Register now!

The Union of Psychology and Spirituality Retreat is offered for psychologists, pastoral counselors, other mental health professionals, clergy and all individuals who share an interest in the overlapping realms of psychology and spirituality. The intent is to bring together people who will speak openly about their beliefs and practices and will actively participate in their own learning and growth. The programming is designed for participants at all levels of knowledge and psychological and spiritual development. No particular religious tradition is endorsed by the program and during past retreats, leaders have presented from Buddhist, Hindu, Christian and non-religious spiritual traditions. Three concurrent programs will be offered on Friday afternoon from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon, ending at 4 p.m. A special fireside chat will be Friday night after dinner. All the Retreat programs emphasize active discussion and participation rather than lecture only. Attendees are strongly encouraged to stay overnight to fully benefit from the experience. There will be ample opportunities for social interaction.

Participants will leave with the following: 1) A better understanding of how the science of psychology and the forms of spiritual experience inform and complement one another; 2) Having learned and practiced exercises and activities which are designed to contribute to personal and spiritual growth; and, 3) An expanded perspective on who we are and what we have in common.

Why This Conference?
Therapeutic models are increasingly  focused on meditative practice and/or mindfulness components (e.g. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectic Behavior Therapy (DBT) and are being empirically supported as effective for a wide range of issues including anxiety, depression, OCD, compulsive/addictive behaviors, borderline personality disorder, stress management, eating disorders and PTSD. In addition, both meditative practices and the development of the spiritual self have been found to promote psychologists’ own sense of well-being, an important aspect of our self-care given the intense nature of our professional work. Finally, awareness of our clients’ individual spiritual journeys is crucial in treating the whole person, and in aiding us in our awareness and sensitivity to the diversity among our client population. 

Retreat Planning Committee Members are: Brenda Loren, PhD, Vickie Murphy, BA, Ryan Niemiec, PsyD, Mary Anne Orcutt, PhD, Stana Paulauskas, PhD, Richard Reckman, PhD, Deryck Richardson, PhD and Tracy Sidesinger, PsyD.

When: Friday and Saturday, March 2-3, 2012
Where: Mohican Lodge and Conference Center, Loudonville
Cost: The cost of the workshop includes all meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), beverage breaks, refreshments, hotel room and credit hours. The entire retreat is 12 CE credits.
Single Room Occupancy Rates:
$380 OPA Member/Clergy/Spouse of OPA Member
$425 Non OPA Member
$280 Student
Double Room Occupancy Rates:
$320 OPA Member/Clergy/Spouse of OPA Member
$365 Non OPA Member
$220 Student
Friday Night Overnight Accommodations: Single and double rooms are available. The cost of a room is included in your workshop package. Please list the name of your roommate on the registration form or check if you would like OPA to assign you a roommate. Roommates will be assigned on a first come, first serve basis. If you would like a room for Saturday night, please contact Mohican directly at 800-282-7275 and tell them you’re with the OPA room block.
Continuing Education Policies: Those individuals wanting CE credits must sign and complete the workshop evaluation form and return it to OPA staff at the end of the Retreat. Per APA guidelines, those who arrive more than 10 minutes late or leave more than 10 minutes early will not receive credit. OPA is an approved provider for the Ohio Counselor and Social Worker Board.
Registration Deadline: February 23
 
Friday, March 2
12:15-12:45 p.m.
Registration & Plenary

1-4 p.m.
  
Ethics, Psychotherapy and Spirituality | Mary Anne Orcutt, PhD & Rick Reckman, PhD
3 CE Credits *Ethics Credits
This workshop focuses on the ethics for therapists who consider incorporating spiritual issues into psychotherapy practices. We will look at the ethics guidelines as they relate to boundaries, awareness and training in diverse religions, risk management and maintaining our own spiritual and mental health as it relates to spiritual issues within the context of psychotherapy. Participants are urged to bring questions and ethical dilemmas. Format will be primarily reviewing vignettes, with both small and large group discussion as they relate to the ethics code. 
 
This workshop is designed to help you: 1) identify three ethical principles which relate to spirituality issues in the context of therapy; 2) practice a process by which one can evaluate ethical implications of dilemmas by using the APA Ethics Code and consultation with other professionals; and, 3) develop a process of awareness by which to self-evaluate one's own psychological and spiritual health, in order to best maintain ethical behavior.
 
Mary Anne Orcutt, PhD, is a licensed psychologist who has been in private practice in Columbus for over 25 years. She is the director of Bethel Olentangy Psychological Services, a practice with 11 psychologists. She is on the associate medical staff at Riverside Methodist Hospital. She has worked in inpatient and outpatient treatment centers, and was associate executive director of Southeast Mental Health Center in Columbus for three years. She served on the OPA Ethics Committee for 12 years and as its chair for two years. Rick Reckman, PhD is a past president of the Ohio Psychological Association. Dr. Reckman has worked in a private clinical practice in Cincinnati for more than 30 years.

Spirituality & Depth Psychology: A Universe of Consciousness | Sharon Sanders, PhD
3 CE Credits
This program consists of a 30 minute presentation of the concepts inherent in depth psychology, such as; the self as divine, ego identity, images, dreams, myths, archetypes, collective unconscious...and the relationship of those concepts to the findings from quantum mechanics on consciousness, followed by one and a half hours of workshop activities and ending with an hour for open discussion. The approaches used include Psychodynamic, Self Psychology, Developmental and Archetypal.

This workshop is designed to help you delve into areas that encourage a greater self-awareness. We will speak of the soul, the psyche, the unconscious...and tie the search for finding life’s meaning and purpose with the discoveries and ideas of quantum mechanics on such esoteric notions as the assertion that all matter and energy in the universe ultimately gives evidence of being conscious.

Dr. Sanders graduated from Loma Linda University in Loma Linda, California after training in Experimental Psychology. Her concentrations are Health and Lifespan  Development. A California native, Dr. Sanders taught 18 different developmental and psychology courses at California State University, San Bernardino over the course of 12 years before accepting an Assistant Professorship in Developmental Psychology at the University of Cincinnati - Clermont College to be near her grandchildren. Her fields of research are psychoneuroimmunology/stress, creativity, LGBT studies, and spirituality and depth psychology. She is currently writing the first draft of a proposed text for Cengage Publishing on the Psychology of Spirituality.

Zen Koans for Psychotherapists
Richard Sears, PsyD, MBA, ABPP, Rev. Myo Gak James Foster, Robert Denton, PsyD
3 CE Credits
This program will give participants the opportunity to learn about and practice the Zen koan system. We will begin with a brief history and description of the Zen koan system, and how it relates to mindfulness. Participants will then have the opportunity to practice Zen meditation and to meet privately with the instructors to practice working with koans. The program will end with a discussion of the process, and how the insights gained can be used in clinical work.

This workshop is designed to help you: 1) explain the relationship between mindfulness and historical zen practice; 2) define “koan” and describe how it can be used to help let go of self-created problems; and, 3) experience the process of working through a Zen koan.

Richard Sears, PsyD, MBA, ABPP, is a licensed Ohio psychologist, board certified in clinical psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology. He has been practicing and teaching Zen and mindfulness for over 25 years. He has been authorized to teach koans by Paul Yuanzhi Lynch, in the lineage of Seung Sahn. He is director of the Center for Clinical Mindfulness & Meditation and core faculty in the Doctor of Psychology Program at Union Institute & University, where he also runs a private practice. He is lead author of Mindfulness in Clinical Practice and Consultation Skills for Mental Health Professionals.

Rev. James Myo Gak Foster is a third-year graduate student in clinical psychology at the Union Institute & University. He has also been a practicing Buddhist for almost 25 years, and ordained for half of that. Rev. Myo Gak is a Zen Buddhist priest in the Korean Son (Zen) lineage of Dae Sonsanim (Great Zen Master) Seung Sahn, the founder of the Kwan Um School of Zen, North America’s largest Zen Buddhist denomination. Rev. Myo Gak Boep-Sunim has received full precept transmission; authorization to take personal students, and teach kong-ans (koans), received Inga (Inka Shomei), the final “Master’s Seal of Approval” in this lineage of Zen. Rev. Myo Gak is the founder and president of the Five Mountain Buddhist Seminary, the nation’s first Distributed-Learning, non-denominational seminary program, where he also serves as a member of the core faculty. Rev. Myo Gak serves as the local Guiding Teacher and Abbot for Great Cloud Zen Center, in Cincinnati, Ohio and has served as the National Abbot for his Korean Zen denomination since 2008.

Robert Denton, PsyD, is a licensed Ohio psychologist. He works at Berea Children’s Home and Family Services (BCHFS) in Cleveland, OH, as a core assessment supervisor for BCHFS’s predoctoral internship program. In addition to this, he runs a small private practice in Cleveland.

Dr. Denton is on the advisory board for the Center for Clinical Mindfulness & Meditation at the Union Institute and University in Cincinnati, OH. He is lead author of the chapter “Clinical Uses of Mindfulness” in Innovations in Clinical Practice (with Dr. Sears) and co-author of the book Mindfulness in Clinical Practice (with Dr. Sears and Dr. Tirch).

Outside of his studies in psychology, he is a first degree black belt in To-Shin Do Ninjutsu and runs a small training group teaching martial arts in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He has studied the Eastern Wisdom traditions extensively, having traveled to a variety of training centers and monastic institutes around the United States and overseas. He is currently undergoing formal Koan (Zen) practice, receiving the ordination name of Chong-An (meaning "clear vision") under the authority Paul Dochong Lynch in the Five Mountain Order, following the Zen tradition of Zen Master Seung Sahn.

Friday Evening (after dinner)

Moving Into Wholeness: Body, Mind, Spirit | Fiona Travis, PhD
1 CE Credit
This workshop will explore human movement theory, analysis of movement patterns, and the practical implications of eight basic actions as they relate to coping behaviors, personality, diagnosis and treatment. It is both didactic and experiential. The program is designed to increase awareness and to create a sense of wholeness and well-being for all participants.

As a participant, you will learn movement theory as applied to energy and its practical application. You will have an opportunity to analyze your own movement patterns and become more aware of the patterns that create the dynamics of communication and interpersonal relationships. You will be introduced to eight basic actions created from movement theory and will experience each action and learn how these actions are applied to psychological dynamics and human behavior.

The connection of body, mind and spirit will be experienced as “one” with every experience being processed through discussion. Each participant will be able to explore how this might be used in your own practice of psychology regardless of population and setting.

Dr. Fiona Travis has been doing this work for over thirty years and has presented numerous times over those years for the Division of Psychotherapy of the American Psychological Association in Canada, Mexico, and throughout the United States. She has led workshops for lawyers, doctors and nurses and medical staffs, students in schools from preschool through college, staff development for mental health centers, major corporations, business leaders, judges, nursing home residents and staffs, and periodically leads workshops for her own patients in her private practice.

Fireside Chat | Reverend Deborah Lindsay
2 CE Credits
During the fireside chat participants will explore ways their spiritual traditions enhance their therapeutic work. Is the spirit present in your practice? How do you recognize that presence? Within the context of appropriate boundaries, how does your own spiritual path intersect with that of your client? Most importantly, how can awareness of the presence of the spirit enhance your work? Maria Rainer Rilke said, "Our looking ripens things." Individually and as a group, we will look for clues to the Spirit’s healing presence.

Rev. Lindsay will also reflect on her recent trip to South Africa and the role spirituality played in the fight against apartheid.

This workshop is designed to: 1) increase awareness of the presence of the spirit in a therapy session; 2) discover ways spirituality enhances the practitioner's work; and, 3) Examine the tension between maintenance of appropriate boundaries and utilizing one's own spirituality in therapeutic work.

Rev. Deborah Lindsay is the Minister of Spiritual Care at First Community Church, in Columbus, Ohio. Deborah was ordained by the United Church of Christ in 2008. Her primary focus is pastoral care and counseling, along with preaching, leading worship and teaching.

Deborah earned her Master of Divinity degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Bexley, Ohio in 2008. She completed her clinical training at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus and she has done additional study at Yale Divinity School. Deborah is a trained Healthy Congregations facilitator. She began her doctoral studies in 2011 at New York Theological Seminary, where she will be working toward the Doctor of Ministry in a Multifaith Context. Deborah earned her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from The Ohio State University in 1981.

Deborah has a special interest in multi-faith ministry and is a frequent speaker on Christian/Muslim relations.

Saturday, March 3
Saturday 9 a.m. – Noon

Integrating Character Strengths and Mindful Practices | Ryan Niemiec, PsyD
3 CE Credits
This workshop will explore how mindfulness and character strengths mutually enhance one another. Peterson and Seligman (2004) articulated the first, rigorous classification of human strengths and virtues called the VIA Classification. Subsequently, the VIA Survey was developed to measure these 24 universal, character strengths; this is the only known survey of strengths in the world that is free, online, and psychometrically valid. Psychologists, educators and business professionals have been using it with clients widely over the last several years resulting in 1.5 million survey takers from over 250 countries. The practice of mindfulness involves the use of several of these character strengths (e.g., self-regulation, curiosity, self-kindness, etc.) and can serve as a meta-strength to help individuals actualize their character strengths and bring a balance in strengths use to prevent strengths blindness, strengths overuse and strengths underuse. In turn, a strengths-based practice can assist individuals who struggle with maintaining their meditation (or any spiritual) practice. Individuals can learn to rally their internal strengths to overcome obstacles such as mind wandering, body pain and not making time to practice.

This workshop will prioritize experiential learning through meditations, strengths exercises, and dyadic dialogue with group debriefing. Lecture on the scientific underpinnings of character strengths, mindfulness meditation, and positive psychology will augment these practices. A variety of practical handouts will be distributed.

This workshop is designed to help you understand the relationship between mindfulness and character strengths. Particpants will: 1) understand what signature strengths are and be able to name 3-5 of their own signature character strengths; 2) describe at least one way to use mindfulness to explore their own top character strengths; and, 3) name and describe two strengths exercises they can use with clients.

Dr. Ryan M. Niemiec is a licensed psychologist, certified coach, and international workshop leader. He is Education Director of VIA Institute on Character, an internationally recognized, nonprofit organization in Cincinnati that bridges the science and practice of character strengths. Prior to this, Ryan worked as a clinical psychologist helping clients maximize their highest potential and prevent and manage common problems such as obesity, chronic pain, depression, and anxiety. He has lead several-hundred mindfulness meditation groups over the last decade. As an Assistant Clinical Professor at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, he co-created and directed services of an integrated care program at a family practice. Ryan is also Associate Editor of the APA journal PsycCRITIQUES and is co-author of Positive Psychology at the Movies: Using Films to Build Virtues and Character Strengths (2008) and Movies and Mental Illness: Using Films to Understand Psychopathology (2005; 2010), and a number of book chapters and articles. Over the last few years, Ryan has delivered over 100 presentations on topics related to character strengths, mindfulness, positive psychology, spirituality, movies, and health/wellness, and has prioritized leading one day and two day workshops on character strengths and retreats/seminars on mindfulness meditation.

Journey Dance: Healing Through the Art of Movement, Implications for Helping Professionals
Jamie Marich, PhD
3 CE Credits *Pending for Counselor and Social Worker Credit
Developed by Toni Bergins of the Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, JourneyDance is a practice that takes its participants through emotional healing on the dance floor. Combining elements of yoga, somatic movement, folklore, modern dance, expressive movement, psychodrama, and catharsis, JourneyDance is part of the larger dance therapy spectrum that can help client recover from trauma, addiction, and emotional wounding. In this workshop, Dr. Marich (a trained facilitator in the JourneyDance practice) will guide participants through a 1.5 hour JourneyDance experience and then facilitate a professional discussion on how the JourneyDance practice or other movement therapies can serve as an effective adjunct to treatment. Didactic material about the role of movement as a holistic component of trauma-sensitive treatment will also be incorporated into the discussion. As an added benefit, participants will hopefully gain insight into their own approaches to self-care. Participants are encouraged to wear clothing conducive to exercise and movement; if physical limitations inhibit full participation, participants are welcome as observers.

This workshop is designed to help you: 1) experience the benefits of a movement-based, holistic practice for emotional healing; 2) determine if a movement-based practice like JourneyDance can provide an effective complement to traditional psychotherapy; 3) assess the current state of your self-care plan as a working professional; and, 4) access dance and movement therapy resources referrals in your community.

Jamie Marich, PhD is a Licensed Supervising Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC-S) and Licensed Independent Chemical Dependency Counselor (LICDC) in the state of Ohio. Jamie has worked in mental health residential treatment, and in chemical dependency treatment as an inpatient, outpatient, and dual diagnosis counselor. Jamie obtained her Ph.D. in Counseling Studies from Capella University, and an M.A. in Counseling from the Franciscan University of Steubenville. Jamie also teaches for several reputable online universities, and she offers original workshops for counselors and social workers on a regular basis. In addition to her formal education and work experience, Jamie has obtained advanced training in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and trauma. Jamie specializes in addiction treatment (chemical & behavioral), PTSD/issues related to abuse and trauma, dissociative disorders, spiritual issues (including recovery from spiritual abuse), cross-cultural issues, consultation/mentoring, grief/loss, group therapy, and she has a special passion for treating young adults and women.

Evolutionary Psychology Meets Evolutionary Spirituality to Discover a Healing Evolutionary Integrity Paschal Baute, EdD
3 CE Credits
This workshop incorporates insights from Evolutionary Psychology Robert Wright, current Neuroscience (Daniel Siegel) and the most ancient of spirituality evident in the 12 steps of AA, to reach an evolutionary perspective of healing wholeness and integrity.

This workshop is designed to help you: 1) Grasp the wealth of understanding now available in two relatively new fields of psychology; 2) apply these insights with a broader perspective in effectively reaching a diversity of clinical challenges; and, 3) integrate these views with ancient wisdom traditions and the power of AA spirituality.

Dr. Baute has been integrating psychology, spirituality, scripture, evolution, that is, faith, science and wellness, writing, teaching, therapy practice and consulting for many years. He is now semi-retired, 82 years young, a married priest with seven ministries, a spellbinder storyteller, performing for children and adults. He is a  faculty member of the University of Kentucky Osher Lfelong Learning Institute programs. Although his basic reference is  Evolutionary Psychology (Robin Dunbar and Louise Barrett) he will incorporate some 20 tips for total-ness gathered from the recent extensive survey of  neuroscience on how the brain really works, including the work of Daniel Siegel. Visit his blog at his website: www.paschalbaute.com

Saturday Afternoon 1-4 p.m.

Caring for the Spiritual Needs of the Caregiver | Dan Davis, PhD, ABPP, Vickie Murphy, Nan Weir
3 CE Credits
This workshop will address the issue of the spiritual needs of the healer. Psychologists and other psychotherapists, by the very nature of the work, often confront issues, behaviors and pathologies that are rarely addressed or prepared for in training and supervision. Because of issues of confidentiality, as well as the natural desire to shield one’s loved ones from vicarious trauma, therapists are often on their own as they confront these issues on a cognitive, affective and spiritual level. This workshop will explore, both through didactic and experiential means, how we as psychotherapists address our own spiritual needs, questions of meaning and purpose and how we care for ourselves in our work. The workshop will be lead by spiritual directors and a forensic psychologist, each with experience and perspective gained through partnerships in the human experience. The format for this workshop will include active group discussion on the subject matter.  Group spiritual direction will be introduced using a model developed by the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. Small professional groups of peers will be facilitated by experienced spiritual directors as one option of caring for the spiritual needs of psychological caregivers.

This workshop is designed to help you: 1) identify spiritual questions raised in professional work; 2) identify pertinent ethical issues related to spirituality, psychotherapy and the spiritual needs of the caregiver; 3) gain exposure to relevant research concerning the spiritual needs of the therapist; and, 4) work through spiritual questions in a professional group session with an experienced spiritual director.