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2024 North Texas Mental Health Symposium

(formerly known as the Collin County Mental Health Symposium)

Thursday, November 14, 2024
Plano Event Center

2000 East Spring Creek Parkway

Plano, TX 75074

Early Bird Registration is OPEN!

Early bird registration ends 11:59PM CST on August 31, 2024. Price increases to $125 on September 1, 2024.

Sponsorship

Join us as a sponsor for the North Texas Mental Health Symposium! Showcase your brand with an exhibitor table, gain exposure through our marketing channels, and connect directly with mental health professionals, first responders, school staff, and more. Secure your sponsorship today and be part of a dynamic event that brings together professionals from across North Texas who share a passion for mental health. 

2024 Symposium Speakers

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Stop Minding Your Own Business

Terry Bentley Hill
Attorney & Mental Health Advocate

Terry Bentley Hill is a Dallas criminal defense attorney and nationally recognized mental health advocate who has become a vocal proponent for mental health rehabilitation in the criminal justice system. Additionally, Terry serves her profession as a leader in attorney wellness initiatives.
After earning a Broadcast Journalism degree from the University of Texas at Austin, Terry became a television news reporter covering the criminal courts. It was then that she decided to become a participant in rather than an observer of the legal system and made law school a goal.
The road to law school was long (twenty-five years) and fraught with life-quakes and tragedies that included the suicidal deaths of her former husband (an attorney) and youngest daughter. It was those events that defined the kind of attorney and advocate Terry would become.
At the age of fifty, Terry received her J.D. from Texas A & M University School of Law. Immediately after passing the bar exam, Terry volunteered with the Texas Lawyers Assistance Program and became active in the Dallas Bar Association’s Peer Assistance Committee.
A prolific writer, speaker, and CLE presenter, Terry’s advocacy for attorney wellness was rewarded with the State Bar of Texas Presidential Citation, The Texas Bar Foundation Terry Lee Grantham Award, The Texas A&M University School of Law Dean Emeritus Award, and the Mental Health of America Greater Dallas Prism Award.
Beyond her law related activities, Terry launched her own non-profit foundation with a focus on mental health awareness and education. It is through this organization that Terry carries her message of hope and healing to audiences throughout Texas and beyond. #stopmindingyourownbusiness.com.

A Wounded Warrior and the Dog Who Saved Him

Staff Sergeant Jason Morgan
Veteran & Bestselling Author

Staff Sergeant Jason Morgan grew up in North Dallas and enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1989. SSgt Morgan qualified as a member of an elite special operations unit that provided meteorological and combat support for special operations. In 1999 SSgt. Morgan volunteered to provide security during a special operation in the Andes Mountains. It was on that operation Morgan was severely injured.

Jason Morgan is now a best-selling co-author of A Dog Called Hope: The Wounded Warrior and the Dog Who Saved Him.” His book is now published in 7 countries including Russia and has won two major international awards for excellence and featured on the Today Show. Jason and his dog have spoken all over the US, England and Scotland and has made appearances on morning television in America and England.

AGENDA

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  • 7:30 AM - Registration & Check In Opens

  • 8:15 AM - Opening Remarks

  • 9:00 AM - Morning Plenary #1

    • Stop Minding Your Own Business - Terry Bentley Hill, Attorney & Mental Health Advocate

  • 10:15 AM - Morning Plenary #2

    • A Wounded Warrior and the Dog That Saved Him - Staff Sergeant Jason Morgan, Veteran & Bestselling Author

  • 11:30 AM - Lunch Begins

  • 12:00 PM - Luncheon Keynote

    • Beyond ABC: Needs Facing Children in North Texas - Cristal Retana Lule, Vice President, Community Relations, Children's Health & Vanessa Simpson, LCSW-S, Manager, Integrated Behavioral Health, Children's Health

  • 1:30 - 2:20 PM - Break Out Sessions #1

    • Bibliotherapy in the Therapy Play Room: Using Books to Help Children Process Trauma, Grief, and Abuse - Kelly Pullen M.A., LPC-S, RPT, Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County & Karen Ewing M.S., LPC, RPT, Children's Advocacy Center of Collin County

    • DBT Interventions Targeting Aggression and Staff Burnout in Juvenile Justice Settings - Dr. Sheree L. Tarver Sylva-Senette, Clinical Coordinator, Dallas County Juvenile Department Letot Campus

    • Inclusivity in Care: Overcoming Barriers and Creating Collaborative Systems for IDD and Mental Illness - Andrew Ahles, LMFT-S Clinical Training Manager, Metrocare Services & Allison Turner, LPC, NCC, Licensed Professional Counselor DDP, Metrocare Services

  • 2:30 - 3:20 PM - Break Out Sessions #2

    • Trendy Depression: The Hidden Reasons Our Teens Aren’t Getting Better - Leanne Foell, LCSW, Adolescent Speaker & Therapist

    • State Strategies to Streamline Competency Restoration in Texas - Dr. Jennie Simpson, Associate Commissioner and State Forensic Director, Texas Health and Human Services Commission

    • We Didn't Create this Closet: Advocating for LGBTQ+ Clients - Brian Kennedy, M.S., LPC, Room for Change

  • 3:30 - 4:20 PM - Break Out Sessions #3

    • Problematic and Illegal Sexual Behavior in Youth and Adolescence - Nicholas La Mere, LPC, Dallas County Children's Advocacy Center

    • Pre-Trial Intervention for Mentally Ill Defendants and Solutions for the Competency Waitlist - Lee Pierson, Chief, Mental Health Division, Dallas County District Attorney's Office & Kendall McKimmey, Deputy Chief, Mental Health Division, Dallas County District Attorney's Office

    • Overdose Response Panel - Misty Harris, LCDC, NCAC, SAP, Collin County Substance Abuse Program Coordinator & Becky Tinney, LMSW, LCDC, CPS, Director of Special Projects, Recovery Council & Siddharth Rangan, Lifepath Systems

  • 4:30 PM - Event Concludes

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