* This is a video recording of a continuing education session held on February 9, 2024.
Check with your local licensing board to confirm continuing education compliance.
---------------
Description:
Counselors must be prepared to address the profound issues of the human spirit that many clients struggle with. For a significant number of individuals, spirituality and religion serve as vital sources of strength, helping them find purpose and meaning in life, and facilitating the healing process. In this context, counselors must utilize their clients' spiritual and religious beliefs to aid them in exploring and resolving their problems. To accomplish this effectively, counselors must possess the competencies required to work with their clients' values and address their spiritual concerns. Furthermore, staying informed about the latest empirically based interventions for integrating spirituality into the therapeutic process and applying these techniques in practical ways is crucial.
Learning Objectives:
1. Identify the positive influence of religion/spirituality on mental health.
2. Examine the negative impact of religious/spiritual beliefs on psychological well-being.
3. Attain a holistic comprehension of spiritual struggle through the lens of religion and counseling theories.
4. Recognize types of religious/spiritual struggles and the development of maladaptive religious coping strategies.
5. Examine evidence-based research on the efficacy of spiritual practices in enhancing mental health.
6. Explore evidence-based religious/spiritual interventions for treating anxiety, depression, and PTSD, and gaining better global outcomes for patients with psychological illness.
Speaker Bio:
Cristina Emrich is a Licensed Graduate Professional Counselor in the State of Maryland and the District of Columbia. She works as a professional counselor for CentrePointe Counseling. She has been serving children, adults, couples, and families on a variety of issues including anxiety, depression, mood disorders, life transitions, parenting, relationship issues, and anger management. Cristina earned a bachelor’s degree in educational psychology in Romania, a Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy at Liberty University, and a Doctoral of Education in Community Care & Counseling: Marriage and Family at Liberty University. She is a member of the Christian Association for Psychological Studies.
Event Timeline:
9:30-9:45 Introductions and Objectives
9:45-10:15 The Impact of Religion/Spirituality on Mental Health
10:15-10:45 Spiritual Struggle
10:45-11:00 Theoretical Frameworks for Exploring Spiritual Struggle
11:00 - 11:10 Break
11:10 - 11:40 Religious Coping Methods
11:40-11:55 Video/Small Group Discussion
11:55-12:10 Practices in Enhancing Psychological Well-being
12:10-12:45 Evidence-Based Religious/Spiritual Interventions
12:30-12:45 Q&A and Evaluations
