MHU2026 - Mental Health Update 2026

Course Description

Texas A&M University–Texarkana Presents

Mental Health Update 2026

New Tools for Old Struggles: Innovation in Mental Health

May 1, 2026 | 8:00am – 5:00pm | Eagle Hall | 7 CEs

🕗 Registration: 7:30am 🍳 Breakfast & Lunch Provided ✅ LPC & LCSW Eligible 📋 Sponsorships Available

About the Conference

Join us for the Mental Health Update 2026, a professional conference presented by Texas A&M University–Texarkana focused on strengthening our community through education, collaboration, and emerging innovations in mental health care.

This conference will assist mental health professionals in obtaining training in ethics, human populations, human trafficking, and other topics related to maintaining licensure — while also exploring the newest clinical techniques and tools shaping the field.

Whether you are renewing your license or expanding your clinical toolkit, this one-day event offers a dynamic, practical experience designed around what practitioners need most.

Learning Objectives & Outcomes

Objective 01

Licensure Renewal Training

Participants will receive current training in ethics, human populations, and human trafficking — all required for licensure renewal.

Outcome 01

Up to 7 Training Hours

Gain up to 3 hours of ethics, 3 hours of human populations, and 1 hour of human trafficking training.

Objective 02

Clinical Skills Development

Participants will receive additional training in up-to-date clinical techniques to assist them in their professional work with clients.

Outcome 02

Clinical Practice Hours

Participants will receive up to 5.5 hours of clinical practice training covering innovative, evidence-based approaches.

Who Should Attend

Licensed Professional Counselors (LPC) seeking licensure renewal hours
Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSW) needing CEU credits
Mental health professionals looking to expand their clinical knowledge
Practitioners interested in innovative tools and techniques in mental health care
Professionals who serve diverse human populations and need current training

CEU & Career Information

Category	Details
CEU Provider	Texas A&M University–Texarkana Social Work Program
CEU Approval Date	May 1, 2026
Total CEUs Upon Completion	7 CEs (9 contact hours)
Eligible Licenses	LPC and LCSW licensure renewal
Field Job Growth Rate	6% growth rate
Expected Job Openings	74,000 per year over the next decade
Median Salary	$61,330 \| Top Earners: $115,000+
Salary Data Source	U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (as of 2024)

Meet the Presenters

Our 2026 conference features leading mental health professionals, clinicians, researchers, and educators presenting on today's most critical topics.

Sidney Arrington, Ph.D., LCSW

An Interactive Workshop on Cultural Humility, Systemic Racism, and Collective Care in Practice

Founder of For Us Collective, a behavioral-health and forensic social-work practice in the Dallas–Fort Worth community. Her work lives at the intersection of mental health, community care, and justice, providing therapy, forensic evaluations, and organizational consultation.

Alana Campbell, DSW, LSW, M.Ed.

Mending the Chasm: Managing Client Conflict and Clinician Countertransference in a Divided World

Program Director of the BSW Program and Assistant Professor at Texas A&M University–Texarkana. Dr. Campbell earned her Doctor of Social Work in 2024 from the University of Louisville and brings over eight years of expertise in social work practice and higher education leadership.

Brandi Dawson, M.S.

Not Just a Bump: BIP, TBI, & OBISSS — Helping you Brain Better

Health educator with the Arkansas Brain Injury Program (BIP) at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Her work centers on translating complex neurorehabilitation concepts into practical, accessible education for survivors, caregivers, and clinicians.

Rick Hays, BA, TBRI Practitioner

Trauma, Attachment and the Adolescent Brain

With over 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents in school-based, therapeutic day treatment, and group home settings. Rick currently serves as a TBRI Practitioner at the Arkansas Sheriffs' Youth Ranches.

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Bianca Kisselburg, LPC-S, RPT-S™, ICST-P, GTC

Play is the Language: Why and How to Integrate Play Therapy

Licensed Professional Counselor Supervisor and Registered Play Therapist Supervisor™ in Texarkana, AR. Founder of Playful Connections Sandtray Institute and Serendipity Sand & Play Shop, training clinicians across the U.S. in play and sandtray therapy.

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Sarah Law, LCSW; Jordan Nicols, RN; Stacy Drennan, PLMSW

Addressing the Unique Needs of Geriatric Patients in an Acute Care Setting

Sarah Law earned her MSW from the University of Arkansas Little Rock and has worked in community mental health since 2018, specializing in clients with co-occurring mental health and substance use or intellectual disabilities.

Rebecca Liles, LCSW-S, ICST

Shifting Sands: Teaching Clients About Trauma and the Brain Through Play

Licensed Clinical Social Worker and International Credentialed Sandtray Therapist. A University of Texas at Arlington graduate and lifelong student of the brain and nervous system, specializing in creative, human-centered therapy for children, teens, and adults.

Steven Merahn, MD

Dual-Diagnosis: Mental Health in Neurodivergent Children and Youth

Enterprise Chief Medical Officer for Perimeter Healthcare, a multi-state operator of psychiatric hospitals and residential treatment centers. A pediatrician with training in child/adolescent psychotherapy and national opinion leader in "whole-child care."

Deanna Robinson, Ph.D., M.Phil., LCSW-S

Treating Depression in Older Adults

Assistant Professor of Social Work and Director of the MSW Program at Texas A&M University–Texarkana. Dr. Robinson holds licensure in Texas and Louisiana as an LCSW with a supervisor designation, and her interests include geriatric mental health and clinical issues in addiction.

Scott Jenea Traylor, LCSW

From Policy to Practice: Understanding the Changing Landscape of School Mental Health in Texas

Licensed social worker and Impact Counselor for Denton ISD, supporting high school students through crisis intervention and emotional wellness. With over a decade of experience in education and youth mental health, Scott brings a trauma-informed, culturally responsive lens to every setting.

Kathleen Wallace, Ph.D., MS, LPC-S

Pause, Ponder, Proceed: A Counselor's Guide to Ethical Decisions

Licensed professional counselor and board-certified supervisor for LPC-Associates in Texas and LACs in Arkansas. Dr. Wallace has been an active counselor since 2013, with training in TF-CBT, EMDR, NLP, and Hypnotherapy, and a current focus on trauma and addictions.

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David Yells, Ph.D.

Rehabilitation of "Dangerous" Drugs and Other Developments in Biological Psychology

Earned a Ph.D. in Developmental Psychobiology from the University of Nebraska and completed a post-doctoral fellowship in Psychiatry at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. Dr. Yells has served in faculty and administrative roles at Utah Valley University and Texas A&M University–Texarkana, with research interests in Substance Use Disorder and biological influences on mental health.

Kristine Yells, Ph.D., LCSW-S, ICST, RST

You're Only Human: The Ethics and Importance of Self-Care

Associate Professor and Chair of the Division of Human Services at Texas A&M University–Texarkana, and founder of Greater Joy Counseling and Consulting, LLC. Specializes in crisis intervention and trauma, with training in EMDR, Sandtray therapy, Somatic Experiencing, and TF-CBT.

Alexandria Young, LCSW

Black Maternal Mortality: An Examination of Systemic Inequalities and Solutions for Equitable Maternal Care

Clinical social worker, researcher, and doctoral student whose work centers on Black maternal health, reproductive justice, and equity in perinatal care. Her scholarship examines the impacts of structural racism on maternal outcomes and the development of justice-informed training models.

Notes

Our Sponsors

We are grateful for the generous support of our sponsors whose commitment helps make this conference possible.

Proudly Sponsored By

Gold Sponsor — $750

✦Preferred location for logo inside the printed conference booklet
✦Logo listed on printed Agenda
✦Premiere exhibit space inside Eagle Hall – one table, two chairs provided
✦Opportunity to place marketing collateral in participant conference bag
✦Sponsorship recognition during conference
✦Spotlight recognition on social media

Silver Sponsor — $500

✦Logo inside the printed conference booklet
✦Logo listed in the printed agenda packet
✦Exhibit space at event – one table and two chairs provided
✦Opportunity to place marketing collateral in participant conference bag
✦Spotlight recognition on social media

Bronze Sponsor — $250

✦Logo listed in the printed agenda packet
✦Exhibit space at event – one table and two chairs provided
✦Social media recognition

Vendor Only — $50

✦Logo listed in the printed agenda packet
✦Exhibit space at event – one table and two chairs provided

Interested in sponsoring? Contact kyells@tamut.edu or call 903-334-6637