66th Annual Conference

Saturday, February 21

All-Day Workshops

9:00 - 11:30 A.M. & 1:30 - 4:00 P.M.

Workshop 67a 

Laughter, Mindfulness, Trauma-Sensitive Yoga, Breathwork and Poetry:

Diverse Techniques for Self-Care

Presented under the auspices of the AGPA Diversity SIG

Chairs:                

Gaea Logan, M.A., LPC-S, Adjunct Professor, St. Edwards University, Austin, Texas

Siddharth Ashvin Shah, M.D., MPH, Medical Director, Greenleaf Integrative Strategies, Washington, DC

Participants will explore a diverse menu of resiliency practices such as mindfulness meditation, breathwork, trauma-sensitive yoga, “laughter yoga” and poetry. This workshop’s retreat-like flavor endeavors to cultivate flexible, adaptive and creative strategies for metabolizing stress and trauma, deepening the therapist’s capacity to bear witness in the face of suffering.

demonstration-experiential-sharing of work experiences-didactic

Learning Objectives:

Participants will be able to:

1. Take away at least one strategy for stress management.

2. Deepen their understanding of the neural link between trauma and self regulation.

3. Better understand the concept of neural integration in cultivating resilience.

Course References:

1. Pearlman, L.A. (1999).  Notes from the field: What is vicarious traumatization? In B.H. Stamm (Ed.), Secondary Traumatic Stress: Self-care Issues for Clinicians, Researchers & Educators (2nd ed.) (pp. xlvii-lii). Lutherville, MD: Sidran Press.

2. Rothschild, B. (2006). Help for the helper: The psychophysiology of compassion fatigue and vicarious trauma. New York: W.W. Norton & Company.

3. Norcross, J.C. (2000).Psychotherapist self-care: Practitioner-tested, research-informed strategies. Professional Psychology, 31, 710-713.