Jessica Tyler is a licensed professional counselor in Georgia, Alabama, & Tennessee, and as an Associate Professor of the Practice and the Program Director for the Human Development Counseling program at Vanderbilt University, she is dedicated to preparing the next generation of leaders to address complex mental health challenges with ethical integrity and cultural responsiveness.

With fifteen years of experience in clinical practice, counselor supervision, and academic leadership, Dr. Tyler has developed specialized expertise in working with perfectionism, trauma, and resilience among students and clients. Her current research focuses on the intersection of perfectionism and mental health in graduate training, ethical crisis intervention, and digital help-seeking behaviors. She has also been a contributor to TheThoughtful Counselor and the Theory of Change podcasts.

Dr. Tyler’s keynote will provide insights into how perfectionism manifests in students, its impact on mental health and achievement, and how educators and counselors can foster resilience, flexibility, and self-compassion in high-achieving learners. Through a research-informed and engaging approach, she will equip attendees with strategies to support students in overcoming the rigid standards and fear of failure that often accompany perfectionistic tendencies.

CLOSING KEYNOTE  Dave Verhaagen  |  Founder, Southeast Psych Nashville

FEATURED SPEAKER  Bryan Smyth, PhD

Bryan joined ISM as a Consultant in 2013 following 13 years in independent school administration. His central purpose is to help students flourish. He believes the enhancement of school environments and cultures is the best way to facilitate growth in children and adults.

Bryan has consulted over 100 schools in his time at ISM.

Bryan came to ISM from Mount Pisgah Christian School in Georgia where he served as the Vice President, Head of the Upper School, Guidance and College Advisement Director, varsity head coach, and psychology teacher over the course of his tenure. Prior to that, he was the Associate Head of School at Brandon Hall in Georgia.

Bryan holds a Ph.D. and a master’s degree in clinical psychology from Marquette University in Wisconsin, and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Illinois. He also earned an MBA from Reinhardt University in Georgia, which focused on the application of business principles to the management of independent schools.

BREAKOUT SPEAKERS

Caren hails from Brentwood, Tennessee. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Tennessee (Knoxville) in Exercise Science and her Clinical Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Belmont University (Nashville). Caren worked in pediatric focused private practice as well as inpatient and outpatient pediatric hospitals until 2009 when she opened her own pediatric private practice in Austin, Texas. Over eleven years, the practice continually expanded and grew to provide OT, PT and ST services for hundreds of children in Travis and surrounding counties. In 2020, she sold the practice to move back to Nashville with her two young boys to be closer to family. Caren now is Clinical Director of Sky High Occupational Therapy in Brentwood. Caren’s specialty areas include sensory processing disorder, dysgraphia, and infant feeding. She enjoys mentoring therapists, consulting with parents and lecturing on various topics in the community.  In her free time, Caren enjoys playing and watching sports with her young boys, walking her goldendoodle and hiking.

Dr. Bettis is a licensed clinical psychologist, private practice owner, and researcher in Nashville. She completed her PhD in clinical psychology at Vanderbilt University, and a postdoctoral fellowship in child and adolescent mental health at Brown Medical School. Dr. Bettis's research has been funded by NIMH, the American Psychological Foundation, and the Klingenstein Foundation, and she has published over 50 peer-reviewed manuscripts in child and family mental health. Dr. Bettis currently offers therapy to children, teens, and families in Tennessee, where she specializes in treating anxiety, OCD, and depression.

Tina Miller is the Director of Educational Partnerships at the Center for Responsive Schools.  She has facilitated the Responsive Classroom Courses for 19 years.  During her 24 years in public education, she has been a second-grade teacher, educator effectiveness coach, and professional development facilitator.  As a National Board certified teacher, Tina embraces innovative and results-based facilitation of learning for all.  She served as an elementary principal in central Wisconsin for the past eight years, receiving the Wisconsin Elementary Principal of the Year recognition in 2021.

Lina Mistron is an Educational Partnership Consultant at the Center for Responsive Schools. She comes from a family of educators and has a Master’s in History from Middle Tennessee State University. Lina is dedicated to helping students not just survive but thrive, whether in the classroom, at home, or beyond. 

Dr. Eli Parrot has been in private practice with Southeast Psych Nashville as a Marriage & Family Therapist for seven years. Before joining the Southeast Psych team, Eli spent twelve years at a local private school teaching Ethics and counseling middle and high school students. She assisted students with the daily struggles of balancing academics and social interactions as well as supporting students with learning differences and alternate learning styles. Eli continues to see and enjoys working with middle school, high school, and college students with ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Anxiety, Depression, as well as those who find it difficult to navigate the barriers they experience in the school environment.

Caitlin is a nurse practitioner who has worked in the field of developmental-behavioral pediatrics for the past 12 years, focusing on developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, ADHD, and behavioral or mental health concerns. She earned her Masters in Nursing from Vanderbilt School of Nursing. She started a developmental pediatric department for Novant Health in Charlotte, NC, in 2013, and she founded Music City Peds: Developmental & Behavioral Medicine in Nashville in 2016. She is certified as a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care and as a pediatric mental health specialist.