Description
Drs. Vermeer-Quist and Cleveland will share qualitative and quantitative ???Gardening Your Life?
treatment results from the past five years of using ???Gardening? resources in both individual and
group therapy. The majority of the session will focus on practical skills training you can use with
your patients immediately! Jesus invites us to abide in Him (John 15). We are designed to abide
and thrive in the love of Christ. As clinicians, counselors, and pastors we know that there are
solid psychological and behavioral treatment tools that can help people learn to abide in Christ.
This session actively integrates Christian faith with the practical skills from evidence-based
therapies (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance
Commitment Therapy, and more). ???Gardening? also promotes secure, loving attachments in
relationship with God, other people and the one?۪s self. Through scripture meditation, prayer,
and Grounding skills, we will discuss how to equip and support clients to develop resiliency and
security in Christ and to appreciate the one precious life they?۪ve been given. Whether you are
working with patients with severe mental health problems or with adult small groups at church,
the ???Gardening? workshop will equip you with a multimodal approach (didactic, experiential,
and practical) to teach Christ-centered Grounding skills. ???Gardening? skills training encourages the development of a healthy Christian self-concept, clarity of boundaries, mastery of Christ-
centered DBT & ACT skills, and commitment to a Serenity Prayer posture to life.
Presented by: Heidi Vermeer-Quist, Psy.D. & Karen Cleveland, Ph.D.
Learning Objectives
Participants will:
- Practice the Serenity Prayer and discuss connections, as well as, applications with Acceptance Commitment and Dialectical Behavioral therapy skills
- Apply and practice Cognitive Behavioral Therapy integrated with a healthy Christian self-concept and Prayer Journaling
- Discuss and apply healthy boundaries with clients, assisting them in making their lives more manageable and in developing healthy relationships
