Contributed
East Tennessee State University brought together mental health professionals, students and community members for its second annual Regional Mental Health Symposium on Friday, April 24, at the Culp Ballroom in Johnson City. The event, a collaboration between ETSU’s departments of social work, counseling and psychology, was designed to address mental health issues specific to the Appalachian region while creating a space for interdisciplinary learning and community connection.
“One of the strengths of ETSU is the focus on interdisciplinary collaboration,” said Dr. Dodd, one of the event’s organizers. “This is a really nice representation of that value and the different departments and colleges working together to bring a service to the community.”
The symposium featured four oral sessions throughout the day, covering topics such as mental health access for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, integrating peer recovery specialists into clinical care, ethics in behavioral health settings and lessons from equine-assisted therapy. A student poster session also took place during the lunch hour, giving undergraduate and graduate researchers a chance to present their work to clinicians and faculty.
Speakers included professionals from across the region and beyond, ranging from licensed clinical social workers and counselors to community organizers and student researchers. Among them was Chelsea Green, a Jonesborough-based therapist whose session, “Sharing Power: Ethical Lessons from the Herd,” drew on her work in nature-based and equine-assisted therapy to explore power dynamics in the therapist-client relationship.
Growth has been a defining feature of the symposium since its first year. In 2025, 227 people attended. This year, 266 people registered ahead of the event, with additional walk-in attendees expected on the day.
“We had many more proposals from folks interested in presenting than we did last year,” Dr. Dodd said. “It’s really exciting to see the response from the community.”
A significant draw for many attendees was the continuing education component. Frontier Health sponsored 5.5 approved continuing education units, or CEUs, for both psychologists and social workers, a benefit that can otherwise be costly for licensed professionals. Attendees could participate in the full day or select individual sessions based on their schedules and interests.
Admission was free for ETSU students and faculty, Frontier Health employees and community members who supervise ETSU social work, counseling, or psychology students at field placement sites. The free admission for site supervisors reflected one of the event’s core goals: to give back to the professionals who support ETSU students throughout the year. For all other community members, registration was $50.
For students in social work, counseling and psychology, the symposium offered opportunities beyond the classroom. Attending gave students direct exposure to practitioners working on regional issues, while putting their own research in front of a professional audience. Students outside those programs were also welcome to attend.
The event reflected a broader commitment at ETSU to address the unique mental health needs of Northeast Tennessee and the surrounding region, an area that has historically faced challenges in mental health access and workforce development. By bringing clinicians, researchers and students into the same room, the symposium aimed to strengthen those networks and build lasting community ties.
Organizers expressed hope that the symposium will continue to grow in the years ahead, citing the strong community response as evidence of a genuine regional need for this kind of collaborative, interdisciplinary space.
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