Marriage Counseling in a Pastoral Counseling session

AAPC Northwest Newsletter Archive

AAPC Northwest Newsletter: (5/19/2007)

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In this Edition

Annual Conference
April 2007
Portland, OR

Reflections from the Chair…

63 members and nonmembers from the NW region attended the Annual Association conference in Portland, OR, April 26-28, “Loss, Resilience and Hope”. Our enthusiasm as a region, was just part of what made this conference the best I’ve attended. Most of us met at a delightfully filled NW caucus:
--to reconnect,
--to welcome new members,
--to remember Loris Buccola,
--to thank and say good-by for a year to Ann Beattie who is taking a sabbatical to Indiana,
--to thank John Carr for agreeing to serve as our Leadership Development Committee Chair,
--and to bless the creation of a NW website with John Carr and Ron Kirstein working with Eddy Crouch and her husband Marty designing and maintaining this site.
Thirty of you were first time attendees. I hope this conference was a satisfying initiation into the wider association. I was hooked starting with the deeply moving opening ceremony planned by Ann Beattie as local arrangements chair and her committee, Jules and Carol Auger, Doug McClure, Rod Landes, and James Boyer. One comment about Lawson Inada’s historical poetry fusion with Devin Phillips New Orleans Straight Ahead Jazz Quartet was “I couldn’t tell if the sound was coming from inside of me or outside.”
A few other gems worth remembering:
-- Harry Pickens quoting Rumi, “Why look like a dead fish in the ocean of God?”
-- Pauline Boss, Ph. D.: Ambiguous loss is an irresolvable problem. Resiliency develops through the capacity for dialectical thinking (which holds ambiguity), acceptance of multiplicity, and normalizing of ambivalence. Continuation of family and community rituals that allow family and community elders to lead are key to recovery.
-- Archie Smith, Ph.D., reminded us that community experience predates individual experience. Our adaptive capacity for complexity and inclusiveness expands our capacity to “hold”. God’s mindfulness is where we ground resiliency
I was looking forward to the panel response to address theological and spiritual integration of the material that was offered by both speakers. I missed it because I ran down to Salem, OR to take in my youngest son’s last concert before he graduated from Willamette University. (If you’d like to be chair of the region, you too would be able to slip personal little nuggets like that into your communications with the region!) I’d be very interested in getting feedback about that piece of the conference on our region yahoo group… which John Carr has so generously offered to co-moderate with Ron Kirstein and Anthony Terndrup.
Gosh, there’s so much more, but it’s a beautiful May day and I’m going out for a walk before I head into my office. I love the “call” that we share and am honored to be part of this body we call AAPC. I look forward to seeing all of you at the fall meeting September 28-29, 2007 at Seattle University.

Warmly, Marcia Matthaei, M.T.S., M.Ed.
Soul Care Psychotherapy
615 North 2nd. St.
(253) 761-8808 ext. 1
Tacoma, WA 98403
mcmatthaei@aol.com

From Ann Beattie, Conference Organizer

Hi NW folks! Hey, a great time was had by all at the Portland Conference. I even enjoyed it, even in spite of my self-induced anxiety! I am grateful for so many things: first, for the support of you all, especially Carol and Jules Auger, Marcia Matthaei and the rest of the Committee; Rod Landes, Jim Boyer and Doug McClure. Each of us added great ideas and creative inpout, so it was a terrific team effort. And the energy of the total group was so fun to be around...all were adventurous explorers of Portland, enjoyers of the amazing weather and flowers ...I didn't hear a single complaint from anyone! I'll be holding you all in my heart as Nancy and I leave for Indiana for a year! I'll keep in touch through this newsletter. Thanks Andrew for doing it! Love, Ann

Editor's Comments

The AAPC’s Spring meeting in Portland at the end of April was a great success. Our Northwest chapter hosted the event, thanks to the work of many volunteers and most of all our own Ann Beattie from Portland. Thanks to Ann and all who helped her.
The theme, “Loss, Resiliency and Hope”, resonated in all of us as we listened to top quality presenters and who moved and inspired us on themes of ambiguous loss (Pauline Boss, PhD), and cross cultural perspectives on loss, resilience and healing (Archie Smith, PhD). Oregon’s poet laureate and our AAPC chaplain inspired and entertained with jazz, poetry and thought provoking images of their own losses and recovery, through singing, listening and participating.
We heard from the Korean chapter of the AAPC, a group we were pleasantly surprised to find in our midst. They have established our only overseas chapter and are doing a great job of it.
There were many exciting workshops. My favorite was one with the unlikely name of “Ethics and Moral Development” by Leona Stuckey-Abbott, PhD. She drew together elements of Kohlberg, object relations, spirituality, epistemology, neuropsychology and more to clarify how we learn to be moral human beings and develop mature love. The key obstacle was revealed as the psychological defensive mechanism of splitting. When this is not transcended we remain fixated in an either/or position that blocks resilience and forgiveness, preventing us from emotionally identifying with others and fulfilling our spiritual potential.
It was a great conference and well worth being there.
Next year’s annual conference is called, "Expanding Visions: Theological and Spiritual Perspectives in Practice". It will be held in Norfolk, Virginia, March 27-29th, 2008, so put it on your calendar.
There was a drawing for a free admission and the lucky winner is, Anthony Terndrup! Congratulations, Anthony!

Fall NW Regional Conference 2007

American Association of Pastoral Counselors
North West Region

2007 FALL CONFERENCE

CONTEMPLATIVE PSYCHOTHERAPY
A Buddhist Approach

A Contemplative Psychotherapy Workshop for AAPC NW

Karen Kissel Wegela, Ph.D.

Contemplative Psychotherapy is rooted in Buddhist teachings and meditation practices. In this workshop we will explore both some of these basic Buddhist teachings, especially those which are important for counselors and therapists, and also some of the experiential practices which inform Contemplative Psychotherapy.

Some of the core Buddhist teachings include: Buddha Nature (or “Brilliant Sanity” as it is known in Contemplative Psychotherapy); understanding the source of confusion and suffering as a mistaken understanding of a solid sense of self; the notion of egolessness and the phenomenon of “Exchange;” and the teachings on the Four Foundations of Mindfulness. In particular, we will explore the implications of these ideas for working with the suffering of others.

A fundamental principle of Contemplative Psychotherapy is the recognition that one must begin one’s work with others by working with oneself. In that spirit, we will spend time experiencing the practices of mindfulness/awareness meditation and tonglen (a compassion practice).

In addition, we will experiment with how to skillfully use our own and our clients’ “mindlessness practices” in cultivating mindfulness. Finally, we will practice the contemplative supervision/presentation practice called “Body-Speech-Mind” which helps us connect with the unique human experience and “brilliant sanity” of our clients, beyond concepts and diagnoses.

Karen Kissel Wegela, Ph.D. is a professor at Naropa University in the M.A. Psychology: Contemplative Psychotherapy program. She served as the director of the program. for many years and is still a member of the department’s Leadership Team. She has taught numerous workshops and presented at conferences on Buddhism and Psychotherapy nationally and internationally. The author of many articles and chapters about Contemplative Psychotherapy, she also wrote the book, How to Be a Help Instead of a Nuisance: Practical Approaches to Giving Support, Service and Encouragement to Others. She is a licensed psychologist in private practice in Boulder, Colorado.

KAREN KISSEL WEGELA, PH.D.
Naropa University
Boulder, Colorado

Friday and Saturday
September 28 and 29, 2007

Seattle University
Seattle, Washington

Nuts and Bolts

That's our Spring Edition Newsletter, folks.
Please send your feedback, input, new articles, questions, subscription requests, etc. to the Editor, Andrew Whitmont, Yakpsyche@yahoo.com
See you at the Fall Conference in Seattle. Have a great summer!

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