About our Keynote Speakers

C. Edward Coffey, M.D.

C. Edward Coffey, M.D., is a neuropsychiatrist, Henry Ford Health System (HFHS) Vice President and CEO of Behavioral Health Services and the Kathleen and Earl Ward Chair of Psychiatry of Henry Ford Hospital.

Dr. Coffey is also Professor of Psychiatry and of Neurology at Wayne State University School of Medicine.


http://www.henryford.com/body.cfm?id=38441&action=detail&ref=256

Eric Hipple, B.S.

Eric Hipple, B.S., Outreach Specialist for the University of Michigan Comprehensive Depression Center. He is a former National Football League (NFL) quarterback whose 10-year career was spent with the Detroit Lions.

As a depression and suicide prevention educator, he received the Detroit Lions 2010 Courage House award, the prestigious 2008 Lifetime Achievement award from the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and a presidential citation at the American Psychological Association’s 2006 Annual Convention.

Mr. Hipple is the author of the award winning book, “Real Men Do Cry.”

http://huntsman.usu.edu/htm/alumni-and-friends-directory/memberID=4313
http://www.depressioncenter.org/hipple/

About our Workshop Presenters

Michael Brandt, Ph.D., completed his master’s degree in education and went on to complete his doctorate in clinical psychology. He taught statistics, research methods and clinical psychology graduate and undergraduate coursework. He was the managing-partner in a Milwaukee-based private practice for over 10 years before joining the Tomah VA Medical Center in July of 1994. Brandt’s duties within the VA are to provide clinical services and administrative supervision. He is also a Captain in the Wisconsin Army National Guard – Medical Command Detachment, Senior Behavioral Health Officer for the State of Wisconsin and has recently returned from deployment in Afghanistan. He continues to teach as an adjunct instructor at Viterbo University.

Vicky Gunderson is a parent advocate for juvenile justice, suicide prevention and substance abuse prevention. She has lived through a parent’s worst nightmare, losing a child to suicide. Her involvements include: the La Crosse Area Suicide Prevention Initiative; Chairperson for the La Crosse County Prevention Network; La Crosse County Jail Ministry board; Restorative Justice Task Force of AMOS; Wisconsin Council on Children & Families, Madison, Wis.; Campaign for Youth Justice, Washington, D.C.; organizer for the Juvenile Justice Awareness 5K run/walk. Gunderson has received the National Juvenile Justice & Campaign for Youth Justice “National Mother of Distinction” award in May 2008. In October, 2011 she was awarded the Jefferson Award. She is a QPR Gatekeeper trainer and Strengthening Families trainer.

Bridgette Hensley, Psy.D. is a licensed psychologist in Wisconsin and a graduate of the Illinois School of Professional Psychology. She is the Director of the Counseling and Testing Center at University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Her clinical interests include: depression, anxiety disorders, suicide and suicide prevention, trauma and recovery, as well as gay and lesbian identity development. She has been active in suicide prevention on campuses and at local levels for the last 11 years. Hensley is a member of the La Crosse Area Suicide Prevention Initiative. She is also a QPR Gatekeeper Trainer and QPR Master Trainer for the QPR Institute.

Elizabeth Hudson is employed by the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s School of Medicine and Public Health and partners with the Wisconsin’s Department of Health Services to integrate trauma-informed care into a wide range of human service settings. In 2009, Hudson accepted the Wisconsin’s Association of Family and Children’s Agency’s (WAFCA) John R. Grace Outstanding Leadership Award for the Department of Health Services’ work in promoting trauma-informed care and the reduction of seclusion and restraint. In 2011, Hudson received the “Kindling the Spirit of Recovery” award from United We Stand, the statewide mental health consumer advocacy group. She has worked in the field of trauma prevention and treatment for 20 years as an advocate, clinician, supervisor, and administrator. As a founding member of the national organization, Coalition Addressing Trauma, she regularly participates in national discussions regarding the integration of trauma-informed care across multiple human service systems.

Ryan McKelley, Ph.D., is a licensed psychologist in Wisconsin who obtained his doctorate from the University of Texas at Austin. After an initial career in management consulting, he returned to graduate school to train as a counseling psychologist. He has clinical experience in a community mental health center, three university counseling centers, private practice, a behavioral assessment clinic, and a pain clinic. He currently works as an assistant professor of clinical/counseling psychology at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse as a teacher and researcher in the areas of behavioral health psychology, men’s issues, nontraditional therapeutic interventions, and resilience. He presents regularly on the psychology of bystander intervention.

Jennifer Muehlenkamp, Ph.D., is an assistant professor of psychology at UW-Eau Claire. She earned her Ph.D. in clinical psychology from Northern Illinois University in 2005, specializing in understanding, treating and prevention suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious behavior in youth. Muehlenkamp has published over 60 research articles and book chapters on the topics of suicide and self-injury and was recently honored by the American Association of Suicidology for her research contributions to the field. She recently published a book on treating non-suicidal self-injury and has been instrumental in designing empirically supported school-based suicide/self-injury awareness programs. Muehlenkamp is also trained in, and has clinical experience using a variety of effective treatment approaches for working with suicidal and self-injurious youth.

Debra Murray, Psy.D., is Clinical Substance Abuse Counselor, Intermediate Clinical Supervisor, Credentialed Prevention Professional, a full professor, and Director of the Masters of Science for Mental Health Counselors at Viterbo University. Murray maintains active scholarship in the areas of teaching and learning, resiliency, counselor training and supervision, and substance abuse disorders. Murray’s research and training agenda is diverse. She is a recognized expert, particularly in the areas of evidence-based practice for eliciting change, with difficult populations in hospital and clinical settings.

Pat Ruda is the Executive Director of Coulee Council on Addictions for the last eight years. She has a B.C in social work and numerous certifications in family and substance abuse education. Since 2007 Ruda has chaired the county-wide coalition changing the culture of risky drinking in La Crosse County. She is a survivor of multiple suicides in her extended family.

Debi Traeder, from Mental Health America-Wisconsin, is the statewide coordinator for Prevent Suicide Wisconsin. This grassroots organization works with prevention coalitions throughout Wisconsin, assisting with projects, coalition starting, building and sustainability, while helping to provide a network system for all to communicate with each other and provide a consistent message about suicide awareness and what we can do as everyday citizens. Traeder has been providing QPR – Question, Persuade, Refer trainings for over 12 years and is also a national Master Trainer in QPR. She brings a strong passion about suicide prevention and the stigma that surrounds it. A graduate of UW-Superior in Communications and Education.

The Suicide Prevention Initiative is a proud partner of Healthiest County 2015: La Crosse
"Making the Healthy Choice Together."

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