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Karuna17_Program_Brief

Published by michaela, 2017-05-09 21:20:25

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April 21, 2017 $35 General Registration Fee8:00AM - 4:30PM $65 CEU Registration FeeHartford, Connecticut REGISTER: http://conta.cc/2kqUklJJoin internationally recognized thought leaders for an insightful dialogue on the current state ofpsychiatric treatment, approaches for supporting a person experiencing emotional distress, along withintegrative practices that promote health, wellness, and a positive quality of life.Keynote | Robert WhitakerPatient- The Door to a Revolution in Psychiatry Cracks Open: Norway’s New Mandate for Directed Care After years of political lobbying by user groups, the Norwegian government has mandated that the four regional trusts in the country must establish “medication-free” wards. The first such ward has now opened in Tromso, in the far north of the country, and there patients choose whether they want to taper from their medications, or forgo medications altogether. On this ward, patients may discharge themselves at any time; their descriptions of hospital meetings and care are entered into the medical records; and the therapeutic focus is on “helping people get on with their lives.” This talk will focus on the history of this initiative; its early adoption in Tornio; the political resistance to implementing it by Norwegian psychiatry, as an institution; and the research that tells of why this is an “evidence-based” initiative to pursue. Morning and Afternoon Refreshments Get Baked Bakery | Windsor, ConnecticutMorning Breakout Sessions Visions, Voices & Unusual Beliefs: A Course | Ken Blatt, M.D. The medical model (approach) to extreme states - so called “psychosis, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder” and other psychiatric labels - have for much too long dominated the mental health landscape. Now we have alternative views and ways to heal. This workshop is for anyone interested in finding meaning and understanding of distressing experiences. It is relevant for emotional first responders, clergy, teachers, school nurses and guidance counselors. This course is relevant for folks with lived experience of the mental health system, to their families, relatives and interested others. We will view and discuss a video and talk about a revolutionary report recently out for the general public (you will get a PDF). We will examine your questions and discuss how these alternatives are coming to Connecticut. Paradigm Shifting: Starting and Sustaining a Peer Respite | Micah Matthias Afiya is a peer respite house in Northampton, Massachusetts, and is a part of the Western Mass Recovery Learning Community. We offer short term support and community connection to anyone who is going through what they self - define as a crisis. Crisis can look very different to different people. We have supported people through experiences of trauma, thoughts about suicide, grief, hearing voices, domestic violence, sexual assault, addiction and other extreme states. Some people have chosen to come to Afiya in place of a hospital or other traditional mental health services. Some people may have no experience with the mental health system, and are using Afiya to help them avoid taking that path. Afiya is a healing environment for anyone who doesn't want their life to be interrupted while they move through a difficult space. Our approach is one of genuine human relationships, optimism, respect and the belief in every person's ability to self-define what they need to move through their difficult time. This presentation will introduce Afiya's philosophy and the work that we do.

From the Heart: Loving Kindness to Cultivate Deeper Connection and Skillful Communication | Chris GrossoIn this breakout session, Chris Grosso, Spiritual Director of Toivo and author of Indie Spiritualist, Everything Mind, andDead Set On Living (Spring 2018) will teach attendees a simple meditation technique called “Loving Kindness,” whichfosters numerous benefits including authentic healing, cultivating greater compassion for self and others , and deepersocial connection (to name only a few).Finding True North - Achieving Recovery While Transitioning to Adulthood | Michaela I. FisselDiverging from past research centered on traditional role criteria as defining the attainment of adult statu s, transitioningto adulthood has evolved into a highly subjective internal process marked by intangible, gradual, psychological, andindividualistic criteria. This remains true for young people who experience mental health or addiction challenges. Thisworkshop will engage audience members in an interactive experience through which they will explore the process ofrecovery during the transition to adulthood, while exploring the integral benefits of contemplative practices insupporting greater awareness, connection, and purpose.Reconnect with Yourself through Chair Yoga | Michelle MatthewsChair yoga allows and encourages individuals of all physical abilities to enjoy the benefits of yoga. This class featurestraditional yoga postures and techniques while utilizing the chair for support. Chair yoga is gentle, relaxing andstrengthening. The practice of chair yoga has been shown to decrease stress, improve perceived quality of live, andstrengthen a person’s ability to find balance.Healing ArtsRelax, rebalance, andrejuvenate throughcomplimentary reiki, chairmassage, and acupuncturethroughout the day.Late Morning Breakout Sessions Parachute NYC, Open Dialogue, and the Needs Adapted Treatment Approach | Leslie Nelson This workshop will provide attendees with an introduction to Open Dialogue. Developed in Finland, Open Dialogue is influencing and encouraging new and innovative way of responding to individuals and families experiencing distress. With the integration of Peer Specialists into treatment teams and through the practices of open dialogue, mutuality, possibility and hope are achieved within the treatment milieu. This breakout will offer attendees the opportunity to participate in an open dialogue about what has been presented, and next steps for Peer Specialists working dialogically in the community. The Hearing Voices Movement - Around the World and Close to Home | Lisa Forestell and Jenna Rai Miller The Hearing Voices Movement is turning 30 years old, this year, and will celebrate its anniversary in Boston at the World Hearing Voices Congress, Aug 16-18. Connecticut has passionately embraced this vital movement and offers access to its values and culture through its network of 18 groups and growing. This workshop is an invitation for you to learn more about and join this broad coalition of voices creating greater understanding and acceptance around the experiences of those of us who hear voices, see visions and have other unusual sensory perceptions. Consider the role you might play as a fellow voice hearer, ally or, perhaps, researcher during this exciting chapter in the evolution of the Hearing Voices Movement. Be a part of the change. Dignity & Advocacy Network | Judy Murray, R.N. Judy Murray, Founder of D.A.N. (Dignity and Advocacy Network) will share the personal story of her family’s struggles with our traditional mental health system ending in the tragic suicide of her son Dan. Judy will share information regarding the knowledge she has gained, since his death, through endless research and how it correlates with her memories of Dan’s lived experience.

Community Bridging: Connection, Support, and Lots of Coffee | Lee Bagwell, Miles Hall and Corrine Taylor People need connection. Working from personal experiences, as opposed to clinical training, is an important foundation for authentic relationships built on trust and mutual understanding. We believe that people involved with the mental health system have fewer opportunities for non-clinical relationships. We believe that having relationships like these promote healing and self-responsibility. That is why programs like this are so valuable, not just for those directly involved but to the system as a whole. Hear from members of our team, as well as program participants, about the unique challenges of this rewarding work. Qigong with Sacred Sound | Deron Drumm and Kelvin Young Qigong is a type of exercise that involves gentle movement, breathing techniques, and focused intension. The flowing movements of Qigong serve as a moving meditation that reduces stress and provides a way to cultivate harmony of yo ur body and mind. Sound healing through crystal singing bowls relieves stress, uplifts the spirit, relaxes the body, and quiets the mind. The vibration of the bowls soothes the nervous system, release s tension within the muscles, and alleviates emotional distress.Lunch | Chef Jay Lewis Grilled Moroccan Chicken Lemon Salmon Vegan Taco Bar Vegetarian Eggplant Rollatini Honey Cornbread Cake Asparagus w/Fig Reduction Heirloom Tomato and Onion w/balsamic vinaigrette Garden Salad Roasted Butternut Squash and BroccoliDr. Karen Kangas Award Howard Harold | DrummingWe are excited to award this year’s Dr. Karen Kangas Award A highlight of last year’s Conference, join Harold Howardat this year’s conference. as he captivates the audience with an energetic and passionate drumming performance. Using a traditional\"This prestigious recognition is awarded to people who djembe, Harold’s performance will bring guests to theirembody the spirit, determination, and compassion of the feet as they are carried around the auditorium with danceaward's namesake, Dr. Kangas.\" and delight!Panel Discussion | Deron Drumm, Kelvin Young & Hilary Bryant In this panel discussion Deron Drumm, Kelvin Young and Hilary Bryant will share about the creation, vision, mission, and every-day operation of Toivo, Advocacy Unlimited’s mind-body wellness initiative. Toivo’s Found, Director and Manager will share about both challenges and successes, as well as discuss how the holistic practices shared at Toivo have been instrumental in their own healing journeys.Afternoon Breakout Sessions Psychiatric Drug Withdrawal 101: How to taper off medications as safely and successfully as possible | Laura Delano Despite what many have come to believe, it is entirely possible to successfully come off and stay off psychiatric drugs. This is true even after having taken multiple medications for many years. While evidence for this claim may seem lacking in most clinical settings and many have witnessed or directly experienced the disastrous effe cts of what can happen when you go “off your meds”, there is a robust and rapidly growing body of knowledge showing that with safe tapering a very different and far more hopeful story unfolds. This knowledge has yet to reach the majority of professionals - it is the reality by those who’ve come off themselves. This presentation will offer a broad overview of this knowledge, providing information about the safest known layperson taper protocols, along with important factors to consider in advance of starting a taper that increase the odds of a smooth withdrawal. Time will be saved for a Q&A.

Intentional Peer Support | Chris Hansen Intentional Peer Support is a framework used across the globe for creating mutual and dynamic relationships that help people overcome isolation, examine how we’ve come to understand our experiences, and explore new possibilities for living well. This workshop will discuss the principles and tasks of IPS and how purposeful relationships contribute to vibrant community life. We will also look at how IPS is used in various peer support and human services settings. Continuing the Conversation with Robert Whitaker | Robert Whitaker This breakout will provide the opportunity for attendees to continue the conversation started during Robert Whitaker’s Keynote Address entitled, “The Door to a Revolution in Psychiatry Cracks Open: Norway’s New Mandate for Patient - Directed Care”. Audience members will have additional time to gain insight into the “medication-free” wards offered in Norway, including the history, its early adoption, political resistance, and research supporting this as an “evidence -based” initiative. A large portion of time will be allocated to Q&A, during which period Bob Whitaker will field questions from the audience. “Alternatives to Suicide” Mutual Support Groups: Building Community in Times of Struggle | Caroline White As evidenced by the ineffectiveness of risk assessment, safety contracts, and hospitalization continues to build, what is the power and potential of authentic peer-to-peer support around thoughts and experiences of suicide? Since 2008, “Alternatives to Suicide” groups have created inclusive spaces where people experiencing hopelessness and deep despair and can come together in supportive community without threat of coercion or pathologization. What are the values of these groups that make them so effective? How can they help all of us infuse our dialogues around “big” emotions and tough life events with curiosity and compassion? Come learn with the Western Mass RLC how the community and connections formed during “our darkest hours” can often be the most powerful. Laughing for the Health of It! | Laura Le Laughter exercise, also called laughter yoga, is the practice of using laughter as exercise. The practice is based on the id ea that you can laugh whenever you want -- without the use of jokes or humor. Scientific studies show that laughter lowers stress levels, lowers blood pressure, and strengthens the immune system. In his book “Spontaneous Happiness”, Dr. Andrew Weil recommends that people dealing with depression try laughter exercise. Laughter “puts the most powerful anti-depressants to shame,” according to Dr. Weil.Plenary | Noel Hunter, PsyD. Reconnecting with and healing ourselves and others: Raising social consciousness from within the mental health system. Most clinicians and mental health workers enter the field with ambitions of helping others and to encourage healing. Yet, with insurance demands, hierarchical power dynamics, pressures to conform, and political oppositions, the healing arts has, in many ways, become entangled with professional ambition and survival. Are our current strategies and paradigm working or are they instead contributing to the problem? How can we create change from within the system? How can we integrate what we learn from individuals who \"have been there\" with contradictory lessons learned in the classroom? This plenary is an opportunity to explore some of these questions and to highlight strategies for influencing change and getting back to the core of why we chose these careers in the first place.For more information, and to register, go to: http://conta.cc/2kqUklJ


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