Serious Mental Illness in Focus: Specialized Topics for Practitioners
Spring 2025
This seven-part series ran from January-April 2025. It utilized a diverse set of teaching methods to create an engaging and informative learning experience for participants. These methods were designed to accommodate various learning styles and ensured that attendees gained a well-rounded understanding of the subject matter.
Renowned experts delivered video presentations, offering valuable insights and real-world experiences. These videos provided a direct connection between participants and the presenters, facilitating comprehension and illustrating practical applications of the content. Slide presentations complemented the video content, offering visual aids and organized outlines of the topics discussed. These slides served as reference materials, emphasized key points and enhanced overall understanding.
While the series featured video presentations, they were not passive lectures. Speakers actively engaged the audience within their presentations, encouraging questions, discussions, and critical thinking. Participants asked questions and interacted with the speakers to delve deeper into the subject matter. Small group discussions played a pivotal role in the learning process.
After each video presentation and lecture, participants joined facilitated small group discussions. These discussions promoted active participation, idea exchange and practical application of the content to real-life scenarios. They encouraged participants to share their perspectives, learn from one another, and explore diverse viewpoints.
These teaching methods created a dynamic and comprehensive learning environment, ensuring that participants actively absorbed and applied the knowledge gained. The combination of video content, slide presentations, interactive lectures and small group discussions fostered critical thinking and skill development in addressing the complex topic of serious mental illness.
- Speaker: Gary Cuddeback, Ph.D., M.S.W., M.P.H.
- Date: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025
- Video archive
Dr. Cuddeback, the School of Social Work's dean, has been involved in dozens of projects focused on individuals with severe mental illnesses, especially those individuals who are involved with the criminal justice system, and has published papers about the physical health needs of justice-involved individuals with severe mental illnesses; the prevalence of individuals with mental illnesses in prison; the role of Medicaid on mental health service use and recidivism after jail release; the characteristics of individuals with mental illnesses who are incarcerated in jails versus prisons; and adaptations of evidence-based practices for justice-involved individuals with severe mental illnesses.
He will provide an introduction to severe mental illness and how social workers are an integral part of working with this aspect of mental health.
Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Define serious mental illness and how social workers can impact individuals with these diagnoses.
- Review the history of how serious mental illness was treated and how the field has shifted treatment strategies
About the speaker
Dr. Cuddeback is dean, associate dean for research and professor at the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Cuddeback’s research is focused on improving the lives of individuals with mental illnesses, especially those who are involved with the justice system. As a social work scholar and mental health services researcher, he is dedicated and driven to advance the evidence base for interventions and policies that improve lives of vulnerable and marginalized populations, such as people with severe mental illnesses, especially those who are involved with the criminal justice system.
With over 20 years of continuously-funded research, he has been a part of over $15 million in research funding as a principal investigator, co-principal investigator or co-investigator from a variety of agencies, and has developed an in-depth understanding of the complex health and behavioral health needs of individuals with severe mental illnesses.
- Speaker: Ariel Hill-Thomas, RN
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025
- Video archive
Objectives
This seminar will discuss the many challenges that pregnant women with SMI face during pregnancy in connecting with appropriate mental health care and support. This seminar will review the many factors that contribute to health disparities for this population. This seminar will also address the stigmatization that exists within motherhood for women with SMI. This seminar will also briefly discuss what trauma-informed mental health care looks like for this population. This session will end with an open discussion on how interdisciplinary collaboration can make a difference in addressing health disparities and stigma while promoting trauma-informed care for this population.
Participants will:
- Discuss challenges pregnant women with SMI face when connecting with appropriate mental health care/support.
- Review factors contributing to mental health disparities in this population.
- Discuss what trauma-informed care looks like for this population.
About the speaker
Hill-Thomas is a Ph.D. candidate at the VCU School of Nursing. Ariel’s research is focused on improving care experiences and maternal health outcomes for pregnant women with serious mental illness. Her ultimate goal is to help women with serious mental illness feel empowered in pregnancy and motherhood. Ariel has been a registered nurse for 7 years with experience in neonatal intensive care, pediatric and adolescent health, and nursing research. Ariel currently works as a nurse care coordinator for teens and young adults with eating disorders. Ariel is a Chicago native. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her dog, Kofi.
- Speaker: Samantha Day, D.S.W., LCSW
- Date: Thursday, Feb. 27, 2025
- Video Archive
Objectives
This presentation explores severe mental illness (SMI) in older adults, emphasizing the critical distinctions between dementia, delirium and depression. It discusses the diagnostic criteria, clinical features and challenges in accurately differentiating these conditions, considering their overlapping symptoms and prevalence in the elderly population. The presentation underscores the importance of thorough assessment and targeted interventions tailored to each condition to optimize person-centered care and improve health and wellness outcomes.
Participants will:
- Review the critical distinctions between dementia, delirium and depression.
- Discuss the diagnostic criteria, clinical features and challenges in accurately differentiating these conditions, considering their overlapping symptoms and prevalence in the elderly population.
- Evaluate targeted interventions for each mentioned condition that optimize person-centered care.
About the speaker
Dr. Day is the director of social services at Humboldt Senior Resource Center in California, where she is the administrator of adult day health care, the multipurpose senior services program and HSRC behavioral health.
She holds a Doctor of Social Work (D.S.W.) with an emphasis in social change and innovation through University of Southern California. Her research focuses on ways to reduce older adult social isolation and promote healthy aging through evidence-based and culturally responsive strategies. Dr. Day holds a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) from Humboldt State University and is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with over 14 years of behavioral health direct practice, training, evidence-based programming and consultation experience.
Dr. Day is a lifelong resident of Humboldt County, California, and enjoys cooking, traveling, and performing with her husband in their cover band, Blue Rhythm Revue.
- Speaker: Kelly Johnson, LCSW
- Date: Thursday, March 13, 2025
- Video Archive
Objectives
This presentation describes a Trauma-Informed approach to crisis work and the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) model on the Yurok Reservation. The CIT model partners law enforcement and behavioral health professionals to provide effective crisis intervention services. The Yurok Tribe is the largest tribe in California, and the reservation spans two rural counties in far northern California. We will discuss Trauma-Informed Responses in Indian Country, which can be applied to any marginalized community. This presentation will focus on the impacts of trauma including historical and intergenerational trauma.
Participants will:
- Review a trauma informed approach utilized in crisis work.
- Discuss the impacts of trauma, including intergenerational trauma.
- Evaluate how the crisis intervention team model is used on the Yurok Reservation and the ways this model is utilized with law enforcement and behavioral health services.
About the speaker
Johnson is a licensed clinical social worker and the crisis intervention team (CIT) coordinator for the Yurok Tribal Police Department. She is responsible for coordinating CIT in both Humboldt and Del Norte Counties in far northern California. She started her career in mental health in 2007 and has worked in community mental health agencies in five different California counties.
She has worked in the roles of clinician, supervising clinician and program manager in several crisis programs including a co-response team. She has been the lead CIT coordinator for Humboldt County since 2017 and started a new CIT program in Del Norte County in 2023.
- Speaker: Ryan Chiarella, D.O.
- Date: Thursday, March 27, 2025
- Video archive
Chiarella is an associate professor in the VCU Department of Psychiatry; director, schizophrenia program; and interim director, emergency psychiatric services.
This session will cover the DSM diagnosis of malingering to include the most common reasons why one might malinger. It will discuss typical and atypical symptoms of psychosis and ways to differentiate between genuine and malingered psychosis. It will explore types of interview questions that can help an evaluator elucidate a pattern of malingered psychotic symptoms. This session will discuss instruments that are commonly used in the field to evaluate for malingered psychosis. This session will conclude with a discussion of means of evaluating and dispositioning these patients from the emergency department or inpatient unit.
Objectives
- Review the DSM diagnosis of malingering to include the most common reasons why one might malinger
- Evaluate typical and atypical symptoms of psychosis and ways to differentiate between genuine and malingered psychosis
- Explore types of interview questions that can help an evaluator elucidate a pattern of malingered psychotic symptoms
- Review instruments that are commonly used in the field to evaluate
About the speaker
Dr. Chiarella received her B.S. in biology and premedical studies from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Immediately following, she was commissioned into the United States Army to attend medical school at the New York Institute of Technology on a health professions scholarship. Following medical school she completed a general psychiatry residency at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, followed by a year of fellowship training in forensic psychiatry, subsequently earning board certifications in both specialities.
Following her training she remained on active duty serving in Fort Campbell, Kentucky; Washington, D.C., and a deployment performing detainee operations at Guantanamo Bay. She served as the fellowship training director of forensic psychiatry for the entire Department of Defense. She left active duty service for the reserves in 2021, and has been at VCU since, serving as the medical director for psychiatric emergency services, the director of the inpatient psychiatry schizophrenia service, core faculty for the psychiatry residency and assistant clerkship director for the school of medicine.
She maintains a small private military forensic practice and resides in Richmond with her spouse and several dogs.
- Speaker: Samantha Day, D.S.W., LCSW
- Date: April 10, 2025
- Video archive
Objectives
This presentation explores the complex intersection of severe mental illness (SMI) with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD). It highlights the unique challenges faced by individuals who experience both conditions, including diagnostic complexities, limited treatment options and disparities in healthcare access. The discussion emphasizes the importance of tailored, interdisciplinary approaches to care that address the specific needs of this population, aiming for improved quality of life and outcomes.
- Review the complex intersection of severe mental illness (SMI) with intellectual and developmental disabilities (ID/DD).
- Discuss unique challenges faced by individuals who experience both conditions, including diagnostic complexities, limited treatment options and disparities in healthcare access.
- Evaluate interdisciplinary approaches to care that address the specific needs of this population, aiming for improved quality of life and outcomes.
About the speaker
Dr. Day is the director of social services at Humboldt Senior Resource Center in California, where she is the administrator of adult day health care, the multipurpose senior services program and HSRC behavioral health.
She holds a Doctor of Social Work (D.S.W.) with an emphasis in social change and innovation through University of Southern California. Her research focuses on ways to reduce older adult social isolation and promote healthy aging through evidence-based and culturally responsive strategies. Dr. Day holds a Master of Social Work (M.S.W.) from Humboldt State University and is a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) with over 14 years of behavioral health direct practice, training, evidence-based programming and consultation experience.
Dr. Day is a lifelong resident of Humboldt County, California, and enjoys cooking, traveling, and performing with her husband in their cover band, Blue Rhythm Revue.
- Speaker: Katie Smithwick, Pharm.D., BCPP, BCPS
- Date: Thursday, April 24, 2025
- Video archive
Objectives
This presentation will provide an overview of psychopharmacology for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The discussion will focus on management of antipsychotic and mood stabilizing medications and guideline recommendations for treatment. Medication selection, dosing, monitoring and adverse effects will be reviewed. Individualization of medication treatment based on patient specific factors such as patient preference, treatment history, comorbid conditions and access to care will be discussed.
- Review management of antipsychotic and mood stabilizing medications and guideline recommendations for treatment.
- Discuss medication selection, dosing, monitoring and adverse effects.
- Evaluate individualization of medication treatment based on patient-specific factors such as patient preference, treatment history, comorbid conditions and access to care
About the speaker
Smithwick is a clinical pharmacy specialist in psychiatry at VCU Health in Richmond, Virginia. She graduated from VCU School of Pharmacy in 2011 and completed PGY1 Pharmacy Practice and PGY2 Psychiatric Pharmacy residencies at VCU Health. She is a board certified psychiatric pharmacist and a board certified pharmacotherapy specialist.
She is a clinical assistant professor at VCU School of Pharmacy and VCU School of Medicine in the Department of Psychiatry, and is a preceptor for VCU Health's pharmacy residency programs. Her primary practice site is on adult inpatient psychiatry at VCU Medical Center, and she co-leads a weekly clozapine clinic at Jackson Center. She provides lectures and experiential rotation experiences in inpatient and outpatient psychiatry for pharmacy students/residents and psychiatry residents.
Registration
Registration is now closed for the Spring 2025 sessions.
Continuing education credits
We are pleased to announce that participants in our Serious Mental Illness in Focus: Specialized Topics for Practitioners series will have the opportunity to earn continuing education (CE) credits through the VCU School of Social Work, two CE credits per session. This series will feature presenters with extensive expertise in specialized topics, ensuring relevance to social work practice. All attendees who complete the full series will also receive a certificate of completion.
Digital badge
We are also pleased to announce that upon completion of the webinar series, attendees will earn a Specialized Topics for Practitioners Working with Serious Mental Illnesses digital badge. This badge signifies your commitment to enhancing your knowledge and skills in the field of mental health, and it can be proudly displayed on your digital profiles.