Rethinking Recruitment, Retention & Resilience
Discover how your organization can tackle the challenges of increasing service demand and a shrinking workforce with field-tested, cutting-edge talent management strategies.
The 2026 OPEN MINDS Workforce Best Practices Summit will feature sessions on trauma informed approaches to sustaining top professionals, strategies for change management, rethinking compensation and benefits trends, new staffing models including fractional and contingent workforces, and trends in recruitment, including AI.
2026 Summit Agenda
New Perspectives On Sustaining Your Top Professionals
Recently, behavioral health organizations have been acknowledging the effects of working with, feeling empathy for, and having responsibility for trauma survivors. Whether this effect is referred to as vicarious trauma (VT) or secondary traumatic stress, there is no doubt that the work can influence a provider’s worldview, their sense of safety, their own relationships, their sense of hope, and their energy and enthusiasm for their work.
This presentation will challenge some of the myths of vicarious trauma, such as that work is entirely depleting and that home life is entirely fulfilling, and that there is such a thing as work-life balance. Presenters will discuss specific techniques employers can use to help sustain their top employees by growing their hope and energy in the workplace, thereby reducing turnover. Case studies will share strategies for developing skills to enhance employees’ work lives, to help employees thrive through intensity, to develop radical compassion, and to recover from crisis.
During the session, attendees will:
- Identify three myths about vicarious trauma and their alternative truths.
- List eight skills to sustain top employees and discover organizational plans to teach and support these skills.
- Identify agency structures to support providers in recovering from crisis, reducing fatigue and burnout.
Peggy Kelly, LPC-S
Peggy Kelly, LPC-S, is Chief Executive Officer of Youth Home, Inc. in Little Rock, Arkansas, where she leads strategic growth—expanding service lines and widening the agency’s geographic reach—while maintaining a commitment to trauma-informed, evidence-based care. Previously as Chief Clinical Officer, she oversaw all clinical services, diversified funding streams, launched new programs, and led a cultural transformation using the Risking Connections trauma‑informed care model.
She served five years as Director of Clinical Services at Jewish Family & Career Services (JF&CS) in Atlanta before returning to Arkansas in 2014 to join Youth Home. Peggy holds a B.S. in Business and Finance from the University of Arkansas and an M.S. in Behavioral Studies from the University of South Alabama. She has practiced in Alabama, Georgia, Michigan, and Arkansas, providing individual, family, and group behavioral health services, and has worked as an Employee Assistance consultant for Fortune 500 companies and a large hospital system, advising on policy development and implementation. Her areas of expertise include employee wellness, workplace violence, substance abuse, and conflict resolution.
Peggy serves on the boards of the Arkansas Behavioral Health Council and the National Association of Children’s Behavioral Health. She and her husband, Donnie, enjoy Arkansas’s mountains and lakes and attend concerts and outdoor festivals whenever time permits.
Patricia Wilcox, LCSW
Patricia D. Wilcox, LCSW, is Klingberg’s Vice President of Strategic Development. She specializes in improving systems that treat traumatized children and their families. She created the Restorative Approach™, a trauma- and relationship-based treatment method. She is a trainer for Risking Connection® and a faculty member at the University of CT School of Social Work and the University of St. Joseph’s School of Social Work. She is the author of Trauma Informed Care: The Restorative Approach as well as several articles. She trains internationally on trauma-informed care, has presented at many national conferences, and has recently been offering training with her colleague, Aminah Ali, on topics supporting full inclusion in the workplace. She was the 2011 Connecticut Social Worker of the Year and, in 2022, was designated a Soroptimist Exceptional Woman.
Building Leadership That Lasts: Designing Scalable Development Programs For A Multigenerational Workforce with Thresholds
Developing strong, sustainable leadership pipelines is a strategic imperative for behavioral health organizations facing workforce complexity and constant change. This session explores how one organization designed and implemented a comprehensive leadership development program that spans all supervisory levels, including senior leadership, ensuring alignment, consistency, and long-term impact.
Participants will learn how to move beyond one-time training events to build a structured, multi-year leadership strategy that includes ongoing support mechanisms such as coaching, check-ins, and onboarding pathways for emerging leaders. The session will also address one of today’s most pressing workforce dynamics: leading across four generations. Attendees will gain practical insights into tailoring leadership approaches to engage, motivate, and retain a diverse workforce with varying expectations and communication styles.
Key takeaways include:
- Actionable strategies to create a sustainable model for developing leaders at all levels in behavioral health
- Tools to strengthen leadership capacity and improve organizational culture
- Approaches to tailoring leadership training for different generations
Sterling Haukom Anderson, LPC
Sterling Haukom Anderson, LPC has worked in the mental health field for over 13 years and is currently the Director of Workforce Development at Thresholds. She has provided clinical and case management support to individuals living with severe mental illness and has developed and delivered trainings, eLearning, and consultations for both internal and external audiences on a range of topics. Sterling earned her Master’s in Counseling from DePaul University in 2012.  Â
Leading Through Change By Creating Agile Teams
Behavioral health organizations are operating in a period of constant change—from new payment models and regulatory shifts to workforce shortages and evolving care delivery expectations. For today’s executives, the ability to lead organizations through change is no longer optional; it’s a core leadership competency.
This session will explore practical change management strategies tailored to behavioral health organizations. Leaders will learn how to align teams around a clear vision, communicate effectively during periods of transition, and build cultures that are resilient and adaptable. Speakers will share lessons learned from implementing major organizational changes—from restructuring services to adopting new technologies—and discuss how leaders can engage staff, reduce resistance, and sustain momentum in a rapidly evolving environment.
Smarter Staffing: Using AI & Predictive Analytics To Strengthen The Workforce
Artificial Intelligence and predictive analytics are creating new opportunities to anticipate workforce needs, improve scheduling, and reduce burnout while maintaining high quality care. This session will examine how behavioral health organizations are beginning to leverage data-driven tools to optimize staffing models and plan for future workforce demands. Speakers will discuss emerging applications of AI—from predictive turnover risk to forecasting service demand—and explore how these insights can help leaders recruit more strategically, deploy staff more effectively, and support workforce sustainability.
Attendees will gain a practical understanding of AI-enabled workforce planning today, the opportunities it presents, and the considerations executives should weigh as they adopt these technologies within their organizations.