About the Symposium
Mental Health Inclusion “Recognizing the value of lived experience and expertise”.
July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It was designated as such in 2008 by the U.S. House of Representatives to highlight the importance of mental health awareness and access to services, particularly for minority communities. The month is named in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell, a mental health advocate who worked to address the needs of the Black community and other underserved groups.
Join us for this professional development and educational symposium as we together regional and national behavioral health experts, peers, faith leaders, trauma and grief experts, community members and stakeholders for various learning opportunities dedicated to addressing social determinants of health, mental health, stigma, grief and trauma through the lens of equity. The goal is to engage in dialogue to highlight the diversity of needs for both youth and adults across systems and collectively work together to identify strategies to improve care and prioritize next steps for our communities.
This year’s theme, “Lifting Up Individuals and Communities through the Lens of Inclusion,” reflects our shared belief that accessible, culturally responsive, person-centered, trauma-informed, cross-system peer support and resources foster healing, resilience, recovery, and mental health wellness for all.
July is Bebe Moore Campbell National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month. It was designated as such in 2008 by the U.S. House of Representatives to highlight the importance of mental health awareness and access to services, particularly for minority communities. The month is named in honor of Bebe Moore Campbell, a mental health advocate who worked to address the needs of the Black community and other underserved groups.
Join us for this professional development and educational symposium as we together regional and national behavioral health experts, peers, faith leaders, trauma and grief experts, community members and stakeholders for various learning opportunities dedicated to addressing social determinants of health, mental health, stigma, grief and trauma through the lens of equity. The goal is to engage in dialogue to highlight the diversity of needs for both youth and adults across systems and collectively work together to identify strategies to improve care and prioritize next steps for our communities.
This year’s theme, “Lifting Up Individuals and Communities through the Lens of Inclusion,” reflects our shared belief that accessible, culturally responsive, person-centered, trauma-informed, cross-system peer support and resources foster healing, resilience, recovery, and mental health wellness for all.
Our Goals and Community Learning Objectives Include:
- Provide a cross-system community educational opportunity to offer long-term strategies for addressing stigma, trauma, grief and mental health in diverse communities and highlight the diversity of needs related to “healing”.
- Advance opportunities to address the intersection of Social Determinants of Health and Behavioral Health Care through the lens of Equity.
- To present key models and strategies amplify Peer voices and lived experience across systems regarding mental health in underserved communities that promote workforce development, grassroot outreach models that include natural healers and Family and Youth Peers.
- Participants will learn strategies to address distrust and generational trauma and how to leverage youth, family and adult peer advocacy initiatives when implementing services and programs.
- Participants will learn emerging research, practice based and best practices models of “inclusive care” across systems.
- Participants will understand key considerations for developing “inclusive” career pathways models that would help increase the opportunity for a diverse workforce across the behavioral health system.
- To provide a forum to build collaborative partnerships that elevate the voices of patients, parents, caregivers, faith leaders and grassroots neighborhood centers to inform and improve policies and practices through system change activities
- Inform policy and practice standards through the lens of equity to improve workforce strategies for the recruitment, retention, and advancement of health and human service professionals from diverse backgrounds
Target Audience:
Behavioral Health Providers, Social Determinants of Health and Health Equity Project Leaders and Managers, Funders, Stakeholders, Educators, Peer Professionals, Law Enforcement, Workforce Development and Youth providers, Researchers, Parent Advocates, Faith-based leaders, Students, Peers and Lived Experience experts, University Departments of Social Work, Counseling and Health Sciences.
CEUS: 2026 July Mental Health in Communities of Color Symposiums have been approved for
2.0-2.5 continuing education contact hours by Coordinated Care Services, Inc. (CCSI). CCSI is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors #MHC-0323 & Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0313 & Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0272.
Registration Fees:
$75 per person registration fee is inclusive of breakfast or dinner and all sessions.
All registrations are subject to Eventbrite processing fees.
Please carefully review the Eventbrite to select the date and city of your choice.
Event Dates and Locations
Tuesday, July 14, 2026, Buffalo, NY
Buffalo Federation of Neighborhood Centers2365 Main Street, Buffalo, NY 142045:00pm-7:30pmKeynotes: Dr. Latise Hariston
Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Rochester, NYRoberts Wesleyan University Golisano Community Engagement Center2280 Westside Dr, Rochester, NY 146249:00am-12:00pmKeynotes: Hani Ali
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 Syracuse, NYHillside Families of AgenciesThe Rise – 518 Salt Springs Rd., Syracuse NY 13224 (Corner of Salt Springs and East Ave – church building)9:00am-12:00pm Keynote: Jerard Johnson
Wednesday, July 22, 2026, Rochester, NYRoberts Wesleyan University Golisano Community Engagement Center2280 Westside Dr, Rochester, NY 146249:00am-12:00pmKeynotes: Hani Ali
Tuesday, July 28, 2026 Syracuse, NYHillside Families of AgenciesThe Rise – 518 Salt Springs Rd., Syracuse NY 13224 (Corner of Salt Springs and East Ave – church building)9:00am-12:00pm Keynote: Jerard Johnson
Event Contact
Any reasonable accommodation request should be made by July 10th. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact Sara Taylor at info@thepicd.org