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    Retention and Capacity Building

    Workforce and Talent Development

    F3 - Philadelphia Connections: 25 Years of Training and Educating the Public Behavioral Health Workforce

    Tuesday, May 6, 2025
    10:00 AM – 11:00 AM ET
    Location: 103C
    SHRM NASW CCB ACCME NY-SW NADAAC NBCC
    Philadelphia Connections is a comprehensive program empowering future behavioral health professionals through education, mentorship and community building. Focused on student training and workforce quality, it uplifts interns, practitioners and the broader system. By enhancing both the workforce and workplaces, the program drives transformative, lasting change in behavioral health. Beyond finances, it fosters a sustainable, supportive and thriving ecosystem.

    Learning Objectives:

    • Participants will gain an understanding of the behavioral health challenges in Philadelphia, including substance use, mental illness, trauma and access to care, enabling them to effectively address these.
    • Participants will acquire skills and strategies for fostering interdisciplinary collaboration, advocating for policy changes, and promoting representation and welcoming spaces within the behavioral health system, empowering them to advocate for fairness in their communities.
    • Promote advocacy and policy change.
      Participants will understand the importance of advocacy in behavioral health, learning how to use their collective voices to influence policy and reduce systems-level barriers.

      Breakout Presenter(s)

    • Sierra McNeil, MSW

      Director of Workforce Development and Philadelphia Connections/President of NASW-PA
      PMHCC Inc
      Philadelphia, Pennsylvania