Free Talk “Youth Suicide Prevention” Cancelled
March 7, 2012
The free talk “Youth Suicide Prevention” scheduled for Thursday, March 8th at 7:00 has been cancelled. We apologize for any inconvenience. Please check out our calendar for future workshops and classes.
March 2012 Newsletter
February 28, 2012
Stress is a term used to describe the wear and tear the body experiences in reaction to everyday tensions and pressures. Change, illness, injury, or career and lifestyle changes are common causes of stress. However, it’s the emotional pressure and tension we feel in response to the little everyday hassles —rush hour traffic, waiting in line and too many emails—that do the most damage.
How does stress affect health?
According to the American Institute of Stress, up to 90% of all health problems are related to stress. Too much stress can contribute to and agitate many health problems including heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, depression and sleep disorders.
What can I do about it?
The first step is to understand how stress works. It’s not the events or situations that do the harm; it’s how you respond to those events. More precisely, it’s how you feel about them that determine whether you are stressed or not.
Emotions, or feelings, have a powerful impact on the human body. Positive emotions like appreciation, care and love not only feel good, they are good for you. They help your body’s systems synchronize and work better, like a well-tuned car.
HeartMath’s research has shown when you intentionally shift to a positive emotion, your heart rhythm immediately changes. This shift in heart rhythms creates a favorable cascade of neural, hormonal and biochemical events that benefit the entire body. The effects are both immediate and long lasting.
How does it work?
When you’re stressed, your body is out of sync. Typical negative emotions we feel when stressed—like anger, frustration, anxiety and worry—lead to increased disorder in the heart’s rhythms and in the nervous system. In contrast, positive emotions like joy, appreciation, care and kindness create synchronization in the heart’s rhythms and the nervous system. Other bodily systems sync up to this rhythm creating a state which scientists call coherence. Because coherence leads to more mental clarity, creativity and better problem-solving abilities, it’s easier to find solutions and better ways of handling the stressful situation.
How can I create and practice coherence?
The HeartMath approach to stress management introduces tools to help you increase physiological coherence: Use the Quick Coherence® Technique in daily life to reduce the effects of stress and the emWave® technology products to accelerate learning and enhance your practice.
Quick Coherence® Technique
The Quick Coherence Technique is a simple, easy way to interrupt the stress response and quickly bring your system into coherence. Practice this technique 4-5 times a day, every day for a minimum of 3 weeks. Use it prior to or during events or situations that provide emotional challenges – a quick stress manager. Good times to practice are first thing in the morning, before going to sleep at night, break time in the middle of the day, whenever a stressful event occurs or anytime you want to rebalance or get an energy boost. It is suggested you read through the steps first before practicing them.
The Steps of the Quick Coherence Technique
Step 1 – Heart Focus: Focus your attention on the area around your heart.
Step 2 – Heart Focused Breathing: Maintain your heart focus and, while breathing, imagine that your breath is flowing in and out through the heart area. Breathe casually, just a little deeper than normal.
Step 3 – Heart Feeling: Recall a positive feeling and make a sincere attempt to relive that feeling. You can recall a time when you felt appreciation or care for someone or something and attempt to re-experience that feeling. Once you have found a positive feeling—sustain this feeling by continuing with the Quick Coherence steps: heart focus, heart focused breathing, heart feeling.
Once you have completed the steps, ask yourself, “How could I handle this in a better way?” With practice, you’ll find you have more intuitive choices or options for what you might do next—even in the middle of a challenging or high-pressure situation.
The emWave2 is a portable and convenient way to reduce stress, balance emotions, and increase performance. Used just a few minutes a day, this simple-to-use technology helps you transform feelings of anger, anxiety or frustration into more peace, ease and clarity. As you practice on the go or at your computer you increase your coherence baseline and your ability to take charge of your emotional reactions. Health, communication, relationships and quality of life improve.
emWave Desktop helps you achieve coherence through simple-to-learn exercises and games. Using a pulse sensor plugged into your USB port, emWave Desktop collects and translates HRV (heart rate variability) data into user-friendly graphics. Through coherence techniques, interactive exercises and playing games, emWave Desktop helps you create a coherent state, build resilience, increase energy, and promote focus, mental clarity and emotional balance.
For more information about how you can learn to effectively stop the negative effects stress is having on your life with the emWave Desktop, emWave2 and other simple-to-use tools and techniques from HeartMath contact: Cheryle Jones Andrews, LMFT, LCPC, who has trained as a 1:1 Provider with HeartMath, or visit www.heartmath.com.
Hypnotherapy: Good, Bad, or Indifferent
February 28, 2012
Free workshop presented by Susan Reuling Furness, LCPC, LMFT
Monday, March 5th, 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Unlike stage hypnosis, you are never asked to surrender your will, nor be gullible in clinical trance. Learn how hypnotherapy allows y
ou to stay in control of your thoughts while discovering solutions that your conscious mind overlooks. See how hypnosis can make a difference for you.
Youth Suicide Prevention
February 28, 2012
Free workshop presented by Kim Kane
Thursday, March 8th 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Speedy Peterson’s sad death has had an impact on suicide prevention efforts in the state of Idaho. This class will examine facts about youth suicide, dispel common myths, and review warning signs, risk factors and protective factors. The class will also cover what is known about the suicidal mind, how to talk to youth about suicide and where to turn for help when a child is at risk.
Treating Adolescents with Addictive Disorders
February 28, 2012
Free workshop presented by Jason Zelus, LCSW, MAC
Monday, March 12th 7:00pm – 8:30pm
This presentation will focus on the subtle and not so subtle differences in treating adolescents with substance use disorders. This discussion will be geared toward parents and professionals within the community.
Successful Stepfamilies: Maintaining Our Loving Marriage
February 28, 2012
Free workshop presented by Tim Furness, LCPC, LMFT
Monday, March 12th 7:00pm – 8:30pm
Every successful stepfamily takes time to develop. And every couple faces particular challenges in their relationship that only stepfamilies can provide. Come and explore some of the steps for success in your own marriage, meet those challenges head on, and enrich your stepfamily home environment.
Preparing Your High School Student for the Future
February 28, 2012
Free workshop presented by Shirley O’Neil, LPC
Monday, April 2nd, 2012 7:00pm – 8:30pm
This session will focus on the academic groundwork that provides the foundation to college preparation and acceptance. Information provided by representatives from Step Ahead Idaho.
Call to register.
Writing the Winds of Change: Women’s Writing Circle
February 28, 2012
7-week group facilitated by Susan Reuling Furness, M.Ed., PTR
Wednesdays, 9:00am – 11:00am, April 4 – May 23 (No group April 25)
Registration cost: $295. Early registration $265 before March 23, 2012.
Health insurance may apply.
When one door closes another door opens. – Alexander Graham Bell.
Regardless of the source of your loss or change, your own words of wisdom help you navigate and discover a bright tomorrow. Join other women as we untangle the confusion, upheaval, and mystery of riding and writing the winds of change.
• Let go of the past • Trust yourself • Rediscover optimism
* You do not need to be a “writer.” The group will provide tools and encouragement for a successful experience.
Writing Life Stories
February 28, 2012
6-week group facilitated by Susan Reuling Furness, M.Ed., PTR
Wednesdays, 5:15pm – 6:45pm, April 11 – May 23 (no group on April 25)
Registration cost: $210. Early registration $185 before April 1, 2012.
Register a friend – deduct 10% from your registration cost.
If you live 10 years, you have 10,000 stories to tell. Why keep yours buried only to be lost? Capturing your life memories helps you make sense of the senseless and, when needed, find peace with the past. You say you can’t remember the stories? This class will help bring them back. Feel your stories don’t matter? We all know that they do. This class with 5-10 other writers will ignite your pen and keep it writing. Writing Life Stories offers a place where you will always feel supported rather than criticized. Beginning and seasoned writers: your story starts here.
Write It Down ~ Make It Happen
November 30, 2011
January 11, 2012
Workshop facilitated by Susan Reuling Furness, M.Ed. LCPC, LMFT
$49 before January 4; $65 after January 4
Monday, 5:30pm – 8:30pm
Capture this golden opportunity to explore a dream. Devote an evening to opening the door to the future you imagine. Unravel the barriers and uncover answers and direction. Bring only a pen and the desire to find your way. No special skills are required. Please call 385-0888 to register.