Summary Many individuals with substance use disorders and other behavioral or process addictions have a history of trauma. These overwhelming experiences often set the stage for avoidant coping strategies to numb or escape. This workshop will explore the biological,...
308. Deeply Loved: Empathy Practices to Overcome Unconscious Resistances to Loving Attachments
Summary Empathy is not coddling and it’s more than listening skills; it is helping clients know they are deeply loved by God. Scripture, research, and clinical experience show that everyone needs empathy to develop loving attachments with God and others, but they are...
402. The Desecration of Hope: Reframing the Adolescent Mental Health Crisis
Summary Today, adolescents are not merely experiencing a mental health epidemic; they are facing a crisis of hopelessness. Despite more mental health services, highly trained professionals, and reduced stigma, nearly half of adolescents have a diagnosable disorder,...
403. Ethics at the Edges: Navigating Counselor Vulnerability in Trauma and Attachment-Based Practice
Summary Research consistently shows that the therapeutic relationship between counselor and client is the most significant tool in the healing process. While ethics trainings often emphasize procedural steps on developing this relationship, fewer address the...
401. The Science of Spiritual Healing: An Evidenced-Based Exploration of the Connection between the Mind, Body, and Spirit
Summary Human beings are tripartite with bodies, minds (souls), and spirits. Modern psychiatry focuses upon the body (brain) with its circuits, neurons, neurotransmitters, and biological interventions. Such treatments operate upon Newtonian physics, which is the...
404. The Power of Boredom in Sexual Compulsivity Recovery: Rewriting Desire and Reducing Compulsion
Summary Neuroscience increasingly shows that boredom is not an empty state but a meaningful neurological event. When clients experience boredom, the brain shifts into a mode that is essential for self-reflection, emotional regulation, creativity, and long-term...
406. The Rising Threat of Suicide: Recognizing, Preventing, and Responding to Suicidality Through Experiential Techniques
Summary Before the pandemic began, suicide was already a significant threat. With the ongoing traumatic pressure following the pandemic and other human-made and natural disasters, suicide has become an even greater crisis. This workshop will equip licensed mental...
407. Rhythms of a Healthy Home: Daily Practices That Build Joy, Connection, and Long-Term Family Wellbeing
Summary Healthy families know how to slow down and live in ways that allow them to intentionally build into their family’s relational and spiritual fabric. For families to enjoy life together and live at a healthy pace, they must develop daily practices and rhythms of...
405. When Thrills Can Kill: High Risk Behaviors as Expression and Self-treatment of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
Summary Engagement in risky/self-destructive behaviors is a symptom of PTSD (DSM-5). More than 70% of the general population experiences exposure to trauma, and 10–15% may meet criteria for PTSD, with symptoms more common among veterans and first responders. Common...
409. Bounce Forward: A Whole-Person Care Approach to Resilience and Flourishing
Summary Resilience and flourishing are essential aims for individuals seeking to grow beyond the challenges, stressors, and life circumstances that keep them feeling stuck. This presentation introduces a range of simple, unsuspecting, innate, invisible and powerful...