Four Faith Perspectives on Bereavement: Understanding & Supporting the Bereaved and Yourself

This opportunity for cultural competency CE’s is presented by Bo’s Place in collaboration with The Institute for Spirituality and Health. Faith is often an important part of a person’s grief journey and Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the nation. This in-person, three-hour training will feature a speaker panel representing the faith traditions of Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Attendees will be provided with an overview of each faith tradition’s beliefs regarding death and dying, tips on offering culturally appropriate support for bereaved members of these faith tradition...Read mores, and self-care tools for those supporting the bereaved.

Speakers:
Leah Adams Pruitt
Ginger Clarkson
Rabbi Barry Cohen
Dr. Lavannya Raman Pandit
Alison M. Smith, LCSW
Shahine Tavakoli, LPC, LMFT

Light breakfast will be provided.

For questions, please contact Alison Smith at alison@bosplace.org or 713-942-8339.
All refund requests must be emailed to Alison Smith at alison@bosplace.org 48 hours prior to the event. Less...

Learning Objectives

Identify beliefs regarding death and dying among the Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, and Muslim faiths.
Describe bereavement support within the four faith communities.
Provide examples of culturally competent support for these four communities.
Demonstrate self-care tools for those supporting the bereaved.

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for behavioral health professionals, including Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, and MFT's.

Friday, October 18, 2024

Bo’s Place
10050 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, TX, 77054

09:00 AM CDT - 12:00 PM CDT

EARN 3 CE Credit Hours

About the speakers

Alison M. Smith, LCSW

Adult Groups Manager, Bo’s Place

Alison manages Adult & Young Adult Groups and the monthly Adult Groups. She joined Bo’s Place in September 2019. Alison earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from Loyola University Chicago and a Master of Social Work from the University of Houston’s Graduate College of Social Work. She has seven years of experience in social work and mental health. Before joining Bo’s Place, Alison worked as a Bereavement Counselor at Silverado Hospice.

Leah Adams

Vice President of Engagement, Institute for Spirituality and Health

Leah Adams Pruitt is the Vice President of Engagement at the Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center and the principal consultant at Linton Group Consulting. A certified facilitator of mind-body practices, she focuses on implementing trauma-informed care practices and facilitating healing workshops. Leah is also a certified YogaMass leader, yoga teacher, and co-founder of the Sedona Yoga Festival & Healing Arts Conference. With over 25 years of experience as a consultant and a Project Management Professional certification, she has worked globally with diverse cultures. Leah is actively involved in community service, serving on boards and volunteering with various organizations, particularly those supporting trauma survivors, at-risk populations, and youth. She is a certified nonprofit executive through Rice University and holds a bachelor degree in political science through the University of Houston.

Rabbi Barry Cohen

Chaplain Manager, Alexander Jewish Family Services

Barry Cohen has dedicated his professional career to serving the Jewish community. After being ordained at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion, he began his career in Scottsdale, Arizona, as a congregational rabbi. Then he worked at the Jewish News of Greater Phoenix. Cohen returned to the congregational world by serving Temple B’nai Israel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. After that, he served as associate rabbi of Temple Chai in Long Grove, Illinois. To specialize in creating sacred relationships, he took part in a Chaplaincy Residency Program. He used these skills to become the first Jewish Community Chaplain of Greater Portland, Oregon. The next exciting chapter of Cohen’s career is being Chaplain Manager at the Alexander JFS, where he is fostering sacred connections with those in spiritual and pastoral need, in conjunction with a dedicated team of volunteers.

Ginger Clarkson

Hospice Chaplain, Omega House

Ginger is a Board Certified Music Therapist and a Fellow of the Association for Music and Imagery. In addition to her private practice, she trains students internationally in the Bonny Method of Guided Imagery and Music (GIM). She holds a B.A. degree in music from Wheaton College in Massachusetts, a M.A. in music therapy from New York University, and a M.S. in special education from Southern Connecticut State University. She has taught at Yale University and at the Universidad de las Américas, Puebla, and currently lectures and gives workshops at Houston’s C.G.Jung Educational Center. Her music therapy publications include I Dreamed I Was Normal: A Music Therapist’s Journey into the Realms of Autism, as well as of songbooks, musical plays, and articles about music therapy. Her private music psychotherapy practice focuses on bereavement, terminal illness, addiction, and suicide prevention. After completing four units of Clinical Pastoral Education at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care (NYZCCC), Ginger continues to volunteer as a hospice chaplain at her internship site, Omega House in Houston. Ginger can be reached through her website: http://www.gingerclarkson.com

Lavannya Pandit, M.D.

Associate Professor at Baylor University

Dr. Lavannya Raman Pandit is faculty member in the Department of Internal Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Pulmonary/Critical Care section, and full-time staff physician at the Michael E. DeBakey Veterans Affairs (VA) Medical Center. As a teacher and clinician-scientist, she divides her time between research and caring for patients with severe cardiac and lung disease in the intensive care unit. She received her undergraduate degree in Biology from Yale University and M.D. from the
University of Texas-Southwestern Medical Center, completing her post-doctoral clinical and research fellowships at Baylor College of Medicine.

She is a member of Baylor's Academy of Distinguished Educators as a recipient of a Fulbright and Jaworski Excellence in Teaching award and a Star award for clinical excellence. She has received grants from the American Thoracic Society and federal government to support her research into the mechanisms of how severe lung disease contributes to the development heart failure. Given her expertise in severe cardiovascular disease, she was appointed to the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Task Force under the Texas Department of State Health Services, which has been tasked to address the high rates of maternal mortality in the state of Texas, which disproportionately affect minority women. In line with her commitment to social justice, she is an active member and a local chapter leader of The Hindu American Foundation (HAF;hafsite.org), a Hindu American advocacy group founded in 2003 and headquartered on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.. HAF is involved in the areas of human rights, civil rights and education with the goal to promote dignity and pluralism.

Shahine Tavakoli

Psychotherapist in private practice

Shahine Tavakoli is a licensed mental health professional and psychotherapist working in private practice for over 40 years serving the Houston community.

Ms. Tavakoli was and raised in Iran, and in 1977, moved to the United States to continue her education in Psychology at Texas TechUniversity and completed her graduate school at University of Houston. She went on to purse and navigate many trainings for self healing/self discovery: Life training program, Native American ceremony and healing, Reiki healing touch, Tamarkoz/Movasaneh( Sufi meditation) and Sufi teachings. She taught classes for few years. A key part of her career was working with and advocating for survivors of sexual abuse.

Over the past seven years, particularly through her work and training with the Centre for Mind Body Medicine (CMBM) since 2017, she has extended her trauma connected work to vulnerable communities domestically and internationally. She has co-spearheaded CMBM’s Iran Initiative to help do trauma training and bereavement for family’s and victims of repression inside and outside of Iran. She approaches her
work with clients of different faiths, particularly those in the Muslim community, with nuance grounded in her own faith and background.

Agenda

9:00 - Welcome & Introductions

9:20 - Centering Activity

9:40 - Panel Discussion on Cultural Considerations

10:35 - Support for the Bereaved & Panelist Reflections

11:15 - Experiential Grief Activity & Participant Processing

11:35 - Closing Comments from Panel

11:50 - Q&A

12:00 - Program End

CE Information - Earn 3 CE Credit Hours

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