College of San Mateo
October 23-24, 2025
October 23-24, 2025
Fall 2025 MHWA 15th Anniversary Conference
We are Mental Health Heroes
College of San Mateo will be hosting our 2025 Fall Conference. Join us for a couple of days of collaborative engagement with colleagues, CE training, and to gain skills and knowledge from our speakers.
Collaborators
MHWA is thankful for the collaboration with CCC Chancellor's Office and CCC Health & Wellness Program (CARS).
Collaborators
MHWA is thankful for the collaboration with CCC Chancellor's Office and CCC Health & Wellness Program (CARS).
|
|
College of San Mateo
College Center Building 10 Conference Room 468
1700 W Hillsdale Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94402
Campus Map
Free parking in lot M and any student or visitor lot.
Host: Gil Perez, LPCC
[email protected]
College Center Building 10 Conference Room 468
1700 W Hillsdale Blvd.
San Mateo, CA 94402
Campus Map
Free parking in lot M and any student or visitor lot.
Host: Gil Perez, LPCC
[email protected]
registration
MHWA member
Conference* $100
Non-MHWA member Not a member? Become a member by visiting the Membership page.
Conference* $150
*Conference Fee includes: Breakfast/Lunch & CE credits (up to 8.5 credits)
CEs for LCSWs, LMFTs, Psychologists & RNs
Conference* $100
Non-MHWA member Not a member? Become a member by visiting the Membership page.
Conference* $150
*Conference Fee includes: Breakfast/Lunch & CE credits (up to 8.5 credits)
CEs for LCSWs, LMFTs, Psychologists & RNs
Online Registration: Click on the button to register for Conference.
Online Payment: After you register, click on button to pay for Conference.
AGenda
Thursday 10/23
8:30-9:00 am Check-in/Breakfast
9:00-9:30 am Welcome & MHWA Introduction/Information
9:30-11:30 pm DaLene Forester, Ph.D., LMFT, LPCC
Clinical Supervision in California 2025 (2 CEs)
11:30-11:40 pm Flourish Presentation
11:40-11:50 pm Pandora Bio Presentation
11:50-1:00 pm Lunch
1:00-3:00 pm Melissa Risso, Ph.D., LMFT
From Myths to Meaning: Supporting Clients in Redefining Sex &
Intimacy (2 CEs)
3:00-3:15 pm Break
3:15-4;45 pm Erik Karff, LMFT
Unmasking Masculinity: A Relational Approach to Working with
Men in Therapy (1.5 CEs)
5:00 pm Networking Dinner (Hosted by Lightfully) @ Pinstripes
RSVP for Dinner - Limited Space
Friday 10/24
9:00-9:30 am Welcome & Breakfast
9:30-10:00 am Chancellor's Office Updates
Jackie Alvarez
10:00-11:00 am Lisa Larimer Burtis, LMFT & Abigail (Abby) Burd, LCSW
A New (Overdue) Discipline in the CCC System: Mental Health
Counseling (0 CE)
11:00-11:15 am Break
11:15-12:15 pm Soluna - Laura Tully, Ph.D. (Moderator)
From Overstretched to Equipped: Expanding the Capacity of
Student Mental Health Services with Digital Care (1 CE)
12:15-1:30 pm Lunch & MHWA Elections
1:30-3:30 pm Mary C. Taylor, LMFT
Understanding & Working with Addiction in Community
Colleges (2 CEs)
3:30 pm Closing Remarks
CEs Training
Clinical Supervision in California 2025 (2 CEs)
DaLene Foster, Ph.D., LMFT, LPCC
This presentation provides licensed mental health professionals with a current review of California laws, regulations, and ethical standards governing clinical supervision. Participants will examine supervision requirements for Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (AMFTs), Associate Professional Clinical Counselors (APCCs), Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASWs), Marriage and Family Therapist Trainees, and Psychological Associates. The course will highlight eligibility criteria for supervisors, required training, supervision formats, documentation standards, and best practices. Emphasis will be on the responsibilities of supervisors to ensure both client safety and supervisee development, as well as maintaining compliance with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) and the California Board of Psychology (BOP). Through case examples and regulatory review, participants will gain clarity on how to ethically and effectively provide clinical supervision in diverse practice settings.
Learning objectives:
DaLene Forester, specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, trauma, and clinical supervision. Now retired from private practice, she focuses on teaching and training future psychotherapists. She is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer, a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Consultant (CEDS-C), and a certified supervisor with AAMFT and CAMFT. Dr. Forester has been an active board member of EMDRIA, her local CAMFT chapter, RRC-CAMFT, and an active committee member of both EMDRIA and CAMFT. She has presented at national and international conferences. Dr. Forester has two chapters published in EMDR Solutions II, R Shapiro (ed.), W.W. Norton & Company, 2009 and one chapter published in Trauma-Informed Approaches to Eating Disorders, A. Seubert and P. Virdi (ed.) Springer Publishing Company, LLC, 2024.
From Myths to Meaning: Supporting Clients in Redefining Sex & Intimacy (2 CEs)
Melissa Risso, Ph.D., LMFT
Students bring concerns about sex, intimacy, and relationships into counseling spaces every day, yet many mental health professionals feel underprepared to address these topics beyond basic sexual health. Without the right tools, counselors may unintentionally reinforce rigid cultural scripts or miss opportunities to help students explore what sex and intimacy truly means for them.
This presentation will move beyond traditional “sex ed” conversations to focus on how counselors can help students dismantle myths, challenge heteronormativity, and broaden their understanding of sex and intimacy. Using reflection, case examples, and practical tools, participants will learn strategies to support students in shifting from rigid cultural scripts toward more authentic, flexible, and inclusive views of sexuality and relationships. Counselors will also have the opportunity to examine how their own assumptions and cultural messages shape the way they show up in session, creating space for students to define intimacy on their own terms.
Learning objectives:
Melissa Risso, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, AASECT-certified sex therapist, and AASECT-certified sexuality educator who is passionate about helping people move beyond cultural myths to discover what intimacy authentically means for them. She is the founder of her private practice, Risso Counseling, Inc., where she works with individuals, couples, and professionals to create healthier, more inclusive, and flexible approaches to sex and relationships.
Dr. Risso earned her PhD in Human Sexuality from CIIS and brings nearly two decades of clinical and teaching experience to her work. While expanding into private practice, she served for almost ten years as a counselor at the College of San Mateo, where she supported community college students navigating identity, relationships, stress, and academic pressures. This experience gives her a unique perspective on the realities today’s campus counselors face, and it grounds her approach in practical, real-world strategies that professionals can apply directly in their sessions.
Her leadership and contributions to sexual health have been recognized with the UCLA Leadership Award and two honors from the California Association of Marriage & Family Therapist (CAMFT) for her work in advancing sex therapy in her community. These experiences inspired her to expand her impact by creating Liberate Your Libido™, her second business dedicated to helping individuals reignite passion and reclaim pleasure. Dr. Risso advocates for understanding sexuality as an essential part of mental health and personal well-being, and aims to help individuals embrace their full sexual selves with confidence and compassion.
Unmasking Masculinity: A Relational Approach to Working with Men in Therapy (1.5 CEs)
Erik Karff, LMFT
How do we engage male clients—especially those struggling with emotional expression, intimacy, and vulnerability—in ways that are attuned, non-pathologizing, and transformative?
This presentation explores how cultural expectations around masculinity intersect with early attachment patterns and relational trauma to shape the way men show up in therapy. We’ll unpack how emotional isolation, perfectionism, internalized shame, and avoidance can become entrenched coping strategies—and how therapists can create space for something more authentic to emerge.
This presentation will include clinical vignettes, gentle experiential practices, and space for reflection and discussion. While rooted in relational and psychodynamic thinking, the presentation welcomes all theoretical orientations and offers applicable tools for working with male clients across the gender and sexuality spectrum—including queer and trans men.
Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all “fix,” this presentation invites curiosity, nuance, and compassion for the complexity of masculine identity—and for the clinicians who sit across from it.
Learning objectives:
Erik Karff, LMFT, is a San Francisco–based psychotherapist specializing in relational, trauma-informed care for adult individuals and couples navigating attachment wounds, shame, and identity development. His work integrates psychodynamic, somatic, and experiential approaches with a deep focus on men’s mental health, queer identity, and the impact of systemic oppression. In addition to his private practice, Erik facilitates therapy groups, professional trainings, and community-based healing circles that center vulnerability, embodiment, and connection.
A New (Overdue) Discipline in the CCC System: Mental Health Counseling (0 CE)
Lisa Larimer Burtis, LMFT & Abigail (Abby) Burd, LCSW
Hear updates from the MHWA Legislative Committee on advocacy efforts to establish minimum qualifications for full time and part time faculty hired for mental health counseling within the California Community College system. This fall, MHWA has led the establishment of a new discipline through the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges (ASCCC) including a proposal and upcoming presentation at plenaries in November 2025 and spring 2026.
While this session will not provide continuing education, we believe it will be of interest to many MHWA members to hear the plans for the Discipline List and learn about the future path to update the Education Code and regulations through the Chancellor's Office. There will also be time for discussion, serving as solicitation of public comments from MHWA stakeholders across the state.
Lisa Larimer Burtis, LMFT, Counselor/Coordinator of Health & Wellness Services, Mendocino College, is the primary author of the ASCCC Discipline List Revision proposal, recent member of the ASCCC Transfer, Articulation, and Student Services Committee, member of the MHWA Legislative Committee and co-author of a Rostrum article, "The Intersection of Academic Counseling and Mental Health Counseling in the California Community College System” (2025, April).
Abigail (Abby) Burd, LCSW, Mental Health Counselor in Health Services at MiraCosta College, is the second author of the Discipline List Revision request, which has come from several years discussion in the MHWA Legislative Committee and Board of Directors. She is currently President-Elect and Acting President of MHWA.
From Overstretched to Equipped: Expanding the Capacity of Student Mental Health Services with Digital Care (1 CE)
Soluna -- Laura Tully, Ph.D. (Moderator)
California’s community college students face growing and complex mental health challenges—challenges that traditional services alone can’t fully meet. This session brings together community college system leaders, a youth ambassador with lived experience, and a clinical expert to explore how campuses can use state-funded programs to expand the reach of campus mental health support service without overburdening staff or budgets.
Using a real-world case study from within the CCC system, panelists will show how one college has integrated Soluna—a free, state-funded mental health platform—into its existing services to increase reach and impact. Designed for youth 13–25, Soluna offers anonymous and safe peer support, drop-in or scheduled coaching sessions with mental health professionals, self-guided tools, and care navigation. Since its 2024 launch, Soluna has reached over 130,000 users across all 58 counties; 53% of Soluna users identify as BIPOC, 47% as Latinx/Hispanic, and 58% as underserved. Notably, one in three users say they would have no access to mental health care if Soluna didn’t exist.
Attendees will leave with clear strategies for integrating digital mental health tools into campus ecosystems to better serve students, young employees, and families. The session will also highlight how digital support can reduce service gaps, enhance equity, and ease the strain on campus teams—especially during periods of high demand.
Learning objectives:
Laura Tully, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, cognitive neuroscientist, and VP of Partnerships & Integrations at Soluna, this session blends platform data, implementation insights, and real student stories. With nearly 20 years of experience at the intersection of youth mental health and digital care, Dr. Tully will guide a candid conversation about what works, what’s scalable, and what CCCs can do right now.
Joining Dr. Tully is guest Andrew Nelson, LMFT, Clinical Supervisor at the Ventura College Student Health Center, who brings a grounded, field-based perspective to the conversation. With direct experience supporting mental health access for community college students, Andrew will speak to the real-world challenges and opportunities of care delivery on campus. His insights will help frame what’s working, what’s needed, and how institutions can take action in ways that are both scalable and student-centered.
Joining Dr. Tully and Andrew Nelson is a youth ambassador who attends a California community college and brings lived experience to the conversation. Their voice helps ground the discussion in the realities students face and ties together insights from both practice and policy.
Understanding & Working with Addiction in Community Colleges (2 CEs)
Mary C. Talyor, LMFT
Working with individuals who use substances can be challenging, particularly in a community college setting, and the landscape of addiction treatment has changed. Participants will learn about the importance of trauma-informed care when working with students who use substances, addiction as a disease model, advances in addiction medicine and best practices for engagement and retention.
Learning objectives:
Clinical Supervision in California 2025 (2 CEs)
DaLene Foster, Ph.D., LMFT, LPCC
This presentation provides licensed mental health professionals with a current review of California laws, regulations, and ethical standards governing clinical supervision. Participants will examine supervision requirements for Associate Marriage and Family Therapists (AMFTs), Associate Professional Clinical Counselors (APCCs), Associate Clinical Social Workers (ASWs), Marriage and Family Therapist Trainees, and Psychological Associates. The course will highlight eligibility criteria for supervisors, required training, supervision formats, documentation standards, and best practices. Emphasis will be on the responsibilities of supervisors to ensure both client safety and supervisee development, as well as maintaining compliance with the California Board of Behavioral Sciences (BBS) and the California Board of Psychology (BOP). Through case examples and regulatory review, participants will gain clarity on how to ethically and effectively provide clinical supervision in diverse practice settings.
Learning objectives:
- Identify the qualifications and training requirements necessary to serve as a clinical supervisor under BOP and BBS regulations.
- Describe the required supervision formats, frequency, and documentation obligations for Associates, trainees, and psychological assistants.
- Explain supervisor responsibilities for establishing supervision agreements, crisis protocols, and oversight arrangements.
- Differentiate between BBS and BOP supervision requirements, including variations for MFT/PCC/SW Associates versus Psychological Associates.
- Apply ethical and legal standards to common supervision challenges, including boundary issues, dual relationships, and supervisee evaluation.
DaLene Forester, specializes in the treatment of eating disorders, trauma, and clinical supervision. Now retired from private practice, she focuses on teaching and training future psychotherapists. She is an EMDRIA Approved Consultant and Trainer, a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist and Consultant (CEDS-C), and a certified supervisor with AAMFT and CAMFT. Dr. Forester has been an active board member of EMDRIA, her local CAMFT chapter, RRC-CAMFT, and an active committee member of both EMDRIA and CAMFT. She has presented at national and international conferences. Dr. Forester has two chapters published in EMDR Solutions II, R Shapiro (ed.), W.W. Norton & Company, 2009 and one chapter published in Trauma-Informed Approaches to Eating Disorders, A. Seubert and P. Virdi (ed.) Springer Publishing Company, LLC, 2024.
From Myths to Meaning: Supporting Clients in Redefining Sex & Intimacy (2 CEs)
Melissa Risso, Ph.D., LMFT
Students bring concerns about sex, intimacy, and relationships into counseling spaces every day, yet many mental health professionals feel underprepared to address these topics beyond basic sexual health. Without the right tools, counselors may unintentionally reinforce rigid cultural scripts or miss opportunities to help students explore what sex and intimacy truly means for them.
This presentation will move beyond traditional “sex ed” conversations to focus on how counselors can help students dismantle myths, challenge heteronormativity, and broaden their understanding of sex and intimacy. Using reflection, case examples, and practical tools, participants will learn strategies to support students in shifting from rigid cultural scripts toward more authentic, flexible, and inclusive views of sexuality and relationships. Counselors will also have the opportunity to examine how their own assumptions and cultural messages shape the way they show up in session, creating space for students to define intimacy on their own terms.
Learning objectives:
- Identify common cultural myths and heteronormative assumptions that shape how students understand sex, intimacy, and relationships.
- Apply practical tools and strategies to help students move from rigid cultural scripts toward more authentic, flexible, and inclusive views of sexuality and intimacy.
- Reflect on their own cultural messages, values, and assumptions, and evaluate how these may impact the therapeutic space.
- Integrate case examples and reflective practices to create counseling environments where students can author their own definitions of intimacy and connection.
Melissa Risso, is a licensed marriage and family therapist, AASECT-certified sex therapist, and AASECT-certified sexuality educator who is passionate about helping people move beyond cultural myths to discover what intimacy authentically means for them. She is the founder of her private practice, Risso Counseling, Inc., where she works with individuals, couples, and professionals to create healthier, more inclusive, and flexible approaches to sex and relationships.
Dr. Risso earned her PhD in Human Sexuality from CIIS and brings nearly two decades of clinical and teaching experience to her work. While expanding into private practice, she served for almost ten years as a counselor at the College of San Mateo, where she supported community college students navigating identity, relationships, stress, and academic pressures. This experience gives her a unique perspective on the realities today’s campus counselors face, and it grounds her approach in practical, real-world strategies that professionals can apply directly in their sessions.
Her leadership and contributions to sexual health have been recognized with the UCLA Leadership Award and two honors from the California Association of Marriage & Family Therapist (CAMFT) for her work in advancing sex therapy in her community. These experiences inspired her to expand her impact by creating Liberate Your Libido™, her second business dedicated to helping individuals reignite passion and reclaim pleasure. Dr. Risso advocates for understanding sexuality as an essential part of mental health and personal well-being, and aims to help individuals embrace their full sexual selves with confidence and compassion.
Unmasking Masculinity: A Relational Approach to Working with Men in Therapy (1.5 CEs)
Erik Karff, LMFT
How do we engage male clients—especially those struggling with emotional expression, intimacy, and vulnerability—in ways that are attuned, non-pathologizing, and transformative?
This presentation explores how cultural expectations around masculinity intersect with early attachment patterns and relational trauma to shape the way men show up in therapy. We’ll unpack how emotional isolation, perfectionism, internalized shame, and avoidance can become entrenched coping strategies—and how therapists can create space for something more authentic to emerge.
This presentation will include clinical vignettes, gentle experiential practices, and space for reflection and discussion. While rooted in relational and psychodynamic thinking, the presentation welcomes all theoretical orientations and offers applicable tools for working with male clients across the gender and sexuality spectrum—including queer and trans men.
Rather than offering a one-size-fits-all “fix,” this presentation invites curiosity, nuance, and compassion for the complexity of masculine identity—and for the clinicians who sit across from it.
Learning objectives:
- Understand how masculine socialization shapes men’s emotional lives and relationships.
- Examine the role of internalized masculine ideals in shame, anxiety, and disconnection.
- Explore relational and somatic approaches that foster emotional integration and connection.
Erik Karff, LMFT, is a San Francisco–based psychotherapist specializing in relational, trauma-informed care for adult individuals and couples navigating attachment wounds, shame, and identity development. His work integrates psychodynamic, somatic, and experiential approaches with a deep focus on men’s mental health, queer identity, and the impact of systemic oppression. In addition to his private practice, Erik facilitates therapy groups, professional trainings, and community-based healing circles that center vulnerability, embodiment, and connection.
A New (Overdue) Discipline in the CCC System: Mental Health Counseling (0 CE)
Lisa Larimer Burtis, LMFT & Abigail (Abby) Burd, LCSW
Hear updates from the MHWA Legislative Committee on advocacy efforts to establish minimum qualifications for full time and part time faculty hired for mental health counseling within the California Community College system. This fall, MHWA has led the establishment of a new discipline through the Academic Senate of the California Community Colleges (ASCCC) including a proposal and upcoming presentation at plenaries in November 2025 and spring 2026.
While this session will not provide continuing education, we believe it will be of interest to many MHWA members to hear the plans for the Discipline List and learn about the future path to update the Education Code and regulations through the Chancellor's Office. There will also be time for discussion, serving as solicitation of public comments from MHWA stakeholders across the state.
Lisa Larimer Burtis, LMFT, Counselor/Coordinator of Health & Wellness Services, Mendocino College, is the primary author of the ASCCC Discipline List Revision proposal, recent member of the ASCCC Transfer, Articulation, and Student Services Committee, member of the MHWA Legislative Committee and co-author of a Rostrum article, "The Intersection of Academic Counseling and Mental Health Counseling in the California Community College System” (2025, April).
Abigail (Abby) Burd, LCSW, Mental Health Counselor in Health Services at MiraCosta College, is the second author of the Discipline List Revision request, which has come from several years discussion in the MHWA Legislative Committee and Board of Directors. She is currently President-Elect and Acting President of MHWA.
From Overstretched to Equipped: Expanding the Capacity of Student Mental Health Services with Digital Care (1 CE)
Soluna -- Laura Tully, Ph.D. (Moderator)
California’s community college students face growing and complex mental health challenges—challenges that traditional services alone can’t fully meet. This session brings together community college system leaders, a youth ambassador with lived experience, and a clinical expert to explore how campuses can use state-funded programs to expand the reach of campus mental health support service without overburdening staff or budgets.
Using a real-world case study from within the CCC system, panelists will show how one college has integrated Soluna—a free, state-funded mental health platform—into its existing services to increase reach and impact. Designed for youth 13–25, Soluna offers anonymous and safe peer support, drop-in or scheduled coaching sessions with mental health professionals, self-guided tools, and care navigation. Since its 2024 launch, Soluna has reached over 130,000 users across all 58 counties; 53% of Soluna users identify as BIPOC, 47% as Latinx/Hispanic, and 58% as underserved. Notably, one in three users say they would have no access to mental health care if Soluna didn’t exist.
Attendees will leave with clear strategies for integrating digital mental health tools into campus ecosystems to better serve students, young employees, and families. The session will also highlight how digital support can reduce service gaps, enhance equity, and ease the strain on campus teams—especially during periods of high demand.
Learning objectives:
- Recognize the systemic and day-to-day mental health challenges facing community college students in California, with insights from clinical experts, education leaders, and students with lived experience.
- Learn more about state-funded digital mental health resources like Soluna and their impact on student well-being, including how features such as self-guided tools, peer support, and live professional chat can expand access to care.
- Learn practical strategies for integrating Soluna into existing support systems across campuses, and employee programs to improve student wellness, academic outcomes, and access to care.
Laura Tully, Ph.D., a clinical psychologist, cognitive neuroscientist, and VP of Partnerships & Integrations at Soluna, this session blends platform data, implementation insights, and real student stories. With nearly 20 years of experience at the intersection of youth mental health and digital care, Dr. Tully will guide a candid conversation about what works, what’s scalable, and what CCCs can do right now.
Joining Dr. Tully is guest Andrew Nelson, LMFT, Clinical Supervisor at the Ventura College Student Health Center, who brings a grounded, field-based perspective to the conversation. With direct experience supporting mental health access for community college students, Andrew will speak to the real-world challenges and opportunities of care delivery on campus. His insights will help frame what’s working, what’s needed, and how institutions can take action in ways that are both scalable and student-centered.
Joining Dr. Tully and Andrew Nelson is a youth ambassador who attends a California community college and brings lived experience to the conversation. Their voice helps ground the discussion in the realities students face and ties together insights from both practice and policy.
Understanding & Working with Addiction in Community Colleges (2 CEs)
Mary C. Talyor, LMFT
Working with individuals who use substances can be challenging, particularly in a community college setting, and the landscape of addiction treatment has changed. Participants will learn about the importance of trauma-informed care when working with students who use substances, addiction as a disease model, advances in addiction medicine and best practices for engagement and retention.
Learning objectives:
- Deepen understanding of Addiction Theory through a Trauma Informed lens
- Increase knowledge of treatment options for addiction to commonly used substances
- Learn ways to increase engagement and retention in treatment for those with substance use
Hotel ACCOMMODATIONS
|
Hilton Garden Inn San Mateo 2000 Bridgepointe Circle. San Mateo, CA 94404 $261.46+Tax Group Rate Code Access Link |
airport
San Francisco International Airport (SFO) ~ 11 miles
information
*MHWA is a CE provider approved by the California Psychological Association to provide continuing professional education for psychologists. The Board of Behavioral Sciences recognizes CE credit from CPA approved providers for LCSWs, MFTs, LEPs, and LPCCs. MHWA’s CE programs meet the California Board of Nursing’s requirements for acceptable continuing education for BRN licensees. MHWA maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
Conference refund
After registering, if you cannot attend the meeting, notify Dr. Alison Johnson for a refund (prior to 10/23/2025 or credit for a subsequent conference).
Attendance policy
Those who attend full conference and complete the evaluation form will receive CE credits. Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the start time or leaving before the training is completed will not receive CE credits.
Conference refund
After registering, if you cannot attend the meeting, notify Dr. Alison Johnson for a refund (prior to 10/23/2025 or credit for a subsequent conference).
Attendance policy
Those who attend full conference and complete the evaluation form will receive CE credits. Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the start time or leaving before the training is completed will not receive CE credits.
Sponsors
MHWA is thankful for the following sponsors.
|
|
|