It’s time to register for the 2024 Annual Meeting!
“Social Media and Mental Health: Navigating Two Frontiers”
The world of psychiatry, and child/adolescent psychiatry in particular, has historically been one of the frontiers of modern medicine. There is still so much to learn about the brain’s role in the interplay between thoughts, affect, and behavior.
At the same time, over the last few decades, modern technology has rapidly changed, with social media having emerged as a profound influence on youth, particularly on their social and emotional well-being. As mental health providers, it’s vital that we familiarize ourselves with the novel situations (and legal issues) that social media presents.
To this end, for our 2024 annual meeting, we will look at social media from a variety of vantage points, including: social media’s relationship with body image, neurodivergence, and sexuality; legal concerns; the dissemination of mental health information to the masses; and current research in the field. In doing so, we hope to be better equipped to handle the challenges, and also the benefits, that this new era of technology brings with it!
In keeping with the theme of change, in response to membership feedback, our 2024 annual meeting will be held in the beloved city of San Francisco, at the beautiful Omni Hotel in the heart of downtown. (https://www.omnihotels.com/hotels/san-francisco/property-details)
Hotel room rates for this meeting are starting at $200, this price will only be valid until January 16, 2024. At which time the rooms will go up to the current room rates.
Promo code for hotel booking under our discounted group rate will be available upon registering.
Don’t miss out on this opportunity to learn more about the complex interplay of mental health and social media from our esteemed colleagues who are experts in the field. Looking forward to seeing you there!
Conference Discussants/Speakers:
Kevin Briggs – Sergeant Kevin Briggs is a retired California Highway Patrol sergeant who spent many years patrolling the Golden Gate Bridge, and in doing so, encouraged more than 200 individuals to step back from jumping off the bridge and instead start a new chapter of their life. After 23 years of service, Sergeant Briggs (also known as “The Guardian of the Golden Gate Bridge”) retired from the CHP in 2013 to focus his efforts on suicide prevention. In this role, Sergeant Briggs now speaks and teaches at conferences and law enforcement events, in addition to advising major corporations, all over the world. He is the recipient of numerous awards—including the joint American Psychiatric Association and California Psychiatric Association Warren Williams Award—and his first book, Guardian of the Golden Gate: Protecting the Line Between Hope and Despair, was released in July 2015.
Caitlin Costello, M.D. – Medical director for child and adolescent ambulatory services at UCSF Langley Porter Psychiatric Hospital and Clinics, and associate director for UCSF’s fellowship program in child and adolescent psychiatry.
Digital Wellness Lab – The Digital Wellness Lab is a nonprofit research institution seeking to understand and promote positive and healthy digital media experiences for young people, from birth through young adulthood. Based at Boston Children’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, the mission of the lab is to develop an evidence base for digital wellness by conducting, translating, and distributing rigorous research on the positive and negative effects of technology and interactive media use on young people to inform our progress towards positive health and development for every child, teen, and young adult.
Kristen Gingrich, LCSW, CADC, CCS. (@notyouraveragethrpst) – Clinical social worker, and alcohol and drug counselor who calls herself a “modern therapist with a no-BS approach”. She currently works as a program clinical supervisor at a community Mental Health agency, as well, as making funny, relatable and educational content online where she is working to break down the stigma of mental health and accessing therapy.
Randall Hagar, PPAC Policy Advocate/Principal of Empirical Policy- Legislative advocate and policy consultant at the Psychiatric Physicians Alliance of California.
Sasha Hamdani, M.D. (@thepsychdoctormd) – A psychiatrist and ADHD specialist, Dr. Hamdani has been featured in Forbes, Washington Post, and Cosmopolitan. In 2001, Dr. Hamdani founded WorldHarmonyOnline.org, a non-profit dedicated to creation of a non-violent world with access to technology.
Bobby Mendenhall, M.D. – Adult and child/adolescent psychiatrist, and medical director of Family Mosaic Project, a wraparound service program through the SF Department of Public Health. Dr. Mendenhall is also volunteer faculty for UCSF, and the current president of NCROCAP.
Jason Nagata, M.D., M.Sc. – Associate Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at the University of California San Francisco and affiliated faculty with the Institute for Global Health Sciences and the Center for Sexual and Gender Minority Health.
Justin Puder, Ph.D. (@amoderntherapist) – A Florida-based psychologist who works with teens and young adults, specializing in mindfulness-based approaches to manage anxiety and stress. He also creates social media content with the goal of making mental health information accessible and relatable, while reducing stigma.
Courtney Tracy, LCSW, PsyD (@the.truth.doctor) – Also known as “The Truth Doctor,” Dr. Tracy is a clinical social worker and doctor of clinical psychology, as well as the founder of the Truth Doctor, a mental wellness company “built to teach people what it means to be human.” Dr. Tracy also offers private coaching for high-profile social media creators and influencers struggling with their careers and well-being.
A. Ning Zhou, M.D. – San Francisco-based psychiatrist working with the Department of Public Health across multiple sites, including Dimensions Clinic for Queer and Trans Youth, Chinatown Child Development Center, and the Castro-Mission Health Center. Dr. Zhou is also volunteer faculty for UCSF, supervising and training students across all stages of training.
