Care & Compassion Series 2023-24

2023-2024

CARE & COMPASSION SERIES

Care & Compassion Series

Stephen Ministry and the Congregational Care Ministry are pleased to bring you a series of courses tailored to enhance your understanding of care and compassion. These courses cover a range of topics and are designed to broaden your knowledge and skills in these areas. We hope you’ll take advantage of this wonderful opportunity to deepen your understanding of caring for others.

Listening Sets the Bruised Heart Free

Monday, September 11

7:00 p.m. | Monteith Hall

Speaker: Patricia Johnson

Listening Sets the Bruised Heart Free will bring to life the value of listening, the three levels of listening: the person being listened to, the internal thoughts and feelings of the listener, and the voice of the Holy Spirit during or after the listening encounter. Vignettes will be used as examples of what listening entails and how the right kind of listening will bring life, hope and healing to the one who speaks, setting the bruised heart free. Patricia Taylor Johnson, author of Listening for Life: Cultivating the Courage to Connect, will present the value of listening to those we serve and those we love. Her topic will reach beyond listening to those we care for to listening to anyone who needs the gift of presence and listening.

Pat is a Board Certified Chaplain (APC) with over fifteen years of combined hospital and hospice experience. She is also a Spiritual Director, commissioned by the Jesuits, after receiving two years of training with an emphasis on the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. Her background includes an advanced degree in counseling and theology from Fuller Theological Seminary with several years experience as a therapist in California and Michigan. During the isolation of the COVID pandemic, she completed Listening for Life: Cultivating the Courage to Connect. As one endorser noted, “Pat starts with stories from her work as a chaplain, draws us into the wonder, awe and grace she experiences, and then offers ways to reflect on our own spiritual journeys.” At the same time, we learn what it means to give the gift of presence and to listen to those we serve and love.

Diagnosing and Treating Chronic Pain

Monday, October 9

7:00 p.m. | Monteith Hall

Speaker: Dr. Daniel J. Clauw, University of Michigan

Dr. Dan Clauw, the Director of the Chronic Pain & Fatigue Research Center at the University of Michigan, discusses pain that stems from your brain. He presents an overview of what is

currently known about the underlying causes of chronic pain and discusses the rationale behind a variety of different treatments for chronic pain. He has over 450 peer-reviewed publications, over $100M in federal funding, and is very active mentor, serving as the primary mentor for 39 NIH K awardees, nearly all of whom have gone on to obtain R series funding or the equivalent.

How Trauma Affects Relationships

Monday, November 13

7:00 p.m. | Monteith Hall

Speaker: Kate Roos, MSW

Kate Roos is the founder of Expressive Arts for Well-Being. Kate is a registered art therapist, certified trauma sensitive yoga facilitator, and a mindful meditation practitioner. For many years, Kate has worked with adults and kids in a variety of settings including schools, teen centers, clinics, hospitals, and non-profit organizations. Kate deeply believes in the power of the expressive arts to support us in healing and wellbeing, creating connections with ourselves and others, building community, and sparking moments of joy.

Healthy Living for Your Brain and Body While LGBTQ

Monday, January 8

7:00 p.m. | Zoom

Speaker: Courtney Mucklin

This presentation will briefly discuss specific challenges individuals in the LGBTQ community face as it relates to Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. It will also identify how certain behaviors affect your brain and bodies. Lastly, it discusses strategies for healthy decision making when it comes to sleep, smoking, mental health, physical activity. Courtney Mucklin was the LGBTQ Outreach Coordinator for the Alzheimer’s Association. She is the Program Coordinator at the Midwest AIDS Education and Training Center. (Note this presentation takes place over Zoom and will be posted on the FPC YouTube page).

Sex Therapy Is Not About Sex

Monday, February 12

7:00 p.m. | Monteith Hall

Speaker: Amy Raad, LMSW

Amy (she/her/hers) is a clinical social worker and AASECT Certified Sex Therapist at the Center for Sexual Health. She is also a counselor at the Michigan Medicine Center for Vulvar Diseases in the Department of Gynecology. Amy specializes in women’s health, sexual health and intimacy concerns, intimate relationship distress, and trauma recovery.

The Many Faces of Ketamine in Psychiatry

Monday, March 11

7:00 p.m. | Monteith Hall

Speaker: Dr. Sagar Parikh

Sagar Parikh, MD, is the John F. Greden Professor of Depression and Clinical Neuroscience, a Professor of Psychiatry, and a Professor of Health Management and Policy, School of Public Health. The U-M Psychiatry department opened a ketamine clinic last year headed by U-M psychiatrist Sagar Parikh, who predicts that “ketamine is going to get more popular, because it really does work, and it’s fast.”

CAM Unwrapped (Wholistic v. Alternative Medicine)

Monday, April 8

7:00 p.m. | Monteith Hall

Speaker: Rob Meyer-Kukan

What are wholistic medicine and alternative medicine, how are they different, and what are other treatements?

Rob Meyer-Kukan is a Licensed Massage and Sound Therapist practicing in Ann

Arbor, Michigan. He is a Level III trained Reiki Practitioner, a Reflexologist, and an aspiring Naturopath. He is currently enrolled in a four-year program that will culminate in the title Doctor of Naturopathy. He is the Owner of 7 Notes Natural Health, LLC, a holistic health and wellness practice located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In his previous life, Rob served churches and schools in southeast Michigan for 21 years as Music Director, Organist, and Music Teacher. He still maintains a small private piano studio out of his home, and more recently via Zoom, online.

Rob’s love of the labyrinth was ignited when he was going through a difficult life transition and a trusted friend encouraged him to walk the labyrinth. The labyrinth has always been there in times when life presented joys, sorrows and everything in between. Rob is a Veriditas Trained Labyrinth Facilitator. As part of his work at 7 Notes Natural Health, Rob offers online and in-person labyrinth walks. An area of particular interest, is the subject of processing grief on the labyrinth. Rob has lead online and in-person labyrinth walks to support those grieving, especially during this time of the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his spare time, Rob enjoys gardening, reading, and hiking in the woods. He is married to his husband, Scott, and they reside in Ann Arbor, Michigan with their five fur-children (2 cocker spaniels and 3 cats).

Family Estrangement

Monday, May 13

7:00 p.m. | Monteith Hall Speaker: Rose Rittinger, LLMSW

Navigating family conflict can be a challenge. This talk will cover a few of the reasons behind why family members become estranged and strategies for preventing estrangement. Additionally, this talk will provide tools that you can use to support those who are experiencing family conflict and estrangement.

Rose Rittinger is a Limited Licensed Master’s Social Worker who is passionate about supporting others, primarily working with perinatal clients, parents, children, and adolescents. She believes in the importance of creating a safe space for processing, healing, and managing various life challenges. Rose has a particular interest in helping navigate anxiety, depression, NICU and hospital stays, chronic illness, and ADHD concerns.

Rose works from a strengths-based perspective using cultural humility with an

emphasis on gender affirming care, anti-racism, and body neutrality. She utilizes a variety of therapeutic techniques, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT), motivational interviewing, and mindfulness. Rose is committed to meeting clients where they are at to support them toward achieving their goals.

Rose received a Master’s of Social Work degree (MSW) from Boston University. She also has a Bachelor’s degree in Child Development from Michigan State University.

How Grief Grows: Exploring Death and Loss Through Children’s Literature

Monday, June 10 7:00 p.m. | Monteith Hall Speaker: Daphne Brydon, PHD, LMSW

Daphne Brydon will discuss how children’s books about grief can help adults grieve.

Daphne Brydon is a licensed social worker with nearly 20 years of direct practice with adults and children in hospitals (inpatient, outpatient, emergency department), community organizations and education settings. Daphne maintains a private practice in Michigan and teaches clinical courses at the University of Michigan School of Social Work. In addition to her clinical work, Daphne has been involved in research and evaluation projects related to the implementation and sustainability of behavioral health interventions in community and state-based agencies—in Michigan and Colorado. Daphne finished her PhD in Social Work at the University of Denver and her current research focuses on the development of trauma-informed behavioral health interventions and practice for individuals involved in the criminal legal system. In addition to her clinical work, Brydon has been involved in numerous research and evaluation projects related to the implementation and sustainability of behavioral health interventions within community and state-based agencies — in Michigan and Colorado.