PAST WORKSHOPS
2020 WORKSHOP:
MIND BODY PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING SELF-REGULATION AND RESTORING PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTH
A Workshop by Joan Borysenko, PhD
This distinguished pioneer in integrative medicine is a world renowned expert in the mind/body connection. Her work has been foundational in an international health-care revolution that recognizes the role of meaning, and the spiritual dimensions of life, as an integral part of health and healing. Eloquent and inspiring in settings that range from hospitals to hospices, from theaters to conference venues, and from boardrooms to houses of worship, she is a credible bridge between faith and reason. Her brilliance, humor, and authenticity—in combination with the latest research—make her a compelling and inspiring speaker and writer.
After graduating magna cum laude from Bryn Mawr College in 1967, Dr. Borysenko earned her doctorate in Medical Sciences from the Harvard Medical School, where she completed post-doctoral training in cancer cell biology. Her first faculty position was at the Tufts University College of Medicine in Boston. But after the death of her father from cancer, she became more interested in the person with the illness than in the disease itself, and returned to Harvard Medical School to complete a second postdoctoral fellowship, this time in the new field of behavioral medicine. Under the tutelage of Herbert Benson, M.D., who first identified the relaxation response and brought meditation into medicine, she was awarded a Medical Foundation Fellowship and completed her third post-doctoral fellowship in psychoneuroimmunology.
In the early 1980’s Dr. Borysenko co-founded a Mind/Body clinic with Dr. Benson and Dr. Ilan Kutz, became licensed as a psychologist, and was appointed instructor in medicine at the Harvard Medical School. Her years of clinical experience and research culminated in the 1987 publication of the New York Times best seller, “Minding the Body, Mending the Mind,” which sold over 400,000 copies. The 20th anniversary edition, newly revised, was published in 2007. Author or co-author of 16 other books and numerous audio and video programs, including the Public Television special “Inner Peace for Busy People,” she is the Founding Partner of Mind/Body Health Sciences, LLC located in Santa Fe, NM. Her most current work- a legacy project that encompasses all her research and teachings- is an integrative approach to personalized wellness and recovery, developed with colleague Gilah Rosner, Ph.D. It is called SyNAPSE. That acronym stands for Science; you (it is personalized for the individual); Nutrition; Awareness and attention training; Positive Psychology, Spirituality; and Epigenetics. It is never too late to restructure the brain and bring forth Best Self.
Dr. Borysenko’s warmth and credibility—plus her lively sense of humor—create a compelling presence. Joan is one of the most popular and sought after speakers in the field of health, healing, and spirituality, her engaging and well researched presentations are perfect both for professionals and for the general public. Joan lives in the mountains of New Mexico with her husband, Gordon Dveirin, and their two dogs, Mitzi and Milo.
2019 WORKSHOP:
A Workshop by Barbara Fredrickson, PhD
Among the most highly cited scholars in psychology, Barbara Fredrickson, Ph.D. is most known for her “broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions,” foundational within Positive Psychology for providing a blueprint for how pleasant emotional states, as fleeting as they are, contribute to resilience, wellbeing, and health. She is Director of the Positive Emotions and Psychophysiology Laboratory (PEP Lab) at UNC-Chapel Hill, Founding Co-Chair of the Association of Positive Emotion Laboratories (APEL), and served as President of the International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) from 2015-2017.
Dr. Fredrickson has published > 100 peer-reviewed articles, and her general audience books, Positivity (2009, www.PositivityRatio.com) and Love 2.0 (2013, www.PositivityResonance.com) have been translated for more than 30 foreign markets. Dr. Fredrickson’s research has received funding by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NCI, NIA, NCCIM, NIMH, NINR) and has been recognized with numerous honors, including the inaugural Templeton Prize in Positive Psychology from the American Psychological Association, the Career Trajectory Award from the Society of Experimental Social Psychology, the inaugural Christopher Peterson Gold Medal from the International Positive Psychology Association, and the Tang Prize for Achievements in Psychology, awarded to recognize exceptional career contributions to the well-being of humanity.
In 2014, she was identified as the 13th most influential psychologist alive today contributing to counseling psychology. In 2015, through a partnership between UNC-Chapel Hill and Coursera, Dr. Fredrickson began teaching a free, on-line course on Positive Psychology that has attracted ~185,000 learners across ~200 counties worldwide. Through this and other means, her work influences scholars and practitioners worldwide, within education, business, healthcare, the military, and beyond.
Dr. Fredrickson was born and raised in Minnesota and graduated Summa Cum Laude from Carleton College in Northfield, Minnesota (1986). She received her Ph.D. in psychology from Stanford University (1990), with a minor in organizational behavior, and post-doctoral training in psychophysiology from the University of California at Berkeley (1990-1992). Prior to joining the faculty at UNC-Chapel Hill, she held faculty positions at Duke University and the University of Michigan.
2018 WORKSHOP:
WORKING WITH THE NEUROBIOLOGICAL LEGACY OF TRAUMA
A Workshop by Janina Fisher, PhD
Janina Fisher, Ph.D. is a licensed Clinical Psychologist and Instructor at the Trauma Center, an outpatient clinic and research center founded by Bessel van der Kolk. Known for her expertise as an author, speaker, and consultant, she is also Assistant Educational Director of the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Institute, Director of Psychological Services, Khiron Clinics UK, an EMDR International Association Continuing Education Provider, and a former Instructor, Harvard Medical School. She is co-author with Pat Ogden of “Sensorimotor Psychotherapy: Interventions for Trauma and Attachment” and author of the book, “Healing the Fragmented Selves of Trauma Survivors: Overcoming Internal Self-Alienation.”
Neuroscience research has established why it is that trauma results in a fragmented narrative along with a ‘living legacy’ of enduring effects. We now know that the survival responses that preserve life and integrity under threat do not diminish once safety is obtained. Meant to warn us of impending danger, these easily re-activated survival responses continue to re-evoke the events of long ago.
The evolution of new neurobiologically-informed treatments offers new, hopeful answers to the aftermath of trauma and neglect: the loss of hope or energy, chronic fear of danger, the longing for human connection, and self-destructive and addictive behavior.
Rather than ‘treating’ the events that resulted in this legacy, neuroscience teaches us how to treat their effects. When trauma symptoms are “decoded” in this way, they become comprehensible and treatable. They have a neurobiological logic that reassures survivors of trauma that they are not inadequate or going crazy and reassures the therapist that the effects of their traumatic experience can be resolved and even transformed.
2017 WORKSHOP:
THE ART AND SCIENCE OF RISING: RESILIENCE UNDER STRESS
A Workshop by Maria Sirois, PsyD
Dr. Maria Sirois is an inspirational speaker, consultant, and licensed clinical psychologist who has worked in the fields of wellness and positive psychology for twenty years.
As a lecturer and motivational speaker, Maria has been invited to keynote at conferences for wellness organizations, businesses, hospitals, hospices, religious and philanthropic institutions internationally. A master storyteller, her lectures and workshops combine powerful and moving anecdotes with rigorous research to enable teams, families and individuals to build a work life and a home life of capacity, grit, meaning and happiness. Addressing topics as diverse as “The Art and Science of Resilience,” “Flourishing No Matter What,” and “A Course in Happiness,” she has been called both a “true teacher,” and “an orator of great power and beauty.”
Recently, she has created a webinar series for presenters, keynoters, teachers and workshop leaders who seek to enable audiences to successfully sustain positive transformation. Teaching for Transformation combines the wisdom of positive psychology with the art of mastery teaching and attendees from around the world have begun to implement her understandings of how to craft a program so that audiences are informed, deeply inspired, and motivated to integrate habit change.
Her clinical work brings the bounty of positive psychology and mind/body medicine to families and children facing terminal illness, and to the staff who care for them. Trained at the New England Deaconness Mind/Body Clinic (Boston, Mass.) and at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, Mass.) she currently works as a consultant to families, psychology staffs and hospital and hospice organizations. She received her doctorate from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in 1993.
An author as well, Maria has published two works: Â A Short Course in Happiness After Loss (and Other Dark, Difficult Times) brings together the science of positive psychology and the art of resilience to offer a curriculum of sorts for those who are seeking strength, uplift and meaning while wrestling with the harshness of life. Â Each reflection offers wisdom and practical guidance for those who are suffering from pain, loss, shock, managing chronic stress, or experiencing the disappointments and loneliness of life.
“Every Day Counts: Lessons in Love, Faith and Resilience From Children Facing Illness is the tale of Maria’s psychology internship at Dana-Farber. Every Day Counts brings to us the wisdom of the children she treated, wisdom that reminds us in essence that there is no time but now to live life with an open heart. Fearless when facing the suffering of our children, and determined to bring forth the gifts they offer, it is a book, as Paul Newman has written, “{of} great courage, something to lean on in tough times.” Compassion abounds in this book, for the children, for those that love them, and for the caregivers of our world.
2016 WORKSHOP:
HARNESSING MINDFULNESS: FITTING THE PRACTICE TO THE PERSON
A Workshop by Ronald Siegel, PsyD
Mindfulness is not a one-size-fits-all remedy. Researchers are now differentiating the effects of focused attention, open monitoring, loving-kindness, compassion, and equanimity practices. This workshop will explore seven important choice points to consider when deciding when and if to introduce different practices into work with individuals with different needs. About the Presenter
Ronald D. Siegel, PsyD, is Assistant Professor of Psychology, Part Time, at Harvard Medical School, where he has taught for over 30 years. He is a long-time student of mindfulness meditation and serves on the board of directors and faculty of the Institute for Meditation and Psychotherapy.
2015 WORKSHOP:
SELF-COMPASSON AND EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE
A Workshop by Kristin Neff, PhD
For many years self-esteem was seen to be the key to psychological health. However, research psychologists have identified several downsides to the endless pursuit of self-esteem such as constant social comparisons, and instability of self-worth. Research suggests that self-compassion is a healthier way of relating to oneself, offering all the benefits of self-esteem without its downsides. Self-compassion involves treating ourselves kindly, like we would a good friend we cared about. Rather than continually judging and evaluating ourselves, self-compassion involves generating kindness toward ourselves as imperfect humans, and learning to be present with the inevitable struggles of life with greater ease. It motivates us to make needed changes in our lives not because we’re worthless or inadequate, but because we care about ourselves and want to lessen our suffering. This workshop will provide simple tools for responding in a kind, compassionate way whenever we are experiencing painful emotions.
We all want to avoid pain, but letting it in—and responding compassionately to our own imperfections without harsh self-condemnation—are essential steps toward living happier, more fulfilling lives. Through discussion, meditation, and experiential exercises, you will gain practical skills to help bring self-compassion into your daily life. You will learn how to stop being so hard on yourself; handle difficult emotions with greater ease; and motivate yourself with kindness rather than criticism. Practices will also be introduced to help ease stress for caregivers. This course is relevant for the general public as well as to practicing mental health professionals. About the Presenter Kristin Neff, PhD, received her doctorate in Human Development from the University of California at Berkeley in 1997. She is currently an Associate Professor of Human Development and Culture at the University of Texas at Austin. She is a pioneer in the field of self-compassion research, conducting the first empirical studies on self-compassion over a decade ago. In addition to writing numerous academic articles on the topic, she is author of the book Self-Compassion: The Proven Power of Being Kind to Yourself, released by William Morrow in 2011. Kristin’s work has received extensive media coverage, including the New York Times, MSNBC, National Public Radio, Reader’s Digest, and Psychology Today. She offers workshops on self-compassion worldwide, and has developed an eight-week program to help people learn to be more self-compassionate in daily life. Information on self-compassion – including videos, guided meditations, exercises, research articles, and a way to test your own self-compassion level – is available at www.self-compassion.org. Kristin is also featured in the bestselling book and award-winning documentary The Horse Boy (www.horseboyworld.com), which chronicles her family’s journey to Mongolia where they trekked on horseback to find healing for her autistic son.