Community Connections Summit: Addressing the Loneliness Epidemic
formerly the Suicide Prevention and Mental Health Recovery Conference
Friday, September 13, 2024, from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
McHenry County College, 8900 US Hwy 14 in Crystal Lake
Registration will open beginning of August. FLYER HERE
CALL FOR BREAKOUT PRESENTERS – Complete Proposal Here
Email completed form to kdoherty@mc708.org. Proposals are due by 5pm June 17, 2024.
Focus: The impact of connection and empathy have the power to transform the world. The absence of connection and empathy lead to isolation, substance abuse, depression, anxiety, and suicide. By recognizing the importance of creating safe spaces where individuals can feel heard, validated, and understood, empathy becomes a guiding principle, fostering resilience and healing. The power of connection, rooted in empathy, extends beyond words; it is a beacon of hope that bridges the gap between pain and healing, paving the way for meaningful and lasting connections.
Target audience: includes professionals from all domains of the community, mental health professionals, substance misuse treatment professionals, school professionals, community leaders, clergy, service organizations, etc.
Help us welcome Dr. Amanda Allard as our keynote speaker for this year. She will be presenting on “Communication Mitigates Loneliness: How Social Support, Communal Coping, and Empathy Can Enhance Connection.” Additionally, Dr. Allard will host a breakout session titled “Putting Theory to Practice: Social Support and Communal Coping Techniques”.
Keynote Speech/Breakout Session Overview: In Amanda Allard’s (PhD) keynote speech, she will share personal experiences and academic insights to educate on the transformative power communication can have on an individual when mitigating feelings of loneliness. Drawing from her own journey, including overcoming the loneliness she felt as a 9-year-old girl as a result of her mother’s wrongful incarceration, she will delve into the principles of supportive communication, communal coping, and empathy that she has practiced and studied during her academic career at Michigan State University. Through interactive activities in the breakout session, attendees will have the opportunity to apply these concepts firsthand, fostering a supportive environment and equipping them with practical strategies to enhance their professional practice. With a blend of personal reflection and scholarly expertise, her aim is to inspire and empower professionals from all domains of the community, to forge deeper connections and make a meaningful impact in the lives of those experiencing disconnect and loneliness.
Speaker Bio: Amanda Allard (PhD) is an educator, keynote speaker, and business owner from Houston, Texas. She was born and raised in a small town called Sealy, Texas before she moved to Concordia University in Austin, Texas to study Communication and play college softball. It was during her undergraduate career that she fell in love with the idea of becoming an academic professional and pursuing research in the field of interpersonal communication. This led Dr. Allard to applying and being accepted at Michigan State University for her MA program where she studied social support communication. She continued to study social support into her doctorate program before switching her focus to the study of gossip and how it impacts our interpersonal relationship. Dr. Allard has continued to educate the public about social support and the power of interpersonal communication through adjunct teaching at Lone Star College, keynote speaking events at small businesses and conferences, and through her research. She is a 2023 TEDx speaker who spoke on how she used empathy to conquer loneliness and an esteemed academic professional who is here to show you how the art of communication may just be the greatest medicine we could ever learn about to heal our epidemic of disconnect.
