Mavi Pilloton (they/them), M.Ed
Actively creating and fostering gender-affirming and equitable spaces is life-saving. This session will provide participants with the practical tools to actively address the current challenges and inequities that trans, non-binary, and gender-diverse communities face and both structurally and culturally shape inclusive environments for these communities. Join this interactive session to learn how to become active advocates and allies for gender equity in schools, workplaces, and community.
Andrés Edwards, ACT Compassion Ambassador; Certified Forest Therapy Guide
Scientific studies show that nature plays an important role in enhancing our creativity, compassion and joy. In this approximately 2hr. workshop, you will experience the positive impact of being in nature. As a participant you will learn ways of slowing down and relaxing through guided meditations and engage in activities that stimulate your awareness, belonging, and caring. You will practice being in the present moment and reducing your stress level by engaging your five senses in nature. Please bring: Comfortable walking shoes, water, hat, sun protection as needed, and rainwear as needed.
Kevin Cokley, Ph.D., University of Michigan
This talk starts with the history of the Association of Black Psychologists (ABPsi). Next, the focus shifts to discussing approaches toward Black mental health by ABPsi: the Reform Approach (identifying limitations of White/Eurocentric psychology, challenging racist and deficit notions about Black people, strengths-based) and the Radical Approach (rejecting White/Eurocentric understanding of mental health, focused on creating a new paradigm of mental health rooted in African culture and philosophy). Next will be a brief review of research on Black mental health. The talk concludes with a summary of the different approaches toward Black mental health and why the ABPsi is important for promoting Black mental health.
Nazli Rahmanian, Ph.D.
In the time of Nowruz, the Spring festival of joy and renewal, and amidst war and brutal crackdown in Iran, an ancient Iranian creation myth from the Zoroastrian tradition asks a question: How do we participate consciously in creation in the midst of destruction, deceit, and pain? Do we fight the war within or spill it to the world? Weaving experiences from her life living through war and persecution in Iran, Nazli Rahmanian will retell this myth as a compass, one that holds catastrophe, love, and renewal together, finds doubt at the very root of creation, and asks each of us where, in our consciousness, words, and actions, we stand in relation to life, and to this beautiful, suffering Earth and all her children. It is offered as a space to grieve, to remember, and to find ground.
Phoebe Smith, MPH, MA Edu., CPM
This interactive workshop provides leaders and teams with the essential tools to cultivate a culture of mutual trust and open communication. Participants will explore the core tenets of psychological safety, learning how to dismantle fear-based dynamics and replace them with supportive and effective community frameworks that creates a workspace culture that leaves people feeling included, heard and valued - all of which will be reflected in their work.
Carmen McNeil, Ph.D., Founder, Dr. Carmen Empowers
With over 25 years of experience in higher education, Dr. Carmen McNeil is a pivotal advocate for equity and inclusion through programs such as the Puente Project and Umoja. Her research on the psychology of menstruation and founding Period of Empowerment highlights her innovative contributions. Dr McNeil continues to inspire through her dedication to scholarship, empowerment, and dismantling menstrual stigma.
Jennifer Howze-Owens, Ed.D.
To Do lists just don’t work for everyone. Electronic calendars can only take you so far. Time management strategy needs can change, based on different stages of your career and life. Have you heard about #bujo? The Bullet Journal Method (by Ryder Carroll) mixes minimalism and reflection to plan days, months, and your entire year. Come and spend time learning about this effective system.
Tealy Gapinski (she/her), Program Coordinator, Indian Valley Campus Organic Farm and Garden
Participants will take part in a guided walk through the IVC Farm along with a tea-making activity. This session emphasizes slowing down, connecting with place, and exploring how working with plants and the environment can foster wellbeing, reflection, and more equitable approaches to mental health.
Freedom Community Clinic envisions a health revolution that nourishes and uplifts the bodies, minds, and spirits of under-resourced communities and brings care directly to where communities gather and celebrate.
Shannon Perez-Darby, Accountable Communities Consortium
From direct services providers and social workers to community-based responders this workshop is designed for anyone interested in learning how to navigate the realities of mandatory reporting while building meaningful, community-based harm reduction practices. We will explore the impacts of current mandatory reporting policies and practices, build mandatory reporting harm reduction skills, and discuss organizational and community practices for supporting people experiencing violence and harm.
Cat Brooks, Host of KPFA’s Law & Disorder, Co-Founder/Executive Director of the Anti-Police Terror Project
Cat Brooks, Executive Director of the Anti Police-Terror Project will share her insights about the dangers of the intersections of Black bodies, mental health and the carceral state and what can and is being done to redefine public safety and the ways we implement it as a pathway to just, healthy and equitable communities.
Manuel Zamarripa, Ph.D.
Tlazoltiani Jessica Zamarripa
This keynote draws from Chicana/o/x Psychology to challenge and decolonize ideas of “wellness”. We will highlight strengths, wisdom, and healing practices already living in our community.
Culturally rooted practices and ancestral wisdom help decolonize dominant models of “wellness” that often exclude Chicana/o/x communities. Cultural strengths support mental health while challenging harmful stereotypes that portray Chicana/o/x culture as unhealthy.
Our culture is not the problem.
Our culture is ancient, resilient, and powerful.
Orin Carpenter, PhD
Fred DeWitt, MFA
Felicita Norris, MFA
Stella Canson, Art Practice & Film Student, UC Berkeley
Orin Carpenter, Fred DeWitt, and Felicita Norris will present their artwork and discuss the relationship between mental health, expression, healing, and activism in visual art practice, facilitated by former COM Fine Arts and current UC Berkeley Art Practice and Film student Stella Canson.
Andrew Sudler, MPH, MD. Forensic psychiatry fellow at UCSF with Hector Saez. PhD.
This session presents a wide-ranging conversation between College of Marin economist Héctor R. Sáez, Ph.D., and Dr. Andrew Sudler, a community psychiatrist at UCSF. Dr. Sáez and Dr. Sudler discuss glaring disparities in mental health and care delivery by income, race, and gender; the socioeconomic conditions that produce those inequities; obstacles to the delivery of mental health services; and Dr. Sudler’s experiences working with incarcerated patients.
Ana Frias-Bravo, LMFT
A hands-on workshop where art and conversation come together to explore the deep connection between our emotions and the ways they show up in our bodies.
This workshop will provide a safe and dignified space where, through an art activity, participants can explore and discuss the relationship between bodies and their physical expressions. The workshop aims to facilitate a conversation surrounding the connection between emotions and somatic reactions (stress can cause tension, tension can lead to physical reactions-backache, headaches, digestive issues). By using the metaphor of the body as a territory, participants will use art materials and have the opportunity to explore the concept of “mapping”. The participants will use art materials and will have the opportunity to locate and visualize different emotions and how these emotions might have an impact on their physical, mental, and emotional health.
Samantha Ramirez, (She, Her, Ella), BA in Social Work, SF State
Mental Health Lotería! is a bilingual, interactive game that makes conversations about mental health fun, engaging, and stigma-free. Facilitated by Samantha Ramirez (BHRS), participants explore topics like anxiety, depression, grief, and coping skills through play, storytelling, and shared experiences in a welcoming space. This culturally grounded workshop connects communities to support, encourages people to reach out for help—and includes fun giveaways to keep the healing going beyond the session.
Oriana Ides (she/her), MA, LPCCI, PPS, Center for Applied Research (CARS)
A Healing-Centered Processing Space for Educators, Faculty, Staff & Community
This session offers a supportive and intentional space for educators, faculty, and staff to pause, reflect, and connect during a time marked by loss, uncertainty, and ongoing change within our campuses and our communities.
To "metabolize" is to take in what we have experienced, break it down, and transform it into something that can sustain us—rather than letting it weigh us down.
Together, we will explore how experiences of grief, stress, and instability may be showing up in our bodies, our work, and our relationships with students and colleagues. This session centers on our well-being as staff, faculty, and educators, exploring practical tools for grounding, coping, and collective care, while engaging in conversations that reduce isolation and strengthen our sense of community. Through guided reflection, interactive exercises, and opportunities for peer connection, educators, faculty, and staff are invited to notice what they are carrying and how they are navigating these moments personally and professionally. Grounded in the School Crisis Recovery and Renewal (SCRR) framework, join us as we step out of the "doing" and into a space of "being." Together, we will honor our experiences and find ways to move forward with collective resilience.
College of Marin’s Rising Scholar’s Program
Jamie Bedell (she/her)
Chivonne Bozarth (she/her)
Julia Figueroa (she/her)
Keller O’Halloran (he/him)
Markelle Taylor (he/him)
Dr. Susan Rahman (she/her)
This workshop centers the voices of formerly incarcerated College of Marin Rising Scholar students as they share their lived experiences with mental health during and after incarceration. Speakers will talk about the lack of mental health support inside carceral settings and how these gaps affect reentry and overall well-being. Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of how lived experience can help shape more responsive and equitable mental health systems.
Josiah Luis Alderete, Pocho Poet and Co-Owner of Medicine for Nightmares Bookstore
Sarah Frye (she/her), MLS (Master of Library Science), College of Marin Librarian, Library Department Chair & Coordinator
David Patterson, Librarian, MLIS (Master's Library and Information Science), Ph.D. in Education, UC Berkeley
Josiah Alderete and College of Marin Librarians will explore the role of bookstores and libraries in building community awareness and uplifting equity. Medicines for Nightmares is a bookstore space located in the historic, principally Spanish speaking, Mission District of San Francisco.
The workshop will explore how both the COM library and Medicines for Nightmares have built safe spaces of equity and identity for marginalized and diverse communities.
The COM library has been twice honored with the Library Excellence in Access and Diversity (LEAD) Award from Insight into Diversity magazine, the largest and oldest diversity and inclusion publication in higher education. Josiah will share poetry.
Jenny S. Santos Maldonado, Associate Marriage and Family Therapist and Co-Owner of Casa De Oro Studios
This 90-minute workshop weaves together dance, mindfulness, and education to honor cultural roots while fostering healing through movement. Led by a first-gen Latina, dancer and Associate Marriage and Family therapist, participants will explore foundational dance techniques alongside insights into how movement impacts the brain and supports trauma healing. This experience invites participants to reconnect with their bodies, celebrate their heritage, and cultivate resilience through dance.
April McGill (MPA), Yuki/Mishawal Wappo, California Native Woman, Artist, Advocate, Cultural Leader
From the Mapping Genocide Project lead by The American Indian Cultural District, this presentation examines how place names, and public monuments encode histories of genocide and colonial violence, often shaping collective memory in ways that sustain harm and erasure. It explores “placekeeping” and the decolonization of statues and naming practices as critical interventions that can surface suppressed histories and support more equitable narratives. Grounded in an equity in mental health framework, the talk connects these spatial practices to intergenerational trauma and highlights renaming and remapping as pathways toward collective recognition, repair, and healing.
Khalid White, Ed.D., Professor, African American Studies/Ethnic Studies, San Jose City College
Stress and stressors are a part of everyone's life. But navigating the stressors of life has an acute impact on Black males in our society. Understand more about the "5 stressors for Black men", their impact, and how to develop ways to push back against their negative consequences.
Amber Allen-Peirson
The Three Identities™ workshop explores how we understand ourselves, how others perceive us, and the assumptions we make about the people around us. Through reflection and guided discussion, students examine self-identified, ascribed, and projected identities and how these shape communication, relationships, and belonging on campus and beyond. Participants leave with practical tools to build greater self-awareness, empathy, and more intentional ways of engaging with others.
Craig Coss, MFA
Philosopher John Rawls theorized that one way to remove our biases in our construction of equitable and just rules for our society would be to design the rules for the society from what he called an “original position”—before we knew what identity we would have in that society. If a society’s rules are designed behind a “veil of ignorance,” is it possible to design a culture wherein everyone in the society can thrive and feel cared for, no matter their role, identity, or situation?
This workshop is a creative opportunity to participate in a simulation: to create the culture of the first colony on Mars. We will work in small groups to discuss and design how salaries and housing benefits are distributed and determine who benefits from the rules we design. At the end of the simulation, the veil of ignorance will lift, and you’ll find out what role you will play in the colony whose rules you’ve helped create. Then, we’ll reflect upon how well the rules we’ve created will serve your needs, aspirations, and your mental health as a colony member. As a team, were you able to create a culture of equity that works for everyone?