Healing While Leading: Mental Health Strategies For Health Professionals

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month, this event brings together healthcare leaders, clinicians, and professionals for an engaging and transformative experience centered on mental health, leadership, and workplace culture.

As the demands within healthcare continue to evolve, so does the need for environments that prioritize psychological safety, emotional well-being, and sustainable leadership practices. This event will explore how leaders and professionals can create spaces that foster resilience, address workplace challenges, and support both individual and team well-being.

Through a combination of presentations and interactive workshops, attendees will gain insight into building a culture of process improvement, addressing psychological safety within leadership, navigating microaggressions in healthcare environments, and strengthening emotional awareness and resilience.

Our speakers bring a wealth of expertise across healthcare leadership, behavioral health, and organizational development, offering both strategic perspectives and practical tools that can be applied immediately.

This is more than a conversation—it is an opportunity to reflect, reset, and recalibrate how we lead, support, and show up in healthcare spaces.

What to Expect

• Breakout sessions focused on key mental health and leadership topics, allowing for deeper discussion, reflection, and engagement
• Opportunities to select and participate in sessions aligned with your interests and professional focus areas

Session Topics Include:

• Setting up a Process Improvement Culture Change
• Psychological Equity: Addressing Psychological Safety within Leadership
• Leading Through Tension: Responding to Microaggressions and Building Psychological Safety in Healthcare Teams
• Honoring Capacity: Building Resilient Healthcare Leaders from the Inside Out
• Holistic Approaches to Mental & Physical Well-Being

Who Should Attend

• Healthcare professionals across all disciplines (clinical and non-clinical)
• Emerging and experienced healthcare leaders and managers
• Individuals responsible for team culture, workforce development, or organizational strategy
• Behavioral health professionals and those interested in mental and emotional well-being
• Students and early-career professionals exploring leadership and workplace dynamics in healthcare
• Anyone passionate about creating healthier, more supportive work environments

Speakers

Herron Mitchell FACHE, MBA, SSGB

Topic: Setting up a Process Improvement Culture Change

Bio: Herron Mitchell, MBA, FACHE, SSGB, is a senior healthcare executive with over 15 years of experience leading ambulatory operations, population health, and performance improvement initiatives across large public health systems and federally qualified health centers. He currently serves as Chief Operations Officer at Foremost Family Health Centers, where he oversees enterprise operations including patient access, revenue cycle, and strategic growth. Previously, Herron held leadership roles at Parkland Health, where he led multi-site clinic operations, expanded access in underserved communities, and drove system-wide operational excellence through Lean Six Sigma. A Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and Lecturer at the University of Virginia, he is passionate about advancing health equity and transforming care delivery systems.

Lance Parker, Ed. D.

Topic: Psychological Equity: Addressing Psychological Safety within Leadership

Bio: Dr. Lance Parker, Ed.D., is a healthcare and organizational leader born and raised in Fort Worth, Texas, with over a decade of experience advancing clinical operations, behavioral health integration, and community-based initiatives. He has led interdisciplinary teams across healthcare and academic settings, implementing evidence-based strategies that improve outcomes and address systemic health disparities. Grounded in his doctoral research on frontline healthcare professionals during COVID-19, Dr. Parker integrates behavioral health, leadership theory, and practice to strengthen organizational effectiveness. He is the author of the upcoming manuscript, The Road to Leadership: From Wilderness to Purpose, which explores identity, resilience, and purpose-driven leadership. His work centers on developing leaders who foster psychological safety, equity, and transformational change.

Yamaceeta Thompson, CHW, CHWI, CBT

Topic: Honoring Capacity: Building Resilient Healthcare Leaders from the Inside Out

Bio: Yamaceeta Thompson is a dynamic educator, speaker, and Community Health Worker who helps individuals and communities heal, grow, and thrive from the inside out. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare, advocacy, and education, she brings together emotional wellness, belief work, intrapersonal intelligence, and practical life strategies in a way that is both grounding and transformative. Her heart-centered approach helps people break free from limiting patterns, reconnect with purpose, and move beyond survival mode. Known for her powerful presence and deeply human style, Yamaceeta creates spaces where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to heal and evolve. Her work guides others toward a more aligned, intentional, and fully expressed version of themselves, personally and professionally.

Katherine Thompson, LPC-S

Topic: Leading Through Tension: Responding to Microaggressions and Building Psychological Safety in Healthcare Teams

Bio: Katherine Thompson, LPC-S, is the Executive Director of Spero Psychological Services, where she specializes in workforce resilience, leadership development, and burnout prevention within high-demand environments. She works with healthcare leaders and organizations to build sustainable performance by integrating emotional intelligence, boundaries, and practical strategies that support both people and outcomes.

Katherine is a bilingual (English/Spanish) speaker known for translating complex mental health concepts into actionable tools that leaders can immediately apply. Her work focuses on helping individuals and teams move from burnout-driven cultures to environments rooted in clarity, capacity, and accountability.

Zoe Thomas, LPC

Topic: Holistic Approaches to Mental & Physical Well-Being

Bio: Zoe is a therapist, educator, speaker, and private practice owner based in Houston, TX, with ten years of experience supporting individuals across diverse community settings. Her professional background spans non-profit organizations, higher education, corporate environments, and private practice.

Zoe began her career working as direct support staff as a counselor and case manager until she eventually chose the leadership path and started her own virtual private practice. As a business owner, Zoe is passionate about the process of self-preservation as a founder and leader.

Today, Zoe specializes in helping women and professionals manage anxiety, navigate life transitions, and build sustainable emotional wellness toolkits. Through her workshops and speaking engagements, Zoe equips individuals with practical tools to preserve their mental health, support the well-being of others, and cultivate resilience.

Register Now!

About NAHSE DFW

NAHSE is dedicated to the development and advancement of Black healthcare leaders and the elevation of health equity through education, advocacy, and community engagement.

Visit us at nahsedfw.org for additional chapter and membership information