Children's Crisis Intervention Conference
Hosted by OMHSAS in collaboration with Temple University
Harrisburg, this inaugural event focuses on enhancing crisis
intervention services for children, youth, and young adults. Join
us for two days of educational sessions, state updates, clinical
best practices, and networking opportunities designed to support
counties, providers, and families in navigating behavioral health
crises.
The Children's Crisis Intervention Forum is sold out.
Please click "Register Now" to join our wait list to
be notified if additional registrations become
available.
Dates:
- Tuesday, April 29, 2025 - 9:00am-6:00pm
- Wednesday, April 30, 2025 - 9:00am-3:30pm
Location: Hilton Harrisburg located in Harrisburg, PA
Register to Attend the Conference
Registration Information:
-
Professional Attendee: $45 (regardless of one or two-day
attendance)
-
Family & Youth with Lived Experience Attendee: cost can be
waived
Please email CCIFinfo@temple.edu with registration questions.
Conference Schedule
Tuesday, April 29th
- 7:45am-8:45am Registration & Breakfast
- 9:00am-12:00pm Presentations from State Partners
- 12:00pm-1:00pm Lunch
- 1:00pm-3:30pm Presentations from State Partners
- 3:30pm-4:30pm Lived Experience Presentations
- 4:30pm-6:00pm Community Building + Food & Drinks
Wednesday, April 30th
- 7:45am-8:45am Breakfast
- 9:00am-10:30am Keynote Speaker
- 10:30am-11:30am Breakout Sessions - Round 1
- 11:30am-12:30pm Breakout Sessions - Round 2
- 12:30pm-1:30pm Lunch
- 1:30pm-3:30pm Panel Session
Description of Sessions
DAY 1 SESSIONS
Presentations from:
- Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
- Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Bureau of Children's Behavioral Health Services
- Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, Bureau of Policy, Planning, and Program Development
- Pennsylvania Department of Education
- Office of Child Development and Early Learning
- Office of Developmental Programs
- Office of Children, Youth, and Families
Lived Experience Session
Breaking the Silence: Empowering Youth Through Peer Support and Lived Experiences
Speaker: AmandaGrace Krier
Description: This powerful and personal session explores the emotional impact of suicide loss, as shared through the lens of a
survivor-turned-advocate. Participants will gain insight into the ripple effects of suicide on families, friends, and communities, and
discover how lived experiences can fuel meaningful advocacy for mental health and suicide prevention.
The course highlights the current state of youth mental health, the barriers posed by stigma, and the critical role of peer support in
reaching struggling young people. Through practical strategies, attendees will learn how to foster empathy, create brave spaces, and
empower youth to lead peer-driven initiatives that make a real difference. Designed for both youth and adult supporters, this session
emphasizes collaboration, encourages open dialogue, and offers actionable steps to build compassionate, supportive communities. The course
concludes with an interactive Q&A and a call to action, inspiring participants to become advocates for change in their schools and beyond.
Learning Objectives: 1) Learners will be able to articulate their own lived experiences in a way that fosters understanding and
empathy among peers. 2)Learners will be able to demonstrate peer support strategies to build a supportive community among youth. 3) Learners
will be able to identify key components of effective youth advocacy and leadership and develop a personal action plan to apply these skills
in their community. 4) Learners will be able to implement strategies for creating and maintaining brave spaces that encourage open and
respectful conversations.
DAY 2 SESSIONS
Keynote Session
Customizing Crisis Systems to Meet the Unique Needs of Children, Youth, Young Adults, And Their Families
Speaker: Elizabeth Manley
Description: Customizing the crisis system to meet the unique needs of young people and their families focuses on intervening early within the
crisis cycle. Crisis care is an essential component with a good and modern children's behavioral health continuum. Customization focuses on meeting
urgency with urgency. The crisis system is designed to provide youth and caregivers with short-term, flexible service coordination to assist youth
in their communities and maintain connections that keep youth in the current living setting. The customization of the crisis system for children,
youth and families and is specifically designed to prevent visits to the emergency departments, inpatient hospitalization admissions, residential
interventions and moves within the foster care system. This presentation will focus on why customization is necessary, how to customize the crisis
continuum and the role the child serving system.
Learning Objectives: 1) Participants will learn the core components of a customized crisis system. 2) Identify the importance of child
specific assessment tools. 3) Understand key strategies in engaging young people and families. 4.) Identify the importance of community engagement.
Breakout Sessions - Round 1 (10:30a-11:30a)
Drawing the Line: Creating Healthy Boundaries to Improve Self Care
Speaker: Jennifer Foxworthy
Description: Learn to identify, create, and implement healthy boundaries to enhance self-awareness, boost self-care, and improve both personal and
professional well-being. This session will provide practical strategies and techniques to help you establish meaningful boundaries that foster personal
growth and resilience.
Learning Objectives: 1) Identify acceptable and unacceptable behaviors. 2) Gain an understanding of how boundaries help improves self-awareness and
self-care. 3) Discover ways to create healthy boundaries. 4) Implement strategies and techniques to create healthy boundaries personally and professionally.
“After the Keynote”: Implications for Clinical Practice in Crisis Care
Speaker: Elizabeth Manley
Description: Customizing the crisis system to meet the unique needs of children, youth, young adults and their families requires leadership. This
workshop will focus on leadership, workforce development, community engagement and data collection strategies necessary for implementation.
Learning Objectives: 1) Identify the importance of shared leadership in building crisis systems. 2) Describe the essential components of a crisis
system designed to meet the unique needs of youth and families. 3) Identify multiple strategies in shifting the culture within the workforce necessary to
customize care. 4) Increase understanding of the practice shifts necessary to customize crisis care for children, youth and families.
Crisis Safety Planning with Youth & Families
Speaker: Amanda Gillespie and Heather Distin
Description: This session will provide an overview of safety planning as a collaborative process that includes the youth and their family/caregiver.
Participants will identify important elements of a comprehensive and individualized safety plan and explore ways to engage youth and their families in the
process. The session will provide participants with an understanding of youth and family crisis cycles and effective response and de-escalation strategies.
Learning Objectives: 1) Participants will explore ways to engage youth and families in the safety planning process. 2) Participants will be able to
individualize safety plans based on the identified needs of the youth and family. 3) Participants will identify important components to include in a
safety plan.
"The Psychological Flexibility Model" in training Crisis Intervention staff
Speaker: Drew Martel
Description: In youth crisis situations, rigidity—both in thinking and behavior—can escalate distress and limit effective problem-solving. In this
session, Drew introduces Psychological Flexibility as a practical framework for training crisis intervention staff and supporting youth during moments of
acute emotional crisis. Participants will learn actionable strategies to foster flexibility in themselves and the youth they serve, enhancing both immediate
crisis response and long-term resilience. Through demonstrations, skill practice, and real-world applications, participants will leave with a crisis
intervention framework and tools they can implement to promote adaptive coping and reduce escalation in crisis interactions.
Learning Objectives: 1) Define psychological flexibility and explain its relevance to youth crisis intervention. 2) Demonstrate at least three practical
strategies for fostering psychological flexibility. 3) Describe how crisis intervention staff can model and support flexible responses in clients.
Black Youth Suicide Prevention: Risks, Clinical Considerations, and Policy
Speaker: Dr. Rhonda C. Boyd
Description: Black youth suicide has received national attention over the last several years due to the increasing rates of suicide deaths and attempts that
have been shown in studies, as well as federal datasets. This session will cover recent trends in suicidal behaviors among Black youth as well as risk and protective
factors unique to this population. The session will provide an overview of assessment and interventions for suicide prevention through a culturally and developmentally
responsive lens. Finally, the session will familiarize the audience with local and national policy initiative focused on Black youth suicide.
Learning Objectives: 1) Participants will increase knowledge of recent trends of suicidal ideation and behaviors, as well as policy initiatives, for Black youth.
2) Participants will be able to identify common risk and protective factors for suicide risk among Black youth. 3) Participants will explore ways to assess for and
intervene with suicidal ideation and behaviors with Black youth.
Big Emotions
Speaker: Lauren Walters and Jenn Poole
Description: Equip yourself with the tools to recognize and understand emotions, both yours and your students', in this interactive session. Learn effective
strategies to manage big emotions in the classroom while fostering a supportive and self-aware teaching environment.
Learning Objectives: 1) Teachers will develop the ability to support both themselves and students in recognizing and understanding their emotions. 2) Teachers
will be equipped with effective strategies to respond to and manage big emotions in the classroom.
Breakout Sessions - Round 2 (11:30a-12:30p)
Cultivating a Calling in Your Community
Speaker: Ashley Nichols
Description: “Cultivating a Calling in Your Community” focuses on fostering a supportive environment through collaboration, compassion, and connection. This approach
is designed to have a positive impact on those being served, strengthening relationships, and building a foundation for growth in the community.
Learning Objectives: 1) Develop effective collaboration and networking skills to strengthen community relationships. 2) The ability to provide effective supervision
and develop leadership skills that support the growth of others. 3) Gain an understanding of trauma informed care and supervision, to support workforce, and provide the
most appropriate services. 4) Have a model for cultivating growth in your own workforce.
G.U.M.B.O.: Creating the Perfect Recipe to Overcome Adversity
Speaker: Jennifer Foxworthy
Description: Discover the perfect recipe to navigate adversity with strategies that foster growth, empower positive change, and inspire resilience in challenging
times. Learn how beliefs, attitudes, and actionable techniques can help you transform obstacles into opportunities.
Learning Objectives: 1) Gain an understanding of belief, morals, and attitudes. 2) Gain an understanding of how negative attitudes can deter growth. 3) Develop
and implement positive techniques and strategies to overcome adversity. 4) Empower audience to make healthy changes for a better life.
Facilitation Skills that Enhance Child & Family Teaming
Speaker: Amanda Gillespie and Heather Distin
Description: This session will cover core skills and tasks necessary for facilitating effective child and family team meetings. Participants will explore ways to
support youth and their families through a resilience and strengths-based framework that prioritizes their individualized needs. The session will provide participants
with an understanding of needs planning versus service planning and effective facilitation strategies that enhance child and family teaming.
Learning Objectives: 1) Participants will be able to describe at least (2) resilience promotion planning areas of focus. 2) Participants will be able to identify
at least (2) micro-skill facilitation strategies. 3) Participants will be able to identify at least (2) core skill facilitation objectives.
Supports for Children 0-5 in the Early Childhood Environment
Speaker: Lindsay VanDyke and Joy Polignano
Description: Looking for resources to help support infants, toddlers, and young children develop positive social-emotional skills and to support the implementation
of effective strategies to decrease challenging behaviors? During this session, presenters will highlight trainings and resources developed by the Office of Child
Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) to support the needs of Pennsylvania professionals working with young children and their caregivers. Participants will be shown
how to access these featured resources on The Pennsylvania Key webpage and the Early Intervention Technical Assistance (EITA) Portal and Mobile App.
Learning Objectives: 1) Introduce and provide a high-level overview of key resources on The Pennsylvania Key webpage and the Early Intervention Technical Assistance
(EITA) Portal focusing on social-emotional development and how they can be accessed. 2) Discuss services available through OCDEL's Infant Early Childhood Mental Health
(IECMH) Program in early childhood settings and related IECMH resources. 3) Highlight social-emotional/behavioral resources on the EITA Mobile App for early childhood
professionals and families.
Clear Roles, Effective Response: How Schools and Crisis Teams Can Collaborate During Emergencies
Speaker: Scott Kuren and Dana Milakovic
Description: This session will equip school personnel and crisis intervention team members with a clear understanding of their distinct yet interconnected roles
during a school crisis, emphasizing effective collaboration for an optimal response.
Learning Objectives: 1) Audience will identify the typical roles and responsibilities of both school-based and external crisis intervention team. 2) Audience will
explain the importance of clearly defined roles in ensuring effective and coordinated response during a school crisis. 3) Audience will be able to develop strategies for
proactive role definition and communication between school and and external crisis teams.
Assessing and Responding to Crises Using a Holistic Approach
Speaker: Heidi Arva, Amanda Meskunas, Jayme Mutschler-Crowder, & Shannon Rico
Description: This workshop will provide an overview of the Office of Developmental Programs' approach to navigating crises among children and adolescents. We will
highlight how to build a comprehensive assessment to identify potential risk factors that could lead to a crisis, implement a collaborative approach to support the child
during the crisis, and apply best practices to revise the plan following a crisis. We will share resources and tools used within ODP throughout the workshop.
Learning Objectives: 1) Understand ODP's approach to preventing and responding to crises in children and adolescents. 2) Learn how to build effective assessments
that identify risks, skill deficits, and strengths. 3) Apply best practices for crisis response, including plan revision and cross-system collaboration.
Keynote Speakers
Elizabeth Manley - Keynote Speaker
Elizabeth Manley is nationally recognized for her
expertise in children's behavioral health,
intellectual/developmental disability and substance use
systems design, policy and financing. Elizabeth has a
specific focus on innovation and evidence-based practice
implementation with states and communities. Her 30 years
of executive leadership at the national, state, and
provider levels in both the public and private sectors
have given her a unique understanding of the complexity
of systems in these areas.
Elizabeth is a Senior Advisor for the Innovations
Institute at the University of Connecticut School of
Social Work. In this capacity she is a thought partner
for leaders in service systems design.
Elizabeth is the former Assistant Commissioner for
NJ's Children's System of Care. In this
capacity, Ms. Manley led transformation and
implementation of system innovations including
integrating individuals with developmental/intellectual
disabilities, substance use and integration of physical
health into the Children's System of Care. She had
direct oversight of the statewide child behavioral
health; substance use and development/intellectual
disabilities systems. This includes a wide range of home
and community-based services, outpatient and residential
interventions. Elizabeth was the DCF representative on
the NJ Board of Social Work Examiners and the
Governor's Council on Alcohol and Drug Abuse; the
Principal Investigator on NJ's Promising Path to
Success, a SAMHSA System of Care Expansion Grant with
the focus on improving care for youth in need of a
residential intervention; Vice Chair of the National
Association of State Mental Health Program Directors
(NASMHPD); and has presented at several national
conferences.
Drew Martel
Drew Martel, LISW, CADC, is a nationally recognized
expert in crisis intervention and suicide prevention,
with extensive experience developing and leading crisis
response programs. As the Chief Clinical Officer at
CommUnity Crisis Services, Drew oversees clinical
operations on crisis helplines, mobile crisis outreach,
youth crisis stabilization services, and suicide
prevention initiatives. In addition to his leadership in
direct crisis services, he serves as a trainer and site
surveyor for the American Association of Suicidology
(AAS), conducting accreditation reviews and supporting
crisis centers in maintaining national best practices.
He has played a key role in shaping crisis response
policies, securing state grants for suicide-specific
training, and authoring national standards for mobile
crisis outreach. Drew has presented at national and
state conferences on crisis intervention, ethics, and
suicide prevention. With a background in direct clinical
care, program development, and quality assurance, Drew
brings a wealth of expertise to his work supporting
children and families in crisis.
Ashley Nichols-Kaye
Ashley Nichols-Kaye MS, MHP, CHCO, Program Manager-Human
Services Quality Management/HIPAA Compliance Officer at
Venango County Human Services will be presenting
“Cultivating a Calling in Your Community”.
Ashley was born in New Jersey and raised in Southwest
Florida. She then spent nearly a decade overseas where
she obtained her Master's Degree in Sociology from
the University of Gothenburg in Sweden. Ashley moved to
Venango County in 2005, where she began her career
within the Mental Health field. She has experience
working as a Clinician, a Program Director for Family
Based Mental Health, a Unit Director for Venango
County's Protective Intake Crisis Unit, as well as
Quality Management and Compliance Program Manager.
Ashley has spent the last two decades working within
various roles of the Mental Health field and hopes to
bring a systems perspective to creating environments
that facilitate growth and promote change.
Heather Distin
Heather Distin is the Project Director of the Child and
Adolescent Behavioral Health Center of Excellence, at
Case Western Reserve University. Heather has 20 years of
experience in various community based and inpatient
behavioral health clinical settings serving families,
children, adolescents, and transitional age youth.
Heather has a special interest in and expertise working
with youth who have complex needs that cross multiple
systems. In her work with multi-system youth, Heather
has been a change leader, promoting inter-agency
collaboration and best practices across the various
child-serving systems. Heather has served as a county
board behavioral health administrator monitoring the
fitness of the children's behavioral health
continuum of care, ensuring access to high quality care
while also leveraging resources to promote system
sustainability. Heather has spearheaded several
county-wide, multi-discipline system of care initiatives
and county-wide quality assurance efforts specific to
intensive home-based programs, youth crisis services,
transitional age youth services and juvenile justice
involved youth with behavioral health needs. Heather
holds a master's degree from John Carroll University
and is an independently licensed clinical counselor with
supervision designation.
Amanda Gillespie
Amanda Gillespie is a Licensed Independent Social Worker
with Supervision designation. She has over a decade of
experience in various community-based settings serving
families, young adults, children, and adolescents.
Amanda has a special interest in crisis intervention and
previously managed a youth crisis program that provided
risk assessment, safety planning, and intensive care
coordination to successfully link youth and their
families to supportive services. Currently, Amanda is
the Mobile Response and Stabilization Services (MRSS)
Coordinator with the Child & Adolescent Behavioral
Health Center of Excellence at Case Western Reserve
University. She is also a certified Applied Suicide
Intervention Skills Training (ASIST) trainer through
LivingWorks.
Jennifer C. Foxworthy
Jennifer served our country proudly for 21.7 years. She
is a retired U.S. Navy veteran, who is pursuing her
second career as the Founder and CEO of Inspirationally
Speaking, LLC, and the Founder and CEO of Unstoppable
You Ministries, Inc. Jennifer continues to be of service
to others through her purpose and passion as an
award-winning motivational speaker, international
published author of “Tomorrow My Sunshine Will
Come: Memoirs of Women Who Survived Domestic
Violence,” event organizer and host of Unstoppable
You Conference, television show host of Living
Unshackled ON Purpose, corporate trainer, public
speaking coach, as well as prolific blogger of
“G.U.M.B.O.”
Dr. Rhonda Boyd
Dr. Rhonda Boyd (she/her) is a faculty member at
PolicyLab at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
(CHOP) and an associate professor of Psychology in
Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of
Medicine. She is also the associate director of
CHOP's Child and Adolescent Mood Program, where she
specializes in evaluating and treating youth with
depression and suicide risk. Her research focuses on
risk and protective factors for urban children and
mothers, as well as developing interventions for
racially and ethnically diverse populations. She has led
and collaborated on multiple federally funded studies,
including grants from the National Institutes of Health
and the Maternal and Child Health Bureau.
Beyond her clinical and research work, Dr. Boyd has been
deeply involved in efforts to address mental health
disparities. She co-chaired a task force for the Society
for Prevention Research and contributed to the
Congressional Black Caucus Emergency Taskforce on Black
Youth Suicide & Mental Health. She is a fellow of
the American Psychological Association and a member of
the National Scientific Council on Adolescence. Dr. Boyd
earned her PhD in clinical psychology from the
University of Iowa and completed postdoctoral
fellowships at Johns Hopkins University School of Public
Health, along with a federal policy fellowship in child
development and mental health.
Jennifer Poole
Jennifer Poole is a Blended-Age Mental Health Consultant
for PA Keys. As a consultant, Jenn supports childcare
programs and families in developing age-appropriate
accommodations to best support a child who has
behavioral and/or mental health needs. She currently
holds a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood
Education from Wilmington College, and a Master's
degree in Educational Policy and Leadership from Ohio
State University. In her 20+ years of service in the
educational field, Jenn has held positions as a
kindergarten teacher, childcare director, career coach,
and as a mental health consultant. Jenn's greatest
passion rests in supporting caregivers in building their
skills and understanding of age-appropriate,
trauma-informed care and supports.
Lauren Walter
Lauren Walter is a Blended Age Mental Health Consultant
dedicated to supporting the social and emotional
development of children. In her role, she collaborates
with teachers and families to establish strength-based
goals and strategies that foster positive learning
environments. Lauren is dedicated to helping teachers
recognize their strengths and appreciate the invaluable
impact they have on each child in their classroom.
Lauren holds a Master of Education in Early Childhood
Education and a Level 2 Teaching Certification for Pre-K
through 6th grade. With 11 years of experience teaching
Pre-K and Kindergarten, she transitioned to her current
role as a Mental Health Consultant in June 2022.
She resides in Snyder County with her husband, three
sons, and their family dog, Nittany.
