Regi Carpenter is a multifaceted professional, serving as a chaplain, author, workshop leader, and acclaimed storyteller. With a rich background of touring across continents, she captivates audiences with tales from her upbringing on the St. Lawrence River. Through her compelling narratives, Regi shares her journey from a teenage mental breakdown and institutionalization to her path of recovery, emphasizing the transformative power of storytelling and the arts. Her session, "My Story of Recovery," offers profound insights and reflections on finding peace and compassion through personal narrative.

Leann Patel, Assistant Professor of Clinical Nursing at U of R and Community Health Clinical Coordinator for APNN, brings extensive experience from roles at the Monroe County Health Department and Adjunct Faculty Positions at local universities. A registered nurse, Leann's passion for community-based healthcare led to recognition, including the U of R School of Nursing's Mary Dombeck Diversity Award and the Professional Advancement Award. With a CPE unit completed in 2016, she serves as a per diem Chaplain at Newark Wayne Hospital/DeMay Living Center and Rochester General Hospital. Leann, recipient of the U of R School of Nursing's Mary Dombeck Diversity Award and the Professional Advancement Award, leads a discussion on meaningful collaboration between Nurses and Chaplains.

Valerie Way, LCSW-R and President/CEO, Mental Health Association of Rochester/Monroe County, Inc. has been working in the mental health and substance use field for over 30 years. She has worked in various roles providing direct care services to persons examining wellness and recovery for themselves. She has a particular interest in working with people with co-occurring conditions, peer support services and community systems.

Jonathan Westfall, CRPA, CRPA-F, CARC is Executive Director of ROCovery Fitness. Jon has become a cornerstone of the peer recovery movement in the Rochester region. He is heavily involved in community outreach programs, grassroots recovery community organizations and advocacy groups/events. Addiction is often associated with disconnection and isolation. He will share about the many ways ROCovery Fitness encourages folks in recovery through physical activity coupled with social connection.

The Rev. Wayne Gustafson, DMin, LMHC is a retired pastoral psychotherapist who teaches ministers to integrate psychology into their work and teaches psychotherapists to integrate spirituality into theirs. In this presentation (a small portion of the 3-hour course on Working with Harmful Spirituality and Religion) we will look at identifying the elements of harmful spirituality or religion.

From an early age, April Hortman has been a curious observer of human behavior, resulting in a strong connection to be an encouraging support for others. After receiving her Psychology degree, she worked at an acute care psychiatric facility. She earned an MSW and continued on to get her PhD in Human Development. For the last several years she has worked as a psychotherapist at CareFirstNY, a hospice program in the Southern Tier, assisting individuals and groups in managing emotional response to trauma, grief, and traumatic loss.

John and Judy Messenger’s relationship started out like an O.Henry story: Judy was an actress, John wanted to write. But each of them preferred to defer their dream in order to support the other, so John went to law school and Judy kept her day job at Price Waterhouse. Forty-seven years, three children, and numerous jobs later, John and Judy Messenger are both retired. They’ve lived in New York City, the DC and Boston suburbs, and, since 1999, the Rochester area. They’ve been through some tough times, but they’re still together. They’ve learned a lot, but wish they knew more.

COVID has resulted in an increased focus and awareness on mental health. More people are seeking mental health services than ever before. Two local practitioners, Dr. Sherry Nau and Rev. Nate Mochizuki talk about what they see happening in the field as a result of this growing need. Nate is an ordained Presbyterian minister and has a unique position at Gavia LifeCare Center providing spiritual counseling.

Spiritual Care has undergone a tremendous shift over the past decade, and many smaller and mid-size hospitals are struggling to adapt. Patient and family expectations of emotional and spiritual support have grown, while shifting demographics have changed both the public and institutional perceptions of chaplaincy. We will discuss some of the recent information on the role of chaplains, best practice benchmarks, departmental leadership, and organizational analysis that can improve both the visibility and viability of chaplaincy in the healthcare setting.

The Rev. Dr. Denise Yarbrough is the Director of Religious and Spiritual Life at the University of Rochester, and the Canon for Interreligious and Ecumenical Relations for the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester. She has been involved in interfaith dialogue at the local and national level for over 20 years and has published articles on interfaith dialogue and engagement. She works with college students doing interfaith programming and in the larger community with various interfaith initiatives. How do we best navigate the challenges of being interfaith spiritual care providers? What’s essential? Denise also shares a brief overview of global interfaith dialogue.

Karl Paulnack is a queer interfaith chaplain at Cayuga Medical Center in Ithaca, NY. A lifelong musician, he has played thousands of concerts throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. He served as director of The Boston Conservatory, faculty member at the Tanglewood Music Center, and recently retired as the dean of the school of music at Ithaca College. He was an early member of the Boston Arts Consortium for Health, a healing alliance of Boston-area musical, medical, and research organizations focused on music as a therapeutic modality. Modern neuroscience and real-time functional brain imaging tell a surprising story about the profound impact of music on the brain, both historically and therapeutically.

Levi Gangi is a Coordinator for Behavioral Health at Rochester General Hospital and is a board certified chaplain through BCCI. He leads regular mindfulness groups for acute psychiatric inpatients and leads the Crisis Debriefing Team for Rochester Regional Health, supporting healthcare staff toward resilience. He wrote “the concept of mindfulness seemed silly to me at first. How is sitting here and focusing on my breath supposed to help me deal with “real life?” Once I began practicing, I realized that mindfulness practice actually helps me participate in real life. Mindfulness helps us relate differently to our inner world (thoughts and emotions) and the outer world (most of which is out of our control – surprise!).”

This Lunch and Learn will primarily be focused on how to offer worship and pastoral care to residents with dementia. As time permits, we may also discuss relating to seniors of various cognitive levels. Our presenter, The Rev. Deven Hubert, has been a priest in the Episcopal Church for 35 years. She has ministered in parish, school and senior communities during her career. She has worked at Episcopal Senior Life Communities for the past three and a half years with independent living, assisted living, memory care, nursing home and rehabilitation residents. She also has a ministry to family members and staff.

Susan Daiss, MA, MDiv. will talk about how to utilize the visual arts in spiritual care. At this virtual gathering we will look at a selection of works of art and explore together the potential for art to inspire conversation and connections.

At this virtual gathering we will be talking about trauma and building resilience in the face of a global pandemic. What does the cycle look like? What tools are available and how do we use spiritual resources to encourage resilience? What weighs us down and creates barriers to emotional and spiritual wellness? Printed by The Rev. Mary Ann Brody, ACPE Certified Educator, and Chaplain Suzanne Shady, NACC Certified Chaplain.

At this virtual gathering The Rev. Mary Ann Brody, ACPE Certified Educator, talked about spiritual distress. What constitutes spiritual distress? How do you recognize it? What interventions can help? When is it time to call a chaplain?

The Rev. Mary Ann Brody, ACPE Certified Educator, talks about chaplaincy, spiritual care and the role that Crossroads of Caring is taking to help promote effective spiritual care in community settings like yours. Our student interns are already serving in some of your clinical sites. What can you expect from them? What value do they bring to your clientele? How might they be integrated into the context where you do your work? What’s the difference between a pastoral volunteer and a professional chaplain? What is clinical pastoral education (CPE)?