Clinicians working with Technology and AI: Challenges, Benefits and Ethical Considerations. Zoom only
2025-04-18 11:00 - 13:00 (America/Chicago) | TN
Clinicians working with Technology and AI: Challenges, Benefits and Ethical Considerations

presented by Dr. Andrea Sheffield, PH.D., LMFT
ZOOM LINK
2 CEU credit hours awarded.

Dr. Sheffield is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and provides Telehealth and in person therapy in Smyrna, TN. Her primary focus is individual, couple, and pre-marital counseling from a systemic perspective. Dr. Sheffield received her bachelor’s degree from Tennessee State University and her master’s and PhD in Clinical Counseling from Trevecca Nazarene University. She is a member of the Tennessee Department of Mental Health & Substance Abuse Services Planning and Policy Council – Region IV. Dr. Sheffield is the owner of Sheffield Counseling Services and Therapy Suites of Smyrna, LLC.
Learning Objectives

Understand the Basics of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Mental Health: Gain foundational knowledge of how AI can be applied in therapy settings, including common tools, algorithms, and data analysis methods that support therapeutic practice.
Learn to Integrate AI Tools for Enhanced Patient Outcomes: Explore practical ways to incorporate AI-powered tools, such as chatbots, mood tracking, and predictive analytics, into patient care to improve engagement, monitor progress, and personalize treatment plans.
Recognize Ethical and Privacy Considerations: Develop awareness of the ethical implications, data security, and privacy protocols necessary for responsibly implementing AI technology in mental health, ensuring patient confidentiality and trust are upheld.

To Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 813 6072 4436
Passcode: [REDACTED]

ACT Acceptance & Commitment Therapy - Zoom Only
2025-06-20 11:00 - 13:00 | TN
Dr. Kevin Hull will present on How Acceptance and Commitment Therapy can be a Bridge Between You and Clients With Differing Beliefs.
“I have been working in the mental health field for about 20 years. I have served in mental hospitals, community mental health settings, and now see clients out of my private practice where I specialize in anxiety and OCD. I received my bachelor’s in Psychology from Berry College in Rome, Georgia, my master’s in Psychology from Lipscomb University, and my Ph.D in clinical counseling from Trevecca Nazarene University. I have been studying and applying Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for nearly 10 years now, and I tell everyone I talk to about it that it saved my career.”
Learning Objectives:

Learn basic of ACT
Create shared language and meaning making system with clients who do not share your beliefs.

ZOOM only – not in person.
2 CEU Credits will be available.
$10 NAACC Members
$15 non-NAACC Members
Click here to: Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 813 6072 4436
Passcode: [REDACTED]

“Nurturing the Journey of Healing in Grief”.
2025-07-18 11:00 - 13:00 | The Village Chapel, 2021 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN, 37212, United States
Dr. Jason Brooks and his wife, Darla will share their experiences and guidance on “Nurturing the Journey of Healing in Grief”
Grief is the sacred space where love lingers after loss. It’s a journey no one asks for, yet it’s one that invites us to discover depths within ourselves we never knew existed.
In Nurturing the Journey of Healing in Grief, Jason and Darla Brooks gently guide hearts through the often unspoken, tender terrain of sorrow—through the experience of the loss of their own daughter, Aleya.
This journey begins with the truth that we are Set Apart. Each story of grief is uniquely shaped by the love that preceded it. There is no “right way” to grieve—only your way. You are not broken; you are becoming.
We then move into the season of Fragile Firsts—those milestone moments that stir deep ache: the first birthday, the first holiday, the first silence. Here, we learn not just to survive them, but to honor them with grace and gentleness.
Next, we explore how to Ask the Right Questions. Healing begins not with easy answers but with courageous curiosity. Questions like “What do I need right now?” or “Who can hold space for my pain?” become seeds of self-compassion.
We then will share about a powerful principle we learned…the Power of “And”, where two seemingly completely opposite experiences can both be 100% true and real in the exact same moment in time. This truth breathes grace into the messiness of grief.
Through time and intention, we enter the realm of Post-Traumatic Growth, where beauty begins to bloom from brokenness. Not in spite of the pain, but because of it. This growth does not erase the loss—it integrates it.
And finally, we Invite the Story. Healing deepens when we share our journeys out loud. Stories connect us. Stories remind us that we are not alone. Stories plant seeds of hope in others. Grief is a sacred journey to navigate loving heartache with honesty, to grow with intention, and to live again with deeper love.
1 CEU Credit will be available
Lunch will be provided.

About Jason and Darla:
For over three decades, Dr. Jason Brooks has dedicated his life to helping leaders break free from seasons of stuck and take another step in their life and leadership. From startups to multi-billion-dollar enterprises, he’s guided leaders and teams through times of change—helping them align culture and strategy, build impactful relationships, execute with excellence, and achieve results that last. As a speaker and teacher, Jason loves inspiring audiences to embrace change, overcome obstacles, and live intentionally. Whether on stage, in a boardroom, or leading a high-performing team, his passion for encouraging leaders to leave a legacy of love and impact runs through all he is and does. With his wife, Darla, they share wisdom and insights through The Take Another Step Podcast, inviting listeners to navigate life’s challenges and celebrate life’s victories—one step at a time. Their journey took a profound turn on March 5, 2023, when they lost their precious fifteen year old daughter, Aleya, to a traumatic brain injury. In her honor, they established the Aleya Nicole Lin Brooks Foundation, offering scholarships for students studying neuropsychology and supporting organizations advancing research in traumatic brain injury. Through this foundation, Aleya’s light continues to shine, bringing hope and healing to countless lives. Jason’s philosophy for living a life of impact is built on three core commitments that have emerged to weave a tapestry of grit and grace through his life story… Live Confidently in faith Lead Courageously through hope Love Completely always He dedicates his work to equipping, empowering, and encouraging others to take their next step toward their personal and professional best and thrive.

When Violence Hits Home: DV 101 presented by Ivy Jeffries. ZOOM only
2025-08-15 11:30 - 13:00 | TN
We all watch television shows and news media reports of violence in our communities and around the world. When we have a client show up at our office disclosing interpersonal violence happening in their home how do we help these clients?
Domestic violence is pervasive, so at some point in time we all will have a client come to our office looking for a way to end the cycle of abuse.
This presentation is designed to educate the practitioner on the prevalence of interpersonal violence, how to keep clients safe while in the relationship, and what resources are available to clients in the
community and how to access these resources.
Ivy Jeffries has worked as a Crisis Counselor for the Nashville Police Department for the past 29 years providing mental health services and crisis intervention to victims of violent crimes. There she also provides training to police recruits on trauma and victimization. Ivy has a part-time private practice and enjoys traveling with her family.
1.5 CEUs will be available with ticket purchase
ZOOM LINK
Meeting ID: 813 6072 4436
Passcode: [REDACTED]
Learning Objectives for the Session:

Identify what is Interpersonal Violence
Help clients create a plan for safety
Identify community supports for clients

HSP. The Trait We May Be Overlooking in Half Our Clients
2025-09-19 11:30 - 13:00 | The Village Chapel, 2021 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN, 37212, United States
In Person Only @ The Village Chapel

Dr. Laura Rosser Kreiselmaier

Dr. Elaine Aron’s groundbreaking research on HSPs (Highly Sensitive Persons) helps us understand why this 15-20% of the population may feel like they are fundamentally different from most people they know.
At the end of this presentation, attendees will be able to:

List the five main characteristics of HSPs (Highly Sensitive Persons)
Identify and correct common misconceptions about HSPs
Modify their usual therapeutic style to help their HSP clients more effectively.

Dr. Laura Rosser Kreiselmaier is a Licensed Clinical Pastoral Therapist and two-time past president of the TN Association of Pastoral Therapists. A Knoxville native, she moved to Nashville in 2000 to attend Belmont University amid her first career as a professional pianist. She later received her PhD in Religion, Psychology, & Culture from Vanderbilt University (2016), where her dissertation research explored the interconnections among creativity, mystical experience, and psycho’pathology’. Happily married to fellow therapist-musician Dr. David Thornton, Laura lives in an old house with three lively felines and a 1928 baby grand Bösendorfer piano. She is honored to serve as the Lead Visionary & CEO for CATHARSIS Nashville, a new nonprofit seeking to change how mental healthcare happens.

1 CEU available to earn.
Lunch will be provided.

ARFID: The Information Professionals are Really Hungry For. Zoom Only
2025-10-17 12:00 - 13:00 | TN
Emily Sanders, RD, LDN, CEDS-C
Mountaintop Nutrition PLLC
Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID) is a new diagnosis in the DSM-5, and represents a reformulation of what used to be called “Feeding Disorder of Infancy or Early Childhood.” Individuals with ARFID limit the volume and/or variety of foods they consume, but unlike the other eating disorders, food avoidance or restriction is not related to fears of fatness or distress about body shape, size or weight. Instead, in ARFID, selective eating is motivated by a lack of interest in eating or food, sensory sensitivity (e.g., strong reactions to taste, texture, smell of foods), and/or a fear of aversive consequences (e.g., of choking or vomiting).
Learning Objectives:

Effectively use assessment and case conceptualization tools specific to individuals presenting with avoidant-restrictive intake s/s
Implement ERP interventions with increased confidence, to optimize nutrition status for individuals with ARFID.
Understand how to create and implement reward systems that increase motivation and treatment engagement

ZOOM only – not in person.
1 CEU Credit will be available.
$10 NAACC Members
$15 non-NAACC Members

About Emily:
Hi, I’m Emily Sanders, a Registered Dietitian with 10 years of experience. I am a Certified Eating Disorder Specialist through the International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals. I have experience working in multiple levels of care and now focus solely on outpatient treatment. My specialties include working with clients who have Avoidant Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID). My career path has given me many opportunities to work closely with this community. I feel uniquely equipped to support clients of all ages who are struggling with feeling alone and isolated in their ARFID. I also love working with size-diverse clients seeking a Health at Every Size approach to their relationship with food and body image. My experience also encompasses those with other eating disorders including Anorexia Nervosa, Bulimia Nervosa, Binge Eating Disorder, and Other Specified Feeding or Eating Disorder. My training also equips me to work well with those who have an eating disorder with co-occurring anxiety and OCD.
Click here to: Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 813 6072 4436
Passcode: [REDACTED]

Global Forgiveness by Dr. David Thornton. In Person
2025-11-21 11:30 - 13:00 | The Village Chapel, 2021 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN, 37212, United States
People everywhere, from every tradition, are seeking peace and forgiveness – and some of us find it in places around the globe
“Global Forgiveness” is the fruit of my personal journey, struggling to forgive and heal from childhood and self-induced trauma. It is both a sort of specific memoir, because this was my path, but it is also a window onto twelve different paths that arose before me, which together – separately and sometimes in combination – resulted in great freedom.
The more deep personal stories we hear, the more our own personal story becomes available to us.
We’re all in this together.

Dr. David Thornton
DMin, MA in Clinical Psychology
1 CEU Credit will be available.
Learning Objectives:

Learn to recognize the dynamics that can make forgiveness difficult to express.
Gain insight into how disappointments, difficulties, and disasters can and often do open a person to being available for a new understanding of self, God, and others.
Learn how much the broader world has to offer to help all of us move toward inner and inter-relational healing and wholeness. Develop strategic awareness of the sensitivity required when you or your client are and are not ready for change.

Lunch will be provided.

Dr. David Thornton (DMin, MA, MA) is a licensed clinical pastoral therapist (TN LCPT #65) and serves as vice-president of the Tennessee Association of Pastoral Therapists. His academic training took place in Texas, Austria, California, the United Kingdom, and Nashville. A world citizen, polyglot, musician, integrative psychotherapist and eclectically broad spiritual traveler, David listens for the quiet within the storm, the deep heartbeat of the hurting soul, and coaxes the psyche into finding and trusting again its own ancient wisdom. He is dumbstruck by the grace of being married to Dr. Laura Kreiselmaier, herself also an LCPT and former president of TNAPT. He works under her leadership for CATHARSIS, a new mental healthcare 501(c)3 non-profit whose vision is “changing the way mental healthcare happens”. To find out more, visit catharsisnashville.org. For more on David, visit davidthorntontherapy.com.

Clinical Care for Clients Facing Unwanted Singleness
2026-01-16 11:30 - 13:00 | https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81360724436
Presented by: Pieter L. Valk, LPC
Pieter is ​​a licensed professional counselor, speaker/author, the director of Equip, and a diaconate explorer in the ACNA. He writes at pieterlvalk.substack.com and is on social media at @pieterLvalk
pieterlvalk.com
Learning Objectives:

Understand the psychological, existential, and spiritual impacts of unwanted singleness.
Use grief-oriented and existential frameworks to help clients find meaning, purpose, and community.
Address shame, stuckness, and resistance with compassion and nuance.
Offer specific tools, questions, and movements that help clients move from despair toward thriving.

Seeing Through Deception, Unraveling the Stories That Blind Us by Alan Godwin
2026-02-20 11:30 - 13:00 | The Village Chapel, 2021 21st Ave S, Nashville, TN, 37212, United States
If the crowd around us says the sky is green, it’s much easier to go along with the crowd than to be the lone standout arguing for blueness.

How can people who seem perfectly sane believe seemingly crazy things? Why will people shapeshift their individual morals to align with collective immoralities?

Alan E. Godwin, Psy.D. is a Licensed Psychologist in private practice in Nashville with over 35 years of experience. He counsels with individual adults and with couples. Dr. Godwin also serves on the adjunct faculty of the Graduate Counseling Department of Trevecca University where he teaches a class for doctoral students called Psychodynamic Psychotherapies. For ten years, he developed and presented seven seminars nationally for mental health professionals through Cross Country Education, Vyne Education and PESI Education. He is the author of two books: How to Solve Your People Problems (2008) and the recently released, Ties That Blind: Unraveling Stories That Keep Us in the Dark.

Learning Objectives:
Participants will learn

to describe the parallels between individual and collective deception.
to explain how people can become un-deceived, whether that happens individually or collectively.
to show how understanding collective blinding is enhanced by our understanding of individual blinding because the elements are essentially the same.

Lunch will be provided.

In Ties That Blind, psychologist Alan Godwin attempts to answer such questions by looking at the nature of collective deception. There’s a difference between what’s true and a story that’s false but sounds true. The propagation of a false story begins by telling people what they want to hear and then appealing to their coalitional instincts-the natural human desires to congregate with like-minded others. Their attachment needs pull them into a story where truth becomes less valued than the warm embrace of crowd inclusion. Barricaded inside what Dr. Godwin calls a “story-based fortress,” they come to accept a distorted reality which they now call “truth” and label all fortress outsiders as liars or fools. Worse still, they become propagators of the falseness themselves.
To purchase book https://a.co/d/eUAdqS8
