voices, and disconnect from their educational communities. To address this urgent issue, this presentation offers an actionable framework grounded in Transformational Leadership and Design Thinking that teaches students how to ethically engage with technology while bringing their authentic selves to their work. Rather than fighting digital trends, attendees will learn how to leverage empathy to understand the underlying pressures driving students toward academic shortcuts, and use innovation to foster safe risk-taking and collaborative problem-solving. The core of this highly interactive session centers on the "AI Sandwich" method—a practical, easily replicable strategy for healthy tech engagement. Participants will discover how to guide students to establish their own ideas and drafts first to build honesty and authenticity (the "Top Bun"), utilize AI strictly as a collaborative brainstorming and refining partner (the "Filling"), and conduct the final edits to retain ultimate ownership and accountability (the "Bottom Bun"). By shifting the focus from digital reliance back to human connection, this evidence-based approach equips educators and clinicians with the immediate tools needed to protect academic integrity, alleviate performance anxiety, and empower the next generation of confident, authentic learners and leaders.
Speakers
avatar for Dr. Dave Heitman

Dr. Dave Heitman

Leadership Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, JESSUP UNIVERSITY
Dave is originally from California and has studied and worked in over 30 countries. Dave has worked in higher education since 2001, completing an Ed.D. in Innovation and Leadership from University of the Pacific. Dave is passionate about developing leaders to produce change and build... Read More →
Wellness Together Conference 2026 Handout Heitman pdf
The AI Sandwich & Authentic Student Learning and Leadership (1) pdf
Friday September 11, 2026 8:00am - 9:00am PDT
30 E
  Breakout

9:15am PDT

Beyond the Degree: Navigating Your Path as a California Certified Wellness Coach (CWC)
Friday September 11, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
33 B
The Challenge: The "Experience Trap" & Youth Distress
College students and recent grads face a frustrating paradox: they are passionate about solving the youth mental health crisis, but entry-level jobs often demand years of clinical experience or expensive master's degrees. Meanwhile, California youth are drowning in stress and isolation, desperately needing relatable, culturally responsive mentors before they reach a clinical crisis point.

The Compass: The CWC Role (The Non-Clinical Revolution)
The California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) created the Certified Wellness Coach (CWC) role specifically to bridge this chasm. It is a free, non-clinical certification for people with Associate (CWC I) or Bachelor's (CWC II) degrees. It validates your lived experience and field hours, allowing you to get paid to deliver critical preventive care (wellness promotion, screenings, and group support) under supportive supervision.

The Map: The Certification Roadmap
A clear, step-by-step framework showing students how to leverage their current classes and practicum hours, navigate the "Registered" status, and step directly into a thriving career in schools or community clinics.
Speakers
avatar for Kimberly Lee

Kimberly Lee

Sr. Director, Operations, Wellness Together
I'm Kim Lee, Senior Director of Operations at Wellness Together. I oversee HR, IT, and internal communications for the organization. Talk to me about what it's actually like to work here, whether you're curious about joining the team as a Mental Health Specialist, becoming a Certified... Read More →
PA
Friday September 11, 2026 9:15am - 10:15am PDT
33 B
  Breakout
 

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Exhibit Hall - Ballroom 20 CD
San Diego Bayfront Park
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