Annual Conference

More Details regarding our Breakout presentations will be announced soon!

We have a room block reserved at Homewood Suites by Hilton Orland Park for March 5, 2026 through March 9, 2026 for $149/night.

Please be sure to book before February 6, 2026.

CLICK HERE TO BOOK

FRIDAY KEYNOTE (March 6th)

Digital Divides and Mental Health: Clinical Implications for Aging Clients in the Social Digital Age

Presented By: Janelle L. Jones, PhD, LPC, NCC

As digital technology transforms how we connect, work, and access care, aging clients face unique mental health challenges from social isolation to online scams shaped by social determinants like income, education, and their built environments. This keynote examines how the digital divide exacerbates anxiety, depression, and financial vulnerability in aging populations, while offering clinicians practical strategies to address barriers such as low tech literacy and limited internet access. Through research and case studies, counselors will learn to navigate the intersection of aging and digital equity. Together we will help clients harness technology’s benefits while mitigating risks like doomscrolling or exploitation, ensuring no one is left behind in an increasingly connected world.

By the end of this keynote session, attendees will be able to:?

1.Identify how social determinants of mental health impact aging adults’ access to and use of digital tools

2.Recognize the psychological effects of social media, scams, and digital exclusion on aging clients (e.g., anxiety, depression, isolation)

3.Develop clinical strategies to assess and address digital literacy gaps in therapy

4.Explore practical ways to integrate (or limit) technology in client treatment plans

SATURDAY KEYNOTE (March 7th)

Training the Next Generation: Ecological & Trauma-Informed Approaches to Clinician Development in the Social Digital Age

Presented By: Claudia Pitts, PhD, Judith Kent, PhD, Suzette Fromm Reed, PhD, Wytress Richardson, EdD

In this interactive session, presenters will guide participants in a discovery of the interplay between clinical and community psychology as it applies to clinical supervision in the digital age:

Presenters will first provide an overview of pertinent community psychology principles.
Presenters will discuss ecological and trauma-informed frameworks as applied to clinician development both online and in-person.
Participants will analyze applicable key digital key digital influences across ecological systems.
Participants will explore supervision strategies to enhance hybrid clinical environments.
Participants will examine ethical and developmental challenges that arise for supervisees and clients in digital settings.
Presenters and participants will collectively create list of strategies to implement in the varied types of practice and supervision.

By the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

Apply ecological and trauma-informed frameworks to conceptualize clinician development in the context of the social digital age.
Identify key digital influences across ecological systems (e.g., microsystem to macrosystem) that shape developmental experiences and trauma exposure for clients and supervisees.
Implement supervision strategies that foster digital literacy, boundary-setting, and reflective practice in trainees navigating online and hybrid clinical environments.
Evaluate ethical and developmental considerations related to supervisees’ and clients’ experiences in digital spaces, including issues of access, identity, and online trauma.

IMHCA is seeking breakout presentation proposals for our 2026 Annual Conference! The conference will be held March 6 - March 7, 2026 at the Elements by the Odyssey and Homewood Suites by Hilton Hotel in Orland Park, IL.

The theme of this conference is The Clinical Implications of the Social Digital Age. For the 2026 conference, we will explore the ins and outs of treating clients during the complex circumstances that come with the digital age.

^{We are looking for breakout presenters for AM and PM sessions on Friday, March 6, and AM and PM sessions on Saturday, March 7.}

To submit a breakout session proposal for Friday or Saturday, March 6 or March 7, 2026 please fill out the proposal form in full:

Submit Proposal