Claritycon2026: Full Schedule

10:10am CDT

Gentle Pathways to Regulation: Music, Movement, and Relaxation - 1 CE hour

Monday July 13, 2026 10:10am - 11:05am CDT

303 AB

Objectives:

Participants will identify how rhythm, breath, and gentle movement support nervous system calming and stress reduction. (Knowledge 5A-4, Task 53)
Participants will experience one music-integrated movement intervention that promotes relaxation in adolescents. (Knowledge 3A-7; 3A-11; Task 31)
Participants will adapt relaxation interventions for different clinical, school, and community settings. (Knowledge 3A-1, 3A-3; Task 31, 36)
Participants will identify trauma-informed movement best practices. (Knowledge 1B, 2D9; Task 2, 3, 23, 30)

Statement of need:
Music therapists need developmentally appropriate, body-based interventions that help adolescents actively relax and regulate stress through engaging, accessible music and movement experiences

Abstract:
Adolescents seeking mental health support experience high levels of anxiety, depression, agitation, and general mood dysregulation. They experience high levels of stress and emotional activation but often lack accessible tools for relaxation. This experiential session introduces music therapy–based movement strategies that help teens relax through rhythm, breath, grounding, and gentle motion. Participants will engage in practical interventions designed to support tension release, and emotion regulation, with brief clinical framing connecting the experience to adolescent development and trauma-informed practice. Attendees will leave with adaptable, ready-to-use relaxation techniques for school, clinical, and community settings.

CBMT & NCTRC Approved

Speakers

Ariel Green, LPC, MT-BC, RYT500

Founder, Peace Play Therapy

Ariel, an LPC, MT-BC, RYT500, has been providing counseling and music therapy to Texas residents. As a millennial therapist, former teacher, and lifelong learner she helps adults find peace during life’s transitions. Ariel works with young adults, millennials, and teachers navigating... Read More →

Monday July 13, 2026 10:10am - 11:05am CDT
303 AB

Breakout session

12:50pm CDT

From Prevention to Treatment: A Continuum of Care for Challenging Behavior in Autism - 1.5 CE hours

Monday July 13, 2026 12:50pm - 2:10pm CDT

303 AB

Objectives:

Describe the prevalence, risk factors, and impacts of challenging behavior among individuals with autism .
Explain the role of interdisciplinary care, including behavioral, medical, and communication supports, in preventing and treating challenging behavior.
Identify practical strategies for navigating service systems and coordinating care across providers, families, and settings.

Statement of Need:
Challenging behavior is common among individuals with autism and often leads to significant barriers to safety, education, and community participation, yet many professionals and caregivers lack guidance on how to navigate the systems of care needed to effectively prevent and treat these behaviors.

Abstract:
Challenging behavior is highly prevalent among individuals with autism and can significantly impact safety, learning, and quality of life for both individuals and their families. Despite advances in behavioral and medical treatments, many families struggle to navigate fragmented service systems and identify appropriate care across developmental stages. This session provides an overview of what research currently tells us about challenging behavior in autism, including prevalence, risk factors, and evidence-based intervention approaches. Emphasis will be placed on the continuum of care needed to prevent and treat challenging behavior, including early identification, interdisciplinary collaboration, functional behavioral assessment, and communication-based intervention strategies. Attendees will also learn practical considerations for coordinating services across medical, behavioral, and educational systems in order to support individuals with autism and their families.

Speakers

Hannah MacNaul, PhD

Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology, UT San Antonio

Dr. MacNaul is a Doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D), Licensed Behavior Analyst (LBA), and a Licensed Specialist in School Psychology (LSSP) in the State of Texas. She received her Master of Arts degree in School Psychology from the University of Texas at San... Read More →

Monday July 13, 2026 12:50pm - 2:10pm CDT
303 AB

Breakout session

2:40pm CDT

Using Music to Support DBT Skills: Practical, Experiential Strategies for Mental Health Clinicians - 2 CE hours

Monday July 13, 2026 2:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

303 AB

Objectives:

Explain how core DBT skills (mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness) can be supported through structured musical experiences aligned with behavioral treatment goals.
Apply music-based activities within their professional scope of practice to help clients practice and reinforce DBT skills in individual or group settings.
Assess client engagement and regulation during music-based DBT skill practice and modify interventions to maintain safety, therapeutic intent, and clinical appropriateness.

Statement of Need:
Mental health clinicians and music therapists need effective DBT skills because they frequently serve clients with intense emotional dysregulation, high-risk behaviors, and limited coping strategies, and must offer concrete, repeatable tools that support regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal functioning in real time.

Abstract:
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a widely used, evidence-based approach for supporting individuals with emotional dysregulation, high distress, and interpersonal challenges. Many mental health clinicians seek experiential strategies to reinforce DBT skills beyond verbal processing, particularly for clients who struggle with traditional talk-based interventions. This session introduces DBT-informed uses of music as a structured, accessible modality for skill practice. Participants will explore how music can support mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness through practical, clinician-friendly activities. Clinical examples and guided experiences will emphasize ethical integration, scope of practice, and adaptability across mental health settings.

CBMT & NCTRC Approved

Speakers

Janice Lindstrom, PhD, MT-BC

Chair and Senior Lecturer II, Southern Methodist University

Dr. Janice Lindstrom, MT-BC, is Director of the Music Therapy Program and Senior Lecturer II at Southern Methodist University. She is a board-certified music therapist with clinical and teaching experience in mental health, medical, and community-based settings. Her professional work... Read More →

Monday July 13, 2026 2:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
303 AB

Breakout session

10:10am CDT

Trendy to Be Depressed: The Hidden Reasons Our Teens Aren’t Getting Better and How to Help - 1 CE hour

Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:10am - 11:05am CDT

303 AB

Objectives:

The audience will be able to define and identify hidden rewards, which are the subconscious reasons people hold onto mental suffering rather than getting better. The audience will learn how teens are particularly vulnerable to mental health hidden rewards and that addressing them in treatment brings successful outcomes.
The audience will learn how the increase of audiovisual-based, algorithmic social media platforms (like TikTok) and AI programs have perpetuated teen’s hidden rewards. The audience will learn the connection between social media’s mental health trends and teens' limited motivation to get better.
The audience will learn, and practice in session, interventions to help teens impacted by hidden rewards. The interventions practiced will support the concept that hidden agendas are a sign a teen is suffering, not that they are manipulative or lazy.

Statement of Need:
Adults are starting to feel just as stuck as the teens they work with due to misunderstanding what it's like to be a teen in the 2020's, and due to a lack of training on how our unique current socio-cultural environment intersects with teen mental health. Cue in burnout!

Abstract:
This workshop reviews the hidden rewards or benefits a teen may get from suffering or being mentally unwell. Audiences will learn how a multitude of factors like development, the unique setting of the 2020's, AI programs, and social media perpetuates these hidden rewards in teens. This makes mental health issues like ADHD and depression “trendy.” This will be accomplished through video examples, exploring research, case study exploration, and unique activities that give the audience the opportunity to put themselves in a teen's shoes. Audience members will walk away with an increased understanding of a teen's unique experience, skills to identify hidden rewards, and tools and interventions that help teens combat their suffering and embrace a mentally healthy life.

CBMT Approved

Speakers

Leanne Foell, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Leanne is a licensed clinical social worker who practices mental health therapy with teens in Dallas Texas. Leanne has worked with teens in almost every place you can find them, this includes high schools, juvenile detention centers, inpatient behavioral hospitals, pediatric centers... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 10:10am - 11:05am CDT
303 AB

Breakout session

12:50pm CDT

From Screen to Teen: Evaluating the Impact of the New AI Virtual Environment on Teen Mental Health - 1.5 CE hours

Tuesday July 14, 2026 12:50pm - 2:10pm CDT

303 AB

Objectives:

Audience members will learn about the world of AI apps, games, chat rooms and programs, including how youth are currently engaging with these platforms. This includes AI character games, AI therapy apps, and AI search engines. They will better understand how these programs potentially interact with a teen's social and emotional development.
Audience members will learn the current research on AI platforms and their effect on developmental and mental health outcomes, including dangerous AI interactions, the creation of harmful stigma, and a need for more research on effects.
Audience members will gain practical skills to assess and address a teens online experience. The workshop will provide ready-to-use talking points, questions, and activities to facilitate interventions and conversations with teens.

Statement of need:
A critical environmental influence on teen mental health—their interaction with apps and AI—is being overlooked due to lack of awareness. It is currently unscreened in our intakes, absent from treatment plans, and missing from our clinical conversations.

Abstract:
Teens are interacting with AI and the virtual world in more ways than just getting answers for their homework assignments. Every professional or adult that works with teens should understand how new AI apps and the virtual world interact with a youth’s social and emotional development. This training exists because harmful virtual and AI experiences are happening, and we haven’t been trained on how to screen for them. Audience members will be taught how to address this new virtual environment in their evaluations, and in everyday conversations with teens. They will learn how assessing a youth’s virtual environment will create more relevant, effective, and tailored treatment for our youth. This workshop will include virtual and Ai experiences, stories, case studies, and ready-to-use skills to take home and use with teens.

Speakers

Leanne Foell, LCSW

Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Tuesday July 14, 2026 12:50pm - 2:10pm CDT
303 AB

Breakout session

2:40pm CDT

Utilizing Games and Activities in Family Therapy: Navigating Trauma, Attachment, and Increasing Caregiver Engagement - 2 CE hours

Tuesday July 14, 2026 2:40pm - 4:30pm CDT

303 AB

Objectives:

Participants will review the relationship between early traumatic experiences, the impact on development, and how this may impact family dynamics and the family therapy process.
Participants will learn how (and why) to facilitate activity-based interventions including ways to provide psychoeducation that will encourage caregivers to support activities and games within session, while working toward identified goals.
Participants will walk through and participate in activities to use during family therapy sessions which build on these concepts. Participants will feel empowered to engage their clients and families in a fun and healing way.

Abstract
This presentation is designed to provide the tools needed for therapists and mental health providers to feel empowered engaging their clients and families in fun, connecting, and healing ways. Presenters will review the neurobiological impact of trauma as it relates to development and attachment, and how this influences the therapeutic environment when working with children, adolescents, and their families. Participants will learn about the benefits of utilizing games and activity-based interventions during the therapy process to enhance engagement and connection, assess the family system, build and practice skills, and how this can pave the way for further growth. Presenters will address ways to provide psychoeducation and increase caregiver buy-in throughout this process. This presentation will provide

CBMT & NCTRC Approved

Speakers

Analyssa Carlson, LPC, NCC

Therapist, San Marcos Treatment Center

Analyssa Carlson is currently a clinical mental health therapist at the San Marcos Treatment Center tending to children, adolescents, and families. Analyssa began her journey with SMTC back in 2019 during graduate school and has continued to feel led helping kiddos and families navigate... Read More →

Ragan Aaron, LPC-S, RPT-S, CCTP

Director of Clinical Services, San Marcos Treatment Center

Ragan Aaron, LPC-S, RPT-S, CCTP, TBRI Practitioner, is the Director of Clinical Services at the San Marcos Treatment Center. In this role she is responsible for the training and supervision of the clinical therapists and the therapeutic treatment delivered to patients. This includes... Read More →

Tuesday July 14, 2026 2:40pm - 4:30pm CDT
303 AB

Breakout session