This year’s Leadership Summit was DBSA’s largest and most successful wellness summit to date. The summit, which took place Monday, September 27, through Friday, October 1, 2021, featured 52 sessions on mental health and wellness and attracted 444 registrants. By comparison, Leadership Summit 2020 consisted of 15 sessions and 200 registrants.
Some of the most popular sessions were:
- “Words Matter: The Journey to Where We Are,” during which attendees learned about and discussed using compassionate language when speaking about mental health conditions.
- “The Importance of Emotional Literacy for Children and Parents,” where caregivers learned how to empower children to identify, understand, and cope with difficult emotions.
- “The Role of Creative Outlets in Participant Wellness.” This session taught attendees how to utilize creative endeavors to support their mental wellbeing.
One of the highlights on this year’s conference was DBSA CEO Michael Pollock’s keynote interview and live Q&A with three-time Emmy Award-winning actor and star of ABC’s General Hospital, Maurice Benard. Maurice shared his real, raw story of living with bipolar disorder for over two decades and took questions from Leadership Summit attendees.
With the help of DBSA Greater Chicago, DBSA Boston, and DBSA Portland Eastside, the Summit showcased fun events including a cooking class, a meditation session, and a comedy special to finish off the week.
The success of this year’s event was possible because of our sponsors, presenters, DBSA staff, chapters, and the passionate mental health advocates who attended. Thank you for helping to make Leadership Summit 2021 the best one yet!
