Schedule at a Glance

7:30 AM - Breakfast and Registration  

8:30 AM - Keynote I

10:15 AM - Breakout Session I

11:45 PM - Lunch

12:45 PM - Keynote II

2:30 PM - Breakout Session II

4:00 PM - Social Hour & Closing Reception

FULL SCHEDULE

7:30 AM - Breakfast and Registration  

8:30 AM - Keynote I – Understanding Posttraumatic Growth with Rich Tedeschi & Bret Moore

This session introduces the concept of posttraumatic growth (PTG), that is, how people report personal transformations in the aftermath of traumatic events.  These growth experiences are relatively common, but often ignored in standard trauma theory and practice due to relatively few clinicians, peer support personnel, and clients fully understanding the concept.  This knowledge-based session will help specialists integrate the PTG model into their trauma intervention strategies and practice. Much of the session will be devoted to the conceptual and theoretical development of PTG over the past 20 years, and a review of research on PTG in various groups.  

10:15 AM - Breakout Sessions I

Breakout #1: Community Resources with Steven Lipnicki and Reginald Farrior: Representatives from the West Michigan Veterans Coalition and Kent County Veterans Services will discuss resources that are available to veterans in our community.

Breakout #2: Veteran Inclusive Workplace with Jill Wolfe: Join veteran professional Jill Hinton Wolfe for "Creating a Veteran-Inclusive Workplace: Strategies for Success," designed for HR professionals, managers, and anyone keen to foster a supportive environment for veterans. Discover the unique benefits veterans bring, learn effective hiring and onboarding strategies, and explore support systems that aid their success in the civilian workforce. Drawing from real-life case studies, this comprehensive session promises actionable insights into making your organization a beacon of inclusivity for veteran employees.

Breakout #3: Understanding Trauma and Practicing Resilence with Gwenden Dueker: In this breakout session, participants will delve into a comprehensive exploration of key learning objectives. First, participants will gain insights into the intricate biology of the human stress response and its correlation with cumulative stress in addition to understanding how experiences influence human development, particularly through neurodevelopment and epigenetics. The session will also touch on the critical concept of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) while examining both local and national data concerning the prevalence of trauma exposure. Participants will explore the dose-response relationship between trauma exposure and subsequent health and social outcomes. Additionally, a multilevel model of resilience will be presented, encompassing personal, relational, and community-level interventions aimed at fostering positive outcomes for individuals who have undergone trauma. Through these objectives, attendees will gain a comprehensive understanding of trauma, resilience, and effective intervention strategies.

Breakout #4: THRIVE: Community Strategies to Foster Veteran Resilience with Bob VandePol:  In 2023, Walking with Warriors began partnering with Worldmaker International to enhance their ability to prevent suicide and promote resilience among Michigan veterans and military families. The strategy included training Veteran Navigators as well as targeted community stakeholders who could support that objective. This workshop will combine didactic, experiential, and interactive components to describe the program as well as provide brief segments of the actual THRIVE resilience training.

11:45 PM - Lunch – Exhibition Hall  

12:45 PM - Keynote II – Expert Companionship: Facilitating Posttraumatic Growth with Rich Tedeschi & Bret Moore

The session will be devoted to an integrative cognitive-existential-narrative theoretical basis and intervention strategy to facilitate PTG.  This intervention strategy has been labeled an "Expert Companionship" model for working with trauma survivors. Using this perspective in working with trauma survivors facilitates personal development beyond the reduction of symptoms and helps trauma survivors learn to use their difficult life experiences as a means for living a more rewarding and fulfilling life. A novel intervention approach like Expert Companionship is important due to the recognition that standard interventions for PTSD have important limitations. This posttraumatic growth-based approach shows promise for addressing these limitations.

2:30 PM - Breakout Session II

Breakout #1: Community Discussion on Veterans Special Populations (Women, LGBTQIA+, etc.) with Jill Wolfe

Breakout #2: Application of Posttraumatic Growth with Bret Moore and Rich Tedeschi: This session will utilize transcripts of actual cases to highlight the process of expert companionship, which is the approach to facilitate posttraumatic growth in trauma survivors. Each phase of expert companionship will be illustrated through dialogue between a therapist and client.

Breakout #3: Outdoor Therapies: with Stacy Bare and Andrew Comtois: Numerous studies have shown that spending time outdoors is associated with improved overall quality of life. From boosting mood and reducing stress to promoting physical health and enhancing creativity, the benefits of nature are far-reaching. Whether it’s hiking a trail, navigating rough terrain, or stalking wild game, immersing in nature can rejuvenate the mind, body, and spirit.

Breakout #4: Faith Based and Spiritual Veterans Outreach with Dr. Bart Buechner, Shelley Rood, Wesley Spyke and Lillian Spyke: This session explores ways to engage faith communities to provide welcoming support, fellowship, and faith-based spiritual rehabilitation for veterans who are facing spiritual and existential challenges such as survival guilt, feelings of abandonment, hyper-vigilance, military sexual trauma, and stigma associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and/or Moral Injury (MI). We welcome participants from chaplaincy, clergy, faith-based counseling and lay leadership for a roundtable discussion around ministering to veterans who have experienced these and other challenges to identity and beliefs, and implications for forgiveness and spiritual growth through sharing their stories.

4:00 PM - Closing Reception