Mental Health & Identity — A Recap of the 2025 NBA Mental Health Professionals Conference

Over the first weekend of October the National Benevolent Association’s Mental Health and Wellness Program hosted its annual hybrid Mental Health Professionals Conference in Denver and virtually for online attendees, bringing together clinicians, chaplains, advocates, and thought leaders for three days of deep care, learning, and connection. The commitment of NBA’s Mental Health and Wellness team to holistic wellness and justice was evident in every session, conversation, and moment of reflection.

Day 1: Thursday, October 2 — Welcome & Centering

The conference opened with a warm welcome from host Rev. Joselyn Spence, NBA Director of Mental Health & Wellness, and Rev. April Lewton, NBA Vice President of Development & Marketing.

“We are here to heal together, to listen deeply, and to honor every story in this room.” — Rev. Joselyn Spence

Attendees gathered for dinner and centering, and the opening panel on Grief, Spiritual Awareness and Care led by Rev. Joselyn and Rev. Lee Ivey III including psychodynamic methods for exploring grief work, followed by a robust Q&A for the speakers and group conversation. The evening set the tone for authentic sharing and community-building, creating an energy of healing that permeated the entire conference.

Day 2: Friday, October 3 — Deep Care & Identity

Friday began with morning reflection and a keynote by Hakim Asadi, LMSW, exploring the intersection of mental health, identity, and justice, especially through the lens of lived experience as a queer Black man and a clinician. Hakim invited attendees to see themselves as “the gift”—affirming that therapy and care work are sacred acts, not just professions. He challenged participants to recognize and honor their own gifts, replenish themselves, and view justice as an extension of their work. During the morning session, Rev. Joselyn Spence assisted Rev. Whittney-Marie Murphy and Joi McCreary, MFT, with an equity workshop on Affinity and Collective Joy, inviting attendees to incorporate joy directives and assessment into their work with others.

“To show up whole in a world that fragments us is an act of resistance and love.” — Hakim Asadi

The afternoon featured roundtables focused on centering the clinician and reimagining the role of chaplain in shifting landscapes, led by Rev. Joselyn and Rev. Whittney-Marie. The evening included dinner and a joyous celebration of gifts, with an open mic where participants shared meaningful stories, ‘dad-jokes’, songs, dance, and poetry. The night concluded with a restorative candlelight yoga session for renewal.

Day 3: Saturday, October 4 — Trauma, Theology, and Renewal

On Saturday, NBA was honored to host Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee, Professor of Practical Theology at Iliff School of Theology, who opened the morning session with a keynote exploring trauma-informed theologies and practice, especially within Asian American communities.

Dr. Lee began by centering the audience with breath and affirmation, then shared personal and communal stories of trauma, particularly the racialized violence and exclusion faced by Asian Americans during the pandemic and throughout U.S. history. She highlighted how trauma is not only personal but also communal, historical, and spiritual, shaped by racial tropes like the “perpetual foreigner” and “model minority.”

She pointed out how Christian theology has sometimes reinforced suffering and exclusion, but also offered a vision for healing rooted in solidarity, communal bonds, and the Korean concept of “Jeong”—a sticky, enduring connection that holds people together through pain.

“Our stories of trauma and resilience are sacred. They shape our faith and our care for one another.” — Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee

Following the keynote, Rev. Joselyn Spence and Rev. Whittney-Marie Murphy facilitated roundtable sessions exploring the centering of the client and serving in a spiritually complex world. Following the roundtables, Rev. Joselyn led a session entitled The Self-Care Sanctuary, including engagement in self-care activities. The day closed out with attendees coming together in a Closing Circle.

Key Themes & Voices

The theme of mental health intersecting with identity was woven throughout the conference:

• Hakim Asadi addressed the lived experience of being a queer Black man in the mental health space: “I work with a lot of Black queer men. Insecurity is something that we do not acknowledge, right? So we’ve reframed it to say, anytime I feel ‘less than secure’. I don’t feel grounded in this. What is that trying to tell me? Maybe I’m inferior. I’m not enough? And now I have to identify it, name it, process it, and let it flow. Asking, what do I need?”
  
• Lee Ivey III spoke about moving “Beyond the stigma” for the Black community, integrating faith and clinical care. “I don’t want to just talk about stigma, I want to think about the parts of us that embody joy as well. While stigma is very real, the mission is to re-perceive the body, not just as a container of trauma but also of joy and pleasure. Part of the work is giving ourselves permission to experience those good things, like pleasure, joy and excitement.”
  
• Rev. Dr. Boyung Lee shared insights on Asian American identity and mental health, drawing from her scholarship and lived experience. “Asian America reports high levels of depression and anxiety, limited to discrimination, yeah? We are among the least likely to seek help. Why? In many families, mental illness is shameful. … A sign to depression can be seen as a stain on our value. The trauma can feel like a betrayal.”

Closing

We are grateful to everyone who attended this year’s Mental Health Professionals Conference both in person and online. We hope attendees left with renewed energy, deeper connections, and actionable insights for their work in hospitals, prisons, and communities. We are also grateful that this year’s conference was approved by the National Board for Certified Counselors so our licensed professionals could receive NBCC hours towards their license renewals!

“Mental health care is justice work. It is identity work. It is faith work.” — Lee Ivey

NBA remains dedicated to supporting mental health professionals and chaplains across contexts. We invite our community to continue this dialogue, share their stories, and join us in building spaces of healing and belonging. Our Mental Health and Wellness Program looks forward to you joining us in Phoenix, AZ for next year’s conference, taking place October 1-3, 2026!