About This Event
Join us for NAMI Vermont’s virtual Lunch & Learn series, held on the first Wednesday of every month from 12:00–1:00 p.m. Each session features a different topic related to mental health, wellness, advocacy, and community support.
Whether you’re a peer, family member, provider, or simply curious to learn more, these one-hour sessions offer valuable insights and practical tools in a relaxed, lunchtime format.
We hope you can join us for our next lunchtime chat!
Lunch & Learn Schedule
- When: First Wednesday of every month
- Time: 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET
- Where: Online via Zoom
- Cost: Free (registration required)
How to Participate
Registration is required to attend. Once registered, you’ll receive a Zoom link and reminders ahead of each session. Learn more about our speakers and their journeys below.
What to Expect
- Expert speakers or panelists
- Interactive Q&A
- Resources and follow-up materials
Topics will vary month to month — check back often for updates and follow us on social media to stay informed!
Join the Copeland Center for a lively, informative Lunch & Learn exploring Taking Action for Whole Health & Wellbeing—a peer-led approach that helps individuals build personalized, practical plans for strengthening wellness and sustaining recovery. Grounded in SAMHSA’s Taking Action curriculum and shaped by over two decades of peer-led expertise, this session offers a brief but powerful introduction to the values, tools, and strategies that make the program effective for diverse communities.
In this one-hour overview, participants will learn how Taking Action blends evidence-based practices, experiential learning, and peer-to-peer approaches to support whole-health outcomes. We’ll highlight essential elements of the curriculum—including wellness tools, self-care, action planning, support systems, and recovery-oriented practices—and explore how these concepts can be used in personal wellbeing or professional peer-support settings.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Identify key elements of whole-health wellness, including recovery values, self-care practices, and supportive community connections.
- Recognize the role of peer co-facilitation and experiential learning in supporting behavior change and personal empowerment.
- Name 4-5 wellness tools and action-oriented strategies used in Taking Action to address triggers, early warning signs, and difficult times.
- Explain how a personalized wellness plan can improve lifestyle, health engagement, and recovery outcomes.
About the Presenter:
Katie Wilson, MS, serves as Chief Operations Officer at the Copeland Center for Wellness and Recovery. She collaborates to support systems and organizations in implementing the Copeland Center’s evidence‑based peer group model. Katie produces the popular Doors to Wellbeing monthly Peer Specialist Webinar Series, reaching over 30,000 professionals annually. She regularly presents at national conferences and has worked with Marlboro College’s MBA program and the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation. Her educational background includes a BA from Bennington College and an MS from New York University’s Center for Global Affairs, focusing on international human rights and mental health.
About the Presenter:
Jane Winterling is Director of the Vermont Recovery Education Project for the Copeland Center. Previously, she served as Grant & Education Director for Vermont Psychiatric Survivors and as a consultant to the Vermont Blueprint for Health Project. Jane is one of the original group of people responsible for the idea and development of WRAP. These roles have given her a unique perspective and the ability to share a long history of peer advocacy nationally and internationally. Jane has experienced both sides of the mental health system and is a strong advocate for both peers and professionals, and the need to be able to reach out to each other to create systems change. Jane has also developed and offers one of our Copeland Center trainings, the WE Training. WE stands for Wellness Engagement and is a new course for those seeking to provide 1:1 and group peer support that enhances our engagement in creating a wellness lifestyle and keeps us engaged in creating self-directed structure and plans to stay well! She is an international trainer of the Taking Action Curriculum.
Families supporting a loved one with a disability face unique financial and legal planning challenges. A Special Needs Trust (SNT) is one of the most powerful tools available to protect assets while preserving eligibility for essential government benefits such as SSI and Medicaid.
In this virtual Lunch & Learn, Attorney Claudia I. Pringles will break down the purpose, structure, and benefits of Special Needs Trusts in clear, practical terms. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how SNTs work, who needs one, and how they fit into a long‑term care and estate planning strategy.
Whether you’re a parent, caregiver, professional, or simply planning ahead, this session will equip you with the knowledge to make informed decisions about securing your loved one’s future.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Define what a Special Needs Trust is and explain its core purpose.
- Describe how Special Needs Trusts help someone keep benefits like SSI and Medicaid by managing their money in the right way.
- Understand the basic steps involved in establishing a Special Needs Trust and the roles of trustees, beneficiaries, and grantors.
- Identify what expenses a Special Needs Trust can cover to enhance a beneficiary’s quality of life without violating program rules.
About the Presenter:
Claudia Pringles, founder of The Law Office of Claudia I. Pringles, PLLC in Montpelier, has focused her practice on estate planning, special needs planning, trusts, wills, guardianship, and probate since opening her firm in 2008. A graduate of the University of Wisconsin Law School and a parent of a daughter with autism, Claudia brings both professional expertise and personal insight to her work. She is a long‑time advocate for Vermonters with disabilities, playing a key role in advancing major legislation—including insurance coverage for autism therapies, licensing requirements for behavioral therapists, and regulations limiting the use of restraints in schools. Her leadership and impact have been recognized with the national Advocacy Award from Autism Speaks.
Front Porch is Vermont’s first 24/7 mental health urgent care and crisis stabilization residence offering a home-like, compassionate environment for individuals experiencing emotional or psychiatric crisis. This session will provide an overview of what a crisis stabilization stay looks like—from arrival and supportive interventions to length of stay and post-crisis follow-up planning. We’ll also discuss how families, providers, peers, and support networks can remain involved, ask informed questions, and help create a smooth transition back to community life.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this session, participants will be able to:
- Define the role of a Crisis Stabilization Unit (CSU) in mental health care, including the types of crises it addresses and the supports it provides.
- Describe the care team and services available, including therapeutic interventions and the importance of trauma-informed, person-centered approaches.
- Explain what to expect during a crisis stay, including typical length of stay and factors that influence it.
- Identify key components of post-crisis follow-up, such as discharge planning, community-based supports, and the role of follow-up appointments.
- Empower individuals and families to ask informed questions before, during, and after a crisis stabilization stay.
About the Presenter:
Josh Burke, LICSW, is the Director of Emergency Services at Northeast Kingdom Human Services, where he oversees the region’s crisis continuum, including Mobile Crisis, the 988 Lifeline call center, embedded crisis clinicians, and Front Porch — Vermont’s first 24/7 mental health urgent care and stabilization. Josh has more than a decade of experience in community mental health, systems development, and crisis service innovation across rural and urban settings. His work focuses on building trauma-informed, person-centered alternatives to emergency department reliance, ensuring individuals and families can access care in moments of need without barriers. In addition to his leadership role, Josh maintains a psychotherapy practice and serves in community support roles in the Northeast Kingdom, where he lives with his wife and children.
DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) is an evidence-based therapy created to help people develop control of their behavior, emotions, and thoughts. There are four specific skill sets within DBT that can be used together to decrease impulsivity, regulate emotions, and guide decisions. In this talk, we will provide an overview of the four skill sets and how they can be used to manage BIG emotions.
Learning Objectives
- Participants will develop a basic understanding of DBT.
- Participants will be able to identify the four core DBT skill sets.
- Participants will understand how DBT skills can be used to manage BIG emotions.
About the Presenter
Beth Salvi-Hudgins, LICSW, is the Founder of DBT For You, an organization founded in 2021 with the mission of increasing awareness of and access to DBT language, treatment, and training.
Beth graduated with her MSW from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1994 and has worked as a clinician with youth and families in NH since 1995. Beth has extensive training in DBT and trauma treatment for adolescents and young adults. She is passionate about teaching DBT skills to help people live safe and meaningful lives.