Brain & Behavior Conference addresses
‘Angry Students, Angry Parents’

Autism, bipolar disorder, stress management among sessions offered

More than 400 teachers, social workers, counselors and nurses learned more about mental health issues at the fifth annual Brain & Behavior Conference held Monday at Florence High School.

The free conference, sponsored by Riverbend Foundation, featured “Angry Students, Angry Parents” as its main topic, presented by classroom expert Dr. Allen Mendler of Rochester, N.Y.

Liz James, Chief Clinical Officer at Riverbend Center for Mental Health, led a breakout session on stress management, one of the most popular among attendees.

Kim Frank, a specialist with Vanderbilt University’s TRIAD program, a treatment and research program for autism spectrum disorders, shared behavior strategies that teachers can use in the classroom.

Dr. Richard Davy, child and adolescent specialist and former director of the Children’s Advocacy Center, led “Resolving Problems with Difficult Students.”

The topic of depression in children was addressed by Dr. Anas Alkhatib, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Riverbend Center for Mental Health. Dr. Warren Scott, a Riverbend psychiatrist, offered a session on bipolar disorder in children and adolescents.

The program was rounded out with a panel discussion with Riverbend therapists, led by In-School Team Leader Carmen Richter, LPC, and included panelists Stacy Farmer, Lynn Libell, Anita Roy and Barbara Valente.

The conference was co-sponsored by Riverbend Center for Mental Health, Florence City Schools, the University of North Alabama’s Education Research and In-Service Center, McDonald’s and Riverdeep, a division of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.Mental health professionals, counselors, social workers, physicians, nurses, teachers and parents were strongly encouraged to attend.

For more information about the conference and the speakers, please see the News and Events page.

OUR MISSION		DONATIONS
The mission of the Riverbend Foundation is to assist Riverbend Center for Mental Health in providing services and education for the community.		Gifts of all kinds, including cash, real estate, vehicles and life-insurance benefits, are welcomed. We have been the beneficiary of wills and estate planning. Many options are available for you to give and receive the maximum tax benefits while protecting your financial future. Please discuss your tax benefits with your attorney, accountant, broker or banker.