William James College to Host Conference on Opioid Addiction, Brain Injuries

NEWTON, MA — William James College in Newton, a leader in educating mental health professionals, will host a conference that will present research findings on opioid addiction and brain injuries, two topics that have gripped segments of the region.

The 2017 New England Psychological Association and the Northeast Conference for Teachers of Psychology conferences will take place on the Newton campus on October 20 and 21. The conference will examine the latest findings in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and the opioid epidemic afflicting much of our youth.

Notable discussions include:

• “Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy and the Long-term Consequences of Repetitive Brain Trauma,” keynote by Robert Stern, Ph.D., Professor of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Anatomy and Neurobiology at Boston University School of Medicine, Director of the Clinical Core of the BU Alzheimer's Disease Center; Director of Clinical Research for the BU Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center.

• Youth Addiction and Opioids; presentation by Dr. Dan Jacobs, Asst. Professor School Psychology William James College;
• “The Neuroscience of Innovation,” session by Kathryn Stanley, Ph.D., Chair of the Organizational and Leadership Psychology Department at William James College; Miranda Ralston, Psy.D., Director of the Masters of Organizational Psychology Program at William James College; Maria Katsarou, Psy.D., Founder and Managing Director of the Leadership Psychology Institute.
• “Improving the experiences and mental health of LGBTQ college students,” session by Annemarie Vaccaro, Ph.D., College Student Personnel Graduate Program Director of the University of Rhode Island; Matthew Berry, M.A., Worcester Polytechnic Institute; Zach Kerr, student, Wheelock College.

“Brain injury and the opioid epidemic are two critical and controversial issues facing our society,” said Nick Covino, president of William James College. “Encouraging discussion and reducing stigma around these topics is a critical step in helping those affected receive the help they need.”

For more information and to register, visit: http://nepsychological.org