Texas Border Business
On Friday, Nov. 7, the South Texas Independent School District (STISD) Special Programs department will host the district’s inaugural STISD Mental Health Conference for counselors and mental health professionals from across the Rio Grande Valley.
This free event entitled “Paving the Way: Advancing School Mental Health Supports in South Texas” will offer practical tools, fresh ideas and meaningful connections to help support our students’ mental health.
The event will open at 9 a.m. with a brief welcome from Dr. Brenda De La Garza, STISD Executive Director for Special Programs, followed by a keynote address by Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez who will speak about the Hidalgo County Mental Health Coalition.
Throughout the morning, attendees will listen in on a panel discussion regarding Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) in School Counseling and will have the opportunity to select from several concurrent sessions, including:
| Bridging Wellness Together: Family Support & Mental Health and How NAMI South Texas RGV Is Bridging the Gaps |
| Healing Beyond the Classroom: Understanding Trauma in Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness |
| Enhancing Student Resilience: DBT-Informed Approaches for Reducing Self-Harm in Schools |
| A Trauma Informed Approach with Students: Fostering Connection and Regulation Through a Polyvagal Lens |
| From Crisis to Continuity: Redefining School Mental Health Through Integrated Care Models |
| Practical tools from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) to support students with Anxiety and Depression. |
There will also be a Self-Care Lounge set up for attendees to use in between sessions, as well as an exhibit hall featuring the following community partners:
| Hidalgo Co. Mental Health Coalition |
| HOPE Family Health Center |
| PSYCH |
| DHR Health Counseling and Psychiatry Center |
| UTRGV |
| Angels of Love |
| Children’s Bereavement Center Rio Grande Valley |
| Behavioral Health Solutions |
| Nuestra Clinica Del Valle |
| National Alliance on Mental Illness – South Texas Rio Grande Valley |
| Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) |
| Palms Behavioral Health |
| Empowered Counseling Services |
| When: |
| 8:30 am to 1:00 pm on Friday, Nov. 7 |
| Where: |
| South Texas ISD Central Administration Building Teaching & Learning Center |
| 7001 E. Expressway 83 |
| Mercedes, TX 78570 |
