NBCC and the NBCC Foundation are hosting our fifth Mental Health Connections global virtual conference December 4–6, 2024, focusing on Fostering Community, Propelling Peace.  

This year will highlight education and training, practice, and research geared toward building, advocating for, and empowering others to foster a mental health community toward positive change. It will also emphasize building peace by increasing understanding, compassion, resilience, and support in communities worldwide. Participants will learn about counseling and mental health initiatives and progress toward counseling professionalization around the world.  

Presenters representing more than 20 countries will share insights on the state of mental health outside the United States and the challenges faced by helping professionals in other countries. They will discuss best practices to meet the mental health needs of international students and immigrants in the United States.  

We are proud and excited to welcome three of our presenters back this year: Yun Shi, PhD, LMFT; Zachary Pietrantoni, PhD, NCC, LSC; and Jennifer Toof, PhD, NCC, LPC.  

Dr. Shi and Dr. Pietrantoni delivered their first Mental Health Connections presentation, Supporting East and Southeast Asian Families in Transition: Envisioning an Alternative Training Model, in 2021. They have since been a part of every conference. In 2022, they were invited to deliver one of the keynote sessions, International Mental Health Education, Services, and Research: Working Across Cultural Boundaries With Humility, Creativity, and Perseverance, with their colleague Dr. Maha See. 

This year, Dr. Shi and Dr. Pietrantoni’s presentation with their colleague, Dr. Szu-Yu (Darlene) Chen, Supporting Asian Families With Innovation: Using Expressive Art, Play, and School-Based Interventions, is a continuation of their efforts to help support and empower clients, families, and clinicians globally toward positive change and resilience.  

Dr. Shi earned a master’s degree in counseling and a PhD in counselor education and has 20 years of clinical and teaching experience. She is an assistant professor at Portland State University, where she trains and supervises master’s-level counseling students. She also provides training and supervision globally to pre-licensed and licensed multilingual counselors.  

Prior to becoming a faculty member, Dr. Shi worked with Asian immigrants and refugees and other marginalized communities in the United States for over 15 years. In practice and research, her interests are in the application of counseling models in diverse sociocultural contexts, both in the United States and internationally.  

Dr. Pietrantoni earned a master’s degree in school counseling and a PhD in counselor education. He is an assistant professor in Florida, where he trains, supervises, and consults with school, clinical mental health, and rehabilitation counselors about culturally responsive counseling practices.   

Prior to becoming a faculty member, Dr. Pietrantoni was a school counselor supporting the academic, college-career, and social–emotional needs of low-income families in the Midwest. His professional interests include school counselor development, interdisciplinary collaboration, and multicultural competency training.  

“We hope that attendees learn culturally responsive strategies for supporting the mental health of underserved communities,” agree Dr. Shi and Dr. Pietrantoni. “Presenting at this conference has increased our advocacy for this population by connecting with other professionals who are doing meaningful work to address mental health access disparities. We look forward to this conference every year.”   

Dr. Toof delivered her first Mental Health Connections presentation, Global Factors of Growth and Resilience, in 2023.   

This year, Dr. Toof’s presentation, Peace Within: Global Suicide Prevention, will explore the global issue of suicide and various prevention efforts around the world. It will offer ways people from diverse cultures can cope with suicidal ideation and how loved ones and community members can support these individuals.   

Dr. Toof is the founder and owner of Trauma Informed Counseling & Consulting. She helps children, adolescents, and adults in Pennsylvania with various emotional and behavioral issues. Dr. Toof consults with, presents to, and trains organizations/businesses on issues including, but not limited to, mental health, self-care, trauma, vicarious trauma, compassion fatigue/burnout, suicide prevention, diversity, multicultural issues, and resilience. 

“I am so excited and grateful for the opportunity to return as a presenter,” says Dr. Toof. “Having earned my doctorate in international psychology, I absolutely love that the conference focuses on global issues and provides a space for valuable insights from presenters all around the world.”  

We are also proud and excited to welcome two of our sponsors back this year: International Registry of Counsellor Education Programs (IRCEP) and RENEW (Respect, Educate, Nurture, Empower Women). Organizations have the opportunity to support the mission of the conference while promoting themselves to conference attendees through conference sponsorship.   

IRCEP has been a Mental Health Connections sponsor since 2022, when sponsorship opportunities were first offered. 

IRCEP’s purpose is to serve as the international quality assurance agency to foster excellence in the education and training of professional counselors worldwide. IRCEP empowers programs to develop counselor training curricula appropriate to their country, regions, and/or culture while simultaneously recognizing the broad tenets of education and training common to the practice of counseling, regardless of practice location.  

“IRCEP is excited to sponsor the 2024 Mental Health Connections: Fostering Community, Propelling Peace conference,” says Dr. Silvia Reyes, IRCEP’s managing director. “Through our continued partnership/sponsorship, IRCEP seeks to support GCB’s programming efforts to respond to increased mental health needs across the globe while building, advocating for, and empowering others to foster a mental health community toward positive change and peace.”    

RENEW has been a Mental Health Connections sponsor since 2023 and has a long-term partnership with GCB and NBCC. Her Majesty the Queen Mother Gyalyum Sangay Choden Wangchuck founded RENEW in Bhutan in 2004.   

RENEW addresses prevention of domestic violence and gender-based violence and promotes women’s empowerment. They promote sexual reproductive health and rights of women and girls through interventive, preventive, and reintegration programs and services. Their core services are psychosocial and counseling services, legal and medical aid, and safe homes. Their network of community volunteers is actively engaged in creating awareness against gender-based violence.  

“We are honored to sponsor NBCC’s GCB conference and to support their ongoing programming efforts. Our partnership reflects a shared dedication to fostering capacity-building initiatives that strengthen communities, promote resilience, and drive sustainable development. We look forward to continuing our engagement with NBCC as we work together to create a more empowered and equitable future,” says Tshering Dolkar, Executive Director of RENEW.  

“The Mental Health Connections conference originated as a way for participants to connect regarding global mental health issues during the pandemic, a time when it was very difficult to engage globally,” concludes Dr. Wendi Schweiger-Moore, NBCC’s Director of Global Capacity Building.  

“As the conference continues to grow, our returning presenters and sponsors help us build community across borders, which is a powerful mission for this global conference.”