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IDEA Seminar Series

Mental health professionals consist of people with diverse lived experiences, educational pathways, and occupations; all of which co-exist and unite to inform policies impacting healthcare access, develop and implement treatment approaches, guide infrastructure, center the voices from the community, and ultimately to healthcare outcomes. Despite the potential to grow and learn together, interdisciplinary conversation seems often stifled by physical distance, professional and educational silos, time limitations, and shared opportunity to meaningfully engage. Despite the potential to grow and learn together, interdisciplinary conversation seems often stifled by geographical distance, professional and educational silos, time limitations, and shared opportunity to meaningfully engage.   

The goal of the IDEAS Series is to bring all these varying perspectives to the table to discuss the issues impacting mental healthcare access for all our communities, remove the barriers to dialogue, and move forward together in our common purpose of improving lives. The series is free, virtual, and open to UNC-CH faculty, staff, students, and trainees.  

2025 IDEA Seminar Series 

The 2025 IDEA Seminar Series centered on the theme “Healing through Movement & Community,” and included three seminars that highlighted movement practices from various cultures, traditions, and communities that included running medicine, qigong, and free-form movement. The series showcased the transformative power of movement and community on both the individual level and collective level.  

  • Anthony Fleg, MD (family medicine physician at University of New Mexico) led a session on how we find healing in our own lives through movement and how to incorporate movement into the work we do with patients and communities. The seminar included some gentle movement, built community amongst those present, and explored the potential for healing through movement for ourselves, and for those we serve. 
  • Soozie Kinstler (yoga and qigong teacher from Jaiyoflow) introduced the foundational principles of Qi Gong, Taoism, and Five Element Chinese Medicine through a brief presentation. The experiential portion featured a Five-Element flow and the session concluded with time for engagement and questions, allowing participants to deepen their understanding and connection to the practice. 
  • Aubrey Roze (Founder of Living Arts Collective) led a free-form movement experience that highlighted the benefits of movement as a tool for self-care and connection. Guided by gentle, optional prompts and detailed cues, along with periods of exploration, participants were invited to release tension, deepen self-awareness, and discover how movement can nurture resilience and creativity. 

 

2023 IDEA Seminar Series  

ACCESS Mental Health in collaboration with the UNC School of Social Work (April Parker, MSW, LCSW), this 2023 series was composed of four monthly sessions to discuss topics pertaining to the experiences of various North Carolina communities in accessing quality mental healthcare services and attaining meaningful outcomes. The sessions were facilitated by professors of history and psychology from local universities and clinicians of all disciplines throughout the state. Session participants included all clinical disciplines that provide primary mental healthcare services. Approximately a combined 116 attendees joined discussions that were led by faculty and leaders from various departments and organizations around the state, including NC Central University, UNC Department of Psychiatry, UNC School of Social Work, the Cherokee Indian Hospital Authority’s Analenisgi (a behavioral health and substance program), and community clinics/organizations.