MEDIA
Dr. Sarah Y. Vinson is passionate about discussing mental health and wellness. She has a broad range of public speaking experiences including community outreach events; national media such as the PBS Newshour, The Guardian, Washington Times and the Roland Martin Show; and local media such as 11 Alive and Atlanta NPR. With her highly diverse clinical experiences and training in child & adolescent, adult and forensic psychiatry, she is able to knowledgeably speak to and lead discussions about a broad range of topics. Prior speaking engagements have addressed subjects such as technology and children’s mental health, mental health impacts of COVID, school transitions, personal and career alignment, and women and money. Additionally, Dr. Vinson is the Founder and Executive Editor of the culturally tailored psycho-educational website OurselvesBlack.com.
CME & CEU FOR MEDICAL AND M.H. PROFESSIONALS
In addition to numerous local CME and CEU events, Dr. Sarah Y. Vinson has been an invited speaker at national meetings such as the American Psychiatric Association and School Based Health Alliance meetings; and has provided peer-reviewed CME talks at the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and the American Academy for Directors of Psychiatric Residency Training. Dr. Vinson has edited two books - Pediatric Mental Health for Primary Care Providers and Social (In)Justice and Mental Health (In press). She has authored chapters on resilience, media and children’s mental health, social determinants of children’s mental health, social injustice and the carceral system, social injustice and child trauma and mental health clinician advocacy. Prior lectures and workshops have covered topics such as social determinants of children’s mental health, the trauma to prison pipeline, structural racism and mental health, mental health considerations in the incarcerated, and cultural psychiatry, with expertise in black populations.
CURRICULA AND TRAININGS
A gifted educator, Dr. Vinson oversees five unique educational experiences in her roles as a faculty member with dual appointments at Morehouse School of Medicine and Emory School of Medicine. Further, she is the lead architect of and the Program Director for the first Child Psychiatry Training Program at a Historically Black College and University. As someone able to effectively communicate about mental health and well-being to broader audiences, she translates her skills and knowledge gained through her clinical and teaching experiences to create engaging, informative experiences for adult learners. As a consultant, she has developed curricula for agencies such as the National of Alliance for Mental Illness, Georgia Chapter, the Satcher Health Leadership Institute and The Carter Center.
With her experience as a forensic mental health consultant in federal, state, family, civil and criminal courts; as an educator; and as a practicing clinician treating a diverse clientele, Dr. Vinson can skillfully deliver a wide variety of CLE content. She has been an invited speaker at multiple national and regional CLE conferences. Additionally, she is one of two psychiatric advisors for the Judges Psychiatry Leadership Initiative, a collaboration of the American Psychiatric Foundation and the Council on State Governments. In this capacity, she provides input in the design and content of a curriculum taught to judges throughout the country. She is also a trainer for this initiative. Former CLE talks have included topics such as the Trauma to Prison Pipeline, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Working with Mental Health Experts, Mental Health for Black Attorneys and Psych. Med.s 101 for Attorneys.
CLE FOR ATTORNEYS and JUDGES
While understanding interpersonal, subconscious racial bias has value, many major drivers of inequity within mental health care, law, corporations, organizations and the broader society are structural. In other words, they are baked into the company’s creation, policies and procedures. In order for sustainable gains in equity and diversity to take hold, reflection, action planning and measurement must take place at both the individual and systems level. Dr. Vinson’s professional experiences enable her to provide support to a variety of entities that are committed to creating company environments where diversity, inclusion and cultural humility are not merely workshops or annual observances, but permeate the institution’s operations.
BEYOND BIAS - CREATING SYSTEMS CHANGE
Given the prevalence of trauma and its myriad impacts on mental well being and functioning, there is a growing emphasis on trauma informed systems, be they in the health, legal, public or private realms. During Dr. Vinson’s general psychiatry residency training at Harvard Medical School, where she gained her foundation as a clinician, she worked in the Victims of Violence program and received supervision from Dr. Judith Herman, the internationally acclaimed psychiatrist who created the diagnosis of Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This seminal experience informs Dr. Vinson’s work in the numerous settings where she is a clinical provider, consultant and educator. Throughout her career, she has treated trauma in both private and public settings. She created and directs the Trauma Lecture series at at medical school; has lectured on trauma-informed care for legal, medical and advocacy audiences; and has served as a forensic mental health trauma expert in numerous civil and criminal cases. In addition to leading culturally and structurally informed trauma trainings, Dr. Vinson can also collaborate with systems to move from knowledge to systematic action.
TRAUMA TRAININGS + ACTION PLANs
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