Pathways to Hope 2025

A CONFERENCE HOSTED BY

NAMI Main Line PA & NAMI National

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Chapel of The Good Shepherd, Yeadon, PA

Life in Christ Ministries, Chester, PA

St. James United Church of Christ, Havertown, PA

Tikvah | Empowering Adults with Lived Experience of Mental Illness

SUPPORTED BY

Archdiocese of Philadelphia – Office for Persons with Disabilities & the Deaf Apostolate

First Presbyterian Church of Lansdowne

Or Zarua

St. James United Church of Christ
135 Myrtle Avenue, Havertown, PA

Free-of-charge
Continental breakfast and lunch provided

Register here
NAMI Pathways to Hope Conference 2025

Join us for a two-day conference focused on the intersection between faith and mental health.

What do leaders and members of faith communities need to know about mental health challenges? What can leaders and members of faith communities do to help those affected?

We will hear from national and local mental health professionals, faith leaders, and people with lived experience. Join us for in-depth discussions, sharing of insights, and the building of meaningful partnerships.

 

Conference Schedule: Friday, August 22
9:00 – 9:30 am	Registration/continental breakfast/networking and fellowship
9:30 – 9:45 am	Welcome, Logistics & Words of Inspiration
9:45 – 11:45 am	NAMI National Program: Plenary Introductions & Sessions
	National Welcome Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO, NAMI
	Welcome & Opening Remarks Jeff Fladen, MSW, President, NAMI National Board of Directors
	Innovation & Collaboration Darcy Gruttadaro, JD, Chief Innovation Officer, NAMI
	Young Leaders: Faith, Spirituality & Community Imaan Siddiqi, Member, NAMI National Board of Directors
	I Saved This Word for You & For a Chance to Dream Trey Baker, 3x Emmy-nominated Spoken Word Artist, Author, and Arts Educator
	Introduction of Speakers Dawn L. Brown, Director, CCIE, NAMI
	The Value and Importance of Collaboration Ben O’Dell, Sr. Advisor, Center for Faith, U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services
	Integrating Body, Mind & Spirit for Mental Health Dr. Marc Halpern, Founder, College of Ayurveda
11:45 am – 1:00 pm	Lunch & discussion groups
1:00 – 4:00 pm	Local Program: What Do Leaders and Members of Faith Communities Need to Know?
1:00 – 1:45 pm	Mental Health 101: Signs, Symptoms, Diagnoses Linda Rattliff, MS, RN, MFT, Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse; Marriage and Family Therapist
1:45 – 2:30 pm	Mental Health 101: Treatment, Therapeutic Support, Medications Erika Dawkins, PsyD, MEd, Assistant Professor, Widener University; Clinical Director, Chester Community Coalition
2:30 – 2:45 pm	Break
2:45 – 3:30 pm	Community Resources Panel: Finding Help in a Patchwork System Abby Gilbert, Executive Director, Tikvah| Empowering Adults with the Lived Experience of Mental Illness Edie Mannion, LMFT Maryjane Minnick, Assistant Physical Therapist; Member, NAMI Family Support Group Dickie Robbins, MSS, LSW, Senior Pastor, Life in Christ Ministries; Community Resource Hub Director, Chester Education Foundation Robert Wenger, MD, Psychiatrist
3:30 – 3:45 pm	Wrap-up Discussion: What have we learned? What do we need to know?
3:45 – 4:00 pm	Evaluation

Conference Schedule: Saturday, August 23
9:00 – 9:30 am	Registration/continental breakfast/networking and fellowship
9:30 – 9:45 am	Welcome, Logistics & Words of Inspiration
9:45 – 11:45 am	NAMI National Program: Plenary Introductions & Sessions
	National Welcome Daniel H. Gillison, Jr., CEO, NAMI
	Expanding Impact: Advancing Mental Health Equity Through Faith & Spirituality Stephanie Robertson, J.D., Director, Mental Health Equity Innovation, NAMI Dr. Laklieshia Izzard, 2nd Vice President, NAMI National Board of Directors
	A Letter to Stigma Srihitha Dasari, Nadiyah Fisher, Caitlyn A. Jennings Anuj Gandhi, Members, NAMI Next Gen
	Sharing Hope Community Conversations Dawn Brown, Director, CCIE, NAMI
	Café Con Ella & Our Beautiful Walk Sharing Hope Series Videos
	Bridging to Spiritual Wellness Doug Beach, Executive Director, NAMI Greater San Antonio
	Guided and Grounded: Spirituality as a Protective Factor for Families Gina Newsome Duncan, MD, FAPA, The Steve Fund
	When the Well Runs Dry Reverend Dr. Dawnn Pirani M. Brumfield
11:45 am – 1:00 pm	Lunch & discussion groups
1:00 – 4:00 pm	Local Program: What Can Leaders and Members of Faith Communities Do?
1:00 – 2:30 pm	The Impact of Stigma and Religious and Spiritual Teachings on Mental Health Care Dickie Robbins, MSS, LSW
2:30 – 2:45 pm	Break
2:45 – 3:15 pm	Self-Care: Healing for the Healers Maureen Graham, LPC, MS, NCC
3:15 – 3:45 pm	Break-out Discussion Groups: What struck me in this conference? What can I take back to my family, friends, and community? What do I want to know more about?
3:45 – 4:00 pm	Wrap-up and evaluation

Speaker Bios

Erika Dawkins, PsyD, MEd

Erika M. Dawkins, PsyD, MEd is currently a tenure track Assistant Professor at Widener University and the Clinical Director for Chester Community Coalition, both in Chester, PA. In 2014, she completed her Doctorate of Psychology (PsyD) in Clinical Psychology and Master of Education (MEd) in Human Sexuality at Widener University, as part of one of their dual degree programs. While at Widener, Dr. Dawkins also completed the necessary training in school psychology and is a certified school psychologist in the state of Pennsylvania. She received her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Howard University in 2008, graduating magna cum laude.

Dr. Dawkins’ clinical and research interests include minority identity development, microaggressions, intersectionality, grief, trauma, couples therapy, sexuality, and more recently, the impact that social media has on self-image and the development and maintenance of intra- and interpersonal relationships. In supporting young minorities around having positive, healthy relationships, Dr. Dawkins has had the opportunity to speak with many groups around the various challenges they may face and how to navigate them. She has a passion for working with brown women and couples who are seeking to develop and maintain strong, healthy intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships. Often using her own life story to motivate and encourage those she encounters, her belief is that transparency and communication are the keys to making the connections we desire.

In 2019, Dr. Dawkins opened her boutique therapy, consulting and coaching firm, Revolutionary Perspectives, LLC. Her life philosophy and objective as the owner of Revolutionary Perspectives, LLC is to “Encourage radical change. Inspire far-reaching impact.”

Dr. Dawkins enjoys decorative planning/journaling, attending live music events, lifting weights, and traveling. She credits her success thus far to her run full speed ahead attitude, knowing that even if she trips, she can always get back up and get back at it.

Abby Gilbert

Abby Gilbert is the Executive Director of Tikvah| Empowering Adults with the Lived Experience of Mental Illness. Abby has a wealth of knowledge and experience in the Philadelphia nonprofit community, with particular expertise in community organizing and planning, experiential education, and lay/professional relations. Prior to joining Tikvah, Abby managed the Northeast Naturally Occurring Retirement Community (NORC) and had been the director of KleinLife in Northeast Philadelphia, a community resource center dedicated to helping families, seniors, and youths with programs and services.

Abby’s volunteer roles in the community have included membership on the City of Philadelphia Police District Advisory Board; board service at the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center; and board service with the Northeast Sunrisers Rotary Club. Abby holds a BA in Communications from Temple University where she also did graduate work in Public Administration. She has a Master’s degree in Jewish Communal Service from Gratz College. Abby resides in Jenkintown, PA with her husband, Gary Freedman. Abby and Gary have two grown daughters.

Maureen Graham, LPC, MS, NCC

Maureen Graham LPC, MS, NCC is a licensed mental health counselor specializing in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and integrates Internal Family Systems into her clinical work. She works with individuals and couples navigating anxiety, trauma and relational challenges. She is passionate about supporting fellow helpers in tending to their own well-being while holding space for others. In both her professional and personal life, as a wife and mother of two sets of twins, she understands the complexity of burnout, compassion fatigue and the sacredness of restoration and self-compassion as they relate to living out her faith and serving others well.

Edie Mannion, LMFT

Edie Mannion is a PA licensed marriage and family therapist who has worked with families, couples, groups and individual adults since 1982. She received her Master’s Degree in Family Therapy from Hahnemann University School of Allied Health Professions in 1982, with a specialty in contextual family therapy.  She was intensively trained by Marsha Linehan in 2002 and certified in schema therapy in 2018.

Edie is currently providing the following virtual services: Family consultation/coaching, educational family support groups, and therapy for individuals, couples and families. Her work is informed by DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), schema therapy, mental health recovery and coping/adaptation models, as well as the Gottman method for couples. She currently offers two monthly online educational support groups: One for adult daughters, sons and siblings of people with mental health disorders and one for parents estranged from adult daughters/sons.

From 1985 to 2021 Edie helped develop and study educational interventions for families of adults with mental health conditions funding from the City of Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health and Intellectual Disability Services (DBHIDS).  This work resulted in journal articles/book chapters and training in ways to enhance treatment with family education and inclusion.

Maryjane Minnick

Maryjane Minnick is the loving mother of six children and nine grandchildren. She and her husband Jim have been longtime members of the Havertown NAMI Family Support Group and substitute group co-facilitators. They are also highly active members of their parish church and involved with several ministries and groups, including Mary Mother of Captives.

In addition to working as an assistant physical therapist, Maryjane has a lifetime of lived experience and advocacy in the mental health arena.  For decades she has walked beside her brother and sons along their journeys with mental health challenges.   Sustained primarily by her faith, she has a hard-earned wealth of personal knowledge of both public and private systems of support and treatment.  She is a trusted voice of wisdom and source of compassion and inspiration for all who know her.

Linda Allen Rattliff, MS, RN, MFT

Linda Allen Rattliff is a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse and Marriage and Family Therapist. She graduated from Northern Illinois University and the University of Illinois @ Chicago with degrees in Nursing and Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing. Linda has worked at several psychiatric institutions in Chicago, Illinois and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute, Friends Hospital and the Belmont Behavioral Health System. She has recently retired from The Renfrew Center, a treatment facility for women with eating disorders.

Having a longstanding interest in psychology and relationships, Linda fulfilled a goal of becoming a marriage and family therapist, training at the Family Institute of Philadelphia. She worked in a group practice with Friends Professional Associates and went on to private practice.

Linda is a loving wife, mother, grandmother and pet parent to an energetic Yorkie Poo. She enjoys crocheting, knitting and puzzles of all kinds. Linda is an active member of her church, The Chapel of the Good Shepherd in Yeadon, PA.

Dickie Robbins, MSS, LSW

Dickie L. Robbins is currently the senior pastor at Life in Christ Ministries and Community Resource Hub Director at the Chester Education Foundation, both in in Chester, Pennsylvania. As founder of Life in Christ Ministries, Dickie has led that church since1985. Dickie received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Delaware in 2020 and his Master of Social Service degree from Bryn Mawr College’s Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research in May of 2024. He took and passed the LSW exam in April of 2024.

Through his work as a pastor, Dickie has established a number of outreach ministries that serve the Chester community. Among them are Set Free Ministry (an addictions support group and counseling service), L.I.F.E. Team (a weekly feeding outreach to the unhoused population in Chester), and Grief Share (a support group for those who are grieving the loss of loved ones).

As Community Resource Hub Director, Dickie divides his time between providing direct counseling services and directing a team that connects clients to needed resources available throughout Delaware County. To facilitate this operation, the Community Resource Hub utilizes an online directory called Delco Resources. This directory has over 600 listings that can be accessed from the Community Resource Hub or anywhere people have internet access. Through his work at the Chester Education Foundation, Dickie has established several key relationships with Widener University. This has led to guest lecturing opportunities and the opportunity host Widener students for their field placements.

Dickie has been privileged to work with municipal, state, and federal elected officials in order to garner resources needed to serve individuals and families in and around Chester. His work has been acknowledged and cited by officials on the state and municipal levels.

Dickie has been married to his wife Tina for 41 years and they have three daughters, nine grandchildren, and one great granddaughter. For Dickie, family is everything. They are his inspiration and the reason for his passion to serve.

Robert E. Wenger, MD

Robert E. Wenger, MD is a University of Pennsylvania (Penn)-trained psychiatrist with a long-standing interest in the delivery of care in the public sector.  He has served in various roles, including psychiatric hospitalist, director of inpatient services, and Associate Director at Penn Student Health and Counseling Services. He has led an adolescent program for youth with behavioral issues and a residential rehabilitation program for adults with serious mental illness. Additionally, he was part of a team establishing a residential rehab program at the Veterans Administration for psychosocially impaired and homeless veterans.

In addition to his professional experience, his personal family experiences have highlighted the need for societal support. Dr. Wenger aims to raise awareness and encourage discussion within the Jewish community about providing those with mental health challenges a greater opportunity to live a fuller, more meaningful life.