Junior League of Longview’s mental health workshop aims to empower professionals
An upcoming mental health workshop in Longview aims to connect educators and other professionals with mental health resources to help people in need. The Junior League of Longview will hold […]
Published 5:30 am Saturday, August 1, 2026An upcoming mental health workshop in Longview aims to connect educators and other professionals with mental health resources to help people in need. The Junior League of Longview will hold its RISE Conference on Aug. 4 at the LeTourneau University Belcher. Doors will open at 7 a. m. , and the keynote address begins at 8 a. m. The event will conclude at 11 a. m. The event will help educators, healthcare professionals, social workers, nonprofit organizations and more community leaders learn about the various mental health resources available in the area, said Elizabeth Rodriguez, chair of the conference. The theme of the event is “Empowering Change Through Community. ” The goal: to give professionals the tools they need to help people rise above mental health challenges. “We want to bring that hope, resilience and that belief that these types of programs can have that lasting change,” Rodriguez said. This year’s event replaces the organization’s long-running annual Poverty Conference, which connected professionals with resources to help people in poverty. This year, Junior League leaders wanted to address mental health issues, which are a leading root cause of poverty. Email newsletter signupIn East Texas, numerous mental health resources are available to help youth, adults and seniors — but not everyone knows about them. Many of those organizations will have representatives on hand during the event to talk with attendees about their services. “Whoever comes through those doors, there’s going to be multiple resources that they can have access to,” Rodriguez said. The conference is geared toward helping teachers, counselors, other educators and social workers who interact with struggling youth, Rodriguez said. “You just see more and more cases of the youth being affected in their mental health based on either their home environment or peer pressure or social media,” Rodriguez said. This year’s keynote speakers will be Dr. Julia Garcia, a psychologist and TEDx speaker who authored the book “The Five Habits of Hope,” and the Rev. Dr. Evan Dolive, executive director of the Greater Longview United Way. After hearing the keynote addresses, attendees can choose one of three breakout sessions to attend. Educators who attend the full event can receive six hours of continuing education credits, Rodriguez said. People seeking to attend the conference must purchase tickets online at the Belcher Center website at tinyurl. com/jllv2026. “We want people to know that, through resilience and hope, you can rise up from whatever rock bottom that you’re at to know that somebody’s by your side to help you get through it,” Rodriguez said.