Construction Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference
United Suicide Survivors International recognizes the increased risk for suicide, addiction, and overdose in the construction industries. First launched in 2022 as the premier event focused on meeting the needs of the construction industry (then known as the Construction Working Minds Summit), we’re proud to host the national Construction Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference the last full week in February where we bring together leaders, changemakers, and industry pioneers to bring forth the latest in innovative mental health promotion, suicide prevention, addiction recovery, and overdose prevention in the construction industry. Walk away energized with tactical strategies you can implement immediately to create healthier workplaces and stronger communities.
Early Bird Registration Pricing Extended Through December 31st!
We're excited to announce the 5th Annual Construction Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference will be held in Portland, OR from February 23-26, 2026. Launched in 2022 as the Construction Working Minds Summit through the collaboration and pioneering efforts of construction industry leaders, mental health professionals and the lived experience community, The Construction Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference has grown into a nationally recognized event bringing together hundreds of construction industry, mental health and suicide prevention trailblazers from across the United States.
Celebrating our 5th Anniversary, we're updating our name and logo this year to reflect our vision of the future, but our purpose remains the same. To build a sense of community among the construction industry that leverages the lived experience of survivors to prevent suicide and overdoses, while promoting mental health, addiction recovery and overall wellbeing. The 2026 theme, "Moving from Surviving to Thriving," sets our course for uplifting the industry from a place of community, strength, and resilience.
Pre-Conference Events & Sessions
Each year, we offer a wide range of pre-conference workshops and certifications. For more information about this year’s Pre-Conference sessions, please email us here.
Alex Yannacone
Stephanie Lemek
Eduardo Vega
Sarah Gaer
Brent Darnell
Monday, February 23, 2026
Eye of the Survivor Workshop & Retreat
7:15-8:00am
Breakfast8:00-12:00pm
Storytelling Retreat: Eye of the Survivor12:00-12:30pm
Catered Lunch12:30-4:30pm
Storytelling Retreat: Eye of the Survivor Continued4:30pm
Storytelling Retreat: Closing
Tuesday, February 24, 2026
Certifications & Sessions
7:00-8:00am
Breakfast Buffet8:00-12:30pm
12:00-12:30pm
Boxed Lunch12:30-4:30pm
Full Day and Afternoon Sessions5:00-6:30
Full Conference Welcoming Social
Tuesday February 24, 2026 Sessions
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A full-day pre-conference training on Mon, 2/23 from 8am - 12pm. The ticket includes breakfast, lunch, and all training materials.
Location: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Portland, OR
Course Description
Drawing on lessons from construction and other industries, this workshop explores how the Total Worker Health® (TWH) approach helps leaders and managers adopt integrated strategies to protect workers from harm while advancing mental well-being. Participants will examine root causes of poor working conditions, identify gaps in traditional health and safety practices, and learn how to apply TWH principles to create safer, healthier, and more resilient workplaces in construction.Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:Define Total Worker Health and explain how it addresses root causes of poor working conditions while supporting mental well-being.
Demonstrate why TWH is needed and describe its benefits for employers, crew members, managers, and public owners.
Identify gaps in current health and safety management practices and explore strategies to integrate TWH into existing systems.
Highlight successful strategies based on TWH principles that can be applied in the construction industry.
Instructor Bios
This session will be led by a panel of experts representing diverse perspectives in construction, safety, and occupational health. Dr. Katia Costa Black (Oregon Health & Science University) is a researcher specializing in occupational health and safety, with a focus on translating evidence-based strategies into practical workplace solutions. Viktoria Schulz (AGC – Columbia W. Chapter) brings industry leadership experience, developing programs that improve safety culture and worker well-being across the construction sector. Liz Hill (SAIF) is a safety and health consultant known for her work helping organizations strengthen prevention-based strategies and build supportive workplace environments. Justin Molocznik (JTM Construction) contributes the perspective of a construction leader with hands-on expertise in managing projects, reducing risks, and integrating worker well-being into daily operations. Together, this panel offers a unique blend of research, policy, consulting, and field-based knowledge, equipping participants with both the strategic and practical tools needed to apply Total Worker Health® principles in construction. -
A full-day pre-conference training on Mon, 2/23 from 8am - 4:30pm. The ticket includes breakfast, lunch, and all training materials.
Location: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Portland, OR
Course Description: The VitalCog in Construction Train the Trainer is a program offered to the construction industry to assist in the training of employees at all levels of a construction organization. Participants will learn to appreciate the critical need for suicide prevention while creating a forum for dialogue and critical thinking about mental health challenges, and by promoting help-seeking and help-giving behaviors. Our vision is to cultivate a construction community of employees who are aspiring to eliminate the devastating impact of suicide. Participants will become certified as VitalCog trainers and be supported in the implementation and facilitation of the VitalCog in Construction training.
Objectives:
• Promote critical thinking about suicide prevention
• Open dialogue about mental health and suicide prevention in the construction industry
• Increase the confidence of facilitators to deliver this training to others
About Alex Yannacone:
Alex has an extensive background in implementation and training for the prevention and intervention of mental health services and education. As the Director of Education and Community Programs at the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Depression Center, Alex provides programs and trainings addressing mental well-being for workplaces, schools, and communities across the United States. She is also a master trainer in suicide prevention trainings including QPR & VitalCog.
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Course Description
This program equips trainers, safety professionals, HR leaders, and field supervisors with the knowledge, skills, and tools to deliver The Wounded Workforce® Building Resilience Construction Mental Health Certification™ curriculum - the first construction-specific, holistic mental health training. Trainers will leave with content knowledge, facilitation skills, implementation strategies, ongoing community support, and ready-to-use resources tailored to the construction industry.Learning Objectives
1. Foundations of Mental Health
Define what mental health is - and what it isn’t - while exploring its importance on the jobsite
Acknowledge that everyone has mental health
Review the Mental Health Continuum
Understand the role and value of preventative care
2. Mental Health Challenges and Disorders
Identify and understand common mental health challenges in construction
Recognize signs and symptoms
Clarify your role in supporting individuals experiencing challenges
Apply crisis management strategies
3. Substance Use and the Construction Industry
Examine how workplace injuries and culture contribute to higher rates of substance use
Learn about onsite support, including Naloxone (Narcan)
Practice approaches for addressing substance use, including crisis response
4. Suicide Prevention in Construction
Discuss suicide prevalence in the industry
Recognize warning signs
Differentiate between emergency and non-emergency support needs
Apply intervention strategies and connect with resources
5. Building Resilience and Reducing Stigma
Create a personal mental health resilience game plan
Normalize conversations around mental health to reduce stigma
Access and share resources readily available for support
About Stephanie
Early in her career as an HR professional, she was encouraged to immerse herself in the details of the construction industry, an experience that shaped her approach to people leadership. From learning lessons about accountability in equipment maintenance to understanding the unique pressures of field operations, she has built a career rooted in curiosity, listening, and partnership. Having worked in both large organizations and start-ups, she believes people are the foundation of every successful company. -
Course Description
This 8-hour intensive workshop provides participants with foundational knowledge and practical skills in Motivational Interviewing (MI), specifically adapted for peer support. The training focuses on understanding behavior change, addiction, and intrinsic motivation, while equipping participants with MI communication tools to strengthen engagement, reduce resistance, and foster recovery-oriented support.Learning Objectives
Knowledge Objectives
Participants will be able to:Discuss challenges related to coping and soothing behaviors during change.
Identify four elements of addiction, including process addictions.
Accurately describe the four core elements of Motivational Interviewing.
Name all five of Prochaska’s Stages of Change.
Describe intrinsic motivation, ambivalence, and discrepancy.
Explain the limitations of advice-giving and extrinsic motivation.
Skills Objectives
Participants will be able to use peer-focused MI communication and listening tools, including:Open-ended questions.
Simple reflections, including meaning reflections.
Ruler-based assessment of ambivalence.
Rolling with resistance strategies.
Advanced reflections, such as double-sided and amplified.
Expressing alliance and shared experience while avoiding advice.
Instructor Bio
Eduardo Vega, MA, is an internationally recognized thought leader in mental health, suicide prevention, and peer support. A former Fulbright Specialist and California State Mental Health Commissioner, he has led transformative initiatives across the U.S. and internationally to advance stigma reduction, consumer engagement, and behavioral health policy. A suicide attempt survivor himself, Eduardo draws on lived experience and more than 25 years of leadership in government, nonprofit, and clinical settings to inspire systems change. His work has been recognized by the U.S. Senate, SAMHSA, the International Initiative on Mental Health Leadership, and the U.S. Surgeon General. -
A full-day pre-conference training on Mon, 2/23 from 8am - 4:30pm. The ticket includes breakfast, lunch, and all training materials.
Location: Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Portland, OR
Course Description
Psychological First Aid (PFA) is an internationally recognized, evidence-based framework designed to provide immediate support following crises—from personal tragedies to large-scale disasters. Grounded in five core elements—safety, calm, connectedness, self-empowerment, and hope—PFA equips individuals and organizations to respond with compassion, clarity, and confidence.This training offers participants practical tools to recognize and respond to trauma while strengthening organizational resilience. Led by Sarah W. Gaer, a National Trainer for PFA with over 25 years of experience in suicide prevention and trauma response, the program combines professional expertise with real-world strategies to prepare organizations for their most difficult moments.
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:Understand the principles and applications of Psychological First Aid.
Identify and address the immediate needs of trauma-impacted individuals.
Apply evidence-informed strategies across diverse settings and populations.
Deliver culturally and developmentally appropriate interventions.
About Sarah
Sarah W. Gaer, MA, is a mental health professional with more than 25 years of experience specializing in trauma, addiction, and suicide prevention. A National Trainer for Psychological First Aid, she has trained thousands of professionals, supported crisis response to suicides, homicides, natural disasters, and large-scale emergencies, and led initiatives in law enforcement mental health. Sarah is also a published author and keynote speaker, widely recognized for her innovative work on “Soul Exhaustion” and “Soul Care,” which bring a human-centered lens to resilience and recovery. Her contributions have been recognized with multiple awards, and she continues to shape the field through leadership roles in state and national suicide prevention coalitions. -
Half-day pre-conference training on Tues, 2/24 from 8am - 12pm. The ticket includes breakfast, lunch, and all training materials.
Course Description
What factors contribute to the workforce development crisis and the mental health and substance use challenges facing the construction industry? Why is creating a more diverse workforce so difficult? This engaging session explores how these critical issues intersect and reveals how focusing on human connection can transform the future of construction. Participants will gain practical strategies for cultivating a thriving, inclusive workforce that performs at a high level while prioritizing well-being and safety.Learning Objectives
Industry Culture & the Status Quo – Examine how current industry culture contributes to workforce and well-being challenges.
Primal Safety Foundations – Learn the basics of the Primal Safety program, which integrates lifestyle choices and emotional intelligence to create safer, healthier work environments.
Culture of Caring & Connection – Co-create implementable strategies to foster a culture of caring, improve communication, and enhance mental health and safety on the jobsite.
Practical Human Connection Exercises – Engage in hands-on exercises that can be applied daily to strengthen human connection and team cohesion.
Post-Conference Value & Takeaways
This interactive, experiential session combines storytelling, movement, and applied improvisation to deliver tangible, real-world takeaways. Participants will leave with actionable ideas and proven practices to strengthen employee connection, improve well-being, and address key industry challenges related to workforce development, mental health, and inclusion.About Brent Darnell
Brent Darnell is a leading authority on performance and leadership transformation in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. Since founding Brent Darnell International in 2000, he has pioneered the integration of emotional intelligence and people skills into technical professions, redefining what success looks like across the industry. For more than two decades, Brent has helped organizations elevate communication, collaboration, and culture—proving that emotional intelligence is not a soft skill but a core skill essential to safety, productivity, and leadership excellence.
Conference Welcoming Social
Wednesday, February 24, 2026
5:00-6:30pm
Agenda
This year, we’re building an agenda focused on actionable strategies for preventing suicide and overdose, as well as promoting mental health and addiction recovery.
Featured & Keynote Speakers
Dr. Colleen Saringer and Scott Satory
Allan Abney
Josh Rizzo
Allan Kehler
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“There were nights I’d sit in the office and cry, but I couldn’t tell you because I knew it would stir up fear, concern, and set your anxiety into a tailspin based on your past experiences.”
That’s what Scott Satory, Dr. Colleen Saringer’s husband, told her 16.5 years into running his industrial roofing company. And in that moment, she felt two things at once: heartbreak that he had carried it silently for so long, and gratitude that he finally felt safe enough to say it out loud.
Dr. Colleen has lived this story twice. First, as a child, she watched her father nearly lose his life to the emotional toll of her family’s sheet metal business. And again, as a wife, walking beside her partner as he carries the same business ownership weight she knows can kill you. It’s why they’re on stage together.
In this story-driven keynote, Dr. Colleen and Scott speak from both sides of the construction business experience: the field and the family. They’ll explore how the stress of running a business doesn’t stay at the shop; it follows you home, seeps into your relationships, and affects your health.
With a tone that’s candid, grounded, and emotionally resonant, this keynote aligns directly with the conference’s goal of helping construction communities move from surviving to thriving. Dr. Colleen and Scott offer a real-world look at how business ownership, especially its impact on mental and physical health, is a family affair. They’ll share the everyday practices that have helped protect their marriage, safeguard their health, and sustain their business, from no cell phones at dinner to asking, “Are you sleeping because you’re tired or depressed?” to emotional contract clauses that include taking vacations.Learning objectives:
1. To identify common risk factors in construction (e.g., job overload, lack of role clarity, isolation) and understand their links to anxiety, depression, and suicide.
2. To recognize how business ownership quietly affects the mental and physical health of the owner and their family.
3. To implement practical, real-world mental health strategies—such as emotional “contract clauses,” communication habits, and non-negotiables—that safeguard both business success and family connections.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS
Dr. Colleen Saringer and Scott Satory are a husband-and-wife duo who bring both lived experience and professional insight to the conversation around mental health in the construction industry.
Dr. Colleen a blue-collar woman wrapped in a PhD package. She has 25 years of experience helping organizations improve culture, communication and wellbeing. Raised in a family-run sheet metal business and now supporting her husband’s roofing company, she’s both construction-bred and industry-wed. Her story began at age 13, when she first witnessed how work could quietly unravel a life. That defining moment still drives her mission: to speak candidly about how work impacts mental health, and to offer real-world strategies rooted in kindness, boundaries, and accountability.
And then we have Scott Satory, the successful college dropout and owner of Service First Roofing, an industrial roofing company based in Atlanta, Georgia. He understands the mental, physical, and emotional toll of business ownership. He believes real leadership starts with the courage to set ego aside, on the job and at home.
Together, Dr. Colleen and Scott offer a rare, real-world perspective on what it takes to build a business, protect a relationship, and carry the weight without losing connection along the way. -
Allan Abney is a multifaceted leader and businessman who draws on a diverse background and broad industry experience to craft winning business strategies. With more than 25 years of expertise in manufacturing and management, he has built a proven track record of driving successful turnarounds and sustainable growth across the steel fabrication, commercial lighting, and utility lighting sectors.
Known for his hands-on style of leadership, Allan is equally effective in the boardroom and on the project site. He excels in guiding initiatives from conception to completion, bringing customers’ needs to life with vision, innovation, and finesse. A firm believer in developing the next generation of leaders, he prioritizes mentorship and fosters collaborative, interactive environments that empower teams to succeed.
Currently serving as Senior Project Manager for Brazos Urethane, a national commercial roofing company, Allan has led some of the largest and most complex projects in the industry. His leadership and team-building expertise were instrumental in the successful delivery of more than three million square feet of roofing at Tesla’s Gigafactory in Austin, Texas (2024), and over two million square feet of roofing at Samsung’s semiconductor facility in Taylor, Texas.
Allan’s career reflects a consistent commitment to excellence, innovation, and legacy-building leadership that leaves a lasting impact on organizations, teams, and industries. Beyond his professional achievements, Allan is devoted to his family. He is married to Odila Abney, and together they have seven children and six grandchildren. In his spare time, he enjoys salsa dancing and embraces the outdoors as an avid outdoorsman.
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Josh graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point in 2002. He served as a Captain, leading troops in Iraq in 2005-06 and is a recipient of the Bronze Star Medal. Josh co-founded and served as Executive Director for PTSD United (a non-profit mental health community). During that time, Josh also held North American responsibilities at WernerCo, where he received two Under 40 awards from the construction industry (ENR & CSE).
Josh spends his time learning, leading talks, workshops, and retreats internationally. His mission is to help people connect with themselves and those they serve at a deeper level.
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Allan Kehler is a leading voice in mental health, resilience, and workplace wellness. Known for his powerful storytelling, Allan draws on his personal journey through mental illness, addiction, and suicide to deliver keynotes that are as impactful as they are relatable. Having spent years as a college instructor, addictions counselor, and clinical case manager, Allan offers not only heartfelt authenticity but deep professional insight, making his message resonate across every level of an organization.
With over 1,000 keynotes delivered across the globe, Allan has become a trusted resource for organizations seeking to create mentally healthy and high-performing workplaces. His TEDx talk on men and mental health has gained global traction, and his five best-selling books have further positioned him as a thought leader in the field.
Allan’s presentations offer more than inspiration, they provide tangible tools to reduce stigma, strengthen emotional intelligence, and promote connection. He uses humor and vulnerability to create safe spaces where people feel seen, heard, and supported™.
Allan currently resides in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He shares his life with Tanya, four boys, three dogs, and a tank of fish.
Awards
Each year, we’re pleased to celebrate and recognize changemakers and leaders in the Construction Industry. Nominations for the 2026 Awards are now open through December 3rd. To nominate an individual or organization, please review the Award Categories here and nomination form here.
Toolbox Talks
Toolbox Talks are a great way to normalize the conversation about mental health in construction. As an established practice within the construction industry, toolbox talks help connect the dots between psychological safety and job site safety, between mental health and job performance. When given regularly over long periods of time, they help shift culture to prioritize worker well-being. Since workplace mental health, suicide prevention and addiction recovery has become a priority over the last several years, many have mastered the development of an impactful mental health toolbox talk. This competition gives people the opportunity to showcase what is possible in safe and effective messaging in mental health literacy and model for others who may be just starting this practice.
Submit a Toolbox Talk by November 1st
Sponsors & Partners
If you’re interested in becoming a sponsor or partner for this year’s event, please email us here. Special thanks to our 2025 Partners and Sponsors!
2026 PRESENTING SPONSORS
2026 DIAMOND SPONSORS
2026 AWARDS DINNER SPONSORS
2026 PLATINUM SPONSORS
2026 GOLD & TRACK SESSION SPONSORS
2026 LUNCH SPONSORS
2026 SILVER SPONSORS
2026 BRONZE SPONSORS
THANK YOU TO OUR 2025 SPONSORS & PARNTERS
Location & Travel
This year’s Construction Mental Health & Wellbeing Conference will be held at the Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront Hotel located at 1401 SW Naito Parkway, Portland, OR 97201.
Book your rooms here by February 2, 2026.
Parking Map for Self-Parking | Valet parking is $54.00 per car, per night/$78 for oversized vehicles
Free Internet for Marriott Rewards Members during their stay (Join Today) | High Speed: $14.95 per day or Enhanced High Speed $17.95 per day