Porter-Starke Services Annual Symposium moves Region mental health care forward

On Wednesday, June 17, psychologists and other attentive healthcare workers met in Valparaiso University’s Harre Union building to expand the knowledge of their practice, meet with their professional peers, and enjoy a complimentary breakfast.

Porter-Starke Services, the nonprofit behind the Symposium, has been investing in Northwest Indiana residents’ mental health for around 50 years. Porter-Starke’s annual Symposium gathers many of the Region’s premiere mental health practitioners and provides them with an opportunity to continue thinking and learning about their field of study.

Amanda Zelechoski, clinical professor of psychology at Notre Dame, was one of the event’s two keynote speakers. Her first presentation of the morning focused on childhood trauma and its effects on the developing brain, which she believes is crucial for all mental health clinicians to have a grasp of.

“If you work with older adults, if you work with young adults, if you work with teens, kids, really understanding their foundations is what helps us figure out what they need at lots of different life stages,” Zeldchoski said.

Zelechoski’s presentations at this year’s Porter-Starke Symposium weren’t just designed for those in psychological fields. It featured graphs, charts, and language that made it understandable for everyone, including attendees who weren’t mental health students or practitioners.

This was by design for Zelechoski- her presentations take months to fully flesh out. A large portion of that time is dedicated to translating studies and theories into a language that anyone can grasp.

“We don’t often do a great job on the dissemination end of research,” Zelechoski said, “and that’s really what I love, these kinds of conversations and events, because then I can translate that and say, here’s what this means for your work, or when you’re sitting across from this person, here’s what this data tells us. The community also doesn’t often have access to some of this research, so I really love events like this, because it allows us to give psychology research to the community.”

Porter-Starke’s Annual Symposium does a wonderful job of giving away the knowledge that Zelechoski discussed. Admission into the Symposium was entirely free for everyone, and amenities such as breakfast, pastries, and coffee were provided to all attendees. 

Porter Starke’s Annual Symposium is a reflection of its goals as a nonprofit. It provides the Region residents and mental health professionals with cutting-edge information in a digestible yet powerful format.

“I think that Porter-Starke does an amazing job each year of not just bringing together professionals, but bringing the community into the room to be in conversation with people who work in lots of different spaces. I think that’s really powerful about it. It’s not just people who are used to seeing each other in the same clinics or in the same spaces; it’s bringing together community members who are just really interested and passionate about these topics, and that helps us all learn from each other.”

More information on Porter-Starke Services can be found here: porterstarke.org