Conversations Conquer Loneliness
DMAX’s 11th Annual Main Educational Event
To be held at Bryn Mawr College’s Great Hall, 212 N Merion Ave, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010 on April 23rd from 7:00 PM to 9:00 PM.
VIP cocktail reception at 5:45pm
In 2023, United States Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new Advisory calling attention to the “public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country.” The report emphasized that loneliness and isolation increase the risk for “mental health challenges, and that lacking connection can increase the risk for premature death.” A recent study by Active Minds and Timely Care found “nearly two-thirds (64.7%) of college students report they feel lonely.” The study also found that “college students who report feeling lonely are over 4 times more likely to experience severe psychological distress.”
Our Conversations Conquer Loneliness program will explore the loneliness epidemic on college campuses and emphasize the importance of Conversations That Connect to reduce loneliness and isolation and strengthen mental health.
Event will also feature the presentation of the Lee and Laurie Maxwell Leadership Award and the Dan Maxwell Student Leadership Award. Learn more about these awards here.
Featuring Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Veronica Carey
Associate Clinical Professor in the Human Development and Counseling Department at Drexel University and author of critically acclaimed book "Frame Your Degree: How to Avoid Pain while Seeking a College Degree”
Dr. Veronica Carey, CPRP, CDE® has been an academic for 22 years and currently serves as the Assistant Dean for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, as well as the Chair of the Board of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Drexel University's College of Nursing and Health Professions. She holds the position of Associate Clinical Professor in the Human Development and Counseling Department and is a certified diversity executive. Dr. Carey is also the Chair of the Academy for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, a certified psychiatric rehabilitation specialist, and the Vice President of Caravan of Life, a behavioral health NGO in Pakistan. She is the author of the critically acclaimed book "Frame Your Degree: How to Avoid Pain while Seeking a College Degree." Dr. Carey conducts seminars on student academic culture, health disparities, and organizational infrastructure for racism minimization, addressing faculty, professional staff, students, and professionals both nationally and internationally, including in Abu Dhabi, Cairo, Cameroon, Ghana, Milan, Karachi, and Singapore. On a personal note, she enjoys interior design and co-owns a real estate LLC with her sister, specializing in house flipping.
Featuring Special Guest Speaker:
Dr. Marcus Hotaling
Director of the Eppler-Wolff Counseling Center at Union College
Marcus Hotaling, Ph.D received his bachelor’s degree from Alfred University in 1995 and his doctorate in counseling psychology in 2001 from the University at Albany. He completed his doctoral internship at the Northampton Veteran’s Affairs Hospital and UMass Amherst’s Counseling Center. Marcus has worked in a variety of higher educational settings, starting his career as the Assistant Director at University of Albany’s Career Development Center in 2001 before joining Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as a psychologist and Outreach Coordinator in 2003. He has been the Counseling Center Director at Union since July 2007.
Marcus is active in local and national psychological organizations, serving as the Mental Health Chair and Secretary for the American College Health Association (ACHA), the Mental Health Chair and President of the New York State College Health Association (NYSCHA), and served on the board and the current president for the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors (AUCCCD) from 2021-2024. He currently leads the Mentoring Program for AUCCCD and a Resiliency Task Force for ACHA.
His research and professional presentations have focused on social networking and its impact on professional ethics and generational differences, medication use and abuse, behavioral intervention teams, mentoring, and resilience, teaching a course at Union College called “The Practical Side of Struggle” and “Social Media and College Student Mental Health.”
For Program Sponsorship Information Click Here
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to broaden and strengthen our events!