Strengthening Our Community: The Leaders Behind the Mental Health Update
When it comes to mental health care in Texarkana, collaboration, connection, and compassion are the pillars that clinicians and educators build upon to support individuals and families across the region. Building those connections is exactly what inspired Dr. Jennifer Turner-Marks and Dr. Kristine Yells to bring back Mental Health Update to Texarkana.
Mental Health Update is a conference that focuses on strengthening our community through collaboration and provides continuing education credits, CEUs, needed yearly for most clinicians in many different disciplines. Previously held at Texarkana College, COVID made in-person training like this more difficult, and like so many other professional gatherings, it paused. “Many of us practitioners got out of the habit of going to in person CEUs” says Dr. Yells, Chair of the Social Work department for Texas A&M University – Texarkana. Dr. yells recalls that many clinicians have reached out to her department asking them to bring back the conference. And like any good therapist, she listened!
The return of the conference is a story of connection. Dr. Jennifer Turner- Marks, Director of Field Education for TAMUT, says the Mental Health Update is about more than CEUs, it is an opportunity to reconnect professionals. “By learning together and networking, we build stronger professional partnership that support innovation, best practices, and improves outcomes for individuals and families,” Dr. Turner-Marks said. When professionals from so many mental health fields come together in the same room, something powerful happens. In a field where burnout is real, and resources are often stretched thin, this intentional connection is a powerful reminder that working together and leaning on one another’s strengths builds a happier and healthier community.
Dr. Yells and Dr. Turner-Marks are both leaders in the field of social work. With decades of combined experience in social work, education and private practice, these two women exemplify what it means to lead. Blending scholarship, service, and collaboration, their clinical expertise and genuine commitment to improving mental health outcomes in Texarkana is nothing short of transformative for the professionals they mentor and the community they call home.
Dr. Yells credits Holli Easley at Texarkana College for helping rebuild this quality, face-to-face education in our region, and now Texas A&M University – Texarkana is proud to take up the mantle. With countless local practitioners and business partners who have stepped up to support the effort, this conference truly reflects a community-wide commitment to mental health.
The 2026 Mental Health Update will take place May 1, 2026, at Eagle Hall on the campus of Texas A&M University – Texarkana. Registration begins at 7:30a.m., with breakout sessions running from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Attendees can earn up to 6.5 CEUs while engaging with local and regional speakers who will provide up-to-date training on topics impacting the mental field today. Breakfast and lunch are included thanks to community sponsors SignatureCare Emergency Center and Cornerstone Caregiving.
Dr. Yells looks forward to welcoming clinicians from across the region this May. “It will be a great conference. We look forward to hosting this great event now and for many years to come!”
