Description
Summary
The holidays promise gathering, belonging, and joy. For many clients, they sharpen the ache of being alone. Loneliness is the state of being unseen or unnoticed relationally, mentally, emotionally, physically, or spiritually (Mayfield, 2021). In December that gap shows up at every table, in every church service, and on every social media feed. Some examples of clients struggling with loneliness during the holidays are a widow facing her first Christmas alone, the estranged adult child, the college student home but disconnected, and the pastor who serves everyone and is known by no one all carry a loneliness the season can magnify.
In this workshop, participants will examine the current research on loneliness, social isolation, and health. Furthermore, participants will separate what the evidence says about holiday-season distress from popular myth. Psychologists, licensed mental health professionals and ministry leaders will learn how to spot who is most at risk, assess what is driving a person’s disconnection, and respond with care that is clinically grounded and biblically rooted. Drawing on Isaiah 61, Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 19, and the SEEN–SAFE–SOOTHED–SECURE evidence-based framework from Dr. Dan Siegel, this webinar provides practical tools for walking with others through the holidays, and for helpers to tend their own hearts so they have something sustainable to offer.
Learning Objectives
Participants will…
- Summarize current peer-reviewed research linking loneliness and social isolation to mental and physical health outcomes, and describe evidence-based holiday risks apart from common myths, such as the assumed Christmas surge in psychiatric emergencies.
- Identify people who are especially vulnerable to holiday loneliness (the bereaved, the estranged, older adults, young adults, and ministry leaders) and assess whether their disconnection comes mainly from emotional or social contributors.
- Apply the evidence-based SEEN–SAFE–SOOTHED–SECURE framework, grounded in a faith informed theology of suffering and theology of care, to build practical holiday care plans for clients and congregants.
- Develop evidence-informed strategies to reduce holiday loneliness: intentional limits on social media, meaningful faith-community engagement, grief-sensitive rituals, and helper self-care.
Presenters
Dr. Mark Mayfield is the Owner of Dr. Mayfield, L.L.C. in Colorado Springs, CO, and an Assistant Professor of Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Colorado Christian University. Dr. Mayfield revived his B.A. from Colorado Christian University, his M.A. from Denver Seminary, and his Ph.D. from Walden University. Dr. Mayfield is an executive leadership coach, helping churches and organizations navigate the complexities of their mental and emotional health and the Director of Practice and Ministry Development and Editor of Marriage and Family: A Christian Journal with the American Association of Christian Counselors. Dr. Mayfield is the author of three books, “HELP! My Teen is Self-Injuring: A Crisis Manual for Parents,” “The Path Out of Loneliness: Finding and Fostering Connection to God, Ourselves and One Another”, and “The Path to Wholeness: Managing Emotions, Finding Healing, and Becoming Our Best Selves.” Dr. Mayfield is a sought after speaker on the topics of family cohesion and loneliness in teens.
Continuing Education
Live TBD
On-Demand: Approved for 2 NBCC and IBCC Credits*
