Mental Health Awareness
Friday, October 21, 2022 at HEC
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The Higher Education Center (HEC) is located at 1950 Siringo Rd, Santa Fe, NM 87505.
The presentations will be both live and streamed remotely through YouTube. We will send the link out closer to the event.
Please fill out this survey to let us know whether you will attend in person or remotely. We will make every effort to accommodate those who would like to attend live. Please also know that parking is limited, so if you can carpool that would be very helpful. Breakfast, lunch, and an afternoon snack will be served to those attending the in-person event.
Agenda and Speaker Bios
Morning Session
8:45 – 9:00 a.m.
Welcome and Opening Remarks from Santa Fe Community College President Dr. Becky Rowley
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Randy Mascorella – Executive Director· Special Olympics New Mexico
Randy Mascorella has devoted her career to impacting people’s lives through sports. She began her career as an instructor of physical education and moved into the coaching profession as an intercollegiate women’s basketball coach responsible for recruiting at the University of Dayton (1978-1980), Indiana University (1980-1985), and Iowa State University (1985-1989). Later, she moved on to serve at Special Olympics Iowa as the Director of Outreach and Training (1989-1992). Since 1992, Randy has been the Executive Director of Special Olympics New Mexico. As Executive Director, she is responsible to more than 3,700 Special Olympics athletes served across New Mexico. Randy plays a critical role in guiding the organization toward the realization and advancement of its mission. In addition to her role as Executive Director, Randy serves on the US Leadership Council CEO Support Services Committee as well as the Special Olympics US Programs Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Task Force. Randy has also served on the board of directors of the Center for Nonprofit Excellence, the board of directors of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Curriculum Committee of Leadership Albuquerque. She is an inspirational speaker whose audiences have included Christian organizations, corporations, state associations, women’s groups, educators, and civic and service clubs. Randy has a B.S. in Health, Physical Education, and Recreation from Bowling Green State University and a M.S. in Education from the University of Dayton.
10:00 – 10:25 a.m.
Break
10:30 – 11:30 a.m.
Marvel Harrison, PhD
Marvel Harrison brings a wide range of experiences when consulting and training. She has been a highly sought-after speaker, her enthusiasm for life easily felt while meeting the needs of both professional and public audiences. With a PhD in Counseling Psychology, MS in Human Nutrition, BS in Consumer Economics, and secondary teaching certificate she offers a breadth of diversity in the public health and education arenas. Dr. Harrison has a keen ability to support assessment of services and integrate behavioral health components throughout healthcare and education systems. She has taught college courses, consulted, and led training programs in all fifty states and internationally, owned and led an array of successful small businesses including an independent press as well as co-authored several books with multiple publishing houses. As a ship Psychologist Marvel has circumnavigated the globe numerous voyages with Semester at Sea, a global comparative study program for undergraduates. Her current
work as a Master Trainer for QPR focuses on Suicide Intervention, with specific concern for rural
America. She has served on many boards, strongly advocating for the well-being and education for
marginalized groups and families, including the NM Governor’s Task Force for Public Health, NM School
Nurse Advisory Council, and Maternal, Child Health National Program for preventing violence in the
family, suicide tract. Marvel relishes outdoor adventure whether hiking, biking, or skiing trails or boogie
boarding and long beach walks.
11:30-12:55 p.m.
Lunch
Afternoon Sessions – Mental Health Awareness – skill building
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Mental Health Awareness Workshop
Presented by the College’s Employee Assistance Provider ComPsych
Workshop Overview/Description
At one time or another, everyone experiences symptoms of mental illness. Too frequently the response
to such symptoms in the workplace is confusion, fear, judgement, avoidance, and outright rejection. This
leads to a worsening of symptoms and a deterioration of performance. This training is designed to
reduce the stigma associated with mental illness and to promote ways of supporting one another in the
workplace. The session will address signs and symptoms of distress and effective ways of providing support for coworkers. The training also will include exercises to develop these skills.
Target Audience
Any employee interested in gaining a better understanding of mental health and
supporting one another
Workshop Objectives
At the end of this workshop, you will be able to:
- Understand the universality of mental health issues in the workplace
- Recognize the most common symptoms of mental illness
- Identify the most common unhelpful reactions to symptoms, why they occur and how to avoid them
- Identify ways of expressing compassion and support to a distressed co-worker
- Recognize the warning signs of suicide
- Become familiar with “Ask, Agree and Arrange” intervention
- Identify support services and resources for all employees
2:00 – 3:00 p.m.
Betty Sisneros Shover – National Alliance on Mental Illness, Santa Fe (NAMI – SF)
Betty Sisneros Shover serves as the President of the NAMI Santa Fe Board of Directors. She is a NAMI
trained facilitator for several family education and support programs. She is the Co-Chair of NAMI New
Mexico’s Legislative Committee, attending legislative hearings to support and testify on behavioral
health bills. She is also currently on the Santa Fe County Leadership Team tasked with guiding and
directing the county’s strategic plan for behavioral health services. Betty was recently honored with a
Behavioral Health “Star” Award by the NM Behavioral Health Planning Council for her work in the
mental health community.
Betty first became involved in NAMI when a family member was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and
needed support and education to cope with their diagnosis. She has since dedicated herself to building
better lives for anyone affected by mental illness.
Betty hopes to see the day when mental illnesses are truly accepted and understood as biological
disorders like no other; and when there is no longer stigma associated with those that live with these
challenges.
3:00 – 3:25 p.m.
Break
3:30 – 4:30 p.m.
Dr. Mathias “Matt” Stricherz, DOH – New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute
“The essentials of helping a patient who has a mental health or substance abuse crisis with response
style ‘first aid’ to keep them safe”
Dr. Mathias (Matt) Stricherz is a 1976 Doctoral Graduate from Texas Tech University and his master’s
degree from the University of Guam. He is employed as the Psychology Supervisor for the Adult
Psychiatric Division of the New Mexico Behavioral Health Institute in Las Vegas, NM. He serves as an
adjunct professor at New Mexico Highlands University in the Clinical Psychology Department. He is
published articles in the field of psychology, disaster mental health, violence in the workplace, death and
dying, psychotherapy, and alcohol and drugs. He has been the keynote speaker at multiple venues and
has many presentations of papers within his professional field of psychology. His background includes
community and consulting work in specialty care centers, corporate consulting, and in criminal and civil
cases. He is a 31 plus year Navy veteran and has been an adjunct police psychologist when in Texas. Dr.
Stricherz embraces service in a global health perspective.
