Arizona Mental Health Summit

Relationally Fit: The Social Secret to a Longer, Happier Life
Shasta Nelson

Friendship = Positivity + Consistency + Vulnerability

What if friendships at work benefited all of us? We all win!

• We will win because we’ll be happier and healthier because we love our jobs and the people with whom we work.
• Our companies (and their missions and profits) will win because we’ll call in sick less, have fewer accidents, and treat their customers better because we feel connected to our teams and skilled in interpersonal relationships.
• Our world will win because we’ll be decreasing the amount of loneliness that is plaguing us individually, and collectively.

Book: The Business of Friendship: Making the Most of Our Relationships Where We Spend Most of Our Time

Master Your Stress Response: Techniques for a Resilient Nervous System
Amanda Hall

• Changing your response to stress begins with awareness of your breath, body, and mind.
• Check in: What is the quality of my breath and my thoughts, and am I holding any unconscious tension in my body?
• Breath control gives us control of the mind: Inhale fully, exhale through the mouth for 5. With every exhale, increase the length of the exhale by 1 until you get to 8.
• Combining simple body movements with breath is the quickest way to reconnect the mind and body. Add lifting the arms as you inhale, lowering as you exhale. The breath leads the movement.
• The last step is to direct your vision: Allow your awareness to rest on the rise and fall of the belly button with every inhale and exhale. Together, each of these steps trains your mind to be fully in the present moment, giving you an expanded perspective.

Neurobiological Impacts of ACEs & Trauma
Angie Burleson

• Unconscious response to stress hormones. Sympathetic nervous system to stress or danger.
  • Immediate, impulsive, irrational/illogical, poor ability to self-reflect, little evaluation, poor ability to evaluate rewards
  • Our bodies take time (20 minutes or more) to metabolize these stress hormones and advance from this unconscious, sympathetic nervous system response
• Traumatized children experience fear, anxiety, irritability, helplessness, anger, shame, depression, and guilt. Their ability for self-expression is impacted by trauma.
• Statistics about adults in the justice and healthcare system
  • 98% of female offenders have experienced trauma, often interpersonal trauma and domestic violence
  • 75% of adults in substance use treatment report histories of trauma
  • 93% of homeless mothers have a lifetime history of trauma
  • 70% of adults in the U.S. have experienced some type of traumatic event at least once in their lives
  • In public behavioral health, over 90% of clients have experienced trauma
• The emotional brain gets first dibs on interpreting incoming information (Van der Kolk). The repeated activation of the stress response system strengthens it and not only causes long term damage, it creates well-work pathways for automatic behavioral responses to environments that feel unsafe.

The Plus-One Mindset: Small Shifts That Build Unshakable Resilience
Alison Smith

• Resilience isn’t about self-care - it’s about self-connection.
• Pause and ask yourself two powerful questions:
  • How am I doing?
  • What do I need?
• Use the Plus-One tool:
  • Identify where you are on the well-being continuum, then design one small action that could improve your well-being by one point. This “plus-one” shift can be used by you, your family, your clients, and your teams - anyone can use it to build resilience in simple, profound ways.

Redefining Thriving: The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything
Alison Smith

• True thriving doesn’t come from achievement - it comes from being rooted in your sturdy center.
• True thriving is about having a trusting and human-centered relationship with ourselves, responding to life’s circumstances by coming back to ourselves when we get thrown off, focusing on incremental action - the next right step, aligning to our values, and empowering ourselves by focusing on what we can control and letting go of what we can’t.
• The more you root yourself in these ways, the more resilient, aligned, and grounded you feel, and the more impact you create for those around you!

Thundermaker Wellness: A Solution as Big as the Problem
Arrow Funmaker and Hunter Thundercloud

• Culture is healing. Cultural identity, ceremony, and ancestral wisdom are not just supportive elements, they are essential to recovery.
• Thundermaker Wellness is a holistic, Indigenous-led model that created a program rooted in traditional teachings, community, and cultural support interwoven with contemporary modalities.
• Cultural reclamation alongside substance use and mental health treatment has shown to improve outcomes; these relatives will become living examples of intergenerational wisdom and healing.

Finding Connection in a Divided Time: Inspiring Hope and Action Across Arizona
Dr. Sybil Francis

• Arizonans are more united than divided. Center for the Future of Arizona’s statewide research shows that across differences, Arizonans overwhelmingly agree on the priorities that make communities strong – education, health, opportunity, safety, and leadership that listens and works together.
• Mental health is deeply connected to community well-being. Beyond access to services, mental health is shaped by the conditions of daily life – connection, belonging, opportunity, and trust. Addressing these together builds the foundation for individual and collective resilience.
• We’re all builders of the Arizona we want. By listening, collaborating, and focusing on shared purpose, leaders and communities across sectors can close the gap between what people hope for and what they experience – creating a stronger, more connected, and more hopeful Arizona.

Healing on Two Wheels: A Motorcycle-Based Approach to Mental Health
Dr. Dustin Silvey

• Motorcycle Relief Project is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that provides relief to veterans and first responders with PTSD and other related issues by taking them on structured week-long adventure motorcycle relief rides.
• The program is no cost to participants, including the motorcycles, accommodations, and meals. Participants learn skills to support their mental health, all while riding motorcycles in some of the most beautiful areas of the United States.
• It actually works. As measured, participants’ self-perceived levels of mental health and resilience continue to improve six months after they participate. Suggesting the tools they learned to manage their mental health in the program support their mental health well past their relief ride.

Paws and Purpose: Integrating Animals into Mental Health Efforts
Mik Milem

• Studies show that veterans with a service dog experienced a reduction in the severity of PTSD symptoms and suicide behaviors/ideations compared to participants with an emotional support dog.
• As of March 2025, Soldier’s Best Friend program has graduated 441 veteran/dog teams with 50-60 teams in training. Over 340 dogs have been rescued. Additionally, 71 – 73% reported the program having a positive impact on their education, schooling, and work/career.

Power in Partnership Panel
Dr. Christine Wiggs, AZ Blue and AZ Blue Foundation
Emma Garcia, Valley of the Sun United Way
Kimber Lanning, Local First
David Martinez III, Vitalyst Health Foundation
Mike Spangenberg, State Forty-Eight and State Forty-Eight Foundation

• When funding is limited, partnering with other organizations can accelerate and/or continue the work.
• Establish partnerships with other organizations to leverage their programs as alternatives in the event yours must be discontinued.
• Collaboration can expand reach and spark innovation.
• Fostering new relationships and partnerships can create lasting change in our communities.

Resilient Aging: Mental Health Strategies for Older Adults and Those Who Care for Them
Tena Alonzo and Michelle Just

Challenges for older adults:

• Increased isolation and higher prevalence of depression and anxiety are common among older adults.
• Stigma remains problematic, leading to under-recognition and under-treatment of mental health concerns.
• Access to mental health services for older adults is often limited, making early intervention and community support essential.

Mental Health Summit Library

2024 Summit Photos

2024 Full Video Playlist

Meet the 2024 Finalists and Winners

Bishop John Dolan

Francine Sumner

Jaden Sanchez

Community 43

Everybody Matters

Postpartum Support International Arizona Chapter