Conference to Connect Faith Leaders And Mental Health Professionals

By todd

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LITTLE ROCK – “Bridging Faithful Spirits and Healthy Minds,” a conference to be held June 13 in the Great Hall of the Clinton Presidential Center, aims to bring together faith leaders and mental health professionals to increase knowledge and reduce stigma associated with mental illness.


 


The day-long event is free and targets faith leaders, mental health professionals and educators, with a limited number of seats available for the general public. To register, contact Chris Rule or Shelia Romes at 660-7550, or register online at http://pibhs.uams.edu.


 


The conference is presented by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Partners in Behavioral Health Sciences (PIBHS) program in the Department of Psychiatry in the College of Medicine. PIBHS is funded by a Science Education Partnership Award (SEPA) from the National Center for Research Resources.


 


Conference co-sponsors include the University of Arkansas Clinton School of Public Service, the University of Nebraska Public Policy Center, the Central Arkansas Coalition for Spiritual and Mental Health and the UAMS Psychiatric Research Institute. 


 


This inaugural conference was developed in collaboration with a coalition of local ministers, mental health professionals, and researchers who have been exploring ways to increase knowledge, reduce stigma, and improve links to care for individuals with mental illness.   Participants will gain cutting-edge knowledge about mental illness, effective treatments, and programs that could expand partnerships between mental health professionals and faith leaders. 


 


“Many times, mental health professionals and faith leaders are working toward similar goals, but their paths may not always converge,” said Teresa L. Kramer, Ph.D., associate professor in the UAMS Department of Psychiatry and conference facilitator. “By creating a dialogue between the two professions, we hope to learn how we can best support each other and provide the best care possible to the people we serve.”


 


The keynote speaker for the conference is Harold G. Koenig, M.D., M.H.Sc., co-director of the Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health at Duke University Medical Center. Koenig has published extensively in the fields of mental health, geriatrics, and religion, and is the founder and editor-in-chief of Science and Theology News, a monthly international newspaper stimulating research, education, and dialogue in science and theology.


 


Presentations will include how to build innovative community and faith-based partnerships, strategies for bridging the gaps between mental health and faith in health care, plans for linking the faith and mental health perspective when caring for individuals with mental health problems, and state-of-the-science updates on mental health issues.


 


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, five centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,320 students and 690 medical residents. It is the state’s largest public employer with more than 9,300 employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital and the VA Medical Center. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.4 billion a year.