Article: iMad Conference

iMAD Conference Set for December 18th

SEBRING — Heartland Rural Health Network's iMAD program is holding a conference in December. The conference will be from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 18 at the Circle Theatre.

The I Make A Difference conference will focus on adolescent mental health topics, including understanding the changes an adolescent brain undergoes, puberty, and looking at the effectiveness of other youth programs in our community. This event is free and open to the public. To register, email karen.clogston@hrhn.org.

The forum will have speakers and small break-out sessions. The featured speaker is Donna Lucero, MA, LPCC, NCC. Lucero is the director of clinical services at All Faiths Children's Advocacy Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico. She will be talking about recognizing, understanding and responding to the impact of childhood trauma.

The Circle Theatre is at 202 Circle Park Drive in downtown Sebring.

The mission of the iMAD program is that each person who encounters the program is left feeling like they make a difference, with one of those ways being through serving the community. The program offers in-school and after-school initiatives that focus on social and emotional learning techniques such as self awareness, self management, social awareness, relationship skills and responsible decision making for middle and high school-age students in our community.

The aim of Heartland Rural Health Network is to improve access to quality health care by implementing creative solutions in collaboration with network members and community partners in rural areas. The network's service areas include Highlands, DeSoto and Hardee counties and portions of Charlotte and Polk counties.

For more information about the conference or the iMAD program, call Larry Moore, iMAD program director, at 863-452-6530.