Children’s Resource Center is hosting the 2026 Douglas Ullman Conference focused on “Raising Humans in a Digital World: Supporting Youth Mental Health in the Age of Screens.”
The annual conference, which brings top experts in behavioral health to Bowling Green, will be Sept. 24 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Veterans Memorial Building, 520 Conneaut Ave., Bowling Green.
The conference was established in honor of Douglas G. Ullman, one of CRC’s founders and the first board president. CEUs are available through the Ohio Counselor, Social Worker, and Marriage & Family Therapist Board. Though the conference is offered to professionals in the field, it is also open to the public. Tickets, which include the conference, breakfast and lunch, are $100 per person ($50 for individuals 65 years and older, and BGSU Clinical Psychology graduate students).
Speakers include Jordan Garza, founder and CEO of Lifeline Strategies, LLC and program coordinator for Wood County Addiction Response and Stabilization. With over 20 years of experience in public health and safety initiatives, Garza will present his findings on how social media and technology affect youth behavioral health on a local level, identifying them as contributing risk factors linked to violence, mental health issues, and substance use disorders.
Following Garza’s presentation, Sharon and Chelsea Maxwell of Polestar Parenting will present a keynote workshop. They will explore how today’s digital environment is shaping the emotional, social, cognitive, and behavioral health of children and adolescents, drawing on neuroscience, developmental psychology, behavioral design research, and direct clinical and classroom experience.
Moving beyond “screen time” debates, participants will gain a developmentally informed framework for understanding how digital technologies are shaping youth mental health, behavior, relationships, and development. Participants will leave with concrete tools they can immediately apply in educational and clinical settings to support healthy development and authentic human connection in a technology-saturated world.
Session topics include:
The Digital Landscape and Youth Mental Health
The Developing Brain in a Persuasive Digital Environment
Social Media, Identity, and Emotional Well-Being
Gaming, Entertainment, and the Always-Stimulated Brain
From Insight to Action: Supporting Youth in a Digital World
Tickets and more information are available on the conference website at https://events.humanitix.com/douglas-ullman-conference-2026.
Posted by: Julie Carle on September 16, 2026.