Exclusive Pre-Conference Workshops at MSU

Thursday, October 15th, 2026

We’re starting early with an exceptional opportunity to sharpen your skills before the main event begins! As a special benefit, we are offering three high-impact CE Workshops at no additional cost to our conference attendees. These sessions are designed to accelerate your professional development; however, because room capacity is strictly limited, pre-registration is required. Securing your session in advance via our official event portal is highly recommended, as availability is limited by venue capacity. You can select your preferred CE workshop directly within the Conference Registration Form. If you haven’t secured your spot yet, register today to ensure you don’t miss out on these bonus credits!

An Unforgettable day at MSU!

Everything for the day—from the intensive learning CE workshops to our evening celebration—will take place right on the MSU campus. After you’ve wrapped up your sessions, stay put for the highlight of the day: our Bienvenida! It’s the perfect way to transition from "learning mode" to "networking mode" at MSU with:

• Our special Bienvenida  - Guest Speaker, Anita Gonzalez

• Fantastic Food – A delicious spread to fuel your evening.

• Live Entertainment – Music and energy to kick the conference off right.

Don't wait! Head over to the registration form now to claim your seat at MSU before they're all gone!

Select the workshop that inspires you most and secure your spot today. Click here to register today, 

1:00- 4:00 PM | Leaders: Thriving on the Empowerment Journey 

Presented by:
Dr. Patricia Arredondo and  Dr. Azara Santiago-Rivera

The pre-conference Institute focuses on the distinctive strengths and opportunities available to early- and mid-career Latina leaders in higher education, especially, though not exclusively.  Discussion will be grounded in the cultural competency framework of self-awareness,  knowledge-building, and skill sets for empowered practices. Topics cover intersecting identities in the work setting, the Mujerista perspective, and cultural clashes in mostly white institutions. We will also talk about how to develop a plan for ongoing personal empowerment. This institute will be highly interactive, drawing upon individuals’ experiences to share lessons learned.

9:00 AM - 4:00 PM | Decolonizing Mental Health: Integration of Latine Traditional Healing Practices

Presented by:
Dr. Bryan Rojas-Arauz and local Maestros and Maestras of Denver

This presentation explores the therapeutic potential of three Latino healing traditions, medicine bags, peyote stitch beadwork, and agua florida, as integrative modalities in trauma recovery. Drawing on a collaboration between Dr. Bryan Rojas-Araúz, Psychologist, Speaker and Author, and local maestros and maestras, this work brings indigenous knowledge into conversation with somatic and trauma-responsive approaches to psychotherapy. Rooted in integration and reclaiming of knowledge as traditional healing practices, the presenter will reflect on what it means to be an intersectional provider that honors the historical and ancestral knowledge that our communities have always had, including cultural responsiveness and a willingness to learn from knowledge systems that have addressed trauma and healing for generations.

 1:00- 4:00 PM | Food as Method: Reimagining Knowledge Production in Latinx Psychology

Presented by:
Dr. Julia Roncoroni and special guests

A growing number of psychologists are questioning research and training models that position communities as subjects to be studied rather than collaborators in knowledge creation. This pre-conference session explores a novel methodology grounded in food-centered practices that create relational spaces where memory, migration, grief, resilience, identity, and community wisdom emerge in ways that are often difficult to access through traditional interviews, clinical discourse, or text-based research alone.

Drawing from Cocina Libre, a bilingual community-participatory project developed alongside immigrant chefs and food entrepreneurs, the session examines how food and storytelling can function as forms of accompaniment, collective meaning-making, and public scholarship. Through film excerpts, bilingual storytelling, and dialogue with community collaborators, attendees will explore how culturally grounded methodologies can expand possibilities for psychological research, clinical practice, training, and public engagement in Latinx communities. The session will also examine tensions that emerge when community-participatory and multimodal work enters academic spaces that continue to privilege written scholarship and more conventional forms of knowledge production.

Evening BIENVENIDA -  St. Cajetan  at Auraria Campus