HONOREES
Joan Mandel, BA, MSW, LSW & Stanley Rosenthal, BBA
Our 2016 conference honorees are Stan Rosenthal, BBA and Joan Mandel, BA, MSW, LSW, co-founders of the Freehold Clergy Association Emergency Housing and Advocacy Program, that has completed its twelfth year March, 2016. The program houses homeless men during the winter months and provides case management toward greater independence in living. Their compassion, kindness and guidance have touched many facing homelessness.
KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
The Honorable Barbara J. McMorrow is currently serving her second term as Mayor of Freehold Township. This former teacher, adjunct college instructor and Principal of Howell High School has been in public service since 1989. Among her current roles are: Liason to the Youth Guidance Council and Alliance to Prevent Substance Abuse, the Human Relations Commission, and the Mayor’s Wellness Campaign, a statewide initiative she inaugurated in 2013. She has the unique distinction of being the only person to have served on governing bodies of both the Borough and the Township.
She has been honored and awarded many accolades in her public service tenure including most notably: “Woman As Agent of Change” by AAUW (American Association of University Women) , “Woman of Distinction” by the Girl Scouts of the Jersey Shore, the Government Partnership Award from the Monmouth County Workforce Investment Board, the Public Service Award from the Greater Monmouth Chamber of Commerce, an inductee into the Asbury Park High School Alumni Hall of Fame, and an Honorary Degree in Letters from Brookdale Community College. In September of 2008, she was named one of “40 Who Make a Difference in Monmouth and Ocean Counties” by Gannett News and was the 2008 recipient of the NAACP of Greater Long Branch President’s Community Service Award.
Barbara is known for her humorous & engaging speaking style. She will share with us how a sense of humor helps one through the most difficult of times and how “family, friends, faith and chocolate” helped her find resolve in her own life.
Regina Rosenthal, PT, MA, RYT-200 is a physical therapist, teacher, author, health coach, and yoga instructor with three decades of experience in the healing arts and sciences. She has presented seminars nationally and internationally to physicians, health professionals, and community groups, and has worked in hospital, university, home care, and private practice settings. Regina developed a Self-Help for Chronic Pain program as part of her Master’s Thesis, which she taught for five years at her practice. She also developed and taught “Stress Busters,” a stress management program used at the Facial Pain Clinic, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. In her book, “The Heart of Healing: Discovering the Secrets of Self-Care,” readers discover seven universal themes encountered during healing, learn empowering Self-care practices to use during healing challenges, and expand awareness about healing as a journey that reconnects us with our authentic Self and what has heart and meaning in our lives.
MORNING WORKSHOPS
Addictions From a Frontline Perspective (Ndidia Bryant-Muslim, MHS, LCADC & Sylvia James, AS, CADC) is a substance abuse counselor currently working for the State of New Jersey at Trenton Psychiatric Hospital. She has been in the helping profession for the past 20 years and has worked for various non-profit organizations throughout Monmouth County. She earned her Masters degree in Human Services in 2008 and her certification in alcohol and drug counseling in 2013. Throughout her career she has counseled individuals, groups and families from a variety of cultural backgrounds. She is a dedicated and compassionate about her work in the addiction profession and is inspired by the countless families and individuals affected by the disease of addiction.
Laughter Yoga (Beverly Burns, M.Ed., CLYT) Laughter Yoga is a wellness workout for the whole person! Laughter yoga and breathing exercises are done while standing or sitting, as we practice laughing on purpose. Jokes or comedy are not needed! Laughter stimulates body-mind chemistry and produces feel-good hormones like dopamine and endorphins, which reduce stress and pain. Laughter in a group is contagious. It increases alertness, relaxes muscles, and reduces anxiety and depression. Research has shown that extended laughter and breathing reduces blood pressure, elevates mood, increases blood and lymphatic circulation, strengthens the immune system, and builds resilience in the face of daily stress. Come and explore this easy, fun method that anyone can do!
Health and Healing through Storytelling (Charles Fleisher, BA, Author, Motivational Speaker) Everyone heals and maintains health through storytelling. Storytelling is a universal type of communication that has been with us as long as we have been on the planet. From the ancient Greek plays, throughout all major religious texts, till modern day social media like YouTube, stories have been with us. Why? These stories show humans living with tragedy and triumph; humor and hysteria; love and loss and every other experience of the human condition. In this workshop you will work one-on-one with the workshop leader to learn how and why you can use stories to help you manage grief and maintain mental health.
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
Journaling as a Tool for Managing Grief (Lo Anne Mayer, BS, Author) Meditation and transpersonal journaling are the main components of the simple, easy process Lo Anne Mayer used to heal her own grief after the death of her mother and daughter. Unfinished business with loved-ones who have passed keep us from moving into forgiveness of all concerned, including ourselves. If you are holding on to resentment or criticism of your lost loved-one, Celestial Conversations is a healing tool that can help you realize that healing is still possible after the death of your loved-one.
The Power of Pets (Bernice Garfield-Szita, MS, LPC, TEP & Bob Szita, MS)
Understanding and Supporting Children and Grief (Lynn Snyder, MPS, LPC, ATR-BC, CT) Caring adults are often at a loss when it comes to talking about death with a child or teen and how to assist them through their grief process. The first step in learning how to help children and teens with death is to become more educated about grief and the needs of the grieving child or teen. This workshop will help participants understand how children and teens view death through developmental stages, and how they grieve. Common feelings and needs of grieving children and teens will be discussed, along with how to assist them in their grief process. Helpful resources will also be mentioned.
CONFERENCE CLOSURE, INTEGRATION AND PROCESSING
Bernice Garfield-Szita, MS, LPC, TEP
Bob Szita, MS, LPC, TEP
Using action methods and facilitated discussion, participants will integrate their learning from the conference. Group processing will stimulate opportunities to identify the relevance of the various modalities participants learned about during the day and identify how they would be helpful for themselves, their clients or community members.
GIERS 