IMPACT COLLABORATIVE REPLAY
COVID-19 is having an extraordinary mental and emotional impact on women and girls. Job losses, isolation, distance learning, increasingly active roles as caregivers, domestic violence, and other socio-economic issues associated with the pandemic are adding stress and anxiety to our lives, with women reporting more significant increase in depression than men.
Join us on November 5th to discuss how COVID-19 is affecting different generations of women, from children and teenagers, to adults, working mothers and senior citizens. Our expert panel will share potential solutions and paths to resilience.
SPEAKERS
Sandy Skelaney is the Executive Director of Mindful Kids Miami and Adjunct Lecturer at Florida International University’s Center for Women’s and Gender Studies. For the last 20 years, Sandy has been mindfully building and improving programs in the social impact space focused on victim-services, public policy and educational initiatives.
Sandy is recognized for spearheading Florida’s response to sexually trafficked minors with the creation of Project GOLD at Kristi House in 2007; an effort which resulted in the development of the state’s first specialized multi-disciplinary response to child trafficking and continues to provide comprehensive services to hundreds of trafficked children in Miami. She’s a prolific trainer, public speaker and consultant. A former TEDxMiami speaker, herself, she now volunteers as the Speaker Director for TEDxMiami and sits on the Board of Directors of Hanan Arts.
Sandy credits 20 years of mindfulness and meditation practice with developing a foundation for designing human-centered programs as well as the resiliency needed to thrive through personal and professional challenges.
Suzy Schumer
Suzy Schumer is a licensed clinical social worker who has worked in the mental health and child welfare field for the past 28 years. She began her career as a case manager and then a therapist working with children and adolescents who were in foster care or who were at risk of being placed in foster care. She has extensive training and experience in the assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and adults.
For the past 20 years, Suzy has been in leadership/executive management roles with a focus on helping to improve the lives of others. Suzy is currently the Chief Executive Officer at Institute for Child and Family Health, Inc. (ICFH). ICFH is a non-profit organization that has been providing prevention and behavioral health services to children and families in the South Florida community since 1945.
Suzy is qualified to train in Motivational Interviewing and she completed 2 years of training in Child-Parent Psychotherapy, an evidenced-based dyadic therapy model that focuses on helping to strengthen the relationship between the child and parent/primary caregiver. In addition, Suzy is a State of Florida Qualified Clinical Supervisor and has provided clinical supervision to therapists for more than 24 years.
Suzy also served as the Vice President of the Board of Directors for Whispering Manes Therapeutic Riding Center from 2012-2015. The mission of Whispering Manes is to benefit children and adults with special needs or disabilities by offering them the opportunity to interact with dedicated horses in a manner that promotes physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Dr. LaTasha Russell is a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan. She received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology in Berkeley, California, twelve years after graduating from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia. Immediately after receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Spanish and Pre-medicine, Dr. Tasha relocated to Houston, Texas where she was a 5th grade Math teacher and 7th grade Spanish teacher at the original KIPP Academy. Then, ironically at the age of 24 years old, she became an elementary school principal. However, soon after Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, Dr. Tasha was asked to contract for FEMA on the disaster relief team and four years later, in 2009, she found herself on the West Coast in graduate school.
Today, she is the President of The Association of Black Psychologists, South Florida Chapter. She has provided therapeutic sessions in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Chicago, Virginia, Washington D.C., Singapore, Japan and in South Florida where she now resides. She has worked in hospitals, drug and alcohol rehabilitation facilities, battered women’s shelters, lock-down detention centers, and community mental health agencies. She has proven herself to work effectively with individuals that people judge, such as prostitutes, pastors, and the police. She was also an Adjunct Professor at the South Florida Bible College and Theological Seminary, where she taught clergymen and women about Mental Health First Aid. Now, Dr. Tasha is a Relationship Coach for professional athletes and their significant others.
Dr. Tasha has a Live Talk Show every 1st Thursday at Krave Restaurant and Lounge in Sunrise, Florida with a Stand-up Comedian. This is the only talk show where the guests are selected right out of the audience. In addition, Dr. Tasha has created a Speed Dating Events to help progressive singles date with more integrity and authenticity. Dr. Tasha used to have a live radio show every Saturday at midnight on WAVS 1170 am and has appeared monthly with a panel of experts on Hot Talk with Jill Tracey on Miami’s Hottest Radio Station, Hot 105 FM. At 39 years old, with her sharp shooting style and her voice of accountability, Dr. Tasha has helped to dispel the myths of talking to a professional about what goes on behind closed doors. The Miami Herald recognized her as one of the Top 40 Leaders under 40 in 2018. As seen on CBS4 Miami, Dr. Tasha specializes in getting to the core of an issue quickly, which she calls “Drive-by Therapy.” You can reach her on social media @doctoratasha or on her website: drivebytherapy.org
Chrystine Kopcsik, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker who has expertise providing education, coaching, counseling and case management for individuals with neurocognitive disorders and their caregivers. She is a graduate of Barry University, completing her Masters of Social Work degree in 2002, as well as her clinical social work license. She has provided social work services in both assisted living and medical/dialysis settings, and has experience overseeing dementia adult daycare, dementia-related activities, and brain fitness. She began her career at Miami Jewish Health in 2002, left for a short time in 2011, and happily returned again to the MIND Institute in 2016. Ms. Kopcsik is the MIND Institute’s Clinical Social Worker / Memory Disorder Clinic Coordinator. She is a Brain Fitness Coach and oversees the Meaningful MINDs Brain Fitness Program and the Girsh Cognitive Enrichment Program.
Patricia A. Ares-Romero, MD, is Chief Medical Officer of Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital, an 180,000-square-foot mental health hospital located in Miami-Dade County, affiliated with the world-class Jackson Health System, one of the nation’s largest public health systems. Dr. Ares-Romero is responsible for managing the day-to-day clinical operations at Jackson Behavioral Health.
She has been a part of the Jackson Health System family for many years. Dr. Ares-Romero completed training and residency in psychiatry at University of Miami-Jackson Memorial Medical Center. Since becoming the CMO she has implemented many programs throughout the health system to improve patient outcomes. She pioneered the first Medication Assisted Treatment Clinic at Jackson Behavioral Health Hospital; she also piloted a medical home model (integrated behavioral health), and treatment resistant clinic among other healthcare initiatives. She has a passion for the severely mentally ill, treatment resistant depression and substance use disorders. She believes that recovery is possible for all patients. Dr. Ares-Romero possesses the leadership skills necessary to work in conjunction with colleagues, staff, and community stakeholders to improve patient outcomes with an innovative approach to create a vision for the future of behavioral health.
She is double board certified; a diplomat of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, and a diplomat of American Board of Preventive Medicine as a specialist in Addiction Medicine. She serves as a board member for the Dade County Medical Association, The National Alliance on Mental Illness, she was appointed by Mayor Jimenez to The Miami-Dade County Opioid Addiction Task Force, and she is the current Chairperson for the Addiction Advisory Board for Miami-Dade County. She also serves on the Health Impact Council for the United Way Miami-Dade County.
She is has been awarded grants through SAMHSA, BJA, and FADAA. She has received numerous awards most recently “Woman of Inspiration Award 2019” and “Most Powerful Women in Healthcare Award 2017”. She also serves as Associate Professor for the University Of Miami School Of Medicine for both the Department of Psychiatry and Department of Anesthesiology – Pain Medicine Fellowship. She is also serves as Clinical Professor of Psychiatry for Ross University, St. Georges University and American University of the Caribbean.
Dr. Ares-Romero is a national speaker and has been invited to address local and national groups including mental health professionals, corporate leaders, administrators, healthcare providers, and judges. She has been interviewed as a board certified specialist by U.S. News and World Report, The Miami Herald, The Washington Post, Voices of America, Babel Press, WSVN News, NBC News, NBC6 Miami, CBS, NPR, Univision National, Despierta America, Dr. Juan, Telemundo, Mega TV, and Univison Radio.
