CANMHA Central Appalachian Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Conference

CANMHA Central Appalachian Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Conference

Building the Network

In partnership with East Tennessee State University, we previously hosted a successful two-day mental health conference. We had planned to follow this with a series of conferences beginning in West Virginia, but those efforts were halted due to COVID-19. We are now renewing our commitment to convening a regional mental health conference to highlight and strengthen efforts in Central Appalachia.

This year, CANMHA is collaborating with the and is pleased to offer a $25 discount to participants attending both conferences.

The ATRN 2025 Annual Health Summit begins on Monday, October 13 at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia and concludes at 2:00 pm, just before the start of the CANMHA Conference begins Tuesday, October 14 and concludes Wednesday, October 15.

The conference will focus on Youth Mental Health and will provide skills, tools, and resources for those working across Central Appalachian communities. Our vision is for this event to serve as a springboard for the Central Appalachian Network of Mental Health Advocates (CANMHA), helping us grow and advance our goals.

Looking ahead, we hope to formalize our organization, launch a website, and foster more consistent communication among members and regional mental health resources. We also plan to expand educational outreach through the ECHO program in the Division of Outreach—paralleling the work of ORCCA but with a broader focus on all aspects of mental health, not only substance use.

From years of clinical and ethnographic work in the region, we know that each county has a dedicated core of individuals striving to make a difference. Yet these efforts often remain isolated. Our aim is to connect these voices, strengthen collaboration, and create a unified network of support.

To make this possible, we are seeking support from partners such as the American Psychiatric Association, Appalachian Regional Commission, Associated Universities, and Healthy Appalachia at UVA Wise. We also recognize the financial challenges in the current funding environment and are committed to keeping expenses to a minimum while building sustainable momentum for this work.

View the Agenda

Call for Poster Proposals

We are now accepting applications for poster presentations at the upcoming conference. Posters should address some aspect of Appalachian mental health, substance use, community participation or development, and/or therapeutic interventions.

Poster submissions may include:

• Descriptions of projects
• Clinical or research studies
• Case analyses
• Qualitative studies
• Personal lived experiences related to the above topics

Submission Guidelines:

• Posters must be submitted in PDF format
• Email submissions to cmxtM3UgfCB1dmFoZWFsdGggISBvcmc=
• Deadline: September 30, 2024, at midnight

The top 20 posters will be selected by the planning committee. Selected posters will be displayed at the conference, and presenters will have their attendance fee waived.

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