2024 Global Capacity Building Conference

Since 2003, NBCC and Affiliates has worked with partners worldwide who are interested in professionalizing counseling and increasing mental health service capacity. Beginning in 2020 and in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, NBCC hosted a global virtual conference featuring NBCC program partners and long-time collaborators to provide a space for counselors in countries outside of the United States to present about counseling professionalization in their home countries and efforts to respond to increased mental health needs in these countries. This initial conference has led to the Mental Health Connections conference series.

Through this work and these partnerships, NBCC has become aware that many counselors and counselor educators are also engaged in and dedicated to collaborating across borders and cultures. Therefore, in 2021 the conference began including a call for proposals in order to feature a wide variety of partnerships and capacity-building work. This has allowed for a better understanding of the differences, similarities, and mutual need for effective counseling and mental health training, practice, and research within and across borders.

Mental Health Connections: Fostering Community, Propelling Peace Register Now!

NBCC and the NBCC Foundation invite you to join us during our fifth Mental Health Connections global virtual conference focused on Fostering Community, Propelling Peace.

This year will highlight education or training, practice, and research geared toward building, advocating for, and empowering others to foster a mental health community toward positive change and building peace by increasing understanding, compassion, resilience, and support in communities worldwide. This conference will enable speakers and participants to consider the power that each of us have as counselors individually and as part of the wider community of mental health professionals to make a difference.

Participants will also learn about counseling through an international and diverse lens and receive insight about counseling and mental health initiatives and movement toward counseling professionalization from speakers across the globe.

This conference will take place December 4–6, 2024.

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Microfunding Partner Feature

The recipient will receive all proceeds to support their MHF programming. Please consider donating to this cause.

Curamus Wellness Training and Consultancy was established in February 2023 as a response to the Mental Health Law of the Philippines and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Order Number 208 to provide mental health programs in communities and workplaces. Curamus is from the Latin word “we care” and is an organization that envisions the world’s citizens reaching their full potential in mental wellness. Our mission is to create a collaborative platform for sustainable mental wellness accessible for individuals, communities, and workplaces. We want to help increase the mental health literacy of Filipino people by providing capacity in practical knowledge and helping skills to promote mental wellness in the country.

In February 2024, the first Mental Health Facilitator (MHF) training program was formally organized by Curamus with 17 graduating psychology students from Lyceum of the Philippines University. In June of 2024, Curamus also conducted an MHF Train-the-Trainers program with nine individuals, including a pastor, psychologists, guidance teachers, and life coaches who were motivated to train communities and workplaces, in collaboration with DMR Psychological Services. Future plans of Curamus include collaborating with public schools to train teachers and student volunteers where high mental health concerns are observed but are not given priority and proper intervention. Curamus is committed to continue training mental health advocates who will be catalysts for positive change as well as strengthening collaboration among mental health professionals in the Philippines.

The MHF program consists of an educational framework that makes globally recognized mental health information relevant to the needs of local communities. This is done by identifying local mental health resources and connecting care networks and community organizations to individuals in need of mental health services. Individuals who participate in MHF trainings can support their work with skills that complement existing mental health care resources within a community.

Donate Now!

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Objectives

	Participants will learn about the state of counseling and mental health outside of the United States.
	Participants will learn about initiatives in education or training, practice, and research that foster community and build peace with and among diverse populations both outside and inside of the United States.
	Participants will learn about partnerships toward building mental health community and understanding worldwide.

Become a sponsor!

Conference sponsorship is a way to promote your organization or university to conference attendees from around the world by supporting the Mental Health Connections: Fostering Community, Propelling Peace global virtual conference. Choosing to participate as a sponsor means that your organization or university will be included on the conference website, featuring your name, logo, and contact information, along with information about your organization or university. This information will be available for all conference attendees to view.

Becoming a sponsor will also give you access to written communication through a media package designed by NBCC's Communications Department that will allow you to simply cut and paste language and relevant links to facilitate communication between your organization and your constituents about the Mental Health Connections global virtual conference.

Please reach out to global@nbcc.org for more information.