Learning Objectives
Mental Health Awareness Month 2026: Clinician’s Reset, Recharge & Restore Mental Health
Topic: The Mental Health of a Breath: “Technique of Somatic Breathing”
Workshop Description:
Breathing is a powerful yet often underutilized tool in mental health care. This Lunch & Learn explores the connection between breath, the nervous system, and emotional regulation through somatic breathing practices.
Participants will learn practical somatic breathing techniques to support trauma-informed care, reduce anxiety, and enhance client outcomes, while engaging in guided exercises for immediate clinical application.
Learning Objectives:
Identify the relationship between breath, the autonomic nervous system, and emotional regulation in clinical practice.
Describe at least three somatic breathing techniques that can be used to reduce symptoms of stress, anxiety, and trauma responses.
Demonstrate the application of somatic breathing exercises to support client grounding, stabilization, and present-moment awareness.
Integrate somatic breathing interventions into treatment planning for diverse client populations.
Topic: The Mental Health of Setting & Maintaining Boundaries: “Know Your Limit”
Workshop Description:
Establishing and maintaining healthy boundaries is essential for clinician well-being and effective client care. This Lunch & Learn explores the psychological and emotional impact of boundaries, including their role in preventing burnout, reducing compassion fatigue, and supporting ethical practice.
Participants will examine common challenges such as overextension, blurred roles, and difficulty with assertive communication, while learning practical strategies to confidently set and maintain boundaries across clinical, professional, and personal settings. This session emphasizes self-awareness, accountability, and sustainable care.
.Learning Objectives:
Identify the role of healthy boundaries in supporting clinician well-being, ethical practice, and client outcomes.
Recognize common barriers to setting and maintaining boundaries, including emotional, cultural, and professional influences.
Demonstrate at least two strategies for effectively communicating and maintaining boundaries in clinical and professional settings.
Apply boundary-setting techniques to reduce burnout, compassion fatigue, and role strain.
Topic: The Mental Health of Self-Giving: “Exercising the Ethics of Pro Bono”
Workshop Description: Providing pro bono services can be both meaningful and complex for mental health clinicians. This Lunch & Learn explores the balance between ethical responsibility, professional boundaries, and clinician well-being when engaging in self-giving practices.
Participants will examine ethical considerations, potential risks of overextension, and strategies for offering pro bono services sustainably and intentionally. This session emphasizes maintaining clinical integrity while serving communities in need without compromising personal or professional wellness.
Learning Objectives:
Identify ethical considerations related to providing pro bono services in clinical practice.
Recognize the impact of self-giving on clinician well-being, including risks of burnout and boundary strain.
Demonstrate strategies for implementing pro bono work in a way that maintains professional boundaries and sustainability.
Apply ethical decision-making frameworks when determining appropriate levels of pro bono service.
Topic: Mental Health Wellness of Confidence & Competence: “Stop Operating in IMPOSTOR Syndrome”
Workshop Description: Imposter syndrome can impact clinicians’ confidence, decision-making, and overall professional growth. This Lunch & Learn explores how self-doubt and perceived inadequacy show up in clinical practice and affect both provider well-being and client care.
Participants will examine the underlying factors contributing to imposter syndrome and learn practical strategies to strengthen confidence, reinforce competence, and shift toward a more empowered professional identity. This session supports clinicians in recognizing their value while maintaining ethical and effective practice.
Learning Objectives:
Identify key signs and contributing factors of imposter syndrome in clinical practice.
Recognize the impact of self-doubt on clinician performance, decision-making, and client outcomes.
Demonstrate strategies to build confidence and reinforce professional competence in therapeutic settings.
Apply techniques to reframe negative self-perceptions and support a more confident clinical identity
Topic: “Do No Harm Across Cultures: Ethical Dilemmas, Decision-Making, and the Do’s & Don’ts of Culturally Responsive Care”
Description: This interactive workshop explores ethical dilemmas in multicultural clinical practice, emphasizing culturally responsive decision-making and ethical responsibility. Participants will engage in real-world scenarios, group activities, and guided discussions to examine the complexities of culture, bias, and clinical judgment. Through practical application, attendees will strengthen their ability to navigate ethical challenges while honoring diverse identities and avoiding common pitfalls. This session is designed to move beyond awareness into actionable strategies that support ethical, inclusive, and effective care.
Learning Objectives:
Identify common ethical dilemmas that arise in multicultural and diverse clinical settings.
Apply culturally responsive decision-making models to real-world clinical scenarios.
Analyze the impact of personal bias, values, and cultural assumptions on ethical practice.
Differentiate between culturally responsive behaviors and practices that may lead to ethical violations or harm.
Implement practical strategies to enhance ethical, inclusive, and culturally competent care in clinical practice
Topic: The Ins and Outs of Being a Mental Health Critical Incident Responder
Revised Description: The purpose of this workshop is to provide training for mental health professionals who currently work, or plan to work, with victims impacted by critical incidents, stress, and trauma. This training prepares the mental health responder to effectively relate to and support critical incident victims, families, and co-workers. Participants will explore warning signs and symptoms experienced by both victims and responders, along with stages of recovery, intervention strategies, and practical response planning. An interactive practicum section will be included to ensure all participants have the opportunity to observe a mental health response case scenario, followed by a guided debriefing to strengthen learning, reflection, and real-world application.
Learning Objectives:
Describe a variety of critical incidents and how they affect individuals, families, workers, and communities differently.
Identify the skills, roles, and abilities necessary to participate in Critical Incident Stress Management as a mental health responder.
Define crisis intervention as it relates to critical incidents and identify the stages of disaster or critical incident recovery, including challenges associated with each stage.
Recognize the signs and symptoms of crisis-induced stress, emotional trauma, and posttraumatic stress in both victims and responders.
Discuss common strategies for coping with disaster and critical incident-related stress and trauma.
Demonstrate basic mental health response skills through observation of a critical incident response case scenario during an interactive practicum.
Participate in a guided debriefing to process observations, discuss intervention strategies, and apply key concepts to real-world critical incident response situations.