“Get Psyched with MTC 2019” Conference Announced for Feb. 1-13, 2019

Midlands Technical College (MTC) will host “Get Psyched with MTC 2019” February 1-13, 2019 on the Airport Campus. The conference will feature free workshops on mental health topics that impact the community as well as an acclaimed multimedia exhibit that has traveled to over 30 cities.

“During this two-week event, students, faculty, staff, and community members will explore the challenges of the mentally ill, address how to reduce stigma, and promote the mental health of our community,” said MTC President Dr. Ronald L. Rhames.

The conference will feature award-winning photo-journalist Michael Nye’s documentary Fine Line: Mental Health/Mental Illness. The exhibit depicts voices, stories, and portraits of subjects with various mental illnesses. The exhibit is free and open to the public during the conference on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Mary Robertson Conference Hall at the Airport Campus.

“Get Psyched with MTC” will also include three separate tracks of interdisciplinary seminars and training, focusing on Mental Health Today, Healthy Minds, and Taking Action. The conference subject matter can benefit members of the community ranging from mental-health practitioners to caregivers, students, and the general public.

Mental Health Today will include multiple presentations and panel discussions such as Economic Impact of Mental Health, Politics and Mental Health, Stereotypes/Prejudice/Discrimination and Mental Health, and Transgender Populations and Mental Health.

Healthy Minds will explore specific areas of mental health in greater detail, including particular diagnoses and different methods of treating mental illness. It will include a number of presentations and panel discussions to inform and engage participants on addressing numerous mental health issues. Some of the topics included in this series are: Mental Health Issues Related to PTSD, the Use of Art Therapy in Mental Health, Children’s Mental Health, Professional Pathways in Psychology, and How to Support a Loved One with Mental Illness.

The third track, Taking Action, will provide various training opportunities for students, professionals, and everyone in the community to be informed regarding mental health issues. Some of the training opportunities will be geared to specific professional groups and will provide continuing education credits, but all are open to the public. Many of these workshops will include interactive panel discussions to allow participants to ask questions and explore specific concerns with mental-health professional presenters on topics such as QPR Gatekeeper Course on Suicide Prevention, NAMI’s In Our Own Voice, and professional training on Compassion Fatigue.

“This conference is an ambitious undertaking, and we welcome the local community to come out and join us to learn more about mental health issues,” Rhames said.

The conference will be held at the MTC Airport Campus, located at 1260 Lexington Drive, West Columbia, SC 29170. You can find more information on the event website: https://www.midlandstech.edu/getpsyched.

For more information about Michael Nye’s documentary Fine Line: Mental Health/Mental Illness, go to https://michaelnye.org/fine-line/.

This project is funded in part by SC Humanities, a state program of the National Endowment for the Humanities.