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ForwardECTIC Community Resilience Conference 2026
The 5th Annual ECTIC Community Resilience Conference is a one-day virtual educational event centered on the theme Connected for Change: Growing Resiliency Together. This year’s conference explores the role of authentic connection as a catalyst for sustainable systems change in trauma-impacted communities. The conference will open with a keynote address delivered by a recognized trauma-content expert. The keynote will establish a research-informed foundation on trauma, relational healing, and resilience-building at individual, organizational, and community levels. Participants will then attend 60-minute breakout workshops focused on trauma prevention, intervention, and postvention strategies. Sessions are designed for: Direct care providers (clinical and non-clinical), Supervisors and administrators, Organizational leaders, Educators and school personnel, as well as Community stakeholders and allies. Content integrates evidence-informed frameworks, practical application tools, and systems-level strategies to support trauma-responsive practices across behavioral health, healthcare, long term care, education, child-welfare systems, and community organizations. The conference emphasizes moving beyond trauma-informed language toward actionable relational practices that promote psychological safety, prevent burnout, repair ruptures, and strengthen community trust.
Target Audience
Nurse
Psychologist
Social Worker
Learning Objectives
1. Evaluate the impact of trauma on connection and communication at the individual, organizational, and/or community levels, and explore how healing relationships restore trust and belonging.
2. Apply practical, trauma-informed techniques for communication and relationship building that promote empathy, transparency, and cultural humility in professional and community settings.
3. Strengthen personal and collective resilience by learning strategies that support regulation, reflection, and recovery for individuals, teams, and systems.
4. Design cross-system collaboration that builds connection, highlighting how communication and partnership across disciplines, sectors, and communities foster healing and sustainable change.
5. Develop and sustain trauma-informed organizational practices that align with professional ethics, promote psychological safety, and create inclusive, connected environments where people of all ages can thrive.
CONFERENCE AGENDA AT A GLANCE
9:00 am- 9:15 am ECTIC Welcome & Opening Remarks
9:15 am – 10:30 am Keynote Address: The Biology of Connection: Why Connection is Our Most Powerful Intervention
10:45 am – 11:45 am Breakout Session A:
1. The Real Journey - How Creating Presence and Trauma Informed Practices Impacted Our Partial Hospitalization Program at Colonial Intermediate Unit 20, Kory Kutzler, M.Ed., M.C.
2. Using Trauma Informed Supervision and Reflexive Practice to Navigate Countertransference and Vicarious Trauma and Burnout, Marc Liff, LCSW, ACSW
3. Unplugged Connection: The Science of Trauma-Informed Communication with Young Children in a Digital World, Emily Wachter, M.A., Billi Jo Lombardo, BSS
12:00pm – 1:00 pm Breakout Session B:
1. Safety First: How Autonomic Biology Shapes Capacity, Communication, and Consent, Stephanie Schneider, M.S., LPC
2. Compassionate Recovery: Healing from Burnout and Trauma, Michelle Jones, LCSW, AASECT
3. A Service Paradigm to Support Children with Complex Behavioral Health Conditions, Nancy Thaler, Stacy Nonnemacher, PhD
1:30 pm – 2:30 pm Breakout Session C:
1. Don’t Believe the Hype: Reclaiming Power Through a Trauma-Informed Lens, Adrienne Dixon, PhD
2. Validation: A Tool for Connection, Vanessa Bonatto, LCSW
3. Applying Trauma-Informed Training and Programming in High School Settings, James Hodge, PhD, Charisse Nixon, PhD, Megan LaMotte, PhD
2:45 pm – 3:45 pm Breakout Session D
1. Advanced Trauma-Informed Classroom Practices, Melanie Hetzel-Riggin, PhD
2. Checking In Early: Strengthening Parent-Child Connections for Lifelong Resilience, Carrie Todd, LCSW
3:45pm-4:00 pm ECTIC Closing Remarks
In support of improving patient care, the University of Pittsburgh is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
This activity is approved for the following credit: ANCC, APA, & ASWB. Other health care professionals will receive a certificate of attendance confirming the number of contact hours commensurate with the extent of participation in this activity.