2025 Behavioral Health Conference
Join us for “Your Journey Matters,” a statewide conference highlighting critical behavioral health efforts in South Dakota.
Conference Details
At the “Your Journey Matters” conference, you’ll learn more about prevention, treatment, recovery supports, burnout, compassion fatigue and at-risk populations in South Dakota when it comes to behavioral health. Over two days, we’ll feature key speakers in the areas of suicide prevention, traumatic brain injury and its correlation to mental health, as well as those with lived experience in suicide loss. CEUs will be available.
Registration will open in May. Until then, if you have any questions, please email DSSPREVCONT@state.sd.us.
Hotel Information
A block of rooms has been reserved under the “SD Department of Behavioral Health” at the Sheraton Sioux Falls & Convention Center at a rate of $110/night plus applicable taxes. Reserve your room or call the hotel at 605-331-0100. Rooms available until block is full. Block rates are available for Sunday, August 3rd and Monday, August 4th, 2025.
Keynote Speakers
Kim Gorgens, Ph.D., ABPP
Dr. Kim Gorgens is a board-certified rehabilitation psychologist and Professor of Psychophysiology, Clinical Neuropsychology and Psychology of Criminal Behavior at the University of Denver.
She manages a large portfolio of brain injury related research and has lectured extensively on those issues around the world. She has a 2010 TED talk on youth sports concussion and a 2018 TED talk on brain injuries in criminal justice with 3.5M views. She has been interviewed on CNN with Anderson Cooper, NPR, and on 20/20 and her work with brain injuries has been featured in USNews, Newsweek, the Economist, People Magazine, and more.
She has a small forensic neuropsychology practice with juvenile and death penalty cases and is active in legislative and policy development around best practices in brain injury. Her research studies the reported injury history, cognitive function, and brain biomarkers of all vulnerable populations including young and older athletes, probationers and inmates, persons who are unhoused, and women who have been exposed to interpersonal violence.
David A. Jobes, Ph.D., ABPP
David A. Jobes, Ph.D., ABPP, is a Professor of Psychology, Director of the Suicide Prevention Laboratory, and Associate Director of Clinical Training at The Catholic University of America.
Dr. Jobes is also an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, at Uniformed Services University. He is the author of seven books and hundreds of articles and book chapters. Dr. Jobes is a past President of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS) and the recipient of various awards for his scientific work.
Dr. Jobes is a Board Member of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and he is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and is board certified in clinical psychology (American Board of Professional Psychology). Dr. Jobes maintains a private clinical and consulting practice in Washington DC and in Maryland.
Jamie Tworkowski
Jamie Tworkowski is the New York Times bestselling author of "If You Feel Too Much." He founded the non-profit organization To Write Love on Her Arms, born from an attempt to help a friend and tell a story.
As a two-time TEDx speaker and interviewed by Rolling Stone, NBC Nightly News, and CBS Sunday Morning, Tworkowski has inspired audiences at universities, concerts, and conferences across the United States and as far away as Australia and the United Kingdom with his passion for telling stories that encourage people and sharing what he’s learned over the last decade and a half, both in his surprising journey with TWLOHA and as an individual who struggles with depression.
Driven by the idea that caring about people has to include caring about the issues that affect people, he invites us to wrestle with what it means to live a compassionate life. More than anything, Tworkowski believes life is worth living.
Past Conferences
Click below to download the slides from previous conferences.