Topic:
Ask any teacher how the kids’ mental health and behavior have been over the past few years and step back and wait for horror stories. The consensus is that things are bad and getting worse. Can anything be done to reverse the trend? The founders of the Ballmer Institute think so.
In 2022, the University of Oregon established the Ballmer Institute for Children’s Behavioral Health, promoting a bold new approach to improving the behavioral health and wellness in Oregon’s children. The Ballmer Institute is creating a workforce solution to the challenge of meeting the behavioral health needs of children and youth. The approach is holistic, creating a new profession – the Child Behavioral Health Specialist. This approach invests decades-long faculty and staff expertise in teacher preparation, community outreach and service, and research and development. Graduates will enter the education workforce job-ready, with deep and broad training in promotion of sound behavioral health and effective prevention strategies.
The Portland-based institute is made possible by a lead gift of more than $425 million from Connie and Steve Ballmer, co-founders of Ballmer Group Philanthropy.
Come to City Club to hear about the problem and the proposed solutions.
Speakers
Title: Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor
Organization: University of Oregon
Website: https://psychology.uoregon.edu/profile/rwe
Biography:
Ruth Ellingsen, PhD, is a Licensed Psychologist and Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Oregon, where she serves as the Director of the UO Psychology Clinic and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in psychology. In her role as Clinic Director, Dr. Ellingsen provides training and supervision for clinical psychology doctoral students in evidence-based psychotherapy and psychological assessment. She is a member of the Ballmer Institute’s Leadership Council, as well as various committees involved in the launch of the Ballmer Institute. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology at UCLA, where her research focused on factors that influence positive parenting of children at developmental risk. She completed her clinical internship and postdoctoral residency at the UCLA Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior.
Title: Licensed Professional Counselor/Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor II
Organization: Cascade Health
Website: https://cascadehealth.org/counseling/organizational-health/meet-our-team/
Biography:
Jennifer Moorhead, our first questioner, is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor II with more than 25 years of experience in these fields. She works for Cascade Health, with children, adolescents, adults, and seniors individually and/or as a family. Her areas of expertise include depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, intellectual/developmental disabilities, trauma, grief, and traumatic brain injuries. She earned a BS in Behavioral Health and Science at the University of Utah, and an MA in Counseling and Educational Psychology, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy, from the University of Nevada, Reno
