2025 Conference on Mental Health

A Superior Educational Experience

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Our Conference Partners

2025 Sponsors

This Conference Is Designed For...

Counselors  •  Therapists  •  Interventionists  •  Social Workers  •  Psychiatrists  •  Psychologists  •  Case Managers  •  Ed Consultants  •  Educators

Earn up to 11 CEUs across 14 educational sessions.

Get Ready for 2025

A Great Value for Attendees​

Each Clinical registrant will receive:

  • An Invitation to the Countdown Party, Opening Reception, and Poolside Moonlight Mingle
  • Earn up to 11 CEUs
  • Access to all Friday presentations and access to Thursday Workshops
  • Access to all Free Workshops and Panels
  • Access to our Hosted Networking Lunch on Friday (except Clinical Students)
  • Full, Unlimited Access to the Exhibit Hall
  • A Chance to Win One of many Fabulous Prizes
Register Now

Conference Rates​

Clinical Attendee: $129

Non-Clinical Attendee: $295

Exhibit Hall Pass: $225

Exhibit Hall Pass with Networking Lunch Pass: $310

Clinical Student Pass: $79

Register Now

Hotel Reservations

Conference hotel room rates start at $149/night at the We-Ko-Pa Resort.
Soon after registration, you will receive a link to make your reservation at an incredible rate while rooms last.
Register Now

Each Clinical registrant will receive:

  • An Invitation to our Thursday evening Opening Reception
  • An Invitation to our Thursday Evening Poolside Munch & Mingle
  • Access to our Hosted Networking Lunch (except Clinical Students)
  • Full, Unlimited Access to the Exhibit Hall throughout the Day
  • A Chance to Win One of many Fabulous Prizes

Attendee Rates:

  • Clinical Attendee: $129
  • Non-Clinical Attendee: $295
  • Exhibit Hall Pass: $225
  • Exhibit Hall Pass with Lunch: $310
  • Clinical Students: $79

Hotel Rates

Conference hotel room rates start at $149/night at the We-Ko-Pa Resort. Soon after registration, you will receive a link to make your reservation at an incredible rate while rooms last.

We are expecting over 100 vendors in our beautiful We-Ko-Pa Resort venue.
So, please join us for up to three days of fun, education, and quality networking.

Our Friday Presenters

Dr. Sharnell Myles, PsyD, LPC

Embark Behavioral Health

Topic: Quit Calling it “Culture”: 5 1/2 Proven Strategies for Successful Organizational Health (1 CEU)

Dr. Karlyn Pleasants, PsyD

Anew Treatment Center

Topic: Hello Again & Until Then: The Magical Threads of Connection, Community, and Healing (1 CEU)

Dr. Claudia Black, PhD

The Meadows

Topic: Undaunted Hope: Embracing Self Amidst the Traumas (1 CEU)

Dr. Michael Groat, PhD

The Lindner Center of HOPE

Topic: The Power of Community and Connection in Combatting the Loneliness Epidemic (1 CEU)

Dr. Neil Puri, MD

The Menninger Clinic

Topic: Advanced Psychiatric Treatments: ECT, Ketamine, TMS, and Beyond (1 CEU)

About Us

This Year's Theme:

"Partnering Through Community:
Advancing A Culture of Collaboration"

The Partners In Treatment 3rd Annual Conference on Mental Health is the brainchild of five partner facilities— Anew Treatment Center Scottsdale, Lindner Center of Hope, Meadows Behavioral Healthcare, The Menninger Clinic, and Embark Behavioral Health. Our team objective is to bring a superior educational experience for healthcare professionals seeking the latest information on the treatment of mental illnesses. We have brought together some of the most knowledgeable clinicians in the industry who will be presenting on timely topics with useful information designed to support our attendees desire to learn the latest in mental health treatment advances.

We are not a “pay to play” conference. Unlike other conferences, we do not let facilities pay to present a topic. We choose the presenters and approve the topics. The presenters at this conference are the best each of the partner facilities have to offer. The commitment to our valued attendees is that we will present important information on a bevy of topics but not be a commercial for any of the facilities.

Dr. Sharnell Myles, PsyD, LPC

Chief Clinical Officer

Embark Behavioral Health

Dr. Sharnell Myles is a leading expert in mental health and trauma-informed care, with over 24 years of experience. As a licensed psychotherapist and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, she serves individuals impacted by trauma, especially children and youth. As Chief Clinical Officer at Embark Behavioral Health, she advances program quality and expands trauma-informed services. Her leadership has opened new treatment centers and supports Embark’s goal of reducing depression, anxiety, and suicide among young people. Her expertise focuses on complex trauma and healing from adverse childhood experiences.

Dr. Myles is a dedicated advocate. She founded JoyUs Beginnings and The Urban Trauma Positive Impact Center, providing trauma-informed treatment, and developed initiatives for girls of color and maternal-fetal health. Her work emphasizes prevention, with JoyUs Beginnings training therapists. An expert on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, she co-authored Georgia’s DMST school protocol and has trained thousands. She holds leadership positions in various organizations and founded The Social Justice Café for Girls, empowering young women. Her awards, including the President Obama Lifetime Service Award, recognize her contributions.

Presentation Topic:

Quit Calling it “Culture”: 5 1/2 Proven Strategies for Successful Organizational Health

Dr. Myles has decades of experience leading organizations. She is known for encouraging and challenging participants’ presupposed paradigms as well as actively engaging participants socially through unique, customized teaching methods. The presentation will address crucial topics for organizational health such as Speed: impact your business quickly; Depth: impact your organization from bottom to top; Tools: which tools will actually do the opposite of what you intend and which are most valuable; Measurement: why, how, when and who to measure as you seek to improve organizational health; and Narrative: influencing the stories and symbols your staff gravitate towards. All of this, of course, directly improves therapeutic service delivered to families in the mental health field.

Dr. Karlyn Pleasants, PsyD

Chief Clinical Advisor

Anew Treatment Center

Dr. Karlyn Pleasants is a clinical psychologist, international speaker and trainer, and leading clinical advisor with a whole-hearted commitment to shifting paradigms and rewriting cultural and familial narratives about mental health and healing.

 

For twenty-five years, Karlyn has helped create thriving therapeutic environments that have supported thousands of individuals and their families build lives rooted in purpose and hope that extend far beyond the bounds of psychiatric diagnoses.

Dr. Pleasants is the Chief Clinical Advisor at the Anew Treatment Center in Scottsdale, Arizona, and has made it her mission is to carry on the fidelity of the deeply transformative milieu model of recovery and change. She is the author of Feathers from the Fire, the tale of one family’s journey through fear, stigma, and generational secrets in search of healing and hope.

Presentation Topic:

Hello Again and Until Then: The Magical Threads of Connection, Community, and Healing

Human connection is decidedly one of the most powerful and influential forces in life. It is vital for our survival, we are biologically wired for it, and our emotional, mental, and social wellbeing depend on it.

Harnessing the wisdom of Attachment and Polyvagal Theories, this program will present a unique strategy for implementing one of the most essential building blocks for establishing and strengthening relational connections at the micro-, mezzo-, and macro levels of collaboration.

Participants will have the opportunity to explore how this simple, yet potent approach holds tremendous potential for building and bridging connections that foster opportunities for healing, growth, expansion, and impact with individuals, teams, and larger communities.

Dr. Claudia Black, PhD

Senior Fellow

Meadows Behavioral Health

Claudia Black’s seminal work with children impacted by substance abuse in the late 1970s created the foundation for the adult child movement. Today Claudia is a renowned author and trainer internationally recognized for her pioneering and contemporary work with family systems and addictive disorders. Claudia Black, Ph.D., designs and presents training workshops and seminars to professional audiences in the field of family service, mental health, and addictive disorders. She Senior Fellow and Clinical Architect of the Claudia Black Young Adult Center at The Meadows in Arizona.

She serves on the Advisory Board for the National Association of Children of Addiction, and the Advisory Council of the Eluna Foundation. Claudia is the author of several well-known books; the latest titles being Undaunted Hope: Stories of Healing from Trauma, Depression and Addictions and Your Recovery Your Life for Teens.

Presentation Topic:

Undaunted Hope: Embracing Self Amidst the Traumas

Mental health and addictive disorders are skyrocketing, with trauma often being the prevalent theme that binds them together. After a brief presentational about the dynamics of trauma, Claudia Black will unpack the childhood adverse events that are the foundation of emotional dysregulation fueling traumatic responses. As she offers a process for healing Claudia underscores the strength to be seen and heard, accompanied with the safety found in both peer and professional support, is the roadmap to recovery.

Participants will be able to:

  • Describe the relationship of trauma and addiction
  • List the six most common sources of traumatic stress
  • Name six steps to embracing one ‘s Self

Dr. Michael Groat, PhD

Chief Executive Officer

Lindner Center of HOPE

Michael Groat, PhD, has over 16 years of leadership experience in nationally recognized mental health and addiction treatment programs for adolescents and adults. He is the former CEO of CooperRiis, a 95-bed residential program in Asheville, NC, and has served as Chief Clinical Officer at Silver Hill Hospital and Director of Adult Services at the Menninger Clinic. Dr. Groat has launched successful programs, while driving improved patient satisfaction, staff morale, and outcomes measurement. Dr. Groat completed a postdoctoral fellowship in psychodynamic psychotherapy at the Austen Riggs Center and is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. 

He has previously held academic positions at Yale School of Medicine and Baylor College of Medicine and has presented internationally on topics related to psychotherapeutic treatment of the complex patient, suicide prevention, loneliness, and mental health recovery.

Presentation Topic:

The Power of Community and Connection in Combatting the Loneliness Epidemic

This presentation will explore the profound impact of loneliness on mental and physical health, highlighting the growing empirical research demonstrating connections of loneliness to depression, anxiety, and diminished overall well-being. Participants will learn about the critical role of social support networks and community engagement in reducing loneliness, fostering resilience, and supporting recovery. Best practices for integrating community-building strategies into treatment will be discussed, emphasizing how to strengthen social ties and minimize isolation

Dr. Neil Puri, MD

Outpatient Medical Director

The Menninger Clinic

The medical director of Menninger’s Outpatient Division, Neil Puri, MD, is also the medical director of our Center for Brain Stimulation. In addition, he is an assistant professor in the Menninger Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences at Baylor College of Medicine.

 

Board certified in psychiatry, Dr. Puri earned both his bachelor’s degree and medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago. He completed a residency in psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh and a fellowship at George Washington University in Washington, DC.

Presentation Topic:

Advanced Psychiatric Treatments: ECT, Ketamine, TMS, and Beyond