IMHCA 2026 Annual Conference

 

BREAKOUT PRESENTERS (March 6th and 7th) 

*More Presenters to be announced soon

---

 

Digital Sexual Abuse & Recovery

Presenter: Sarah J. Rohret, MS Clinical Mental Health Counseling 2026

Description: Artificial Intelligence has reached the capability of creating realistic, but fake, photos and videos of victims.   Women of all ages, but young women in particular, are being targeted by classmates and acquaintances with blackmail and visual sexual abuse. Therapists need to understand how this happens, the harm it causes and how to stand beside victims.  While many of us have training in counseling someone who has experienced physical sexual abuse, digital sexual abuse has both similarities and important differences.  The primary difference is that physical sexual abuse ends, and digital abuse can continue on with evidence of it on the internet for the entirety of one's life. 
 

---

Connection Conferences: Making Meaningful Connections in a Digital World

Presenter: Theo Stripling, LCPC

Description: Personal connections are important to maintain, and counselors can help! An increasingly digital world has a mixed impact on interpersonal interactions. This workshop builds knowledge and skills to help adolescents and adults increase interpersonal connections. In the literature section, we will explore recent literature. This information will help counselors build knowledge and educate clients on the benefits of connecting with others. In the practice section, we will engage in an interactive activity to foster meaningful connections. The goal of the activity is to practice making connections and offer skills for use with groups to build better connections. Make space to learn, then get up and connect with others in this interactive workshop. 

---

The Desire for More: Clinical Implications of Internet and Social Media Use in Process Addictions in Adolescents and Adults

Presenter: Kimberly Cho, LPC, MS

Description: This presentation examines how digital platforms contribute to compulsive behaviors across process addictions, including gaming, gambling, pornography, and social media use. Through a trauma-informed lens, it explores the neurobiological and psychological mechanisms behind digital compulsivity and offers practical interventions grounded in CBT, DBT, motivational interviewing, and harm reduction. Attendees will gain tools for assessment, treatment planning, and ethical navigation of tech-related clinical challenges.

---

Preserving and Strengthening Cognitive Health in the Digital Age

Presenter: Elisa Woodruff, PhD, LCPC, NPT-C, EMDR-PT-II, ADHD-PT

Description: A plethora of recent research and popular non-fiction has addressed the impact of technology on our cognitive health. These sources have described impacts to attention span, emotional regulation, sleepless, and memory, as well as a host of social and physical implications, but many counselors do not know how to apply these ideas to skills that can be used in therapeutic practice.

---

The Digital Age Impact: A Polyvagal-Informed Approach to Supporting Clients

Presenter: Rita Romero, LCPC, EMDR Consultant & Therapist, CADC

Description: This workshop offers clinicians a Polyvagal-Informed framework to understand and treat the effects of digital age. We will examine how the constant cascade of notifications and social media engagement alters a client's "neuroception"—their nervous system's unconscious assessment of safety.

---

"There's an app for that!" -- Enhancing Client Care via Technology

Presenter: Marcia Suelzer, LPC, JD

Description: There are over 22,000 mental health apps currently available. These range from those that support wellness, via mindfulness and meditation, to FDA-approved apps with demonstrated clinical efficacy in the treatment of specific mental disorders. This workshop will provide an overview of various categories of applications, explore key apps within those categories, and provide guidance for integrating apps into clinical practice. Participants will be encouraged to explore applications on their own smart devices.

---

Navigating Online Dating for Autistic Individuals: Benefits, Challenges, and Safety Consideration

Presenter: Jaime Langosch, LPC, MA

Description: This interactive workshop explores the benefits, challenges, and safety considerations of online dating for autistic individuals. Drawing from current literature, we’ll examine how digital platforms can offer structured communication, reduced social pressure, and greater autonomy in social interactions. We’ll also address common challenges, including interpreting social cues, navigating dating norms, and vulnerability to exploitation. Participants will engage with clinical case vignettes to practice applying strategies that promote safety and empowerment in online dating. Emphasis will be placed on neurodivergent-friendly approaches and the role of mental health professionals in supporting healthy, authentic connection.

---

Beyond the Couch: Expanding Your Impact and Income in the Digital Age

Presenters: Christine Barker, LCPC and Carmel Brown, LCPC

Description: In today’s rapidly evolving mental health landscape, therapists are being called to expand beyond the traditional 1:1 therapy model and reimagine how their expertise can create impact — and income — in new ways. Beyond the Couch: Expanding Your Impact and Income in the Digital Age invites mental health professionals to explore ethical, creative, and sustainable avenues for professional growth in the social digital era.

This engaging, practical seminar helps participants identify their transferable skills, understand the growing opportunities for digital visibility, and design additional income streams aligned with their clinical values. From consultation and workshops to digital courses, writing, and brand partnerships, therapists will leave with actionable strategies to diversify their income while maintaining professional ethics and personal well-being.

Whether you’re a private practice owner seeking sustainability or a clinician curious about expanding your professional footprint, this workshop offers both inspiration and structure for building a thriving, modern therapeutic career.

---

Virtual Reality Therapy for Anxiety and Depression: Innovations, Applications, and Future Directions

Presenter: Krista Jackson, LCPC

Description: This interactive workshop, led by Krista A. M. Jackson, L.C.P.C., explores the transformative use of Virtual Reality (VR) technology in treating anxiety, depression, and related mental health conditions. Participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of VR applications such as Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy (VRET) and VR-enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), including how immersive simulations create safe, controlled, and highly personalized therapeutic environments.

The workshop will cover the scientific foundations of VR in clinical settings, demonstrate real-time monitoring techniques to tailor treatments, and highlight the latest research findings on effectiveness and future trends. Attendees will learn strategies to integrate VR into therapeutic practice to enhance patient engagement, support behavioral change, and improve outcomes. This session is ideal for mental health professionals seeking to expand their therapeutic toolkit with innovative, evidence-based VR interventions.

---

Still watching?: The intersection between loneliness and binge-watching behavior in young adults

Presenter: Dawn Livorsi, DSW, LCSW

Description: A 2025 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) Commission on Social Connection named loneliness as a global health issue that negatively affects 1 in 6 individuals. Loneliness, a negative, subjective emotional state resulting from a discrepancy between one’s desired and actual experiences of connection, is linked to a number of physical, psychological, and cognitive concerns, including heart disease, depression, and reduced memory function (Berg, 2023).  Young adults report the second highest rates of loneliness (17.4%), following Adolescents (20.9%) (WHO, 2025). For a variety of reasons including separation from established social networks like family or school (Shah & Househ, 2023), feeling “overworked” / “too busy” to engage with friends, and technology use (MCC, 2024), young adults often find themselves feeling socially disconnected. 

At the same time, they have witnessed incredible growth in web streaming and on-demand viewing platforms such as Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video, which provide opportunities for constant and continuous viewing. Binge-watching, or watching multiple episodes of a television show in one session, has become such a widespread practice among young adults that it has received empirical study (Alimoradi et al, 2022). Notably, binge-watching has been linked to increased feelings of loneliness (Gabbiadini et al., 2021), while “coping with loneliness” is considered a significant factor in problematic binge-watching (Starosta & Izydorczyk, 2020).

Despite being associated with undesired outcomes such as reduced social life (De Feijter et al., 2016) and poorer sleep quality (Exelmans and Van den Buick, 2017), binge-watching is commonplace. Nearly 70% of adults report having engaged in binge-watching (Cha & Chan-Olmsted, 2025), with many young adults reporting they use it as a coping strategy to tolerate negative emotions (Gabbiadini et al, 2021). The proposed presentation will explore the interplay between loneliness and binge-watching, while providing clinically applicable concepts to implement with young adult clients.