At the UCLA Luskin Conference Center from April 28 – 29, 2022, mental health leaders and clinicians gathered to highlight the latest treatment options.
By John Lavitt
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 5/1/22 – As an example of celebrating treatment innovations, the Emerging Themes in Behavioral Health Conference delivered a platform for mental health leaders and clinicians to share the latest in evidence-based treatment. Focusing on the most relevant mental health topics impacting society today, the gathering offered a mix of content-rich workshops and exhibitions by both providers and innovators at the forefront of the industry.
The goal of Emerging Themes in Behavioral Health was to create a launching pad that would initiate dialogue on research-based knowledge and innovative, evidence-based practices. As the Conference Chair, Renee Baribeau, known worldwide as The Practical Shaman, told The Hollywood Times, “The latest generation of psychiatrists, therapists, and treatment professionals are open to innovative treatments that help to address the mental health epidemic. People should know about the incredible work that is happening today. This conference is designed to make that happen.”
From Dr. Timothy Fong, Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at The Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA, to JD Kalmenson, the CEO of Montare Behavioral Health, the sole platinum sponsor of the conference, the presenters offered a diverse bouquet of intriguing updates. Indeed, during each workshop, a buzz of excitement filled the air as presenters shared their innovative practices. From Psilocybin Therapy in Treatment-Resistant Depression by Dr. Sidney Zoosk, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD, to the diverse panel on Integrating Spirituality into Your Treatment Plan, the workshops provided insight. Indeed, many of these workshops offered divergent paths to the same goal: Healing distressed patients in need of treatment modalities that work in practice.
Moreover, the exhibitors came together and displayed tremendous support and camaraderie. As Monica Davoodpour, the Director of Business Development for Tarzana Treatment Centers, told us on the second day of the conference, “What is so refreshing about this conference is how all the different treatment providers and organizations have come together to support each other. Rather than being competitive, we have shed those base instincts to focus on learning new ways to help our clients recover from mental health challenges. Indeed, we are supporting each other, so all of us can do better moving forward.”
As opposed to organizations giving back, perhaps the most generous moment at the conference was when New York Times best-selling author Katherine Woodward Thomas brought hundreds of hardcover copies of her book, Conscious Uncoupling: 5 Steps to Living Happily Even After, to distribute at no cost. Explaining the reasoning behind such a generous gesture, Katherine Woodward Thomas told us:
“I truly appreciate the idea of being part of a conference that focuses on emergent ideas. As presenters, many of us have felt on the outside of the current popular conversation about behavioral health. Indeed, we have not always been taken seriously by the mainstream therapeutic community, largely because we challenge the status quo. What so many don’t realize is that we have been developing radical new treatment approaches that work in practice. Coming together, we see and recognize our strengths, both in terms of quantity and quality. After experiencing this conference, I genuinely believe as a whole that we’ll help so many people in need heal and transform their lives in meaningful ways.”