More than 800 mental-health and prevention professionals gathered at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale in May for the 10th Annual South Florida Behavioral Health Conference: The Power of Prevention, presented by United Way of Broward County’s Commission on Behavioral Health & Drug Prevention in partnership with Broward Behavioral Health Coalition (BBHC) and the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF).
Over two full days, national thought leaders—including former U.S. Congressman and mental-health champion Patrick J. Kennedy, narrative strategist Joseph Green, and neurodiversity activist Alix Generous—joined experts from across the country to deliver continuing-education sessions, workshops and keynotes across themed tracks: Emerging Trends; Self-Care & Resiliency; Infant & Youth Mental Health; Faith-Based Approaches; Trauma-Responsive Care & Suicide Prevention; Recovery Strategies and more. Licensed clinicians and certified professionals earned valuable CEU credits while exchanging best practices and forging new partnerships.
Marking a decade of impact, United Way of Broward County also introduced three groundbreaking programs designed to expand prevention and care across the community:
- United for Seniors – A bilingual (English/Spanish) platform that combats social isolation through virtual and in-person engagement, resource navigation and volunteer check-ins for older adults.
- Path Forward Scholarship Program – A pilot program created with the Celia Farris Foundation and in collaboration with multiple local universities and colleges, that fully funds supervision, coursework and exam fees so social workers, marriage & family therapists and mental-health counselors can complete their clinical licensure while committing to serve Broward County residents.
- Emerging Minds PhD Fellowship – A three-year, fully funded doctoral fellowship with Florida Atlantic University’s Sandler School of Social Work supporting candidates whose research advances United Way priorities in behavioral health, substance-use disorders, homelessness, veterans’ services and suicide prevention.
