Pre-Conference

Refuel & Respond: Strategies for Sustainable Stress and Conflict Management

Presented by Jess Cleeves, MAT, LCSW

There will be one pre-conference at the CEHA AEC this year. The pre-conference will be applicable to all who work in Environmental Health and will be held on Tuesday, 9/30/2025.

Description:

This interactive workshop is designed for environmental health specialists who are navigating the challenges of stress, burnout, and difficult interactions in the field of environmental health. Participants will explore the difference between burnout, demoralization, and exploitation, as well as the physiology of stress, with a focus on how stress impacts workplace and public-facing situations. Through guided activities, attendees will develop personalized, actionable stress management plans to promote resilience and well-being. The session will also introduce a practical framework for conflict management and workplace de-escalation. Attendees will have the opportunity to observe and/or participate in skill-building role plays designed to reinforce effective, physiology- informed response techniques to defuse interpersonal conflict. While this workshop will offer personalized support for each attendee, confidentiality will be carefully contracted and protected, and no one will be required to self-disclose.

Bio:

Jess Cleeves, MAT LCSW is an author, educator, therapist, and expert in human relationships. She holds a B.S. in Conservation Ecology from San Francisco State University, which informs her systems-level approach to both clinical and organizational work. Her Master of Arts in Teaching from Stanford University and more than two decades of experience teaching science in under-resourced public schools and training educators at the university level ground her work in real-world practice and impact. Jess also holds a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Utah, integrating her ecological perspective and teaching expertise into effective, person-centered clinical care that fosters meaningful change at individual, relational, and community levels. Jess is the author of Planning to Stay: Burnout, Demoralization, Exploitation, and How to Reclaim Self-Care, Your Classroom, and Your Life… Anyway —a practical, compassionate guide that helps educators navigate systemic challenges while reclaiming purpose and sustainability. Though rooted in education, Jess’s work resonates broadly with helping professionals across fields who seek sustainable ways to care for others without losing themselves. Today, Jess focuses on psychoeducation and facilitation for individuals, teams, and organizations committed to building healing, humane, and sustainable cultures of care. Learn more at jesscleeves.com.

Please click the button below to sign up for the pre-conference!