2025 Speakers

  • Stephanie is a founder and Managing Partner at Wolf & Heron, a leadership communications consulting firm. Built on a foundation of influence science and social psychology, Wolf & Heron focuses on communication through the lens of what affects how people think and act. The firm has impacted leaders at organizations as varied as the University of Michigan, Google, Pfizer, and Discover. When she's not at work, Stephanie is a mom of two young kiddos and avid yoga practitioner.

  • Jana Sanchez has an extensive background in organizational management, marketing, and facilitation. She helps organizations get clarity to know where they need to go, and which tools will get them there. She’s an entrepreneur, educator, coach, and community leader, who is committed to building ecosystems that support high performing teams making a significant impact within their businesses and communities. She has more than a decade of experience in coaching executives, business owners, and graduate students with an outcome-based philosophy. Jana also teaches a broad suite of communication skills and techniques.

Storytelling

Influential

In Influential Storytelling, you will explore when and how to use stories to both increase and convey your impact. Stories are extremely powerful as a communication tool, and when you know how to craft and deliver them effectively, you can quite literally affect how others think and act. This session is highly interactive, and by the end of the experience you will have crafted your own influential story that you will be able to immediately leverage for impact.

Understanding the Counseling Compact

Expanding Access to Mental Health Care:

  • Greg Searls is the Executive Director of the Counseling Compact Commission. He is a licensed funeral service practitioner in Wyoming, beginning his regulatory career in 2010 when appointed by the Governor to the Board of Funeral Service Practitioners. In 2016, he transitioned to an Executive Director role within the Wyoming Professional Licensing Board office.

    Throughout his tenure, Greg has served as the Executive Director for various boards, including the Mental Health Professions Licensing Board, Board of Registration in Podiatry, Board of Midwifery, Board of Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Board of Hearing Aid Specialists, Board of Athletic Trainers, and Board of Occupational Therapy. During his leadership, Wyoming enacted statutes to join the ASLP-IC, Occupational Therapy Compact, and Counseling Compact. He initially served as the ex-officio representative to the Counseling Compact Commission for AASCB until Wyoming joined the compact, at which point he was appointed commissioner.

    Greg holds a bachelor’s degree in Mortuary Science and a certificate in Gerontology from Gannon University, as well as an Associate’s Degree in Specialized Funeral Service Technology from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science. He co-authored the article "Counseling and the Interstate Compact: Navigating Ethical Practice Across State Lines," published in The Professional Counselor in the fall of 2023.

Greg Searls

This session explores the Counseling Compact and its impact on the availability of mental health providers. Participants will learn how the compact allows licensed counselors to practice across state lines, helping to address provider shortages and improve access to care. Greg will cover eligibility requirements, benefits for practitioners and clients, and the implementation process across participating states.

Whether you're a counselor, healthcare administrator, or policymaker, this presentation will provide valuable insights into how the Counseling Compact is transforming mental health services nationwide.

Opportunities & Challenges in Colorado's State-Legal Psychedelic Therapy Program

Pathways to Healing:

This summer, the first state-licensed natural medicine healing centers will open their doors in Colorado, the second state in the country to create a regulated psilocybin therapy program for adults seeking to address challenging conditions such as depression, anxiety and chronic pain. This session will provide an overview of Colorado’s psilocybin therapy model, including  practical information about what steps are required for clients to access care; training requirements for state-licensed facilitators; and how we expect the program to evolve over the next year. As part of this session, we will also explore challenges and opportunities in supporting equitable access to psilocybin therapy in Colorado’s mountain communities.

  • Tasia Poinsatte serves as the Colorado Director of the Healing Advocacy Fund (HAF), a nonprofit that works to protect and expand safe, affordable state-regulated access to psychedelic healing for all who need it. Her role involves extensive community engagement, bringing a range of perspectives, knowledge, and experience into Colorado’s policy process to set up a rstate-regulated psilocybin therapy program that is responsive to the diverse needs of those who will seek care in the licensed framework. Prior to joining HAF, Tasia conducted research and advised strategy on campaigns and causes in the US and internationally. In this role, she advised the 2022 passage of Colorado’s Natural Medicine Health Act, the citizen ballot initiative that created the state-legal framework for natural psychedelic medicine. 

  • Claudia Barfoot is an Integrative Mental HClaudia Barfoot is a trained psychoanalyst, bilingual licensed professional counselor and founder of The Land of Possible, offering an integrative approach to mind and soul. With over 20 years of experience in the mental health field, she's guided seekers toward overcoming barriers, healing trauma, and prioritizing emotional agility, compassion and community connection. Through apprenticeships with elders and immersion in indigenous traditions and cosmovisions, Claudia integrates sacred medicines and ancestral healing technologies into her integrative workealth Specialist, with a Doctorate degree in Psychoanalytic Clinical Practice, and a Master’s in Mental Health and Wellness. She is also an Ancestral Healing Practitioner, integrating indigenous cosmologies and wisdom into her practice, as well as a dedicated advocate for natural medicine.

Claudia Barfoot

Tasia Poinsatte

Decriminalizing Health Conditions

Vincent Atchity

  • Vincent Atchity, Ph.D.  is President & CEO of Mental Health Colorado. Vincent is an advocate for public health and health equity and has worked statewide and nationally as leader of the Equitas Project to disentangle mental health and criminal justice and promote #carenotcuffs. Vincent has served on behavioral health task forces under Governors Hickenlooper and Polis and currently serves on the Colorado Public Defender Commission, and the Denver District Attorney Advisory Council on Mental Health.

Too often, crisis intervention involving law enforcement is our first and only response to people’s need for mental health and substance use care.

Improved approaches to crisis mitigation and other efforts to disentangle mental health and criminal justice improve health outcomes, make better use of taxpayer dollars, and enhance community wellbeing.

Sound Bath

Gigi Turner

  • Dr. Gigi Turner, PsyD, formerly a psychology professor and psychotherapist, is now a distinguished sound bath practitioner who skillfully blends her extensive background in psychology with the timeless practice of sound baths. Since receiving her certification from Singing Bowls Immersion in 2015, Dr. Turner has founded Singing Bowls of the Rockies in Colorado Springs. In this sanctuary she has created an oasis of deep relaxation. Here, the interplay of frequencies, vibrations, and positive energy within a safe and nurturing space is designed to soothe, release tension, and harmonize the body, mind, and soul. This space nurtures a captivating and nearly trance-like vibrational journey, immersing participants in a profound sensory experience.

Experience a relaxing sound bath led by Gigi Turner PsyD, Certified Sound Bath Practitioner, and founder of Singing Bowls of the Rockies in Colorado Springs.

As a former psychology professor and therapist, Dr. Turner brings her understanding of the mind and nervous system to this immersive experience. She is joined by classical guitarist Dave Patrick.

Together, they use crystal and Tibetan singing bowls, chimes, gongs, flutes, drums, guitar, and many other instruments to create calming soundscapes that promote deep rest, nervous system regulation, and emotional balance.

KAF

Talks

The 1000-lb Phone

Becky Gordon

  • Becky Gordon is the Director of A Way Out, where she leads efforts to support individuals and families affected by substance use. With over 13 years of experience in the treatment industry, Becky brings extensive knowledge and compassion to her role.

    A certified addictions specialist and a yoga instructor, Becky combines professional expertise with personal recovery experience to guide A Way Out. She builds strong relationships within the community and beyond, ensuring A Way Out remains a trusted resource.

    Becky's dedication to continuous learning enhances her ability to help those struggling with

    addiction. Inspired by her family, Becky balances her professional and personal life, enriching

    her capacity to support others on their recovery journey. Her leadership is a testament to the

    positive impact of compassionate care and community collaboration.

Sin Justicia Social, No Hay Salud Mental
Without Social Justice, There is No Mental Health

Tabassum Siddiqui

  • Tabassum Siddiqui is a community organizer, liberatory designer, DOJ accredited immigration law representative, ethical fashion designer, integrative health coach, trauma-conscious meditation guide, and fifth-generation community herbalist. In Fall 2025, she will begin her PhD studies in Community, Liberatory, Indigenous, and Eco Psychology. Rooted in Islamic Sufi, Africana, and Indigenous traditions, she blends holistic healing, creative solutions, and advocacy to cultivate empowerment, wellness, and systemic change.  Her work recognizes that true transformation is a patient process, requiring hope, love, nourishment, and fresh energy to break free from the paralysis of systemic oppression.

    As a seasoned organizer, Tabassum leads a bilingual advocacy team and co-founded Raíces Sin Fronteras, a Latino and Indigenous-led movement amplifying the voices of marginalized communities in Colorado’s Western Slope. Their work together advances workers’ rights, language justice, mental wellness, and more, ensuring underserved communities are empowered to create lasting transformative change.

    Through Ultravivre and HAJRA, holistic coaching consultancies that she has founded, she integrates liberatory, spiritual, and holistic approaches into coaching and community care. She has led numerous healing circles, meditations, and wellness programs, fostering resilience, deep healing, authentic spaces of belonging, and transformation.

    As a pioneer in the modest ethical fashion movement, she has championed sustainability and social responsibility for two decades. Her leadership and innovative designs transformed a small international fashion startup into a multimillion-dollar brand recognized by Forbes and Islamica for its influence on the Islamic economy.

    She and her husband live on a farm in a yurt they built together, finding joy in hiking, kayaking, camping, and horseback riding with their horse, Phoenix.

Spanish Speaking
Peer Support Panel

Kenia Pinela-Marioni
Aspen, CO

Harry Canales
Summit County, CO

Mayte Burton & Cinthia Saenz
Crested Butte/Gunnison, CO

Javier Alegre
Park City, UT

Spanish-speaking Peer Support Specialists play a vital role as mental behavioral health supports in KAF Network communities.  This panel will feature professionals from four communities - sharing about the vital role they play in supporting mental health within Latino communities. Through culturally grounded conversation, panelists will explore the unique challenges, strengths, and opportunities in providing peer support across language and culture. Attendees will gain insight into the power of shared experience, strategies for building trust, and the importance of culturally responsive mental health care.

Teen Programming Showcase

Bratzo Horruitiner
Eagle County, CO

Shannon Decker
Tahoe/Truckee, NV/CA

Nadia Borovich
Summit County, CO

Jessica Parker
Park City, UT

This showcase brings together seasoned mental health professionals from four communities to explore the evolving challenges and innovative program interventions designed specifically for teens.  Attendees will gain programmatic inspiration for effectively helping teens navigate the complexities of adolescent mental health.

Community Highlight:

Driver’s License Academy

Melanie Montoya-Wasserman

&

Tabassum
Siddiqui

TriCounty Health Network, through its Community Driver’s License Program, “Cómo Obtener Su Licencia de Conducir,” is making driving easier and safer for everyone in San Miguel County by helping Spanish speaking Coloradoans obtain a driver’s license. Learn how this innovative program has allowed the Telluride community to engage and strengthen their diverse population and how today’s national tone is informing next steps. 

Community Highlight:

Jackson Hole’s Integration of the KAF SMF Survey Data

With nine communities participating in the KAF SMF Survey Project and KAF SMF Data Dashboard, utilization and integration of the results is varied across the KAF Network.  With both wins and planned improvements, learn how Jackson Hole approached their project and how it continues to inform their strategic mental behavioral health work. 

Kate Schelbe

Community Highlight:

Eagle County’s
Precourt Healing Center

Chris Lindley

When adolescents and adults experience a behavioral health crisis in the Eagle River Valley, they currently must be transported two-or-more hours away to receive care. Following the closure of West Springs Hospital, Vail Health’s Precourt Healing Center will be the only inpatient mental health facility between Denver and the Utah state line. Opening on May 5, 2025, hear from Vail Health’s Chris Lindley about what this means for the region.