WHAT: “A Brave New Workplace: Ending Stigma and Promoting Behavioral Health as a Key to Wellness,” the fourth in a series of conferences co-presented by Rutgers School of Social Work (SSW) and its Office of Continuing Education, and corporate sponsors meant to bridge the gap between community behavioral health practitioners and corporate human resource professionals.

WHO: Keynote speaker: Former U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy from Rhode Island, co-founder, One Mind for Research and founder, Kennedy Forum. Dean Cathryn Potter and Professor Andy Germak, executive director, Center for Leadership and Management, SSW. Public and private sector human resource and wellness representatives and consultants from organizations including Prudential, JPMorgan Chase, the National Council for Behavioral Health and the Richard Hall Community Mental Center (Bridgewater) will lead workshops.   

WHEN: 8:45 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19. Registration, 8 a.m. Keynote address, 10 a.m. Panel discussion, “Transforming Silence into Understanding and Support,” 11:15 a.m. Ken Dolan-Del Vecchio, vice president, Health and Wellness, Prudential, facilitator. Concurrent workshops, 1:15 p.m. (repeated at 2:30 p.m.) include: “What Every Clinician Should Know about the Corporate Workplace,” “Mental Health First Aid,” “A Self-Care Toolkit for the Workplace” and “Assessing and Addressing all Dimensions of Health.”    

WHERE: Livingston Student Center, 84 Joyce Kilmer Ave., Piscataway. At present, seating is at capacity but to be waitlisted, click here.

BACKGROUND: Far too often, workplaces are stressful, competitive and unhealthy environments, and these attributes cut across sectors and industries. At the same time, behavioral health conditions, such as mental health and substance use disorders, affect nearly one in four Americans. It is likely that workers struggle with these issues on the job, but the problem is exacerbated due to the stigma associated with discussions of behavioral health. If employees look for help, it is often from community-based providers not familiar with the corporate environment.