Southside Behavioral Health Hosts Building Trauma Responsive Communities Conference
BRUNSWICK, MECKLENBURG, & HALIFAX, VIRGINIA – In partnership with the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (DBHDS), Southside Behavioral Health (SBH) invites community members to participate in a virtual Building Trauma Responsive Communities Conference on May 12 and 13, 2022.
Dr. Bruce Perry will open the conference as the keynote speaker with a presentation on “The Importance of Community in the Healing of Trauma.” Over the last thirty years, Dr. Perry has been an active teacher, clinician, and researcher in children’s mental health and neuroscience holding a variety of academic positions. His work on the impact of abuse, neglect, and trauma on the developing brain has impacted clinical practice, programs, and policy across the world. This presentation will bridge Dr. Perry’s experience with real-world implementation and focus on the impact empathy and understanding can have within our own local communities and systems.
The second day of the conference will be opened by Dave Ellis with his presentation “Trauma-Informed to Healing-Centered: A NEW Jersey- A road never before traveled,” which details the importance of as well as how to create healing-centered communities at home. Ellis led the change in New Jersey by implementing healing-centered practices and his experience will be a valuable asset to establishing relationship-centered environments and supporting positive change on a local level.
Each afternoon after the keynote presentations, attendees are encouraged to choose between three other topics as well as attend guided discussion panels. Some of the available afternoon topics include “The Ethics of Implicit Bias and Trauma-Informed Business Practices” by Dr. Michael Gillette, “Personal Practice for Incorporation of Trauma-Informed Care” by Dr. Jessica Brown, “Hear Our Voices” by Elijah Lee, and more.
Southside Behavioral Health welcomes everyone to attend the Building Trauma Responsive Communities conference as we take the first step toward implementing these practices and policies at home. The scheduled presentations and discussions will impact not only our emotional well-being but also, over time, our health outcomes as a community. For more information or to register visit southsidebh.org/trauma-responsive-communities.
About Dr. Bruce Perry, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Bruce Perry is the Principal of the Neurosequential Network, Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy, and a Professor (Adjunct) in the Departments of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University in Chicago and the School of Allied Health, College of Science, Health and Engineering, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria Australia. Dr. Perry is the author, with Maia Szalavitz, of The Boy Who Was Raised As A Dog, a bestselling book based on his work with maltreated children, and Born For Love: Why Empathy is Essential and Endangered. Dr. Perry’s most recent book, What Happened to You? Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing, co-authored with Oprah Winfrey, was released in 2021.
About Southside Behavioral Health
Established in 1972, Southside Behavioral Health provides behavioral health, developmental disability, substance use, and prevention services to the residents of Southside Virginia in Halifax, Mecklenburg, and Brunswick Counties. Southside Behavioral Health is committed to providing individualized culturally competent care in our communities, by supporting wellness and quality of life in a recovery-oriented environment and professional manner. Learn more at: southsidebh.org.