DEPRESSION SCREENING SEMINARS FOR CHURCH AND COMMUNITY - This presentation by a credentialed psychotherapist helps identify signs and symptoms of major depression and is designed for all who are interested in learning more about depression and its treatment. The focus is on educating participants and assisting them to seek treatment. Confidential individual depression screenings can be done for attendees and confidential referrals for counseling will be made if signs of depression are evident.

COPING WITH STRESS…AVOIDING BURNOUT - This seminar is designed to teach reduction of stress by recognizing signs of burnout, finding positive ways to cope with stress and avoid being a “victim” of other people’s demands and setting personal goals and priorities to help one stay focused on the most important aspects of one’s life. Participants will gain insight into the hidden role that stress plays in their lives and offered ways to help control and avoid many stressful situations.

SETTING BOUNDARIES AND BALANCING YOUR LIFE - This seminar will deal with two important skills. It will explore the importance of setting boundaries on the demands of others and show you how to effectively establish them. It will also teach strategies for finding a balance in one’s life amid all the complexities of roles and stresses of job and family, helping one to stay centered.

ANGER MANAGEMENT FOR CHILDREN /YOUTH OR ADULTS - Excessive anger can be destructive in the lives of young people as well as adults. Appropriate management techniques in dealing with anger can be learned. This workshop has been presented to church youth groups, married couples and adults. This workshop makes participants aware that anger is a natural emotion that everyone experiences at times. It emphasizes that it is not getting angry that is the problem, but how one decides to deal with it. The focus will be on identifying what makes us angry and providing tools to appropriately cope with these feelings.

IT TAKES MORE THAN TWO: PREMARITAL/MARITAL COUNSELING - Marriage is perhaps the most complex of all human relationships. The process of joining two people in a relationship which is intended to last for a lifetime can involve great effort. Unfortunately, too often couples are not equipped to deal with the challenges they face in marriage. Recent government statistics suggest that a significant portion of married couples experience serious marital conflicts early in their relationships.

The Premarital and Marital Counseling Program is designed

• to assist couples who come for premarital counseling

• to support married couples who are looking to strengthen their relationship or are experiencing some early signs of difficulty.

• to assist referring pastors in the counseling process, identifying strengths and weaknesses in the couple’s relationship so the pastor can continue the premarital/marriage counseling after the three sessions with an LCC psychotherapist.

ELDERCARE: COPING WITH THE CHALLENGE – This workshop is designed to provide support to individuals who are caring for frail elders. The program will focus on understanding and coping with the challenges of physical and social loss, assessing and meeting the emotional and spiritual needs of elders, and the importance of caring for yourself as you care for others.

EFFECTIVE LEADERSHIP - This two hour seminar is designed for church workers who hold leadership roles in their congregations and work with church volunteers. Topics discussed include motivational techniques for recruitment of volunteers, resolution of conflicts, establishing goals, setting limits, dealing with difficult personalities or situations, and effective methods of reducing resistance to change. The overall goal of the seminar is to assist those in leadership roles in creating a positive growth environment in the groups they lead.

FAITH…AN IMPORTANT INGREDIENT IN THE HEALING PROCESS - The connection between health and faith is becoming more and more recognized as crucial in today’s world. Those attending this workshop are helped to understand this relationship and given examples of how using one’s religious practices and faith can help one to cope with illness and promote healing.

KEEPING THE FIRE LIT…COPING WITH STRESS AND AVOIDING BURNOUT – This is a workshop for pastors who face distinctive stress situations, making them especially vulnerable to burnout. This seminar was created in response to current research findings which indicate that eight out of ten pastors struggle with the felt or perceived demands of their profession. It focuses on positive ways to deal with stress and minimize the perceived need to “be all things to all people”.

RESOLVING CONFLICT AND MANAGING STRESS - The most difficult aspect of any relationship is dealing with conflict resolution, whether in our personal life or on the job. This seminar will help church or school leaders look at methods to effectively deal with conflict resolution without becoming overwhelmed by stress.

LAUGHING AT STRESS – This program is for pastors, deacons, school administrators and associates in ministry. The prime focus of this seminar is learning to replace stress with joy. Specific ways to do this are discussed and attendees are helped to give the gift of joy, experience the joy in everyday life, move joyfully and think joyfully, replacing the negative with the positive.

ANXIETY IN THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH - Dr. Elaine Eng, psychiatrist and author of “Martha, Martha” How Christians Worry, presents this seminar about anxiety and its disorders in a manner integrating Biblical teachings along with current medical knowledge. Pastors are taught how to attend to the difficult task of recognizing anxiety

disorders that may be occurring with some parishioners. General discussion involves ways the church can best help those people suffering from anxiety.

ETHNIC & CULTURAL DIVERSITY IN THE CHURCH - The main focus of this one-hour presentation is to help congregational members relate better to and understand other church and community members of different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, thereby improving relationships and diminishing feelings of isolation. Insights are given about cultural and ethnic diversity, and those attending are helped to understand the importance of differences in cultural backgrounds as well as similarities and common needs of all individuals.

“COUNSELOR IN RESIDENCE” PROGRAM - LCC is pleased to be able to make available a “counselor in residence” for special gatherings such as synod assemblies, retreats, school programs and pastoral/congregational conferences. The “counselor in residence”, an LCC pastoral psychotherapist, will be available to meet with individuals interested in speaking with a professional counselor. The counselor will be located in a private setting and all conversations will be held in the strictest of confidence.

ANGER MANAGEMENT: A SIX SESSION EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM - This course is designed to help persons who have difficulty dealing with anger, either their own anger or that of a significant other. The course is comprised of six, 75 minute sessions which explore various anger styles and triggers; strategies to assist in coping with anger, resolving anger issues and many practical tools for personal anger management. This course is taught by an LCC pastoral psychotherapist who is certified in anger management.

COUPLEHOOD AS A SPIRITUAL PATH - This is an eight session, educational workshop for couples interested in learning a new way of relating to one another, using the marital relationship as a source of personal growth. This program is an adaptation of the Imago Relationship process and is taught by an LCC pastoral psychotherapist who is also certified in Imago Relationship therapy.

“COUNSELOR IN RESIDENCE” PRACTICUM - The Lutheran Counseling Center with the support of several funding sources, offers a two-prong counseling support initiative. Pastors participate in a group led by an LCC pastoral psychotherapist and receive support in dealing with those counseling issues that arise in the context of their role as pastoral caregivers. In addition, Lutheran school guidance counselors meet on a monthly basis with an LCC clinical supervisor to discuss their individual cases and deal with those counseling issues identified in their work with students.