Event: Why Words Matter: The Language of Mental Health
Date: Thursday, August 14, 2025
Time: Noon – 1 p.m.
Location: In-person at Durham Research Center I (M-DRCI), Room 1005 and online via Zoom 

The words we choose have a direct impact on our mental health. How do they affect people around you? Do our feelings about words play a role in the stigma around mental health issues? In this panel discussion, we will explore the language we use when we talk about mental health from several perspectives–lived experience, caregiving experience and professional experience. Join the UNMC/Nebraska Medicine WISE Minds employee resource group for this important conversation in working towards empowerment and advocacy.

Lunch will be provided for the first 30 in-person attendees.  

What is a Brave Space?
A Brave Space allows for inclusive, open, honest and respectful conversation on stigmatized topics with a goal of promoting greater awareness and mutual understanding. 

Panelist Bios

Dr. Alëna Balasanova

Dr. Alëna A. Balasanova is an associate professor at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in the Department of Psychiatry and also holds an appointment in the College of Allied Health Professions. She is dually board certified in psychiatry and addiction medicine. Dr. Balasanova holds degrees from The Johns Hopkins University and Harvard Medical School and currently serves as the Director of Addiction Psychiatry Education for the Department of Psychiatry in the UNMC College of Medicine. She was the founding director of the Outpatient Addiction Psychiatry Clinic and also developed and now co-directs the inpatient Addiction Psychiatry Consultation Liaison Service, both at the Nebraska Medical Center. Her professional interests are in stigma reduction and medical education, and she has presented and published nationally and internationally on addiction psychiatry education and destigmatizing substance use disorders and has received numerous national awards in recognition of her work. 

Kate Fagan 

Kate Fagan is a Senior Analytics Developer on the Nebraska Medicine analytics team with a background in public health. She is passionate about mental health and disability advocacy. Kate comes to the table with years of reflection on her lived experience. She believes in talking openly and honestly about the challenges of mental illness and stigma and hopes that together we can help everyone support and value mental health. Kate lives with her husband, two dogs and a cat. She loves to quilt and craft. 

Tracy Campin 

Tracy Campin is a Clinical Program Coordinator for Vascular Surgery at Nebraska Medicine, with over 30 years of nursing experience. She is married with three children and is a passionate advocate for mental health, shaped by personal family experiences with OCD, anxiety, depression, and suicide. Tracy is committed to challenging stigma and promoting greater understanding and support for mental health.

Havalynn Russell 

Havalynn Russell is a mental health advocate and national speaker with over two decades of lived experience navigating mental health and substance use challenges. As a Word Alchemist, she transforms heavy, stigmatized language into empowering expressions that inspire resilience and reconnection. 

Her signature presentation, Mental Health & the Energy of Words, is the heart of her work which explores how language shapes our well-being and relationships. Through it, she invites audiences to feel the energy behind their words and make lasting shifts in how they speak, listen, and live.

Parking Information 

Main Campus 

• • If you currently have a parking permit for a lot on main campus, please park in your assigned lot. 

BMC and Offsite Locations 

• • Colleagues commuting from BMC, or another offsite location will have the option to park on the top of Lot 05 located at 42nd and Dewey OR utilize daily rate parking. 

ECCP 

• • Colleagues commuting from ECCP that currently hold a parking permit for a lot at ECCP will need to contact Parking Services and provide the plate, make, and model of vehicle and you will be able to park in Lot 8 or Lot 17. 

WISE Minds encourages all colleagues to attend, listen with compassion, and speak with courage. Whether you're sharing your own journey or simply showing up to support others, your presence matters. 

About WISE Minds

Want to be a part of WISE Minds? Contact us today. 

WISE Minds is not a replacement for professional mental health treatment. Counseling, emotional support and wellness resources are available to Nebraska Medicine/UNMC personnel.