This one-day event will bring together educators, school mental health professionals and community leaders from across the state to share innovative, practical strategies for strengthening and sustaining the school mental health workforce in West Virginia.
The conference will open with remarks from West Virginia State Superintendent Michele Blatt, followed by a keynote panel discussion, “In This Together: A Collaborative Panel on Strengthening the School Mental Health Workforce,” moderated by Amy Saunders, associate vice president of the Marshall University Research Corporation and managing director of the Center of Excellence for Recovery.
“Through strategic collaboration and the application of Design for Delight principles, we hope to better address the behavioral health workforce needs in our schools with innovative solutions that center on student well-being and long-term success,” Saunders said.
One of the day’s featured sessions, “Design for Delight: Sustaining Those Who Support,” will be led by Maddy Branham and Jason Gibbs of Marshall University’s iCenter. This interactive training adapts the iCenter’s design thinking approach — typically used in business and innovation contexts — to help participants creatively address challenges related to workforce recruitment, support and retention in school mental health.
“Design thinking empowers people to turn real-world challenges into opportunities for meaningful change,” said Maddy Branham, assistant director of the iCenter. “It starts with empathy — truly understanding the people and problems — and leads to creative, sustainable solutions. This hands-on approach will allow participants to generate new ideas to solve pressing challenges, and we’re excited to see the impact it will have.”
In addition to the keynote and design thinking sessions, attendees may participate in multiple breakout sessions led by experts in prevention, intervention and systems design, each aimed at building stronger, more responsive school mental health supports across the state.
While registration for the event has closed, there is more information available at “Reimagining the School Mental Health Workforce.”
For press inquiries or to arrange on-site interviews, contact Allison Conley at bellomy37@marshall.edu or 304-942-4705.