Nebraska Psychological Association upcoming events

Omaha Psychologist Luncheon (15 Apr 2026)

Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

You are invited…

Join us for an informal lunch at a new location! This is a great opportunity to connect with colleagues in your community, share ideas and enjoy good conversation! We look forward to seeing you there!

Wednesday, April 15^th

It's Tax Day — No Forms, No Filing, Just Fun!

11:00 – 1:00 PM

Big Grove Brewery
4601 Catalyst Ct in the Catalyst Bldg

• 11:00 am–11:30 — Arrive and Mingle
Introduce yourself to fellow psychologists
Bring business cards

• 11:30–1:00pm — Lunch
Order from the menu (lunch is not provided)
Here’s a link to the menu, in case you’d like to decide ahead: https://order.toasttab.com/online/big-grove-omaha/

• Hear brief NPA updates around 12:30
Stay to visit as late as 1:00 pm.

• All Psychologists Welcome!
NPA members and Nonmembers are invited!
Please invite your colleagues.

Click "Register" to RSVP

From Stories to Solutions: A Prevention-Focused Approach to Violence Risk (17 Apr 2026)

Fri, 17 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

From Stories to Solutions: A Prevention-Focused Approach to Violence Risk

Friday, April 17^th

Noon – 2:00 pm CST (2 CEs)

Live via Zoom

Presenters Melissa Hunter, PhD

and Samuel Hunter, PhD

High-profile acts of violence are often followed by stories that attempt to explain what happened and why. While these narratives can be compelling, they rarely offer clear guidance for how clinicians, educators, and communities can prevent harm before it occurs. This training builds on existing research and explanatory frameworks to shift the focus from retrospective understanding to forward-looking prevention.

Using a developmental, contextual, and ethically grounded approach, this workshop explores how risk emerges through the interaction of individual vulnerabilities, social environments, and systemic factors. Participants will learn to recognize behavior-based warning signs without relying on stigmatizing assumptions, apply multi-tiered prevention strategies, and navigate the ethical tensions inherent in this work.

Melissa Hunter, PhD

Melissa Hunter, PhD, is an assistant professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center's Munroe-Meyer Institute and a licensed psychologist in MMI's Department of Psychology. Hunter received her doctorate in school psychology at the University of Southern Mississippi, completed her internship at the Munroe-Meyer Institute and her post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Child Study Center.

Hunter practiced as a licensed psychologist in Pennsylvania for 15 years, providing outpatient child psychological and behavioral health services and school-based consultation for children and adults with a wide range of presenting needs. She also served as adjunct or teaching faculty at the University of Oklahoma and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, and taught at Pennsylvania State University for nine years, where she was an associate teaching professor of psychology. Currently, Hunter provides behavioral school-based consultation to the Madonna School, a private school for children and adults with developmental disabilities. In addition, she engages in clinical activities at the Munroe-Meyer Institute. In both settings, Hunter supervises pre-doctoral psychology interns, post-doctoral fellows and undergraduate psychology students. (https://www.unmc.edu/mmi/directory/patient-care/psychology/melissa-hunter.html)

Samuel Hunter, PhD

Sam Hunter, Ph.D., Regents-Foundation Professor of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, is an expert in leadership and innovation, exploring their positive and negative applications, and an expert in counterterrorism and prevention with an emphasis industrial and organizational psychology. He is Director of Academic Research at the National Counterterrorism, Innovation, Education and Technology (NCITE) Center at the University of Nebraska - Omaha.

His research, funded by entities like the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has been featured in Fortune, Fast Company, and The Washington Post. He has published over 120 peer-reviewed works and consulted organizations like the Johnson & Johnson, Epic Games, and Lockheed Martin.

He is a fellow at the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology (SIOP) and the National Strategic Research Institute (NSRI). (https://www.unomaha.edu/uno-experts/faculty-experts/samuel-hunter.php)

Learning Objectives

After attending this presentation, participants will be able to:

Explain how descriptive and explanatory models of violent behavior can be extended into practical, prevention-focused approaches for use in clinical, educational, and community settings.
Describe how risk for serious harm develops over time through the interaction of individual, social, and environmental factors, rather than being determined by diagnosis, identity, or personality alone.
Recognize behavior-based warning signs that may indicate increased vulnerability or need for support, while avoiding assumptions that stigmatize neurodivergent individuals or those with mental health challenges.
Apply developmentally informed, tiered prevention strategies (universal, targeted, and intensive) to real-world scenarios involving youth and young adults.
Use ethical decision-making principles to balance safety, autonomy, dignity, and inclusion when responding to concerning behaviors or situations.

Continuing Education

The Nebraska Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Nebraska Psychological Association maintains responsibility for this program and its contents. Participants attending the live webinar can receive 2 CEs for psychologists as well as master's level clinicians, with full attendance required. No partial credit is awarded; late arrival or early departure will preclude awarding of CE credits for psychologists attending the live webinar. Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the scheduled start time or leaving before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credits.

This program meets the criteria of an approved continuing education program for mental health practice.

References

Welch, C., Senman, L., R., Picciolini,C., Robison, J., Wetphal, A., … & Penner, M. (2003). Understanding the use of the term weaponized autism in all alt-right social media platform. Journal of autism and development disorders, 53(10), 4035-4046.

Hunter, S. T., Neely, B. H, Welch, C., & Moeller, A. N. (2025). Reconciling Jekyll and Hyde: The future of masculinity research within the domestic violent extremism context. American Psychologist.

Hunter, S., d'Amato, A. L., Elson, J.S., Doctor, A. C., & Linnell, A. (2024). The Metaverse as a Future Threat Landscape: An Interdisciplinary Perspective. Perspectives on terrorism (Lowell, Mass.), 18(2), 100.

Cancellation Policy: Written notification is required on or before April 13, 2026, for complete refund of registration fee. All questions, comments and complaints should be directed to the NPA Central Office, at 402-475-0709, 877-355-7934 or npa@ nebpsych.org.

NPA Spring Conference – “3rd Wave Behavioral Health Interventions" (01 May 2026)

Fri, 01 May 2026 13:30:00 GMT

Nebraska Psychological Association

2026 Spring Conference

“3rd Wave Behavioral Health Interventions”

Friday, May 1, 2026

8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Central

Hybrid event – Scott Conference Center (Omaha)

and via Zoom

Conference Sponsorship Opportunities

Available HERE

Student Poster Session Information HERE

Workshop Description

This dynamic conference will focus on integrating Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) principles in complex or trauma-related clinical presentations, using experiential and values-based interventions, and employing strategies to enhance therapist flexibility and client engagement.

The presentation will balance conceptual grounding with interactive, practice-oriented content that attendees can readily apply in their daily work with applications across age groups. Dr. Walser will discuss the role of experiential avoidance in maintaining trauma-related distress and how ACT fosters psychological flexibility to counteract it. She will examine ACT’s key processes, the role of self-compassion in ACT-based trauma recovery, and strategies to incorporate ACT principles into diverse therapeutic settings.

Clinicians will leave this intermediate-level conference with concrete tools to tailor ACT-informed interventions for individuals with trauma histories and to apply these strategies confidently in their own practice.

Conference Sponsorship Opportunities

Available HERE

Student Poster Session Information HERE

Presenter: RobynWalser, PhD

Robyn D. Walser, Ph.D. is Director of TL Consultation Services, Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and works at the National Center for PTSD. As a licensed psychologist, she maintains an international training, consulting and therapy practice. Dr. Walser is an expert in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and has co-authored 7 books on ACT including a book on learning ACT. She has most recently written a book entitled: The Heart of ACT- Developing a flexible, process- based, and client-centered practice using acceptance and commitment therapy.

Dr. Walser has expertise in traumatic stress, depression and substance abuse and has authored a number of articles, chapters and books on these topics. She has been doing ACT workshops since 1997; training in multiple formats and for multiple client problems. Dr. Walser has been described as a “passionate, creative, and bold ACT trainer and therapist” and she is best known for her dynamic, warm and challenging ACT trainings. She is often referred to as a clinician’s clinician. Her workshops feature a combination of lecture and experiential exercises designed to provide a unique learning opportunity in this state-of-the-art intervention.

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the core principles of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and its application to trauma treatment.

2. Explain how ACT differs from traditional trauma treatments by emphasizing mindfulness, acceptance, and values-based action.

3. Participants will discuss strategies for overcoming challenges in implementing ACT processes across various client presentations and contexts.

4. Discuss the role of experiential avoidance in maintaining trauma-related distress and how ACT fosters psychological flexibility to counteract it.

5. Examine how ACT’s key processes—defusion, acceptance, and present-moment awareness—help clients reduce rigid control over trauma-related thoughts and emotions.

6. Demonstrate how values clarification and committed action support trauma survivors in building a meaningful life beyond their traumatic experiences.

7. Describe the integration of exposure-based interventions within ACT and how they facilitate emotional processing and long-term recovery.

8. Describe the role of self-compassion in ACT-based trauma recovery and how it supports emotional healing.

9. Describe ACT’s approach to the therapeutic relationship.

10. Develop strategies to incorporate ACT principles into diverse therapeutic settings, tailoring interventions for individuals with trauma histories.

Conference Schedule:

8:00 –8:30 Student Poster Session

In-person/On-site Conference Registration

8:30 – 11:30 Morning Session

Includes 15 Minute Break

11:30 – 1:00 Lunch / Awards

1:00 – 4:30 Afternoon Session

Includes 15 Minute Break

Registration

In-Person
NPA Member – $175
General (Nonmember) – $220
Student/Intern – $30

Virtual Via Zoom
NPA Member – $185
General (Nonmember) – $230
Student/Intern – $30

Continuing Education

The Nebraska Psychological Association is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Nebraska Psychological Association maintains responsibility for this program and its contents. Participants attending this conference can receive 6 CEs for psychologists. Full attendance at the workshop is required to receive CE credit for psychologists. No partial credit is awarded; late arrival or early departure will preclude awarding of CE credits for psychologists. Those arriving more than 15 minutes after the scheduled start time or leaving before the workshop is completed will not receive CE credits and will not be eligible for the 15% premium discount described below. This program meets the criteria of an approved continuing education program for mental health practice.

Cancellation Policy: Written notification of cancellation is required on or before April 27, 2026, for complete refund of registration fee. Refunds will not be issued for cancellations after the event. All questions, comments and complaints should be directed to the NPA Central Office at npa@nebpsych.org, 402-475-0709 or 877-355-7934.

Please Thank our Conference Sponsor!

NPA Endorses The Trust and its insurance programs. The Trust is a leading provider of professional liability malpractice, financial security, and innovative risk management programs — meeting the insurance needs of psychologists and related individuals nationwide for more than 55 years.