Increase Awareness of Eating Disorders

• Understand the prevalence, diversity, and complexity of eating disorders across populations, including those often overlooked (e.g., higher-weight individuals, LGBTQIA+, veterans, youth of color).

Recognize Signs and Symptoms

• Identify physical, behavioral, and emotional indicators of eating disorders and disordered eating, emphasizing that weight alone is not a reliable marker.

Build Confidence in Screening and Conversations

• Learn practical, nonjudgmental approaches for initiating conversations and using validated screening tools (e.g., SCOFF questionnaire) to assess risk.

Address Barriers and Support Motivation

• Explore common obstacles to seeking care (stigma, financial concerns, fear) and strategies for reducing ambivalence and encouraging treatment engagement.

Strengthen Referral and Collaboration Skills

• Gain knowledge of local resources, referral processes, and how to partner effectively with specialized programs like The Emily Program to ensure continuity of care

About the Presenter:

Kirsten Nielsen (she/her), RDN, LD, is a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN) and Licensed Dietitian in the state of Minnesota. She has worked in the field of eating disorders since 2000 and currently serves as the Dietetic Internship Director and Recovery Support Services Director for The Emily Program. In these roles, she develops the training content and coordinates educational rotations and supervised practice experiences for dietetics interns across The Emily Program .  Additionally, Kirsten is a part of the Clinical Expert Education Team that offers trainings to the public.

Kirsten received her bachelor’s degrees in Biology and also Food, Nutrition and Dietetics at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minnesota and graduated from the St. Mary’s/Mayo Clinic Dietetic Internship in Rochester, Minnesota. She has extensive & varied experience in providing eating disorder care as a RD on a multidisciplinary team for people across the eating disorder diagnosis spectrum. And she is particularly grateful to have been a part of expanding eating disorder services in Minnesota.

Category: CEU Events

Registration is required. After registration, a zoom link will be sent to you via email. Please make sure to check all folders and save this email so you can attend. Refunds will not be given due to missed attendance unless communicated prior to the event start.

*MNCA members can receive this for FREE in their MNCA Membership Page under Member Calendar.

Gambling Addiction and Mental Health: Recognizing the problem and

preventing harm

Objectives of the presentation:

a. Participants will learn about gambling trends, including sports and online

betting and videogame disorder.

b. Participants will be able to identify signs of problem gambling and how

they relate to mental health issues.

c. Participants will learn about ways to prevent harm from gambling and

about tools and resources that can be utilized to handle problematic

behavior.

The normalization of gambling behavior and access to forms of gambling is

increasing. The typical gambler, now younger and more diverse, can also be

affected by mental health issues, substance use disorders, and financial distress.

All of which can co-occur with problematic gambling behavior. Mental health

professionals are in the pivotal position of recognizing the signs of problem

gambling and providing services to those in need. This presentation will provide

the tools and information that counselors need to provide services to people

dealing with problem gambling.

 Sonja Mertz is the Community Educator for the Minnesota Alliance on Problem

Gambling. Sonja joined MNAPG in 2021 with a variety of skills in prevention

research, education, and advocacy. Formerly a Prevention Research Specialist

with the Minnesota Prevention Resource Center, Sonja expands MNAPG’s

outreach efforts throughout Minnesota and develops programs specifically

geared towards youth, young adults, families, and educators, while also

promoting general awareness of gambling issues. Sonja holds a Master of

Library and Information Science from St. Catherine University and a bachelor’s

degree in Sociology and Theater Arts and is a Certified Prevention Professional.

Category: CEU Events

Registration is required. After registration, a zoom link will be sent to you via email. Please make sure to check all folders and save this email so you can attend. Refunds will not be given due to missed attendance unless communicated prior to the event start.

*MNCA members can receive this for FREE in their MNCA Membership Page under Member Calendar.

"Teaching 'the Talk' - Counselors, Caregivers, and Challenging Subjects."

Objectives of the presentation:

- Identify key concepts and frameworks necessary for productive conversations with children on challenging subjects 
- Discuss skills counselors can foster in caregiver clients that facilitate healthy conversations
- Develop pedagogical flexibility for clinicians to connect and unify client's personal expertise with clinical insight.  

   Though parenting in 2025 comes with a slate of new and different trials - from overloaded schedules to social media to difficult and scary political and global changes - one of the most challenging aspects is navigating how to have challenging conversations with children... before the internet does it for you. Counselors are uniquely situated to be mentor-educators for parents who are doing their best to avoid the pitfalls they may have experienced in their childhood. By identifying necessary foundational concepts for effective communication, and developing pedagogical awareness for use in practice, clinicians who attend this session will find themselves more prepared to help their clients foster the confidence they need to tackle even the toughest conversations with their children.

  Rachel Coler Mulholland is an LPC and Assistant Professor from outstate Minnesota. She is the author of "The Birds, the Bees, and the Elephant in the Room: Talking to your kids about sex and other sensitive topics" and has dual bachelor’s degrees in psychology and human services, as well as a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling. Rachel has provided mental health skills training for children with severe emotional disturbance in a school-based day-treatment program, as well as school-based counseling for high school students and college students of varying ages. She focuses much of her professional energy on resilience development, trauma-informed therapeutic interventions, assertive communication, interpersonal skills, and self-efficacy. On her TikTok account, @lackofimpulsecontrol, Rachel is known for her honest, funny, responsible, and much-needed wisdom on talking to kids about bodies, puberty, consent, and sex."

Category: CEU Events

Registration is required. After registration, a zoom link will be sent to you via email. Please make sure to check all folders and save this email so you can attend. Refunds will not be given due to missed attendance unless communicated prior to the event start.

*MNCA members can receive this for FREE in their MNCA Membership Page under Member Calendar.

You’ve heard of mediation. You know of people personally or professionally who have used it. But if you’re like many therapists, you may not have a good understanding of what mediation is, the different uses for it, or when you might refer your clients to mediation.

This CEU is presented by Rachel Kennedy, a Rule 114 Qualified Neutral (family mediator) and Parenting Consultant through the state of Minnesota, as well as the founder of Rachel Kennedy Mediation, Minnesota’s Home for Compassionate Divorce.

Rachel has graduate level education in psychology and trauma and is co-founder and past president of a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting domestic violence survivors, as well as co-founder of the local organization The Divorce Support Collective. She is also a divorced parent who learned a lot of painful lessons the hard way, making her well-positioned to guide families through their divorce journey.

Category: CEU Events

Registration is required. After registration, a zoom link will be sent to you via email. Please make sure to check all folders and save this email so you can attend. Refunds will not be given due to missed attendance unless communicated prior to the event start.

*MNCA members can receive this for FREE in their MNCA Membership Page under Member Calendar.

Our Members asked for more ways to connect so we will deliver!

This event will be both networking AND updating your headshot. MNCA will pay the hourly fee for our photographer and tip them. You will be responsible for $60 for 6-10 guaranteed images due to our photographer at the event.

Our photographer is Katie from Katie Bakke Photography. http://www.katiebakkephotography.com/

We’ve heard your pleas for more networking opportunities, so we’re introducing this bimonthly series of online and in-person events.

Please register for this event as we have limits to the amount of people we can shoot at this event.

This is a member only event, so please make sure your membership is active.

6/22 at 1pm-4pm

Maple Grove Library (outside access for photos)

8001 Main St, Maple Grove, MN 55369

Category: Counseling Connection

Registration is required.

Our Members asked for more ways to connect so we will deliver. Join us for our second online Counseling Connection event!

We’ve heard your pleas for more networking opportunities, so we’re introducing this bimonthly series of online and in-person events.

Videoconference information will be provided in an email once registration is complete. Please check your spam and trash folder after registering as the link is sent out with in 5 minutes of completing registration.

Category: Counseling Connection

Registration is required.