Symposium
Connections:
Understanding Trauma & Psychosis
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Valparaiso University | Harre Union
1509 Chapel Drive • Valparaiso
Multiple Ways to Spend Your Day:
Keynote Breakfast Presentation • Full Day • or BOTH!
This event is offered free of charge as a part of a public health effort coordinated by Porter-Starke Services, with funding support for First Episode Psychosis provided by the State of Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction.
Connection Counts: Increasing Dots & Building Relational Health
Community Breakfast Keynote • 8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Explore the transformative power of relational health as a primary intervention for childhood trauma. Learn the importance of empowerment and connection within and across our communities. Through the lens of Dr. Bruce Perry's Neurosequential Model, examine new metrics for success that prioritize meaningful human connection as the cornerstone of trauma-related systems.
Beyond the ACE Score: Diagnostic & Assessment Strategies for Trauma
Clinical Training Session 1 • 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Move beyond basic intake questions and incorporate formal measures into
your mental health practice. Examine the use of structured assessment
protocols and tools that can provide a clearer roadmap for treatment and
deepen understanding of your client’s experience.
Trauma & Psychosis: Different Names, Shared Wounds
Clinical Training Session 2 • 1:00 p.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Explore an overview of trauma, psychosis, and the connections they share.
Learn why understanding these connections is important and how it can
impact treatment.
Listening Differently: How to Approach Trauma in Psychosis
Clinical Training Session 3 • 2:45 p.m. – 4:15 p.m.
Learn current research about treating trauma in people with psychosis.
Understand how to approach trauma assessment and formulation and
explore evidence-based trauma treatments in the context of psychosis.
Meet the Presenters
Dr. Amanda Zelechoski (zell-uh-husky) is a licensed clinical and forensic psychologist and attorney, specializing in trauma. She is a Clinical Professor of Psychology at the University of Notre Dame and Director of Clinical Services at the Veldman Family Psychology Clinic. Her research interests lie at the intersection of psychology, law, and trauma, particularly for underserved populations. This includes evaluating psychological and forensic assessment methods, as well as working across systems to make evidence-based, trauma-informed practices more accessible. Dr. Zelechoski is board-certified in Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology and is currently the principal investigator or co-investigator on several trauma-informed capacity-building and implementation grant-funded projects for child-serving systems (e.g., juvenile justice, pediatric primary care, outpatient mental health, and K-12 education). She is passionate about "giving psychology away" through knowledge translation and dissemination initiatives, such as the digital resource hub, Pandemic Parenting and the Roadmap to Resilience and Roadmap for Change podcast projects. Her teaching, research, and community outreach efforts have won numerous awards, and her work has been featured in most major news and media outlets, including ABC News, CNN, NBCLX, The Washington Post, The New York Times, AP News, Parents, National Geographic, WebMD, and VICE.
Dr. Sripriya (Priya) Chari is a CA Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Associate Professor working across the INSPIRE, PTSD and centerspace clinics at Stanford. Dr. Chari's clinical interest lie in early intervention and providing evidence-based treatments for psychosis and trauma, as well as culturally attuned services to people from the South Asian diaspora. She trains clinicians in evidence-based assessment and treatment for trauma and psychosis. She is also involved in teaching undergraduates (IntroSem on Destigmatizing Psychosis) as well as graduate students (Clinical Perspectives on Trauma Psychology), as well as supervising postdoctoral fellows and practicum students. In addition, she leads outreach efforts into the local South Asian community with a view to educate people about mental health.
Continuing Education
Learning Objectives • Community Keynote Breakfast Presentation • Connection Counts: Increasing Dots & Building Relational Health
- Describe the impact of adverse childhood experiences on early development
- Identify ways to decrease relational poverty and increase relational health
- Recognize central components of a trauma-informed community
Learning Objectives • Clinician Session 1 • Beyond the ACE Score: Diagnostic & Assessment Strategies for Trauma
- Identify several well-established tools and methods for trauma assessment
- Distinguish between trauma assessment types and purposes
- Practice turning assessment results into clear, actionable treatment goals
Learning Objectives • Clinician Session 2 • Trauma & Psychosis: Different Names, Shared Wounds
- Describe the empirical and theoretical links between trauma and psychosis, including shared mechanisms and clinical implications
- Identify evidence-based practices used in trauma treatment and psychosis care and explain how these approaches can be integrated across both domains
- Evaluate current training gaps that contribute to the separation of trauma and psychosis treatment and articulate the clinical importance of cross-training in evidence-based practices
Learning Objectives • Clinician Session 3 • How to Approach Trauma in Psychosis
- Describe current research findings on trauma-focused treatments for individuals with psychosis, including evidence for safety, feasibility, and clinical outcomes
- Apply trauma-informed formulation strategies to differentiate trauma-related phenomena from primary psychotic symptoms in clinical assessment
- Evaluate common clinician concerns about providing trauma-focused interventions in the context of psychosis and identify evidence-based strategies to address these concerns in practice
Why Attend?
This workshop is ideal for people who work with youth or young adults, including:
- Clinicians
- Healthcare Providers
- Teachers and School Staff
- University Staff
- First Responders
- Court Services Staff
- Faith Communities
- Parents & Families
- And More!
This event is offered free of charge as a part of a public health effort coordinated by Porter-Starke Services, with funding support for First Episode Psychosis provided by the State of Indiana Division of Mental Health and Addiction.
Registration is open!
About the Living Health, Balance & Hope Symposium
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