Lubbock Christian University
The Bullard Institute for Strong Families presents Creating a Mindful Focus. A Healthy Families Special Training Event.

Healthy Families Conference | April 15-17, 2021

Schedule

Thursday, April 15th

  • 10:00am – 4:00pm LIVE Training with Diane R. Gehart, PhD ($99, 5 CEUs)
    • Mindfulness for Children, Families, and Communities: Enabling Today’s Youth to Thrive During Challenging Times
  • Friday and Saturday Recorded training with Diane R. Gehart, PhD ($50, 5 CEUs)

Thursday - Saturday, April 15th - 17th

  • Breakout Sessions (Pre-Recorded) avaliable to watch anytime during these 3 days
    • Sara Jordan, PhD
      • The Mental Health of the Therapist ($10, 1 CEU)
    • Carlos Perez, PhD
      • Burnout, Burnout ($10, 1 CEU)

*All Courses will be avabliable till 11:59PM on Saturday, April 17th

Main Presentation - Mindfulness for Children, Families, and Communities: Enabling Today’s Youth to Thrive During Challenging Times

Well established as a treatment for a wide range of adult physical and mental health issues, mindfulness is increasingly used with children in mental health and school settings. Researchers have identified mindfulness as one of only two promising long-term treatments for ADD/ADHD and their findings support the use of mindfulness for children and teens dealing with depression, anxiety, and conduct issues. Furthermore, schools implementing mindfulness programs reports improved academic performance, reduced behavioral issues, and better school climate. In this workshop, practitioners will learn mindfulness techniques for working with children 5-12, teens, and their families, including options for creating mindfulness-based groups in both school and practice/agency settings. Special emphasis will be placed on using mindfulness with contemporary challenges that our youth must increasingly face, including social media, mass shootings, and climate anxiety. 

Objectives:

After this session, participants will be able to:

  1. Explain the neurological foundations of mindfulness in age-appropriate language to children, teens, and families.
  2. Identify resources to implement a school or community mindfulness program for youth.
  3. Apply concepts from mindfulness to help today’s youth more effectively face the contemporary challenges in their daily life.

About Diane R. Gehart, PhD

Headshot for Diane Gehart

Diane Gehart, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Marriage and Family Therapy and Counseling Programs at California State University, Northridge and has a private practice in Agoura Hills, California. She has authored several professional books including Mindfulness for Chocolate Lovers: A Lighthearted Way to Stress Less and Savor More Each Day, Mindfulness and Acceptance in Couple and Family Therapy Mastering Competencies in Family Therapy, Theory and Treatment Planning in Counseling and Psychotherapy, y. You can learn more about her at dianegehart.com.

Breakout Sessions

Each session is 50 minutes and worth 1 CEU.

The Mental Health of the Therapist by Sara Smock Jordan, Ph.D

This presentation will address the mental health issues of therapists. Scenarios of therapists struggling with their own mental health issues will be shared. Ideas for "what to do" when the mental health of the therapist is impact service delivery to clients.  

Objectives:

  • Attendees will learn about challenging scenarios of therapists who face mental health issues.
  • Attendees will be challenged to think about how their own mental health impacts their service delivery to clients.
  • Attendees will be presented options for handing the mental health of therapists, both from a clinician and supervisor perspective. 

Biography: 

Sara Jordan, PhD, LMFT is an Associate Professor and Program Director of UNLV’s Couple and Family Therapy Program. Dr. Jordan’s research focuses on recognizing solution-focused brief therapy (SFBT) as an evidenced-based practice. Her work on applying SFBT with substance abusers has been nationally recognized on SAMHSA’s NREPP registry. In addition, Dr. Jordan is a co-founding member of The International Microanalysis Associates. Their expertise lies in in microanalysis of face-to-face dialogue (MFD), which is the systematic, moment-by-moment examination of specific observable behaviors in face-to-face dialogue, focusing on their immediate communicative functions.  Dr. Jordan has received national and international recognition for her research efforts.

Burnout, Burnout by Carlos Perez, PhD

This presentation will focus on the chronic stress faced by therapists, families, and individuals carrying work/life balances. With the added difficulty of a pandemic, burnout seems to be lingering, long lasting, and slowly affecting mental health. The session will guide therapists and families through navigating burnout on top of burnout.

Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

  • Define and recognize burnout within the context of the pandemic
  • Systemically explore the different areas in which burnout is affecting their lives
  • Implement strategies in coping with burnout
  • Assess their own levels of burnout

Biography:

Dr. Carlos Perez is the chair of the Department of Psychology and Counseling. He is licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Licensed Professional Counselor, and a Certified Family Life Educator. His current schedule consists of teaching and research while maintaining a small practice.

Registration