Call for Presentations

We look forward to bringing our 24th annual Community Mental Health Conference to the community on Saturday, May 16, 2026!

This year our conference is entitled “Alone Together: Confronting Loneliness Across the Lifespan.” We are looking for inspiring, empathetic, and community-oriented experts to join our mission and present during our conference!

Apply to be a presenter if you:

• Are looking for a way to give back to the profession or the community
• Enjoy learning from others
• Are looking to build your network
• Want to pilot your work in a small setting
• Appreciate complimentary conference attendance

Proposals should clearly reflect applicability to this year’s theme of loneliness and include clear learning objectives. We welcome submissions from presenters with lived experience or professional expertise who can offer insight, practical strategies, and/or inspiration for fostering connection and belonging. Topics may focus on specific populations or identities, or address loneliness from a broader perspective, across different stages of life, within relationships, families, schools, workplaces, or communities.

We are especially interested in presentations that invite engagement and inclusiveness among our diverse attendees and that offer fresh and accessible content. While many participants are mental health professionals seeking evidence-based and best practice tools to inform their work, others come from varied backgrounds and are novice learners. Please use approachable language that avoids excessive jargon, acronyms, or obscure technical terms when writing your session description.

All breakout sessions will be one hour long (includes presentation and Q&A) and will take place in the afternoon. Session presenters receive full day conference registration, CEUs as eligible, continental breakfast, lunch, and are featured on the conference webpage, social media, and in printed conference materials. Session presenters may choose to share business cards/flyers on a shared community resource table. Presenters are encouraged to attend and take part in the full conference, culminating with an optional networking session immediately following the final breakout. There is no direct financial compensation.

Applications are currently being accepted and breakout proposals are due no later than Saturday, January 31, 2026. Poster proposals will be accepted until Friday, April 17, 2026.

Breakout session presenters must provide all necessary information by Saturday, February 28, 2026 for the presentation to be eligible for CEU consideration.

Applications are reviewed on a continuous basis. Accepted applicants will be asked to provide the following information:

• Formal brief biography
• Professional photo
• CV/Resume
• Optional
  • Desired links for websites
  • Social media links

Members of the NRCI team will be happy to assist selected presenters with meeting all requirements, including identification/verification of current, peer reviewed references in APA format.

Posters should be relevant to the conference theme and may focus on experimental or applied research, innovative practice or intervention, literature review, etc. Please plan to present your poster to a general audience. Attendees will be from diverse professional backgrounds and may not be familiar with the terminology of your specific field. Posters should be visually appealing and easily readable.

Poster presenters receive full day conference registration, continental breakfast and lunch and will be referenced on the conference webpage and in printed conference materials. Presenters are encouraged to attend and take part in the full conference, culminating with an optional networking session immediately following the final breakout.

If you wish to discuss your presentation ideas or have any questions prior to submitting an application, please contact us via email at NRCInstitute@thechicagoschool.edu.

Join our efforts to destigmatize mental health by contributing your knowledge and experiences. We look forward to working with you!

The Naomi Ruth Cohen Institute (NRCI) for Mental Health Education at The Chicago School provides resources, hope, and community to those who face/fight the stigma of mental illness and those who support them. Through partnerships and collaborations with community-based organizations and other entities, NRCI raises awareness of the impact and consequences of mental health diagnoses on an individual and community scale. NRCI hosts an annual community mental health conference as well as providing mental health education programs, trainings, and presentations to the greater Chicagoland community throughout the year.