For nearly three decades, people focused on the mental health of children and teens have gathered in Duluth for the Minnesota Association for Children’s Mental Health’s (MACMH) annual Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference. This year’s conference, the association’s 29th, will be held at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center on April 27-29. The conference draws scores of professionals and individuals concerned about the mental health of young people.
Last week, as the organization geared up for the big event, I spoke with Brandon Jones, MACMH executive director. Here is some background about the conference and the state of children’s mental health in Minnesota, broken down by numbers:
1,700: Attendance at MACMH’s annual conference continues to grow, Jones said, with this year’s number of participants tallying close to 1,700: “Our conference is open to all professionals who work with children, not just mental health providers, but also teachers, physical therapists, medical providers, social service professionals. Parents of children with mental illness also attend the three-day event. For many people in the field, it’s an annual tradition.”
66: Many attendees means many workshops on topics ranging from “Sensory Processing Issues and Their Hidden Effects on Mental Health” to “The Unique Challenges of Eating Disorders in Young Men.”
“Since we are going to have so many people attend the conference this year, we are offering over 66 different workshops over three days,” Jones said. “There are also good engagement and networking opportunities for professionals who work with people with mental health struggles and challenges.”
29: According to the Minnesota Student Survey, a comprehensive survey administered every three years to students in the state’s public elementary and secondary schools, charter schools, and tribal schools in fifth, eighth, ninth, and 11th grades, the number of Minnesota teens reporting experiencing long-term mental illness is on an upward trajectory. In 2022, 29% of 11th graders who took the survey said they’d struggled with mental illness over an extended period of time, compared with 23% in 2019 and 18% in 2016.
“We’ve been seeing this ripple effect of anxiety and depression symptoms and suicidality among young people since the pandemic,” Jones said. He thinks that participants see the conference as a way to respond to this crisis. “A lot of people are searching for information and answers and strategies. Our conference is here to serve folks as much as possible who are seeking that connection and that help.”
90: Most conference participants — 90% — are from Minnesota, but some people also travel long distances to attend. “Last year, we had folks from Virginia, Missouri, Iowa, the Dakotas and Wisconsin,” Jones said.
100: The number of children seeking emergency care for mental health crises has risen. Since 2018, for instance, Children’s Minnesota reported an almost 100% increase in emergency room visits for mental health needs.
2: Every year, MACMH sponsors two conferences — Child and Adolescent Mental Health Conference, and the Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health Conference, held this year at RiverCentre in downtown St. Paul Nov. 16-18.
3: This year’s theme is “Tell Me Your Story.” The theme, Jones explained, was inspired by the many personal stories that came out of last year’s gathering. April’s conference will feature three “MHED Talks,” by Amanda Amos, MACMH infant early childhood assistant director; Minnesota author Kao Kalia Yang; and Jim Keenan, executive director of POR– Emotional Wellness .
“The MHED Talks are the mental-health education version of TED Talks,” Jones said. Our speakers are all going to tell their own stories of struggles with mental health in childhood.”
26: There is a shortage of mental health providers in Minnesota. According to “A Post-Pandemic Crisis: Inadequate mental health care access,” a 2025 report authored by Sue Adberholden, NAMI Minnesota executive director, the job vacancy rate in mental health and substance use counseling professions in 2021 was 26%, compared to an 8% vacancy rate in 2019. This number is the highest vacancy rate of all health care professions, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
Jones said that the challenges of the job make attending this conference feel particularly important to participants: “This work is not physically taxing, but it can be emotionally taxing. Often these folks are working in isolation. They pick up the stress of the young people they are working with. It is helpful when you can connect with other professionals.”
0: This year, conference participants will have an opportunity to learn about the importance of the mind-body connections in supporting overall mental health, when Kathy Flaminio and Chrissy Mignogna of St. Paul-based Movemindfully will offer “I Am Safe” workshops at various times during the event. The workshops will focus on simple body movements as zero-cost tools to support mental health.
“You can use your body to change how you feel and you have this free resource available at all times to help you navigate the joys and challenges of everyday life,” Mignogna said. “There’s a ton of great research that moving your body can really improve your mood. It can help alleviate stress and anxiety symptoms. It can help you feel safe when you’re feeling really overwhelmed and it’s an intervention you have in the moment that mental health professionals can use in their work and in their life.”
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