In an effort to equip a growing network of Vermonters with mental health-related tools and resources to help our community thrive, we present our third annual Check In Night in partnership with NAMI Vermont. We are extending a complimentary overnight to a select number of nominated Vermonters to participate in mental health-centered training sessions and group discussion on Monday and Tuesday, April 14-15, 2025. 

Our goal? To further de-stigmatize conversations around mental health, engage in open discussion, and for participants to leave with tools to support their peers, from recognizing signs, addressing symptoms, navigating hard conversations, to knowing where to look when someone needs further professional guidance.

Hotel Vermont will extend this opportunity to Vermonters by asking the community to nominate individuals (or themselves) that they feel display the willingness to share new tools and resources, be an active peer mentor, and will continue open mental health conversation. These individuals will enjoy an overnight at the hotel full of training, community networking, and storytelling in hopes that they leave as mental health advocates and mentors in both the wider community and respective professional and personal spaces.

PARTICIPANTS

Attendees will be selected from a pool of nominated community members. In accepting the overnight stay, participants are making a promise to attend the scheduled programming with the intention of leaving as a peer mentor and mental health resource in their workspaces, family, friends, and or wider community. Nominate a peer (or yourself!) below.

NOMINATION FORM

CHECK IN NIGHT PARTNERSHIPS

If you’d like to support Hotel Vermont’s Check In Night initiative or partner with us in some way, please reach out to maddy@hotelvt.com.

MONDAY, 4/14

3-5pm: Guest Check-in

5:30pm: In Our Own Voice Presentations
Presenters: Jodi Girouard, Bryn Loftness, and Heather Gilbert
NAMI In Our Own Voice is a powerful presentation that aims to change attitudes, assumptions, and stereotypes about people living with mental health conditions. Two trained presenters with lived experience of a mental health condition talk openly about their experiences and how they have found pathways to hope and healing. Audience members have the opportunity to ask questions, learn more about mental health, and challenge misconceptions.

6:30pm: Dinner

7:15pm: NAMI Moderated Panel and Group Discussion: Building Community Connection to Enhance our Well-Being – Panel Discussion
Panelists: Representative Daisy Berbeco (Winooski), House Committee on Health Care; Howard Center; CVOEO

TUESDAY, 4/15

8:30am: Breakfast Connections
Grazing and networking breakfast with the opportunity to connect with a wide range of local mental health-related organization exhibit tables.

9:30am: QPR (Questions, Persuade, Refer) Suicide Awareness Training
Presenter: Terri Lavely MS, QMHP, Training, Development and Advancement, Northeast Kingdom Human Services
Participants learn how to identify the warning signs of suicide and take the proper steps to help. QPR teaches how to ask someone directly about suicidal thoughts (Question), persuade them to seek help (Persuade), and refer them to appropriate resources (Refer). The training also covers myths, facts, and statistics surrounding suicide prevention.

10:30am: Reimagining Crisis Intervention
Presenter: Josh Burke, LICSW, LCSW, Emergency Services Director, Northeast Kingdom Human Services
Every person in a mental health crisis deserves a mental health response. Learn how Vermont is implementing a response system with resources that focus on: “Someone to Call”, “Someone to Respond”, and “Somewhere to Go” to ensure that youth and adults living with mental illness or a mental health condition receive the right care at the right time and in the right place to experience lives of resiliency, recovery, and inclusion.

11:30am: Wrap up & Check Out