Conferences

OPCSMH offers a biennial conference. The next conference is planned for May 18, 2023. This year’s theme is Reimagining Campus-CommUNITY Partnerships: Breaking Down the Silos. We aim to unite students, staff, faculty, and the community for mental wellness and suicide prevention by establishing a sense of belonging and comprehensive approach to mental health and suicide prevention, including investment from the entire campus-community. Don’t miss out on key speakers, sessions, and an abundance of resources to support the campus and community.

Conference Objectives

• Identify how colleges and universities can collaborate with the campus-community to leverage the promotion of student safety & well-being, mental health awareness and campus suicide prevention efforts
• Identify and acknowledge the cross-communal and inter-university partnerships that address and strengthen the outcome of mental health service provision for student populations
• Identify outreach opportunities to engage student-focused programming that addresses stigma and barriers to accessing mental health care.
• Provide best practices, resources, and help-seeking options that target suicide prevention for all campus-community student populations
• Recognize inclusive strategies and efforts meeting the needs of all groups within the campus-community, including first generation, BIPOC (black indigenous and people of color), students with needs for accessibility & accommodations and historically underrepresented backgrounds

Conference speakers

Keynote: From Science to Social Action: Mental Health, Stigma, and Student Empowerment

Bernice Pescosolido, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Sociology, Indiana University, Founding Director of the Indiana Consortium of Mental Health Research

Who Should attend

Campus stakeholders at initiations of higher education, higher education administrators, behavioral health departments, campus security and law enforcement; students, educators, counselors, social workers, and others working within a higher education setting are encouraged to attend.

We look forward to you joining us in-person at the Quest Conference Center in Columbus, Ohio!

Additional details

Hotel accommodations are available at Hampton Inn & Suites or Fairfield Inn and Suites Polaris. 

There are plenty of local restaurants and attractions near Quest Conference Center!

Directions to the Quest Conference Center can be found here!

View past conferences and conference materials at the OPCSMH Archives.